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Table of Contents (16 articles)
BEAVER DAM BLAST BUILDING TO BE BURNED
Tags: us_wi, public, explosion, followup, unknown_chemical
THREE EMPLOYEES HOSPITALIZED AFTER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENT AT COLONIE POST OFFICE
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
BOISAR BLAZE: CASE FILED AGAINST FIRE OFFICER
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
FIRE OFFICIAL: BOX OF LITHIUM BATTERIES EXPLODES IN UPTOWN POST OFFICE
Tags: us_IL, public, explosion, response, batteries
FIRST RESPONDERS SUE AFTER CHEMICAL PLANT MELTDOWN DURING HURRICANE HARVEY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
WYOMING, UTAH GAS PLANTS PENALIZED FOR EPA VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CO, industrial, discovery, environmental, methane, natural_gas
CHEMICAL EXPLODES DURING BATCH MIXING AT OHIO PLANT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, explosion, response, dust, flammables
INDUSTRY AGREES TO FILTER DRINKING WATER FOR PFOA
Tags: us_VT, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILLS FROM BIG RIG ONTO I-10
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
FIRE REPORTED AT KNIGHT CHEMICAL LABORATORY ‰?? THE BUCHTELITE
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, fire, response, flammables, waste
TENNESSEE FINES CHEMICAL PLANT $25,000 IN HYDROGEN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, gas_cylinders, hydrogen
FIRE BREAKS OUT IN CHEMICAL FACTORY IN SANGAREDDY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
3 KILLED, 14 HURT IN BLASTS IN BOISAR CHEMICAL FACTORIES
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, flammables, solvent
UPDATE: CHLORINE FUMES AT KING‰??S SEND 8 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, chlorine
GARDNERVILLE MAN INDICTED FOR BUTANE HASH EXPLOSION
Tags: us_NV, public, explosion, response, butane, clandestine_lab
REDONDO BEACH TO SUPPORT MHF REFINERY BAN
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
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BEAVER DAM BLAST BUILDING TO BE BURNED
https://www.wrn.com/2018/03/beaver-dam-blast-building-to-be-burned/
Tags: us_wi, public, explosion, followup, unknown_chemical
A Beaver Dam apartment building is set to be deliberately burned later this week. A man was killed in a explosion, one week ago in Building 109 at the Village Glen apartment complex. The FBI did a controlled explosion last Wednesday, and Mayor Rebecca Glewen on Sunday confirmed there was another explosion last Thursday.
‰??There‰??s too many unknowns,‰?? Glewen said, including what specific chemicals led to the explosion, and if there‰??s a connection to a chemical filled apartment discovered on Madison‰??s west side three weeks ago.
‰??We have on information connecting those at this time,‰?? she said. ‰??That‰??s part of the investigation that is ongoing.‰??
Residents of building 109 will not be allowed back in prior to the burn on Wednesday. ‰??It was deemed just not safe for anyone to go in,‰?? Glewen said.
The burn is set for 10:00 a.m. Wednesday. Precautions will be taken to save other parts of the complex, including a barrier to be placed in between Building 109 and neighboring Building #113.
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THREE EMPLOYEES HOSPITALIZED AFTER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENT AT COLONIE POST OFFICE
http://news10.com/2018/03/11/three-employees-hospitalized-after-hazardous-materials-incident-at-colonie-post-office/
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) ‰?? Three employees were hospitalized after they came into contact with a hazardous material in the package room at the Karner Road Post Office in Colonie early Sunday morning.
Officials at the scene say each of the employees contracted a rash and other symptoms after separately entering the package room. The first employee took themselves to urgent care. EMS was called after the second person became ill, shortly after midnight.
Upon arrival, EMS determined the situation was serious and called for a response from local fire departments and several hazmat and decontamination crews. Employees at the facility were put in quarantine while crews investigated the incident.
Officials say the three affected employees have been released from the hospital with no complications and are expected to be ok. The remainder of the employees have been released from quarantine.
The Karner Road Post Office will remain closed for the day Sunday while crews clean the building.Officials say they have still not identified the hazardous material involved in the incident or whether it came directly from a package, but say they have been able to trace it back to the package room.
---------------------------------------------
BOISAR BLAZE: CASE FILED AGAINST FIRE OFFICER
http://www.asianage.com/metros/mumbai/110318/boisar-blaze-case-filed-against-fire-officer.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
Mumbai: A case has been registered against the fire officer of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Tarapur, for failing to send a fire engine to Boisar MIDC where a fire broke out Thursday night. A case has been filed under sections 56 and 57 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. According to Boisar MIDC police, the fire officer, S.S. Borkar, should have sent fire engines to the spot to help douse the flames.
At about 11.38pm on Thursday, an explosion caused a fire to break out at Novaphone chemical factory in the Boisar MIDC area, killing three workers and injuring 15 others. The deceased have been identified as Pintu Kumar Gautam, Alok Nath and Janu Adaria. The fire spread to five other factories i.e. Unimax, Prachi, Arti, Bharat Rasayan and Darbari. So much so that it took nine fire engines to bring the inferno under control after which, cooling operations were carried out.
Prakash Birajdar, senior inspector, MIDC police station, Boisar, said, ‰??The district collector Prashant Narnaware has submitted a complaint against Mr Borkar of Tarapore fire station. Mr Borkar has been booked under sections 56 and 57 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Disaster management officers and the police control room repeatedly asked him to send fire engines but he denied, saying he could not send them without asking his seniors.‰??
The guardian minister of Palghar, Vishnu Sawara, has ordered an inquiry into the mishap and assured that the people responsible for the fire will be taken to task.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE OFFICIAL: BOX OF LITHIUM BATTERIES EXPLODES IN UPTOWN POST OFFICE
http://abc7chicago.com/fire-official-box-of-lithium-batteries-explodes-in-uptown-post-office/3195667/
Tags: us_IL, public, explosion, response, batteries
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A box of lithium batteries exploded in an Uptown post office Friday afternoon, Chicago fire officials said.
No one was injured in the explosion in the 4800-block of North Broadway Street, officials said. Traffic was blocked around the building for a time, though Broadway has since reopened. The post office remains locked and closed. No one is being allowed in or out.
The box was initially reported as a suspicious package, drawing a hazmat response from Chicago police and firefighters.
It was not clear if the batteries had been sent through the mail or dropped off at the post office.
The USPS Inspection Service is leading the investigation.
---------------------------------------------
FIRST RESPONDERS SUE AFTER CHEMICAL PLANT MELTDOWN DURING HURRICANE HARVEY
https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/first-responder-injury/first-responders-sue-after-chemical-plant-meltdown-during-hurric-22879.html
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A lawsuit filed in Texas alleges first responders and the public suffered serious lung injuries as a result of explosions that took place at a chemical plant. The suit claims Arkema Inc. knew the chemicals inside would become unstable.
Crosby, TXIf they'd been told just how dangerous the Arkema Inc. chemical plant could become the plaintiffs would have taken more precautions, but according to the statement of claim filed in a Texas court, Arkema's failure to warn authorities and the public resulted in serious injuries to a team of first responders and nearby residents.
By August 29, 2017, Hurricane Harvey had dumped so much rain in and around Harris County that workers were forced to abandon the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas. Harris County Sheriff's officers were asked to monitor the 1.5 mile perimeter Arkema Inc. had arbitrarily set up around the facility.
Local residents living near the plant were ordered out under mandatory evacuation.
---------------------------------------------
WYOMING, UTAH GAS PLANTS PENALIZED FOR EPA VIOLATIONS
http://k2radio.com/wyoming-utah-gas-plants-penalized-for-epa-violations/
Tags: us_CO, industrial, discovery, environmental, methane, natural_gas
Kinder Morgan Altamont and Colorado Interstate Gas have agreed to pay a penalty and improve the maintenance of equipment to reduce the risk of an accidental release of hazardous chemicals at natural gas processing facilities in Altamont, Utah, and the Rawlins Station Gas Plant near Sinclair, Wyo., according to a news release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed the consent degree and the civil complaint enjoining further violations in federal court in Utah on Friday.
The settlement resulted from EPA inspections dating to 2013 at the Kinder Morgan Altamont facility and dating to 2015 at the CIG Sinclair facility that revealed violations of the Clean Air Act‰??s Risk Management Program regulations.
The violations included deficiencies associated with safety information, hazard analysis, mechanical integrity, and incident investigations.
Under the consent decree, the companies will have an industry expert conduct mechanical integrity audits at four facilities, submit corrective action plans to EPA, and correct any violations detected in a timely manner.
They also will pay a $179,099 penalty and spend $387,500 to install a system flare at the Rabbit Gulch gas compressor station in Duchesne County, Utah.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL EXPLODES DURING BATCH MIXING AT OHIO PLANT
http://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/Chemical-Explodes-During-Batch-Mixing-at-Ohio-Plant-03-09-2018
Tags: us_OH, industrial, explosion, response, dust, flammables
Workers at an Ohio production plant were briefly evacuated last Monday after static electricity sparked an explosion in a mixing vessel, several local news organizations reported. Firefighters were called to the Mar-Flex Waterproofing and Building Products facility in Carlisle, OH at about 10:30 a.m., finding no structural damage save for a detached exterior wall panel.
‰??They were batch mixing a chemical called S500 for sealant,‰?? Dustin Perry, a member of the Franklin Township Fire Department, told Cincinnati, OH-based NBC News affiliate WLWT. ‰??During that process, they had an explosion that blew out part of the building, and then the container that holds the S500 started to catch fire.‰??
Perry called the incident a ‰??dust explosion‰?? in a report by the Dayton Daily News. Mar-Flex Waterproofing and Building Materials Director of Marketing and Sales Brad Wymore told the newspaper that static electricity built up in the mixing vessel and sparked, causing the blast. Sprinklers in the facility activated immediately after the incident, the company official said, and said that no flames appeared.
‰??The S500 was not really a concern. It‰??s a flammable liquid that you can use Class B foam on, which is what we did. We capped the container off, which contained it to the 800-gallon tank it was involved in,‰?? Perry said in WLWT‰??s coverage.
10 employees in the facility were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported. The same facility suffered an explosion in 2011 and a chemical fire in 2004, the television station reported.
---------------------------------------------
INDUSTRY AGREES TO FILTER DRINKING WATER FOR PFOA
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/permanent-filter-proposed-for-district,534289
Tags: us_VT, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
POWNAL ‰?? A carbon filtering system to reduce PFOA levels ‰?? rather than a new groundwater source ‰?? was proposed recently as a permanent solution to chemical contamination of the Pownal Fire District 2 well.
Negotiations over a replacement well site have apparently stalled, consultants overseeing the search process told district board members at a Feb. 26 meeting. Representatives of Unicorn Management Consultants then presented details of the permanent filtering option, which was promptly criticized by the board.
The consultants were hired in 2016 by American Premier Underwriters of Cincinnati, the company that has assumed environmental liability for the former Warren Wire/General Cable factory site and is overseeing the insurance firm's response to the PFOA contamination.
State environmental officials believe that perfluorooctanoic acid emanated from the former plant ‰?? located about 1,000 feet from the district's well head off Route 346. Testing found PFOA at levels above 20 parts per trillion, the state's advisory mark for drinking water.
The insurer provided an enclosed carbon filtering system near the existing district well head, and APU is funding the search for a replacement well.
---------------------------------------------
HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILLS FROM BIG RIG ONTO I-10
http://www.khou.com/article/news/local/hazardous-chemical-spills-from-big-rig-onto-i-10/285-527356867
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
A big rig driver is in trouble after the hazardous chemical he was hauling spilled on shoulder of I-10.
The truck carrying hydrochloric acid lost part of its load near the I-10 and I-45 interchange near downtown.
Houston Police tell KHOU 11 News the truck driver shouldn‰??t have had the hazardous chemical inside of the 610 Loop. That driver told HPD‰??s commercial vehicle enforcement officers a car cut him off and caused him to slam on brakes.
Police say they found several violations, including the improperly secured load, an issue with the truck‰??s tires and problem with the driver‰??s paperwork.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE REPORTED AT KNIGHT CHEMICAL LABORATORY ‰?? THE BUCHTELITE
https://buchtelite.com/34848/news/fire-reported-at-knight-chemical-laboratory/
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, fire, response, flammables, waste
While many students were leaving campus for the day on Wednesday, a convoy of fire trucks was heading the opposite direction towards the Knight Chemical Laboratory where a small fire was reported in a chemical waste room located on the first floor adjacent to the building‰??s loading dock.
There were no injuries and the fire was quickly extinguished.
Bart Hamilton, building coordinator for the complex, was working in the loading dock when he noticed the smell of smoke immediately followed by the sounding of the building‰??s fire alarm. Knowing the potential severity of the situation given the types of chemicals stored in that area, he urged nearby students to evacuate right away.
The locked waste room is located near a much larger storage area where large containers of highly toxic and flammable chemicals are held. Had the fire not been controlled and spread to that area, the situation could have been much worse, Hamilton pointed out.
---------------------------------------------
TENNESSEE FINES CHEMICAL PLANT $25,000 IN HYDROGEN EXPLOSION
http://www.startribune.com/tennessee-fines-chemical-plant-25-000-in-hydrogen-explosion/476395393/
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, gas_cylinders, hydrogen
CHARLESTON, Tenn. ‰?? Tennessee regulators have fined a chemical plant $25,000 for an explosion that shut down an interstate and put several schools on lockdown.
WRCB-TV reported Friday that the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Wacker Chemie for seven violations stemming from the explosion at its Bradley County plant in September. The report says a broken cylinder fractured, releasing hydrogen that caught fire.
The cited violations range from improper training to failing to follow good engineering practices. A week before the explosion, five employees had been hospitalized for chemical exposure, resulting in a separate $20,000 fine.
A company statement says they're still working to reopen the plant, but are confident that it'll reopen safely.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT IN CHEMICAL FACTORY IN SANGAREDDY
https://telanganatoday.com/fire-breaks-chemical-factory
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Sangareddy: A massive fire broke out in Mahasai Chemical Company at Gummadidala in Sangareddy district on Friday evening.
The fire spread to all corners of the company following a minor blast in drums filled with chemicals. Panicked employees ran to safety. Fire tenders rushed to spot were fighting to bring the fire under control. The company was almost reduced to ashes. Though the loss is not yet estimated, it is put in crores. A case was registered.
---------------------------------------------
3 KILLED, 14 HURT IN BLASTS IN BOISAR CHEMICAL FACTORIES
https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/3-killed-14-hurt-in-blasts-in-boisar-chemical-factories/articleshow/63240221.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, flammables, solvent
Fire started in chemical unit and soon spread to 5 neighbouring plants. In all, 35 to 40 blasts reported.
Three people were killed and 14 reported injured in multiple blasts that gutted six chemicals factories in Tarapur MIDC, Boisar, on Thursday night.
The 14 injured were admitted to a nearby hospital, of which at least two are said to be critical, and may have to be shifted to Mumbai. In all, six factories were completely gutted in the fire, which witnessed around 35 to 40 blasts in all. A couple of blasts were so severe, locals said, that the tremors were even felt in Palghar and Mahim.
Preliminary reports suggest that the blasts occurred in 25 drums of 200-litre capacity belonging to Novaphene Speciality Limited, in their factory at Plot E-107, Boisar MIDC. These drums were said to have housed flammable chemical solvents, although final reports were awaited.
One of the locals of a residential complex in the vicinity said the doors and glass panes of nearby houses were shattered by the impact of the exlosions. The Boisar cops have registered an offence in this regard and will file a final case once officials from the Director of Industrial Safety and Health, Vasai, file their final findings after conducting a detailed panchnama.
District Collector Dr Prashant Narnaware was at the spot, along with fire brigade officials from Vasai, Bhiwandi, Palghar, the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), Reliance Thermal, Dahanu, Thane and Palghar, said Manjunath Singe, superintendent of police.
At least four foam tenders and four water tenders were seen fighting the blaze between the blasts throughout Thursday night and early into Friday morning.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: CHLORINE FUMES AT KING‰??S SEND 8 TO HOSPITAL
https://www.timesleader.com/top-stories/695509/haz-mat-incident-at-kings-athletic-center
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, chlorine
WILKES-BARRE ‰?? Eight King‰??s College employees were taken to a hospital after feeling ill due to chlorine fumes inside the Scandlon Physical Education Center on Thursday morning.
City Fire Chief Jay Delaney said firefighters responded to the building on North Main Street just before 9:30 a.m. and were able to shut off primary and secondary valves inside a control room that regulates chemicals to the pool.
Delaney said two employees were initially taken to a hospital in an ambulance. About one hour later, four employees were transported by an ambulance to a hospital while two employees were taken in a private vehicle.
---------------------------------------------
GARDNERVILLE MAN INDICTED FOR BUTANE HASH EXPLOSION
https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/crime/gardnerville-man-indicted-for-butane-hash-explosion/
Tags: us_NV, public, explosion, response, butane, clandestine_lab
RENO ‰?? A Gardnerville man was arrested and made his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday for causing an explosion at his apartment while trying to illegally make butane hash oil, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.
Adam Fitzgerald-Wermes, 22, was arrested on suspicion of one count of endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance. United States District Magistrate Judge Valerie P. Cooke scheduled a jury trial to begin on May 8.
According to the indictment, on January 14, Fitzgerald-Wermes allegedly caused an explosion in his kitchen by trying to make butane hash oil containing a high potency of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The chemical extraction process is dangerous because it involves the use of butane, a highly flammable and odorless gas, to burn parts of marijuana to draw concentrated THC from the plant into a wax-like substance. THC is a psychoactive chemical in marijuana that produces the "high" feeling users seek.
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REDONDO BEACH TO SUPPORT MHF REFINERY BAN
https://www.easyreadernews.com/redondo-support-mhf-refinery-ban/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
The Redondo Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to support a ban on the use of a controversial catalyst in the Torrance Refining Company‰??s gasoline production process.
The City of Torrance has also called for a ban of Modified Hydrofluoric Acid (MHF), a chemical used as an alkalizing agent in oil refining.
‰??Even with all the knowledge I have about how oil refiners work, it‰??s not as helpful as you would think it is, talking about safety,‰?? said Mayor Bill Brand, a trained chemical engineer with a background in refineries. ‰??As an elected official, you look at situations knowing that any oil refinery is a bomb waiting to blow up.‰??
MHF became a significant topic of discussion in the days and weeks following the Feb. 2015 explosion, caused in part by aging equipment, at what was then the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board described the incident as causing a ‰??near miss‰?? event, in which debris from the explosion missed tanks holding MHF by a matter of feet.
Hydrofluoric acid (HF) poisoning occurs when it is absorbed into the skin It can cause injuries ranging from soft tissue irritation and burns to internal organ and bone damage. Upon release, HF forms a dense gaseous cloud that stays close to the ground. MHF is a diluted form reduces the danger against a release forming those rolling clouds.
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