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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (15 articles)
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2017 07:46:07 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 9B294DC4-F815-4885-9A6D-A8F6F32C4E2F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 16, 2017 at 7:45:53 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 (15 articles)
ALL CLEAR GIVEN AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK, HAZMAT SITUATION OVERNIGHT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
IMPROVISED CHEMICAL BOMBS FOUND NEAR EVANSTON
Tags: us_WY, public, discovery, response, bomb, cleaners
ONE INJURED IN CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: Canada, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL TANKER AQUARIUS SANK AFTER EXPLOSION IN SINGAPORE STRAIT
Tags: Indonesia, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
NEW HAMPSHIRE FAILS TO PASS CHEMICAL SAFETY BILL
Tags: us_NH, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION AT U OF R BUILDING
Tags: us_VA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
GHAZIABAD: CHEMICAL FIRE AT INDUSTRIAL UNIT LEAVES ONE DEAD
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT GODOWN KILLS ONE, 2 GET SEVERE BURN INJURIES
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, flammables, illegal
SUSPECT IN PLAZA TOWERS FIRE TAKES STAND
Tags: us_KS, public, follow-up, environmental, bomb, explosives, illegal
PRESIDENT‰??S 2018 BUDGET IMPACTS SOME SAFETY AGENCIES MORE THAN OTHERS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
LANL: WASTE DRUM SHIPPED TO COLO. FACILITY WAS INACCURATELY LABELED
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, waste
SPILLED ACID SHUTS DOWN OREGON CITY TRANSFER STATION, SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid, waste
MAN SUFFERS CHEMICAL BURN AT NEW HAVEN BUSINESS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, injury, sulfuric_acid
ONTARIO RESEARCHERS TO STUDY DUST FOR CARCINOGENS AFTER FORT MCMURRAY FIRE
Tags: Canada, public, follow-up, environmental
NO TRACE OF CARETAKER OF CRACKER WAREHOUSE DAY AFTER EXPLOSION, OWNER BOOKED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives, illegal
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ALL CLEAR GIVEN AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK, HAZMAT SITUATION OVERNIGHT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
AKRON, OH (WOIO) -
Hazmat crews responded to Emerald Performance Materials in Akron early Friday morning after a power outage caused an equipment malfunction and chemical release.
According to Michael Brooks of the Akron Fire Department, firefighters responded to the chemical production plant around 1 a.m. Friday. A local power outage caused a pressure valve to malfunction, which released acrylic nitrile and butudiene into the air.
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IMPROVISED CHEMICAL BOMBS FOUND NEAR EVANSTON
Tags: us_WY, public, discovery, response, bomb, cleaners
EVANSTON ‰?? Several improvised chemical pressure bombs were found in and around an abandoned vehicle near Evanston on Friday, June 9, requiring assistance from the Sweetwater County Bomb Squad in order for the scene to be declared safe.
According to the Uinta County Sheriff‰??s Office, the vehicle was reported after a man noticed it near a stock pond on his land about a mile north of County Road 108 (the landfill road), a week earlier.
Deputies investigated the scene and found one bomb in the vehicle and three others in the area, all of which were detonated by the bomb squad. One bomb had exploded and damaged the car, which the Sheriff‰??s Office said appeared to be of little value.
Sheriff Doug Matthews said they don‰??t have a lot of information, but his office is conducting an investigation. He said they think it was probably some kids just messing around.
The Sheriff‰??s Office warned about such improvised bombs, however.
‰??Improvised chemical bombs are commonly made using flimsy containers like plastic soda bottles,‰?? states a post from the Uinta County Law Enforcement Services Facebook page. ‰??A liquid such as toilet or drain cleaner is poured into the bottle and other substances are introduced to cause a chemical reaction.‰??
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ONE INJURED IN CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: Canada, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
A 66 year old man was treated by paramedics after a chemical spill at the National Wildlife Research Centre on the grounds of Carleton University.
The man, a chemist at the centre, spilled two chemicals onto his hands.
Paramedics treated the man at the scene then released him.
Ottawa fire hazardous materials teams are investigating.
Carleton University officials say graduation ceremonies will not be affected.
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CHEMICAL TANKER AQUARIUS SANK AFTER EXPLOSION IN SINGAPORE STRAIT
Tags: Indonesia, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
The chemical tanker Aquarius sank after explosion and subsequent fire in Singapore Strait on 4.6 nautical miles southwest off Tanjung Pengelih in Johor, Malaysia. Following the accident six crew went missing. The exact details around the accident are unknown, as the shipowner and agent lost connection with the Indonesia tanker, loaded with fuel. The accident was immediately reported to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and later was estimated that vessel sank after suffered explosion, which was followed the fire. The search and rescue operation for the six missing crew was immediately launched, engaging the nearby vessels and coast guard patrol boats.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE FAILS TO PASS CHEMICAL SAFETY BILL
Tags: us_NH, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) ‰?? A bill that advocates hoped would lead to tougher standards for a toxic chemical that has been found in more than 200 sites in New Hampshire has stalled in the legislature.
The bill would have required the Department of Environmental Services to set a standard for the group of chemicals known as perfluorochemicals or PFCs, a suspected carcinogen used in Teflon coatings. The state currently uses the federal government recommendation of 70 parts per trillion but several states set far more stringent standards.
On Thursday, a conference committee couldn't agree on the bill partly over fears it could require towns to make expensive upgrades to their water systems.
Since last year, PFCs have been found in the drinking water at 222 sites across the state.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION AT U OF R BUILDING
Tags: us_VA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -
There is a fire on the University of Richmond campus, according to the school's alert system.
The call came in at 6:22 p.m. for a chemical fire on the third floor of a science building. Richmond fire crews arrived on the scene six minutes later. A Hazmat team is on the scene to determine the chemicals that caused the fire.
Students and staff members evacuated the Science Center, and no one was hurt or injured. However, fire officials say one person had difficulty breathing.
The fire was marked under control at 7:19 p.m.
---------------------------------------------
GHAZIABAD: CHEMICAL FIRE AT INDUSTRIAL UNIT LEAVES ONE DEAD
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
A 38-year-old labourer working at a paint box manufacturing unit died following an explosion and fire at the factory on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the police, the incident took place when the worker, Naval Kishore, was pouring some chemical from a big tank into a pipe and it led to an explosion around 12.30pm. Kishore sustained burn injuries and died by the time the firefighters and the police reached the spot.
The unit is located in Kavi Nagar Industrial area and owned by one Neeraj Gupta. According to the police, the factory owner could not produce a fire no-objection certificate, which is mandatory for running a factory.
‰??Apart from the NOC, we found that there was no proper firefighting arrangements in place. We have registered a complaint on behalf of another labourer in order to conduct an investigation and the autopsy. Kishore‰??s family has been asked to lodge a complaint in the incident,‰?? said Neeraj Singh, station house officer, Kavi Nagar.
‰??Once we receive the complaint, a case under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC will be registered,‰?? Singh said.
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CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT GODOWN KILLS ONE, 2 GET SEVERE BURN INJURIES
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, flammables, illegal
Agra: A 22-year-old man was charred to death and two others suffered severe burn injuries after a drum filled with chemical ‰?? used in the shoe industry ‰?? exploded at a godown here in the city on Wednesday morning. The incident was reported from Ramnagar area under the jurisdiction of Shahganj police station in Agra.
The entire godown was gutted, and close to 12 men were working in the godown when the incident took place. The victim, Rohan Chandra, along with Rajesh Chand and Kalu, was pouring the highly inflammable chemical into another drum when the explosion took place.
After the explosion, the chemical spilled all over the area and hutments closed to the godown also caught fire, forcing the local people to evacuate the area.
Fire tenders rushed to the area and managed to bring the fire under control within a few hours.
According to chief fire officer Sunil Kumar Singh, ‰??The chemical godown was unauthorised and lacked safety measure.‰??
When asked about the cause of explosion, Singh said, ‰??A short circuit or a burning cigarette might have caused the explosion in the chemical godown. We are probing the matter. The victims were working as shoemakers at Mahesh Chandra property.‰??
---------------------------------------------
SUSPECT IN PLAZA TOWERS FIRE TAKES STAND
Tags: us_KS, public, follow-up, environmental, bomb, explosives, illegal
Just over the defendant‰??s head, jurors could see the Plaza Towers where it‰??s alleged 23-year-old Chase Lee Coble was making a bomb or explosive device.
Before calling her first and only witness, public defender Lois Lynn told jurors Wednesday in an opening statement that the defendant is a ‰??smart guy ... who may very well do good things for society.‰??
Coble then went to the stand and answered for his experimental use of over a dozen chemicals and roughly 15 computers found in his Plaza Towers apartment at 17 E. Second Ave. following a fire June 21, 2016.
The fire was a scientific experiment gone wrong in Coble‰??s 12th floor apartment. During cross-examination, Reno County Attorney Keith Schroeder asked if Coble threw a PVC pipe, computer and beaker out the window when first-responders arrived as a way to cover up any wrongdoing.
Coble said he discharged the items following an eviction notice. It had nothing to do with any cover-up, he said.
Closing arguments are the only thing standing in the way of jury deliberations, which are scheduled to begin this morning. Coble faces three counts of aggravated arson, each carrying a minimum sentence of roughly 4.5 years.
The trial started Tuesday with Coble originally facing five charges. Since then, the state dropped a charge and Judge Trish Rose dismissed another.
Rose dismissed a charge of criminal use of explosives following testimonies that revealed all the components for making black powder and another volatile compound known as TATP were not in the apartment.
Sulfur and charcoal ‰?? two of the three components needed for black powder ‰?? were found in the apartment. The missing component was saltpeter, which Coble testified he thought was a chemical in a bag of tree stump remover found in the apartment.
---------------------------------------------
PRESIDENT‰??S 2018 BUDGET IMPACTS SOME SAFETY AGENCIES MORE THAN OTHERS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Despite a proposed $2.4 billion (19.8%) cut to the Department of Labor‰??s annual budget in President Trump‰??s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal, the lead U.S. workplace safety agencies ‰?? the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ‰?? would see only small budgetary changes.
Under the proposed plan, OSHA would experience a modest $9.8 million funding decrease, which represents less than 2% of the agency‰??s FY17 budget of $552.8 million. Although the total budget decreases relatively little, the budget proposal‰??s details reflect the Trump administration‰??s agenda. For example, the request seeks to eliminate or significantly reduce a variety of training efforts that the administration deems ineffective, including the Susan B. Harwood training grant program and the Senior Community Service Employment Program. Eliminating those two programs alone will result in over $444 million in savings.
MSHA would get an increase
As for MSHA, the proposal actually increases its budget to $375.2 million ‰?? up $1.4 million from last year. However, as with OSHA, the specific allocation of funds reflects new priorities. The budget proposes eliminating about 42 positions, most of which involve the coal safety and health program. Overall, the budget proposal shifts about $3 million from coal to metal/non-metal enforcement.
Other safety agencies would see far more dramatic changes under the proposal. The budget cuts the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which falls under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by a dramatic $138.5 million ‰?? roughly 40% of NIOSH‰??s current budget. That said, when compared to former President Barack Obama‰??s FY17 proposal of $213.6 million, President Trump‰??s $200 million allocation doesn‰??t seem nearly as drastic. If approved by Congress, the budget cuts could impact NIOSH‰??s ability to perform its key function‰??conducting research aimed at improving workplace safety and health.
Budget would entirely eliminate CSB
Most dramatically, as previously announced in Trump‰??s budget blueprint released earlier this year, the FY18 proposal would entirely eliminate the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), an independent agency responsible for investigating chemical accidents and making safety recommendations. The administration described CSB‰??s function as ‰??largely duplicative of other Agency efforts,‰?? but CSB Chairperson Vanessa Sutherland disagreed in a May 23 press release, stating that the agency‰??s actions have an ‰??enormous effect on improving public safety.‰?? The CSB also released a two-page document promoting its importance and responsibilities, as well as a video of its 2016 accomplishments.
---------------------------------------------
LANL: WASTE DRUM SHIPPED TO COLO. FACILITY WAS INACCURATELY LABELED
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, waste
Los Alamos National Laboratory failed more than once in recent months to accurately document the pH level of hazardous liquid shipped six hours north to a waste processing and disposal facility outside Denver, according to an email to the state Environment Department that was made public this week.
The latest incident occurred last month when the lab shipped a drum containing a chemical mixture used to remove buildup from pipes in a cooling system.
All waste from Los Alamos is required to be meticulously screened before it leaves the lab complex, with each drum identifying the types and amounts of chemicals packaged inside, the chemicals‰?? pH levels, their potential for combustion or other reaction, their radiological contents, if any, and a slew of other measures.
But when operators in Colorado examined the drum shipped from Los Alamos on May 17, they determined the pH level was significantly lower, or more acidic, than the lab had indicated on the drum‰??s label, meaning the contents might be different than what was identified on the label ‰?? and potentially more volatile.
---------------------------------------------
SPILLED ACID SHUTS DOWN OREGON CITY TRANSFER STATION, SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid, waste
OREGON CITY, Ore. - The Clackamas Fire Hazardous Materials team responded to the Metro South Transfer Station in Oregon City, Tuesday evening, after reports of a chemical reaction in one of the trash bays.
Fire crews evacuated employees and customers while they investigated the source of the reaction. They discovered a container of muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid had tipped over. The common construction chemical is often used for etching concrete.
‰??Somebody improperly threw it in a load and it released and caused this incident,‰?? said Metro operations manager, Penny Erickson. She said the spill created a gas, which sent one employee to the hospital.
‰??He appears to be okay,‰?? said Erickson.
Erickson said Metro has a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal on site where she said people can and should take chemicals, paint and other toxic waste.
‰??There, we could properly handle it, but if it's mixed with the garbage we don't necessarily see it,‰?? said Erickson. ‰??The container might get broken or get tipped or spilled or might create a chemical reaction.‰??
---------------------------------------------
MAN SUFFERS CHEMICAL BURN AT NEW HAVEN BUSINESS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, injury, sulfuric_acid
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) ‰?? A man is being treated for a chemical burn after an incident at a New Haven plant Tuesday morning.
Fire crews are investigating a situation at 100 Sergeant Drive in New Haven, where a worker suffered a chemical burn. According to authorities, around 7:42 a.m. a worker at Assa Abbloy spilled sulfuric acid on his arm.
The victim suffered burns as a result of the spill. The New Haven fire chief is reporting minor injuries to the victim who has been transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment.
---------------------------------------------
ONTARIO RESEARCHERS TO STUDY DUST FOR CARCINOGENS AFTER FORT MCMURRAY FIRE
Tags: Canada, public, follow-up, environmental
TORONTO ‰?? A group of Ontario researchers is travelling to Fort McMurray, Alta., next month to study dust left in homes from the forest fire that ravaged the city last year.
The team's work is among several studies that are being conducted on the health effects of the ferocious blaze that forced more than 80,000 people to flee.
Arthur Chan, an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, said his team has received overwhelming interest from "concerned" homeowners in Fort McMurray who are offering up their places to be tested.
"We hope we don't find anything," Chan said. "But we're looking for heavy metals and also some organic compounds that are potentially carcinogens. We're going to assess those levels and compare to what we know are normal levels in a home in Canada."
Chan and his team are looking to analyze residual ash from the blaze that consumed 2,400 homes after it hit the city last May.
On July 10, Chan and two of his students will head to Fort McMurray and begin collecting samples from homes in the city and nearby Fort McKay First Nation, which wasn't hit by the fire, but winds blew ash its way.
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NO TRACE OF CARETAKER OF CRACKER WAREHOUSE DAY AFTER EXPLOSION, OWNER BOOKED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives, illegal
SANGRUR: Even a day after an explosion at Sunam cracker godown left 28 injured, there was no trace of the caretaker of the warehouse. Officials supervising the rescue operations said the teams working at the blast site had managed to clear most of the debris by Tuesday afternoon but they had been unable to find any traces of the caretaker named Bablu.
Meanwhile, the district police said they had registered a case against Raju Nagpal, owner of the warehouse, for putting lives in danger, negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter, negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance, causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others, causing grievous hurt, causing damage and criminal breach of trust. He has also been booked under Section 9 of the Explosive Act applicable on manufactures, importers or exporter of explosives.
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