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Again, many articles in local papers about local preparedness for hazmat events were not included in this list below.
- Ralph
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, April 22, 2013 8:17:03 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (14 articles)
JASCO FIRE IN FAIRPORT STARTS WITH CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
GRAVELLY BEACH CUT OFF BY CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, ammonia
'RED FLAG': TEXAS PLANT HAD 1,350 TIMES AMOUNT OF CHEMICAL THAT WOULD TRIGGER OVERSIGHT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate
DEATH TOLL OF CHEMICAL-COVERED BIRDS FOUND NEAR PLYMOUTH RISES TO MORE THAN 1,000
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
CHEMICAL FIRE IN EAST EDMONTON
Tags: Canada, industrial, fire, response, paints, solvent
CHEMICAL SPLASH INJURES 2 GREENSBORO WORKERS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
WORKER SERIOUSLY BURNED IN REDDING ASPHALT PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, injury, asphalt
YMCA EVACUATED FOR CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_MI, public, release, injury, chlorine
FACT OR FICTION? GENERAL CHEMISTRY HELPS STUDENTS DETERMINE THE LEGITIMACY OF TELEVISION PROGRAM SITUATIONS
Tags: education, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
SAFETY LAPSES AT CHEVRON
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury
CHEMISTRY EXPLOSIONS ARE ALL BANG AND NO BUCK
Tags: laboratory, explosion, response
CHEMEXPLOSIONS (WITH TWEET) • CHEMISTRYWORLD • STORIFY
Tags: public, explosion, response
CHEMICAL NOSTALGIA: MY GRANDFATHER'S (LETHAL) LEGACY
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response
CHLORINE TRIFLUORIDE: SOME EMPIRICAL FINDINGS. IN THE PIPELINE:
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, response, bromine
---------------------------------------------
JASCO FIRE IN FAIRPORT STARTS WITH CHEMICAL LEAK
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Jasco-Fire-In-Fairport-Starts-With-Chemical-Leak/YF-QK1XGskC2ALwvoisZlg.cspx
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Fairport, N.Y. - Firefighters were able to put out a fire Sunday night started by a chemical leak.
Just after midnight, Fairport fire crews responded to a basement fire at Jasco Heat Treatment Plant on Turk Hill Road.
Molten salt had been leaking from its heated container and spread to the area around it.
Fire Chief Mike Gropp said crews were able to stop the leak but had to be extremely cautious so the chemicals didn't eat away their equipment.
He said at least one furnace was wrecked by the leaking salt.
---------------------------------------------
GRAVELLY BEACH CUT OFF BY CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-22/gravelly-beach-cut-off-by-chemical-spill/4643342?section=tas
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, ammonia
Police have reopened the road to Gravelly Beach in northern Tasmania after a chemical spill this morning.
The Fire Service was called to the spill just after eight o'clock (AEST) this morning.
A worker had accidentally cut the pipe of a refrigeration unit at a disused orchard packing shed, causing ammonia to spill out.
The man was taken to the Launceston General hospital and has been treated for exposure to ammonia.
50 homes within 500 metres of the shed were evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
'RED FLAG': TEXAS PLANT HAD 1,350 TIMES AMOUNT OF CHEMICAL THAT WOULD TRIGGER OVERSIGHT
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/20/17838304-red-flag-texas-plant-had-1350-times-amount-of-chemical-that-would-trigger-oversight?lite
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate
The fertilizer plant that exploded on Wednesday, obliterating part of a small Texas town and killing at least 14 people, had last year been storing 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that would normally trigger safety oversight by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Yet a person familiar with DHS operations said the company that owns the plant, West Fertilizer, did not tell the agency about the potentially explosive fertilizer as it is required to do, leaving one of the principal regulators of ammonium nitrate - which can also be used in bomb making - unaware of any danger there.
Fertilizer plants and depots must report to the DHS when they hold 400 pounds or more of the substance. Filings this year with the Texas Department of State Health Services, which weren't shared with DHS, show the plant had 270 tons of it on hand last year.
---------------------------------------------
DEATH TOLL OF CHEMICAL-COVERED BIRDS FOUND NEAR PLYMOUTH RISES TO MORE THAN 1,000
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Death-toll-chemical-covered-birds-near-Plymouth/story-18754628-detail/story.html#axzz2R2rlOyNd
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
CONSERVATIONISTS have demanded urgent action as the death toll of seabirds washed up on the shoreline around Plymouth topped 1,000.
Charities are calling for an immediate ban on the dumping of chemicals at sea.
They have described the shocking scenes of birds being found on coastline around the city as potentially wiping out "a whole generation of seabirds".
The plea comes just a week after the first reports of seabirds covered in a sticky glue-like substance being found on Devon and Cornwall's beaches.
Hundreds have been found dead or dying every day this week in nearby Whitsand Bay, the worst hit area.
It is the second time in just three months that the substance identified by Plymouth University researchers as polyisobutene (PIB), which can legally be disposed of at sea, has killed hundreds of seabirds in the region.
"This can't go on," Tony Whitehead, from the RSPB in the South West, said.
"Wildlife charities, agencies and the Government must work together to impress on the International Maritime Organisation the urgency with which we need a total ban on the discharge of this stuff into our seas.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FIRE IN EAST EDMONTON
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2013/04/20/edmonton-industrial-fire-east-side.html
Tags: Canada, industrial, fire, response, paints, solvent
A two-alarm fire broke out at an industrial building near 50th Street and 72nd Avenue early Saturday morning.
Someone noticed flames and smoke coming from Integrative Protective Coatings Inc. just before 5:00 A.M.
"[The] arriving crews said there was flames and smoke coming from the roof," said District Fire Chief Jim Henderson.
Additional crew and rigs were then immediately called in to help combat the blaze, he said.
It took about 60 firefighters almost three hours to get the chemical fire under control, said Henderson, adding that the chemicals present on site made the fire burn very hot.
However, Henderson says the chemicals present Ñ primarily paint thinner and other coating agents Ñ do not pose any threat.
"It more or less burns off," he said.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPLASH INJURES 2 GREENSBORO WORKERS
http://www.news-record.com/home/1092497-63/chemical-splash-injures-2-greensboro
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
GREENSBORO Ñ Two people filling a container at a commercial cleaning company were hurt when a caustic chemical splashed onto them, including onto their faces, according to the Greensboro Fire Department.
Emergency crews responded at about 4 p.m. to Express Containers and washed the chemical off the workers, Deputy Chief Clarence Hunter said. The injured workers were then transported to Cone Memorial Hospital.
No hazardous cleanup was required at the facility at 208 S. Chimney Rock Road, Hunter said.
---------------------------------------------
WORKER SERIOUSLY BURNED IN REDDING ASPHALT PLANT FIRE
http://findmyaccident.com/california/2013/04/19/worker-seriously-burned-in-redding-asphalt-plant-fire/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, injury, asphalt
Officials say a worker sustained critical burns in a Redding asphalt plant Wednesday afternoon.
According to plant officials, an unknown number of workers were attempting to cut a hole in an empty tank at VSS Emultech when a small amount of dried-on chemical ignited around 1:35 p.m. The fire was further exacerbated when workers tried to extinguish the fire with water, and the dried-on chemical reacted to the water by producing a large flash that seriously injured an unidentified 44-year-old male worker.
The worker was transported to Mercy Medical Center with second- and third-degree burns to his arms, stomach, and face. His identity has not been released.
Officials are conducting an ongoing investigation to determine the cause of this incident.
---------------------------------------------
YMCA EVACUATED FOR CHLORINE LEAK
http://www.wlns.com/story/22023681/ymca-evacuated-for-chlorine-leak
Tags: us_MI, public, release, injury, chlorine
EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) - The YMCA of Parkwood on Haslett Road in East Lansing was evacuated shortly before 10a.m. Friday because of a chlorine leak.
Several people have been taken to hospitals, but there is no word on their conditions. Hazmat crews are on the scene and are preparing to go in and find the source of the problem.
Fire officials says more than 20 gallons of liquid chlorine had spilled on the floor in a mechanical room near the swimming pool.
Everyone inside was forced to evacuate. At least three people were taken to the hospital and paramedics checked out at least six others on the scene. All were being treated for respiratory issues.
---------------------------------------------
FACT OR FICTION? GENERAL CHEMISTRY HELPS STUDENTS DETERMINE THE LEGITIMACY OF TELEVISION PROGRAM SITUATIONS
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed300155p
Tags: education, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
A large number of students in chemistry courses are thinking about pursuing careers in the health professions. We used a segment from the popular TV show, Bones, to illustrate how basic chemical concepts can help them solve complex physiological and medical problems. Many students have found the use of the Bones video clip engaging, and appreciated seeing the connection of chemistry to "real-world" situations. This presentation is intended to take chemistry out of the mundane classroom setting and present it in the context of a thrilling (albeit highly improbable) life-or-death scenario.
---------------------------------------------
SAFETY LAPSES AT CHEVRON
http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i16/Safety-Lapses-Chevron.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury
Missed opportunities to apply inherently safer technologies, a failure to recognize and correct workplace hazards, and the lack of industrial safeguards led to an explosion, fire, and release of a huge vapor cloud at a California refinery in August 2012, says a federal report. The plume swept across a residential community near the Chevron refinery in Richmond, sending 15,000 people to area hospitals.
An interim analysis of the accident, released last week by the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) blames the Chevron refinery's management as well as a host of regulatory bodies for failing to take actions that could have prevented the accident.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMISTRY EXPLOSIONS ARE ALL BANG AND NO BUCK
http://philosophicallydisturbed.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/chemistry-explosions-are-all-bang-and-no-buck/
Tags: laboratory, explosion, response
I am a chemist and I am heavily involved in science outreach especially in chemistry. I have built a library of demonstrations that I can pull out to demonstrate scientific principles. I also have an array of demonstrations that result in an explosion, not something to brag about when needing to board a flight. The explosions and flames are my least called upon demonstrations. I loathe these demonstrations and use them sparingly. Chemistry is so much more than pyrotechnics and it is an incredible tragedy that this is what it has become to not just people outside of science but also within science. As a chemist of 10 years, I have not once used an explosion in any of my work.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMEXPLOSIONS (WITH TWEET) • CHEMISTRYWORLD • STORIFY
http://storify.com/ChemistryWorld/chemexplosions
Tags: public, explosion, response
This month one of our stories started a wider conversation about the value, or otherwise, of explosions in chemistry outreach. Do we over rely on flashes and bangs or do chemistry bangs beget engagement?
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL NOSTALGIA: MY GRANDFATHER'S (LETHAL) LEGACY
http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2013/04/18/chemical-nostalgia-my-grandfathers-lethal-legacy/
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response
The story involves a legacy that had the potential to kill me, much of my family and probably a good few neighbours, but despite that I can't help feeling respect and nostalgia for my grandfather every time I pull a pencil out of the mug that it shares with his old lab tools.
My grandfather was one my greatest scientific influences. He was a horticulturist who believed in organic food production decades before it became a mainstream movement. And he shared his love for plants and all things natural with me. When I was a kid he'd show me the edible plants in the woods or we'd lay down on our bellies gazing at the pond life which we'd then catch and examine under his microscope. But it was his laboratory (where he analysed chemical compositions of soils) that he built in a old building on his small-holding that really grabbed my attention. To my 10 year old self it was a fascinating Alladin's cave of strange instruments, bottles and weird muddy mixtures.
---------------------------------------------
CHLORINE TRIFLUORIDE: SOME EMPIRICAL FINDINGS. IN THE PIPELINE:
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2013/04/05/chlorine_trifluoride_some_empirical_findings.php
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, response, bromine
Over the years, I've probably had more hits on my "Sand Won't Save You This Time" post than on any other single one on the site. That details the fun you can have with chloride trifluoride, and believe me, it continues (along with its neighbor, bromine trifluoride) to be on the "Things I Won't Work With" list. The only time I see either of them in the synthetic chemistry literature is when a paper by Shlomo Rozen pops up (for example), but despite his efforts on its behalf, I still won't touch the stuff.
And if anyone needs any more proof as to why, I present this video, made at some point by some French lunatics. You may observe the mild reactivity of this gentle substance as it encounters various common laboratory materials, and draw your own conclusions. We have Plexiglas, a rubber glove, clean leather, not-so-clean leather, a gas mask, a piece of wood, and a wet glove. Some of this, under ordinary circumstances, might be considered protective equipment. But not here.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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