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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, October 6, 2017 at 7:47:52 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 (17 articles)
4 IN HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL RELEASED AT RECYCLE PLANT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, dust, waste
HONESTY ABOUT POTENTIAL HIGH HAZARD PLANT RISK MAY BE WISER THAN DISSIMULATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
MULTIPLE PEOPLE SUFFER PEPPER SPRAY INHALATION AFTER VINTAGE FAIRE MALL THEFT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, pepper_spray
POOL CHEMICAL ISSUE PROMPTS HAZMAT CALL AT VCU'S CARY STREET GYM
Tags: us_VA, education, release, response, pool_chemical
CHEMICAL REACTION INJURES ONE IN LABORATORY INCIDENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical, nitric_acid
EIGHT VILLAGERS FALL ILL AFTER CHEMICAL BOMB EXPOSURE
Tags: Cambodia, public, release, injury, bomb, metals
PFAS CHEMICALS IN KATHERINE TOWN POOL PROMPTS CLOSURE, MAYOR TELLS RESIDENTS TO 'KEEP A LID' ON THEIR ALARM
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
TOXIC FIREFIGHTING CHEMICALS MAY HAVE BEEN SPREAD ACROSS VICTORIAN WATERWAYS
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, toxic
US AGENCIES WEIGHING GREATER GHS HARMONISATION
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO PETROLEUM SPILL IN CALDWELL CANAL
Tags: us_ID, public, release, response, petroleum
WITH DURO CLOSURE, SAFETY OF KUSS MIDDLE SCHOOL TAKES CENTERSTAGE
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHES MAGNESIUM FIRE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, magnesium
KENSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL EVACUATED TWICE IN AS MANY DAYS DUE TO FUME COMPLAINTS
Tags: us_OH, education, release, injury, adhesives
TENNESSEE CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL SPILL SPARKS EVACUATION IN SOUTH TOWNSVILLE
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, ammonia
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM AS SOCIETY NAMES LAB SAFETY A CORE VALUE
Tags: us, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
UPDATED: EXPLOSION REPORTED AT EASTMAN CHEMICAL IN KINGSPORT, SEE NEWS CONFERENCE VIDEO
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
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4 IN HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL RELEASED AT RECYCLE PLANT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, dust, waste
Four people are in hospital after a hazmat issue at a fibre recycling plant.
Emergency crews were called to Arrow Road, in the Sheppard Avenue West and Highway 400 area, just after midnight Firiday, for reports that some sort of chemical powder was released inside the building.
‰??We immediately isolated the situation [and] we had decontamination crews on site,‰?? Platoon Chief Doug Harper with Toronto Fire Services explained.
‰??Crews went inside and they investigated to try and determine what the actual source of this irritant was. Unfortunately it was inconclusive.‰??
Harper said that despite the substance being a minor irritant, for precautionary purposes all workers inside the plant were decontaminated and then turned over to paramedics to be evaluated.
Paramedics said the four people in hospital have respiratory issues but are expected to be okay.
---------------------------------------------
HONESTY ABOUT POTENTIAL HIGH HAZARD PLANT RISK MAY BE WISER THAN DISSIMULATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey highlights some of the problems facing high hazard industry regulation in Texas and the USA. Arkema, which owns the plant on the outskirts of Houston where a number of explosions and fires broke out after flooding caused by the hurricane, is now at the centre of a legal maelstrom centred on the company's refusal to give details of the hazardous chemicals it held on site.
Stock image
To complicate matters, Arkema was one of a number of companies to lobby the Trump administration to delay Environmental Protection Agency rules that would have required it to report more extensive information to first responders in case of a disaster, the International Business Times has reported.
The state began allowing companies to shroud their operations in secrecy in 2013, after the deadly fertiliser plant explosion in West, Texas, increased media scrutiny. That year, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, now the governor, declared that state and local agencies could prevent the public from knowing the contents of inventories under a 2003 law meant to prevent terrorist attacks.
The Trump administration and Republican leaders in Texas have undertaken a number of actions to block potentially life-saving information being made available about toxic chemical releases, explosion risk and other dangers.
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MULTIPLE PEOPLE SUFFER PEPPER SPRAY INHALATION AFTER VINTAGE FAIRE MALL THEFT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, pepper_spray
Several people at Modesto‰??s Vintage Faire Mall were exposed to pepper spray Tuesday afternoon after a woman, suspected of stealing from a store, used the chemical to escape.
A security guard who was sprayed, along with about 50 other people, were treated at the scene with symptoms of irritation and asthma. None required hospitalization. The woman got away.
---------------------------------------------
POOL CHEMICAL ISSUE PROMPTS HAZMAT CALL AT VCU'S CARY STREET GYM
Tags: us_VA, education, release, response, pool_chemical
Virginia Commonwealth University police and Richmond firefighters, including a hazmat crew, are on the scene at the school's Cary Street Gym.
The gym was evacuated as a precaution, said Richmond Fire Battalion Chief Christine Richardson, adding that at this time they don't believe there's any immediate risk to anyone in the area.
Crews responded to a call about an incorrect mixture of tablets used to chlorinate the gym's pool two days ago, Richardson said. An employee reported using two chemicals - calcium hypochlorite and trichlor - that are typically used in pools but could cause an explosion if mixed. The employee reported the issue to a supervisor, who alerted emergency personnel.
The pool had been open for the past two days and no injuries were reported. There was no odor reported.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION INJURES ONE IN LABORATORY INCIDENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical, nitric_acid
Two buildings on Madison's West Side were evacuated and one person was injured Thursday when a mixture of two chemicals created a hazardous reaction, the Madison Fire Department said.
Nitric acid combined with an unknown chemical in a container in a laboratory at 601 Science Drive around 1 p.m., and the reaction injured a person, who was then transported to a local hospital, fire department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster said.
All occupants of both 601 and 603 Science Drive evacuated, Schuster said. They buildings reopened around 2:20 p.m. after the reaction was stabilized and other lab containers were secured.
The fire department's hazardous incident team investigated the laboratory, Schuster said.
---------------------------------------------
EIGHT VILLAGERS FALL ILL AFTER CHEMICAL BOMB EXPOSURE
Tags: Cambodia, public, release, injury, bomb, metals
Another chemical bomb was discovered in Svay Rieng province‰??s Korki commune yesterday, as officials worked to remove two others from a local school and pagoda.
Deputy district governor Sour Mol said the newly-found bomb was suspected to contain some form of gas and harmed the five people who came into contact with it.
‰??They saw the metal underground in a paddy field, so they dug the land to retrieve what they thought was scrap metal to sell,‰?? he said. ‰??When they dug deeper, they pierced some plastic which resulted in foul-smelling smoke spewing out, which caused them to vomit and collapse.‰??
---------------------------------------------
PFAS CHEMICALS IN KATHERINE TOWN POOL PROMPTS CLOSURE, MAYOR TELLS RESIDENTS TO 'KEEP A LID' ON THEIR ALARM
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Katherine Town Council has closed Katherine public pool until further notice after water testing found it contained 15 times the safe maximum level of chemical contaminants.
National guidelines state that the safe level of PFAS chemicals for recreational water use is 0.7 micrograms per litre, but the pool recorded readings of 0.84 in late September, 15 times greater than the maximum recommended safe drinking level.
The council said in a statement that it chose to take immediate action given the local community's concerns around PFAS contamination.
"While trend analysis is usually required, Katherine Town Council recognises the community sensitivities around the issue of PFAS and has taken the proactive step to temporarily close the swimming pool to immediately address this situation," Katherine Town Council CEO Robert Jennings said.
"The most recent test taken on 28 September 2017 at the Katherine YMCA Pool has returned a result of 0.84 micrograms/litre of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which is above the national recreational water quality guideline of 0.7 micrograms per litre."
---------------------------------------------
TOXIC FIREFIGHTING CHEMICALS MAY HAVE BEEN SPREAD ACROSS VICTORIAN WATERWAYS
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, toxic
Potentially carcinogenic firefighting chemicals discovered in a Victorian wetland may have been spread across the state because of a commercial fishing practice known as ‰??ranching‰??.
The Victorian Environment Protection Authority said testing by the Department of Defence had discovered ‰??elevated‰?? levels of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances ‰?? commonly knows as PFAS ‰?? in animals from the Heart Morass wetlands near Sale in eastern Victoria.
The wetland is popular with fishers and hunters, and while the EPA said people who had eaten the animals were not ‰??at risk of any adverse health effects‰??, it warned against eating animals from the area.
The results of the testing have not been released, but the EPA said elevated PFAS concentrations had been found in fish, eels and ducks.
---------------------------------------------
US AGENCIES WEIGHING GREATER GHS HARMONISATION
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration and EPA are both studying regulatory amendments to better align US rules with the Globally Harmonised System (GHS) and Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 2015), officials said at a recent Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) conference.
But they also acknowledged at the conference in Arlington that the Trump administration may not move forward.
Osha last updated its hazard communication standard (HCS) in 2012, aligning it with an older version of the GHS. Maureen Ruskin, director of the Office of Chemical Hazards-Metals, said the agency is working on a proposal to update the HCS with the intent of improving alignment with GHS and WHMIS.
Variations between the two countries' approaches are not great and it should be possible for manufacturers to meet both sets of requirements with one label, Ms Ruskin said.
Under Osha's rules, a manufacturer can claim "trade secret" protection for the exact concentration of an ingredient. Harmonising this rule with changes underway in Canada's CBI regulations is "something we could discuss in our future rulemaking", she said.
She noted that the Trump administration has not named a political appointee to head her branch of Osha, who will have to review any rulemaking. "I don't know when we will have a proposal ready for you," Ms Ruskin told the conference.
Workplace safety is Osha's domain, but the EPA was given specific responsibility for regulating pesticides by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (Fifra).
---------------------------------------------
FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO PETROLEUM SPILL IN CALDWELL CANAL
Tags: us_ID, public, release, response, petroleum
CALDWELL ‰?? The Caldwell Fire Department responded to a call about a petroleum spill in a Caldwell canal at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The Deer Flat Caldwell Canal is located at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and State Highway 55.
About five gallons of petroleum spilled into the canal, according to Capt. John Harris, and there is no danger to the public.
A region 3 hazmat team responded to the area, and a preliminary cleanup was completed by late Wednesday afternoon. Absorbent booms have been placed in water and will be left there for the next two to three days, according to Caldwell Fire Department.
---------------------------------------------
WITH DURO CLOSURE, SAFETY OF KUSS MIDDLE SCHOOL TAKES CENTERSTAGE
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
FALL RIVER ‰?? It‰??s been more than two years since Duro Textiles shuttered its doors to its three manufacturing facilities and with one of those properties in close proximity to the Matthew J. Kuss Middle School, the discussion of safety was the main topic of discussion at the annual Fall River Emergency Planning Committee on Tuesday.
Specifically, how to evacuate the nearly 800 students from Kuss including about 25 disabled children in the event of a catastrophic event like fire or chemical leak at Duro. Emergency evacuation included the Eastgate Academy and Family Services Association with 55 students and approximately 35 elderly day program clients respectively located on Bay Street and in close proximity to the former Duro plant.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHES MAGNESIUM FIRE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, magnesium
FREMONT - No injuries were reported when magnesium caught fire at the Fremont Flask Company Tuesday morning.
Fremont Fire Chief Dave Foos said the fire, which was reported at 9:41 a.m., was contained to the magnesium product and did not spread through the building.
Firefighters used a dry chemical fire extinguisher, a lithium fire extinguisher and sand provided by the Fremont street department to put out and cool the blaze.
Because magnesium is highly combustible, the fire department was at the 1000 Wolfe Ave. location until 12:26 p.m.
Magnesium flasks are made in Fremont and used in the metal casting industry.
---------------------------------------------
KENSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL EVACUATED TWICE IN AS MANY DAYS DUE TO FUME COMPLAINTS
Tags: us_OH, education, release, injury, adhesives
After officials were prompted to evacuate Kenston Middle School on two consecutive days, the district has announced the building will remain closed for the rest of the week, an Oct. 4 news release shows.
An Oct. 3 statement from Kenston Local Schools states the building was evacuated that morning following complaints by students and teachers in two classrooms of ‰??smelling an unidentified odor.‰??
After the building was evacuated and Bainbridge Township police and fire personnel responded to the scene, 10 students and a staff member who complained of dizziness were transported to hospitals for treatment.
Investigators determined the fumes originated from an adhesive being used in ongoing roofing project at the school, the Oct. 3 release states. It had apparently entered the building through an air-handling unit on the roof, the investigation concluded.
Although authorities ventilated the building, and school officials anticipated students and staff would be able to occupy the building again on Oct. 4, others reported similar symptoms then, according to the Oct. 4 release.
---------------------------------------------
TENNESSEE CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
A pair of explosions rocked a chemical plant in east Tennessee on Wednesday, officials said.
Still, a shelter-in-place order remains for people within a quarter-miles of the facility.
Eastman Chemical Co. has removed the shelter-in-place advisory for most personnel at its Kingsport site as well as the surrounding community following an incident earlier today.
The television news station noted that the explosion took place on the same date as an explosion at the site in 1960 that resulted in the death of 16 workers. The company reported that nearby residents may hear alarms going off, through Wednesday afternoon.
According to a statement from the company, there was a "process upset in the goal gasification area" of the facility. The upset created a loud noise and a visible plume. The firm told CBS that no employees were injured but they were told to shelter in place.
No one was injured and the company said "our employees are now sheltered in place as we are working to secure the area" as a cautionary measure. Until more information is known, near neighbors are advised to do the same.
A person on WCYB's Facebook page shared a photo of the explosion from Cave's Drug Store, saying it "shook our building like an quake twice".
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL SPARKS EVACUATION IN SOUTH TOWNSVILLE
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, ammonia
UPDATE: Firefighters have cleared a South Townsville business of any threat from an ammonia leak this morning.
Dozens of workers from Harbourside Coldstores Townsville were evacuated from the Boundary St business about 5.30am because of the threat posed by the chemical.
A spokesman for the Queensland Fire and Rescue Services said firefighters had cleared the scene and left the situation in the hands of the business owner.
A spokesman for the Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed no one had been hurt during the incident.
6.46PM: Dozens of workers from Harbourside Coldstores Townsville were forced to evacuate the Boundary St business this morning after an ammonia spill was reported.
Acting Inspector Leonie Steyger said at 6.30am that police did not believe other premises needed to be evacuated.
She said the situation could change and asked residents to avoid the area if possible.
---------------------------------------------
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM AS SOCIETY NAMES LAB SAFETY A CORE VALUE
Tags: us, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
What defines a scientific professional? Subject matter expertise and dedication to excellence are two traits that scientists everywhere would likely endorse. Last December, the American Chemical Society (ACS) officially added another critical item to that list when it made safety one of the society‰??s ‰??core values.‰?? Such high recognition by the world's largest scientific society, speaking to and for its nearly 157,000 members, argues strongly that everyone involved in the scientific enterprise should recognize lab safety as essential to who they are as professionals. Beyond that, it suggests the corollary that scientists should regard safety incidents that result from bad safety practice not as ‰??accidental‰?? bad luck, but as violations of a fundamental professional standard that not only carry professional and reputational consequences but also inflict often grave and irreparable harm on students, lab workers, and bystanders.
ACS‰??s December declaration culminates nearly a decade of concern and advocacy within the society that arose from the 2009 death of 23-year-old research assistant Sheharbano ‰??Sheri‰?? Sangji. A series of safety catastrophes at other major academic institutions in subsequent years strengthened the effort. In each of these cases, investigations ascribed similar root causes: failure to analyze and mitigate risks in advance of experiments and to follow known and accepted safety practices in carrying them out. Investigators also uniformly noted that these problems reflect institutional cultures and scientific supervisors that failed to give safety a high priority.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATED: EXPLOSION REPORTED AT EASTMAN CHEMICAL IN KINGSPORT, SEE NEWS CONFERENCE VIDEO
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
"About 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2017, Eastman experienced a process startup upset as we were performing an equipment swap in our coal gasification operations that caused two explosions and a fire.
"We realize an event such as this causes concern to our employees, their families and our community neighbors and we truly appreciate everyone‰??s cooperation as we work to determine exactly what happened and the cause. Safety is a top priority for Eastman, and the company has robust safety processes in place to protect our employees, community and environment in the occurrence of an unplanned event.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we issued a shelter in place for our near neighbors and our employees and contractors. The shelter in place has now been lifted. All personnel at Eastman‰??s Kingsport site are doing a tremendous job in responding to today‰??s events. There were no injuries beyond first aid and the company anticipates no impact to human health or the long-term impact to the environment as a result of this incident.
"We continue to assess the impact to operations and to the business. Some operations at the Kingsport site were idled following the event as a precaution; however, unaffected areas are now in the process of safely restarting. We are currently assessing the impact to coal gasification operation and the acetyl stream.
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