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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, January 30, 2015 at 7:12:02 AM
A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (18 articles)
EVACUATION LIFTED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT WASHINGTON STATE PORT
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
TRUCK CATCHES FIRE IN BUILDING IN WAYNE COUNTY
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, chlorine
CHEVRON MANAGEMENT FAILURES LED TO MASSIVE AUGUST 2012 EXPLOSION IN RICHMOND
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury
HAZMAT TEAMS RESPOND TO AMMONIA LEAK IN FRANKFORD
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
LOBLAWS AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT CREWS DESCEND ON SCENE
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, irritant, pepper_spray
UNITED FACES $1.3M FAA FINE FOR IN-FLIGHT HAZMAT VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CO, transportation, discovery, environmental, batteries, carbon_dioxide, corrosives, ethanol, metals, phosphoric_acid
CDC INSTALLING CAMERAS IN LABS IN AGENCY-WIDE SAFETY PUSH
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, environmental
TRAIN DERAILS, CHEMICAL SPILLS IN ALLENDALE COUNTY
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
WOMAN TRIES TO KILL COCKROACH, BLOWS UP TOILET INSTEAD
Tags: Taiwan, public, fire, response, flammables, waste
TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL FIRE WON'T AFFECT HEALTHCARE
Tags: Ghana, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
EXPLOSION USED FOR DIVERSION, VISALIA POLICE SAY
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
COAST COMPANIES FACE OSHA FINES AFTER FATAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MS, industrial, follow-up, death
CHEMICAL LEAK AT PORT OF OLYMPIA FORCES EVACUATIONS FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS; NO INJURIES
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide, water_treatment
NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER EXPLOSION AT HONEYWELL PLANT IN HOPEWELL
Tags: us_VA, industrial, explosion, response, plastics
CHEMICAL RELEASE PROMPTS SHELTER-IN-PLACE AT TAFT ELEMENTARY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, sulfur_dioxide
MARTIN, S.C.: TRAIN DERAILS, CHEMICAL SPILLS AT PLANT IN ALLENDALE COUNTY
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
5 HURT IN CENTRAL TEXAS CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, toluene
CREWS CLEANING UP CHEMICAL SPILL NEAR GUNN, ALTA
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, hydrofluoric_acid
---------------------------------------------
EVACUATION LIFTED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT WASHINGTON STATE PORT
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
(Reuters) - A chemical spill at the Port of Olympia in Washington state on Wednesday forced the evacuation of dozens of employees and several nearby businesses until the area was deemed safe to re-enter, a spokeswoman said.
The hydrogen peroxide leak originated in a pipe leading to a large tank at an $11.5 million stormwater treatment plant that opened in December, said port spokeswoman Kathleen White.
Evacuations were ordered for a quarter-mile radius and employees cleared from several nearby businesses while the leak was located and contained, she said.
The evacuations remained in place for about three hours while the Washington State Department of Ecology assessed potential hazards.
"There were no injuries and the site is stabilized," White said.
---------------------------------------------
TRUCK CATCHES FIRE IN BUILDING IN WAYNE COUNTY
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, chlorine
CRESTON, Ohio - A truck inside a building caught fire, causing a response from emergency crews in Wayne County.
The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency reports a truck inside W.G. Dairy Supply Inc., located at 12993 Cleveland Road in Creston, caught fire at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Wayne County EMA Director Joe Villegas says they were concerned about five gallons of chlorine and iodine in the building.
After getting the fire under control, crews worked to contain water runoff that could contain chemicals.
A half-mile around the scene of the fire was blocked off to the public and people who left were not being allowed back in. Wayne County EMA has since reopened the area.
---------------------------------------------
CHEVRON MANAGEMENT FAILURES LED TO MASSIVE AUGUST 2012 EXPLOSION IN RICHMOND
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury
The federal Chemical Safety Board on Wednesday issued the final installment of its stinging indictment of Chevron for the huge fire on August 6, 2012 at its Richmond refinery. The fireball spread a cloud of toxic smoke over Richmond and prompted 15,000 residents to seek medical treatment.
The basic outline of the CSB‰??s account of the incident had been laid out in previous reports and in a animated video. The final report, presented to the Richmond City Council on January 28, detailed technical and management failures that led to the fire.
Many public officials, union representatives, and community members spoke at the meeting, most lavishly praising the CSB‰??s investigation. Torm Nompraseurt of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, said, ‰??Now we have a tool to say to policy makers: these are the recommendations and we want this to be happening.‰?? Ex-mayor and current city Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin thanked the agency, noting that the report ‰??confirmed the illegal management decisions‰?? leading to the dangerous fire, adding, ‰??Chevron workers‰?? lives matter.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAMS RESPOND TO AMMONIA LEAK IN FRANKFORD
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ‰?? An ammonia leak early Wednesday morning had Hazmat crews responding in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.
Fire crews were called to the 4700 block of Darrah Street around 4:45am, responding to reports of fumes.
When they arrived at the scene, crews found a 1,000 gallon tank at Amuneal Manufacturing Corp leaking a small amount ammonia.
No evacuations or injuries were reported. Fire department crews closed roads surrounding the plant.
The leak was brought under control a short time later.
---------------------------------------------
LOBLAWS AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT CREWS DESCEND ON SCENE
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, irritant, pepper_spray
Hazmat crews were called to the Loblaws at the former Maple Leaf Gardens, at Church and Carlton Sts. Wednesday evening, after shoppers experienced the effects of an unknown airborne irritant.
The building was evacuated, including the Mattamy Athletic Centre next door that‰??s part of Ryerson University. It was reopened around 10:30 p.m., when fire officials turned the building back over to its owners.
Five fire trucks were called to the scene, alongside hazmat crews, around 7:40 p.m.
Toronto paramedics attended the scene and took one victim to hospital with throat irritation. Several others reported trouble breathing, and coughing, fire officials said.
Toronto police have not yet been able to determine the cause, but are investigating reports that the irritant was pepper spray.
Sgt. Craig Somers of Toronto police told reporters at the scene that the symptoms were reported by ‰??more than one person.‰??
‰??We‰??re obviously treating it very seriously,‰?? he said. ‰??Toronto fire is inside the building now. I have been in myself and experienced the sensation. There‰??s no smell ‰?? it is some sort of an airborne sensory irritant.‰??
---------------------------------------------
UNITED FACES $1.3M FAA FINE FOR IN-FLIGHT HAZMAT VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CO, transportation, discovery, environmental, batteries, carbon_dioxide, corrosives, ethanol, metals, phosphoric_acid
United Airlines is facing Federal Aviation Administration fines of $1.3 million stemming from at least 120 alleged violations involving hazardous material cargo on passenger flights, including several at Denver International Airport.
The hazardous materials involved include lithium metal batteries, dry ice, corrosive liquids, detonating fuses, phosphoric acid, ethanol solutions and more.
The FAA laid out the alleged violations in a Dec. 30 notice to the airline, which United spokesman Charles Hobart said is under review.
"We will cooperate fully with the FAA to resolve these concerns," he said.
The 37-page Notice of Proposed Civil Penalty the FAA sent to United, says inspections in Denver, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago airports yielded at least 120 instances where United failed to accurately document hazardous cargo and notify pilots of what was being transported.
---------------------------------------------
CDC INSTALLING CAMERAS IN LABS IN AGENCY-WIDE SAFETY PUSH
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, environmental
ATLANTA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has introduced camera monitoring of workers in its highest-level biosafety laboratories as it seeks to restore public faith in its procedures after a series of mishaps, agency officials tell Reuters.
One lab worker inadvertently risked contracting Ebola last month when they worked with the live virus that was supposed to have been inactivated, or killed. Since last June, the Atlanta-based agency has disclosed several incidents, one in which scientists unknowingly sent potentially live anthrax to a lower-security laboratory and another in which a deadly form of bird flu was sent to an external agency's lab.
The mishaps have raised major questions over safety practices at more than 1,000 laboratory and support facilities that make up the CDC, whose role is to monitor and prevent outbreaks of disease.
The move to monitor workers will allow lab directors and senior scientists to ensure they have followed safety protocols exactly, Leslie Dauphin, interim director of laboratory safety, told Reuters in an interview.
"You cannot deviate," she said. "That is what the camera system helps with."
The agency is expected to release details within a week of its own investigation into the Ebola mishap.
Dauphin, who played a key role in the CDC's initial response to the incidents, would not comment directly on the contents of the Ebola report, but confirmed that no one had been harmed.
---------------------------------------------
TRAIN DERAILS, CHEMICAL SPILLS IN ALLENDALE COUNTY
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
MARTIN, S.C. (AP) ‰?? A train has derailed and chemicals leaked from a car in Allendale County, but no widespread evacuations have been ordered.
Deputies told media outlets that the train ran off the tracks around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday in Martin, which is about 12 miles northwest of Allendale on state Highway 125.
Authorities evacuated the nearby Archroma plant, which makes colored paper and textiles. No homes in the area were evacuated.
Deputies say two people on the train were hurt and were taken to a hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Their conditions were not known.
Authorities say the spill site is still being cleaned up. Investigators have not figured out why the train left the tracks.
---------------------------------------------
WOMAN TRIES TO KILL COCKROACH, BLOWS UP TOILET INSTEAD
Tags: Taiwan, public, fire, response, flammables, waste
Before we start judging the Taiwanese maintenance worker in this story, let‰??s just all agree that encountering a cockroach is one of most upsetting and unsettling byproducts of modern urban living.
Seriously, few things set off a gag reflex faster. That being said, we can‰??t say we approve of the women‰??s cockroach disposal plan when she encountered on a job when her cleaning firm sent her to a client‰??s office in Taiwan.
Truth be told, the woman probably did a sufficient job of killing it when she stomped on it with her shoe. She probably didn‰??t need to wrap the thing in toilet paper, set it on fire, and then toss it in the toilet. As unpleasant as cockroaches are, setting them on fire sounds like serial killer behavior, but I digress. The women then decided to toss the flaming cockroach into the toilet. The only problem was that she had just used a bunch of flammable cleaning products on the toilet, so the damn thing lit up like a Christmas tree.
---------------------------------------------
TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL FIRE WON'T AFFECT HEALTHCARE
Tags: Ghana, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Dr. Prosper Akambong has allayed fears that the inferno which gutted a portion of the laboratory stores will not affect medical services.
The disaster occurred at about 8:30 am, Wednesday morning on the down floor of the old storey building.
‰??The cause of the fire is yet to be established.‰?? Assistant Commissioner of Fire at the Northern Region Command, ACFP, D. Douglas Koyiri told Citi News at the scene.
At a press briefing, the CEO, Dr. Prosper Akambong gave the assurance that routine medical services will continue unabated despite the inferno.
‰??Let me use this occasion to say that services within the hospital are still going on, the doctors are taking care of patients and nurses are in the wards taking care of patients and so services that we run here at the hospital have not come to any halt.‰??
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION USED FOR DIVERSION, VISALIA POLICE SAY
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
VISALIA, Calif. (KMPH) -
There was an explosion at a Marshall's in Visalia and police say it may have been a distraction created by a shoplifter.
It happened around 6:00 p.m. Tuesday night near the Sequoia Mall.
Police say the explosion was created by a chemical substance placed inside a soda bottle.
There was a loud bang and then a man was seen leaving the store through an emergency exit and police say he had a bunch of merchandise.
The store had to be evacuated.
No arrests have been made just yet.
---------------------------------------------
COAST COMPANIES FACE OSHA FINES AFTER FATAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MS, industrial, follow-up, death
MOSS POINT ‰?? Fines totaling $187,620 have been proposed against four companies related to a deadly explosion at Omega Protein last year.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says in a news release that two temporary workers hired to cut and weld pipes at the Moss Point plant on July 28 had no training to know the storage tank beneath them contained explosive methane and hydrogen sulfide gases.
The explosion blew the lid off the 30-foot-high tank, killing a worker who was on top of it and injuring another.
Omega Protein produces fish oils and fish meal for human consumption and for use in aquaculture, agriculture and industrial applications.
The Mississippi Press reports the companies are Accu-Fab & Construction Inc., Omega Protein, and JP Williams Machine & Fabrication, all in Moss Point, and Global Employment, in Pascagoula.
The companies have 15 business days to appeal.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK AT PORT OF OLYMPIA FORCES EVACUATIONS FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS; NO INJURIES
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide, water_treatment
OLYMPIA ‰?? A chemical leak at the Port of Olympia forced evacuations of some nearby businesses for about three hours Wednesday.
‰??At 11:37 this morning, a hydrogen peroxide leak within a storm water treatment containment system at the Port of Olympia today forced the cordoning off of over 20 city blocks,‰?? Olympia Deputy Fire Chief Greg Wright said.
‰??Several businesses were asked to evacuate and another six-to-eight businesses were asked to shelter in place. The Fire Department called for the evacuations within a quarter-mile of the incident as a precaution due to the potential health risks associated with a large Hydrogen Peroxide release. No injuries were reported by citizens or first responders.
‰??The origin of the leak was a 3,300-gallon chemical storage tank within the storm water treatment system. The Fire Department worked with the Port of Olympia and the Department of Ecology during the initial stages of the event. After determining the extent and potential effects of the spill, all evacuated areas were reopened‰?? at about 3 p.m.
‰??The Department of Ecology will determine the severity of the spill and any adverse impacts to the marine area,‰?? Wright said. ‰??There are no drinking water concerns as the results of this spill. The white vapor seen issuing from the spill and storm water system was water vapor.
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER EXPLOSION AT HONEYWELL PLANT IN HOPEWELL
Tags: us_VA, industrial, explosion, response, plastics
HOPEWELL, Va. ‰?? An all-clear was issued Wednesday afternoon after an explosion at the Honeywell plant in Hopewell, Virginia. An investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened at the chemical plant.
Some Honeywell employees were ordered to shelter in place after a tank at the plant exploded while it was being cleaned Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported and no harmful chemicals leaked into the atmosphere, sources familiar with the situation told CBS 6 senior reported Wayne Covil.
The shelter in place order was standard operating procedure for situations like these at the plant, according to the sources.
The Hopewell Fire Department responded to the plant.
Honeywell released the following statement Wednesday afternoon.
‰??Honeywell‰??s Hopewell site experienced an equipment failure just before noon. A tank, which was not in service and was being cleaned for inspection, became over pressurized. This caused the top of the tank to rupture. Emergency response teams at the plant responded and employees were initially instructed to ‰??shelter in place‰?? as a precaution. That ‰??shelter in place‰?? has since been lifted. Local emergency responders were notified and have responded. There are no reported injuries at this time,‰?? Honeywell‰??s Peter Dalpe wrote.
The New Jersey-based chemical company‰??s Hopewell plant is the world‰??s largest producer of caprolactam, which is used in carpet fibers, plastics and films. The plant also produces ammonium sulfate used for fertilizer.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL RELEASE PROMPTS SHELTER-IN-PLACE AT TAFT ELEMENTARY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, sulfur_dioxide
A chemical release from a refinery near Groves Tuesday prompted an elementary school to shelter in place.
Groves Fire Chief Dale Jackson told 12News they were notified of the release around 11:30 a.m. He said the wind direction prompted them to shelter-in-place at Taft Elementary for about 10 minutes.
Jackson said they conducted air tests along with the Port Arthur Fire Department and Total. The shelter in place was lifted once they determined there was no cause for concern.
Jackson told 12News the chemical released was Sulfur dioxide.
Port Neches- Groves superintendent Dr. Rodney Cavness said the school quickly implemented its crisis plan. However, parents with children in the district expressed frustration when they were not notified about the chemical release.
‰??I didn't get a note at all and if it weren't for Facebook I would never have known,‰?? Taft parent Traci Harrington said.
According to a statement released by Total, the unit involved was shut down following the incident and there have been no additional chemical releases.
---------------------------------------------
MARTIN, S.C.: TRAIN DERAILS, CHEMICAL SPILLS AT PLANT IN ALLENDALE COUNTY
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
MARTIN, S.C. ‰?? A train traveling through Allendale County derailed and chemicals leaked out early Tuesday after the train ended up on to a side line at a plant, authorities said.
Workers at the Archroma plant in Martin, about 12 miles northwest of Allendale on state Highway 125, were evacuated after the derailment. No one living in the rural countryside nearby was ordered to leave, authorities said.
Two people on the train heading from Augusta, Georgia, to Charleston were hurt and were taken to a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, Allendale County deputies said. Their conditions were not known.
The train crashed just outside the entrance to the plant, which makes color paper and textiles. No workers were injured, Archroma U.S. spokesman Chad Perry said.
Authorities have not said what chemical leaked or whether the car that was breached was part of the through train or one of the parked cars.
---------------------------------------------
5 HURT IN CENTRAL TEXAS CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, toluene
At least five people have been hurt in a chemical spill at a Central Texas company that makes foam products.
Temple Fire & Rescue units on Tuesday morning responded to the Carpenter Co. and contained the leak.
Officials said there's no danger to the public. Investigators are trying to determine what led to the leak and how much liquid spilled.
Authorities said three employees reported breathing problems and were decontaminated at the facility. All were then transported to a hospital. An emergency medical services worker also had trouble breathing and was taken to a hospital.
A firefighter who came into contact with the chemical, identified as toluene diisocyanate, was treated at the scene and returned to duty.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS CLEANING UP CHEMICAL SPILL NEAR GUNN, ALTA
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, hydrofluoric_acid
A chemical spill near Gunn, AB. forced the closure of Hwy 43 for several hours Tuesday while crews cleaned up the mess.
Stony Plain RCMP asked drivers to stay away from the junction of Hwy 43 and Hwy 37 after a tanker truck overturned early Tuesday morning.
Gunn is located northwest of Edmonton.
A spokesperson for Alberta Environment said the tanker was hauling 30,000 tonnes of a 35% hydrochloride solution - an amount ESRD later said was approximately 30,000 litres. That amount was later adjusted to about 28,000 litres.
Officials said about 300 litres of product was released into the ditch, officials said about 23,000 litres had been offloaded by HAZMAT crews on the scene dealing with the spill.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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