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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 (16 articles)
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 06:05:32 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 6AD8F1EC-63AF-4023-A6FF-B9DA480C58F5**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, August 21, 2017 at 6:05:17 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 (16 articles)
CHEMICAL EMERGENCY DEALT WITH AT MEAT PLANT
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, explosion, injury, citric_acid, sodium, chlorite.
SHOPPERS LOSE CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT SAFETY CERTIFICATES-INSIDE KOREA JOONGANG DAILY
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, public, discovery, response, pesticides
INDIAN FASHION INDUSTRY MUST EMBRACE SAFETY: DUSANJ-LENZ
Tags: India, industrial, discovery, response
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS: TURNBULL GOVERNMENT MOVES TO SLASH SAFETY TESTING REGULATIONS
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
‰??STEPS ON TO IMPROVE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY‰??
Tags: India, industrial, discovery, environmental, pharmaceutical
CALIFORNIA TIGHTENS REFINERY REGULATIONS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum
MAN TAKEN TO OAMARU HOSPITAL AFTER TOUCHING CHEMICAL MIX
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
OHS ON SCENE OF EXPLOSION AT RED DEER AUTO WASH
Tags: Canada, public, explosion, injury, flammables
CLIFTON PARK SCHOOL EVACUATED AFTER ACID SPILL
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
INVESTIGATION FINDS HAZMAT INCIDENT IN UO‰??S HUESTIS HALL NOT SERIOUS THREAT
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, injury, irritant
SEMI CARRYING TOXIC CHEMICALS CATCHES FIRE, PROMPTS EVACUATION IN PAYNESVILLE
Tags: us_MN, transportation, fire, response, various_chemicals
FORMALDEHYDE FORCING OUT NEW HOMEOWNERS
Tags: us_CO, public, discovery, response, formaldehyde
FORT WORTH WAREHOUSE CATCHES FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
3 MEN CRITICALLY BURNED IN EXPLOSION AT RED DEER CAR WASH
Tags: Canada, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
LEXINGTON STORE EVACUATED FOR CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals
7 PATIENTS EVALUATED AFTER YMCA CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid, pool_chemicals
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CHEMICAL EMERGENCY DEALT WITH AT MEAT PLANT
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, explosion, injury, citric_acid, sodium, chlorite.
WorkSafe New Zealand is making inquiries into a hazardous substance emergency at Oamaru Meats Ltd.
On Saturday Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) sent crews from Oamaru, Weston and Timaru to contain a dangerous gas which was released when two containers of chemicals came into contact at the meatworks, formerly called Lean Meats Oamaru Ltd.
The spokesman said there was a chemical reaction that led to a release of a dangerous gas.
Oamaru Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer Steve Couper said a man was injured.
"I don‰??t believe it was serious.
"He was hurt when the drum exploded. It exploded with all the chemicals away from him. It blew the lid off the drum. When the lid came back that‰??s what hit his hand. I don‰??t believe anything was broken."
Mr Couper believed the man was taken to Oamaru Hospital before FENZ teams arrived.
The two chemicals involved, Mr Couper believed, were citric acid and sodium chlorite.
"When it reacts it gives off heat, but also chlorine dioxide gas ‰?? a real nasty. I know when we started diluting it down, the gas cloud was a green-yellowy colour. It‰??s pretty dangerous stuff."
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SHOPPERS LOSE CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT SAFETY CERTIFICATES-INSIDE KOREA JOONGANG DAILY
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, public, discovery, response, pesticides
On Saturday at Hanaro Mart in Mapo District, western Seoul, a banner proclaiming that the eggs on sale have passed the government‰??s pesticide tests stood in the middle of the store.
The government on Friday announced that eggs from 1,190 farms, more than 95 percent of egg-producing farms, have been approved for market distribution.
Yet there were hardly any shoppers willing to put eggs in their shopping carts.
‰??It seems consumers‰?? mistrust has increased as egg-related problems returned after avian flu broke out at the end of last year,‰?? said a store employee.
Kim Seon-ja, a 62-year-old shopper, expressed similar concerns.
‰??As eggs that received the government‰??s safety approval were found to be contaminated with pesticides, it‰??s hard to trust food products,‰?? Kim said.
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INDIAN FASHION INDUSTRY MUST EMBRACE SAFETY: DUSANJ-LENZ
Tags: India, industrial, discovery, response
Mumbai‰??The Indian fashion industry needs to embrace the highest safety standards, says Suki Dusanj-Lenz, country co-ordinator for Fashion Revolution India.
For this, India must first stop using chemicals that are banned in the rest of the world, she said, talking about a global movement that desires greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry.
The movement followed the death of 1,138 workers in Dhaka while making garments in the Rana Plaza factory, which collapsed after a structural failure in the building on April 24, 2013. The workers were making garments for the international market.
‰??The sad thing is the staff was complaining about the building but nobody listened,‰?? she said.
Dusanj-Lenz is an advocate for gender equality, sustainability and champions the need for a fair and transparent fashion industry. She spoke to IANS on the sidelines of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2017.
---------------------------------------------
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS: TURNBULL GOVERNMENT MOVES TO SLASH SAFETY TESTING REGULATIONS
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
A Turnbull government move to slash industrial chemical regulation could create "toxic chemical disasters" and leave the public and officials oblivious to the risks, critics have warned.
Cancer Council Australia, unions and public health advocates have expressed alarm over the proposed changes, which mean more than 99 per cent of new industrial chemicals will not be officially assessed for threats to public health and the environment before being introduced to the public.
The Turnbull government is planning to change the regulations around industrial chemicals. Photo: Simon Schluter
Industrial chemicals pervade our daily lives ‰?? they are present in cosmetics, fragrances, paint, petrol, cleaners, dyes and plastics, and are used in mining, construction and manufacturing.
Under a bill introduced by Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie, industry would be allowed to self-assess whether a chemical new to Australia was low-risk and therefore "exempt", meaning it could be brought to market without being reported to the regulator or having its safety assessed.
About 10,500 new chemicals were reported to the regulator, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS), last financial year.
Under the proposed regime NICNAS would assess just 0.75 per cent of new chemicals before they are used by industry ‰?? down from the current rate of 3.3 per cent.
---------------------------------------------
‰??STEPS ON TO IMPROVE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY‰??
Tags: India, industrial, discovery, environmental, pharmaceutical
Establishment of an Industries Emergency Response System (IERS), hazard analysis laboratory and regular safety audit to embed safety culture among the hazardous industries located in Visakhapatnam and its neighbourhood are some of the decisions taken by the government to reduce industrial accidents.
Incidents recorded
Visakhapatnam district recorded 16 accidents of which in 13 cases criminal proceedings for negligence were initiated during last year.
The district has the largest pharmaceutical cluster with an estimated annual turnover of ‰?1 20,000 crore, most of them concentrated at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC), Parawada, about 50 km from here.
‰??After discussions with stakeholders, we have decided to establish a skill development centre as many of the workers engaged by the process units do not have adequate knowledge on safety precautions to be taken by them,‰?? Director of Factories G. Bala Kishore told The Hindu.
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CALIFORNIA TIGHTENS REFINERY REGULATIONS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum
California is requiring its 15 refineries to adopt comprehensive new requirements to improve safety for workers and communities around the facilities. Regulations that the state issued in early August call for refineries to adopt inherently safer designs and systems to the ‰??greatest extent feasible‰?? and increase employer responsibility for the safety of refinery equipment. Those rules require root-cause analysis when an incident results in a major accident or near miss. Erika Monterroza, spokesperson with the California Department of Industrial Relations, says the state created a broad task force made up of community members, workers, and industry, state, and local agencies to develop the regulations. The regulatory changes come after a 2012 accident at a refinery in Richmond, Calif., and one in 2015 in Torrance, Calif. Both facilities are located in densely populated areas. The two accidents resulted in detailed and controversial reports by the federal Chemical Safety &!
amp; Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), and the new regulations incorporate many of CSB‰??s recommendations.
---------------------------------------------
MAN TAKEN TO OAMARU HOSPITAL AFTER TOUCHING CHEMICAL MIX
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A man was taken to Oamaru Hospital with hand injuries after he touched drum which contained a mixture of chemicals, at a meat processing plant, on Saturday.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand senior communicator Mau Barbara said the man was taken to hospital before emergency service crews arrived at Oamaru Meats Limited, on Redcastle Rd, Oamaru, just after 2pm.
Barbara said the man had sustained injuries to his hand after he put his hand against a 200 litre drum which contained a "couple of chemicals" which, when mixed, had created a chemical reaction causing a gas to be released.
It was not known what the two chemicals in the drum were, he said.
---------------------------------------------
OHS ON SCENE OF EXPLOSION AT RED DEER AUTO WASH
Tags: Canada, public, explosion, injury, flammables
Three men were rushed to hospital late Friday afternoon after an explosion at a vehicle wash in Red Deer, according to the business' owner.
Platoon Chief Sheldon Christensen told CTV News crews were called to the vehicle wash at about 4 p.m., and arrived to find three individuals injured.
The three were handling a flammable chemical used to clean tires near an open flame when the explosion happened, Christensen said.
Jo said he believes the victims burned their legs but did not know the severity of the injuries.
The business was closed after the explosion and an employee said emergency crews were at the scene. However, the owner of the auto wash, Heebo Jo told Global News two of the men were employees while the third may have been there for a job interview.
---------------------------------------------
CLIFTON PARK SCHOOL EVACUATED AFTER ACID SPILL
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
CLIFTON PARK ‰?? Acadia Middle School employees were safely evacuated after hydrochloric acid accidentally spilled Friday morning, Saratoga County deputies said.
The hazardous-materials call came in at about 11:30 a.m. Investigators determined school IT personnel knocked over a cabinet containing a bottle of the acid while they were installing new equipment. It hit the floor, broke and created smoke and odor.
---------------------------------------------
INVESTIGATION FINDS HAZMAT INCIDENT IN UO‰??S HUESTIS HALL NOT SERIOUS THREAT
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, injury, irritant
A reported hazardous materials team incident Friday evening at the University of Oregon turned out to be a minor chemical spill that exposed two people to a mild irritant, according to Kelly McIver, a public information officer with the University of Oregon Police Department.
The spill occurred inside a lab at Huestis Hall on the north end of campus. An initial investigation concluded that the spill does not pose a serious threat.
McIver said the two exposed individuals were given a precautionary medical evaluation.
‰??It basically caused some skin irritation,‰?? he said.
---------------------------------------------
SEMI CARRYING TOXIC CHEMICALS CATCHES FIRE, PROMPTS EVACUATION IN PAYNESVILLE
Tags: us_MN, transportation, fire, response, various_chemicals
Dozens of rural Stearns County homes were evacuated in the middle of the night after a semi hauling toxic chemicals caught on fire. Dispatchers in Stearns County received a call from the driver that he was able to unhook the cab and drive it to a safe distance, but that the trailer was spewing fire and smoke.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the semi truck containing hazardous materials was traveling westbound on the highway when a fire started in its trailer.
Stearns County Sheriff's Office responded and assisted with shutting down the highway and diverting traffic. Officials made a decision to create an exclusion zone of 1/2 mile surrounding the chemical fire.
Patrol Sergeant Jesse Grabow says eastbound Highway 23 is open, but westbound lanes remain closed as clean-up continues.
Sheriff's deputies went door-to-door between County Road 85 and Highway 23 from Koronis Hills Golf Course to Roseville Road evacuating residents to Paynesville High School. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. He reported that the trailer was carrying various chemicals classified as oxidizers.
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FORMALDEHYDE FORCING OUT NEW HOMEOWNERS
Tags: us_CO, public, discovery, response, formaldehyde
AURORA, Colo. -- The American Dream is on hold for Gary and Carolyn Cooper in Aurora. A cancer causing chemical has forced them and hundreds of homeowners nationwide out of new homes.
"I couldn't basically see because there was a constant burning and running of my eyes," said Gary Cooper, describing what it was like to live in his new house. He and his wife Carolyn closed June 30th on their home on South Grand Baker Street in Aurora.
On July 20th, a representative from their builder, Shea Homes, delivered devastating news.
"She handed me a letter saying the joists where omitting formaldehyde," remembered a shocked Carolyn Cooper. "I said you have to be kidding."
Now law firms across metro Denver are lining up to sue Seattle-based Weyerhaeuser and local home builders because of a formaldehyde coating used on floor joists.
---------------------------------------------
FORT WORTH WAREHOUSE CATCHES FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
FORT WORTH
A five-alarm blaze at a warehouse off East Lancaster burned for about four hours Friday afternoon and produced heavy clouds of smoke that could be seen for miles.
Officials said the fire, which was brought under control about 4:45 p.m., started about 1 p.m. at a either a furniture or cardboard recycling warehouse in the 2600 block of Ludelle Street. The Fort Worth Fire Department had originally reported that the fire was in a chemical storage warehouse.
One firefighter suffered second-degree burns to the shoulder, which officials characterized as minor injuries. That firefighter was taken to a hospital. No other injuries were reported.
Crews were starting to scale back by about 4 p.m., with some leaving. The remaining firefighters were shooting water down the back section of the warehouse in an effort to finally quench the blaze.
WFAA video from the scene showed the roof of the warehouse engulfed in flames. A section of the roof had collapsed, said Lt. Kyle Falkner, Fire Department spokesman.
Witnesses told NBC 5 that they heard an explosion before the fire, but authorities at the scene said no explosion took place after fire crews arrived.
The warehouse is in an industrial park between South Beach Street and Connor Avenue, just south of East Lancaster Avenue. The other buildings in the park were not being threatened by the fire.
---------------------------------------------
3 MEN CRITICALLY BURNED IN EXPLOSION AT RED DEER CAR WASH
Tags: Canada, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Three men suffered serious chemical burns in an explosion at a Red Deer car wash on Friday afternoon.
Owner Heebo Jo, who bought the business last month, said two workers were transferring liquid vinyl protector from an old bottle to a new one in the detailing bay when the explosion happened.
Jo said the three suffered burns mainly to their legs.
One of the injured men was visiting the two workers and was not an employee.
The explosion happened about 3:40 p.m. at Lazer Wash on 67A Street in Red Deer.
---------------------------------------------
LEXINGTON STORE EVACUATED FOR CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals
LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) - A Lexington Food Lion was evacuated on Friday night due to a chemical leak.
The Lexington Police Department tweeted from the scene around 9:30 p.m. The store is located on North Lake Drive.
According to The County of Lexington, a refrigerant leak caused the evacuation. Lexington County Fire Service responded to the scene and was able to control the leak. No injuries are reported.
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7 PATIENTS EVALUATED AFTER YMCA CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid, pool_chemicals
Firefighters were dispatched out to the Fishers YMCA, 9012 E 126th St., at approximately 12:14 p.m. Aug. 18 for reports of a chemical leak, determined to be muriatic acid. Muriatic acid is used to lower pH level in swimming pools.
No one was transported to a hospital, but according to a press release sent to Current in Fishers from the Fishers Fire Dept., seven patients were evaluated on scene for minor symptoms of coughing and burning eyes.
Approximately 50 firefighters responded with assistance from the Fishers Police Dept., Carmel Fire Dept., Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services, Indianapolis Fire Dept., Hamilton County Emergency Management, Fishers Fire Corps and MESH Coalition. Emergency responders were on scene for approximately 90 minutes to secure to the leak. The cause of the leak has not yet been determined.
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