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Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles) Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2019 06:36:12 -0400 Author: DCHAS Membership Chair |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, May 31, 2019 at 5:58:53 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (14 articles)
NEW HAMPSHIRE IS LATEST STATE TO SUE DUPONT, CHEMOURS OVER PFAS
Tags: us_NH, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical, other_chemical
SPRINGFIELD MA FIREFIGHTERS HELP CONTAIN 300-GALLON CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, flammables
CRASHED ETHANOL TRUCK CATCHES FIRE ON I-55
Tags: us_AR, transportation, fire, injury, ethanol
TEN MEMBERS OF 187TH FIGHTER WING EXPOSED TO DANGEROUS HYDRAZINE AT DANNELLY FIELD
Tags: us_AL, industrial, release, injury, hydrazine
BURLINGTON FOOD LION BRIEFLY EVACUATED OVER CHEMICALS
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, cleaners
LANDFILL FIRE IN TAZEWELL COUNTY
Tags: us_VA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
BRAINERD REC CENTER EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHLORINE SPILL
Tags: us_TN, public, release, response, chlorine
EU TO QUADRUPLE REACH COMPLIANCE CHECKS
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental
TOXIC CHEMICAL SPILL SERIOUSLY INJURES A TRUCK DRIVER IN NEW YORK, USA [VIDEO]
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, injury, sodium_hydroxide
FIVE INJURED IN 'EXPLOSION' IN COLLEGE LAB IN TRIPURA
Tags: India, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
REPORT: MAN SET ON FIRE IN EXPLOSION, INVESTIGATORS FIND SUSPECTED METH LAB ‰?? CBS PITTSBURGH
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, clandestine_lab
CREWS RESPOND TO POTENTIAL CHEMICAL SPILL, DETERMINE SITUATION IS NOT DANGEROUS
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
DEPUTIES INVESTIGATE HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILL IN WEST PALM BEACH
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, irritant
US CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD OPERATION THREATENED AS MEMBERS DWINDLE
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
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NEW HAMPSHIRE IS LATEST STATE TO SUE DUPONT, CHEMOURS OVER PFAS
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2019/05/30/new-hampshire-latest-state-to-sue-dupont-chemours.html
Tags: us_NH, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical, other_chemical
Another state has filed a lawsuit against regional chemical manufacturers DowDuPont and Chemours over contamination caused by dangerous chemicals. New Hamphire's governor, attorney general and department of environmental services commissioner announced Wednesday they've filed two separate lawsuits against DowDuPont and its spinoff Chemours, along with other manufacturers of PFAS, a family of chemicals used to create products like firefighting foam and Teflon.
The complaint comes about two weeks after New Jersey filed its own lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court against the same group of manufacturers New Hampshire is targeting, which includes Tyco Fire Products LP, based in North Wales, as well as Chemguard Inc., Buckeye Fire Equipment Co., Kidde-Fenwal Inc. and National Foam Inc.
The lawsuits allege that the companies produced the chemicals, which are linked to cancers and other serious health issues, knowing they could seep into natural resources and harm residents.
Chemicals in the PFAS family are sometimes called "forever chemicals" since they don't break down in nature and are extremely difficult to remediate.
---------------------------------------------
SPRINGFIELD MA FIREFIGHTERS HELP CONTAIN 300-GALLON CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.firehouse.com/rescue/hazardous-materials/news/21082774/springfield-ma-firefighters-help-contain-300gallon-chemical-spill
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, flammables
SPRINGFIELD, MA‰??The Springfield Fire Department was called in to help contain the accidental spill of a flammable liquid at Astro Chemicals at 26 Memorial Drive on Thursday morning, according to officials.
Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi, said 300 gallons of a chemical called tetaethylsicicate, a class 3 flammable liquid, was spilled at around 8:30 a.m. when a coupling on a tanker gave way as it was being transferred into the company.
Firefighters are working to contain the spill and are monitoring air quality, Leger said.
A private company has been called to handle the cleanup.
---------------------------------------------
CRASHED ETHANOL TRUCK CATCHES FIRE ON I-55
https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/05/29/crash-shuts-down-i-marion/
Tags: us_AR, transportation, fire, injury, ethanol
MARION, Ark. (WMC) - A crash in Crittenden County, Arkansas, caused hours of traffic problems Wednesday morning.
The crash was reported just before 2 a.m., impacting all lanes in both directions. The lanes weren‰??t reopened until nearly 9 hours later.
According to Marion Fire Department, an 18-wheeler overturned, sending the driver to the hospital.
MFD said the truck was carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol and caught fire. Hazmat crews were called to the scene to battle the fire and clean up the ethanol spill.
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TEN MEMBERS OF 187TH FIGHTER WING EXPOSED TO DANGEROUS HYDRAZINE AT DANNELLY FIELD
https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/05/29/seven-members-187th-exposed-propellant-fuel/1274268001/
Tags: us_AL, industrial, release, injury, hydrazine
First responders rushed to Dannelly Field on Wednesday shortly before noon after there were reports that members of the 187th Fighter Wing had been exposed to a caustic propellant.
Montgomery fire Capt. Jason Cupps said a Hazardous Materials team responded to the 187th Fighter Wing on Selma Highway.
"Seven members of the 187th Fighter Wing had been exposed to a small leak of hydrazine. The seven members will be decontaminated by HazMat, then transported to local hospitals for observation," Cupps said.
Before 2 p.m., Cupps said three more people for a total of 10 were taken to the hospital for observation.
---------------------------------------------
BURLINGTON FOOD LION BRIEFLY EVACUATED OVER CHEMICALS
https://www.the-dispatch.com/news/20190529/burlington-food-lion-briefly-evacuated-over-chemicals
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, cleaners
A Burlington grocery store was evacuated Tuesday evening, May 28, over a potentially dangerous chemical. No one was injured.
An employee at Food Lion, 3535 S. Church St., unknowingly mixed ammonia with a cleaning solution containing bleach, the Fire Department said. Units dispatched about 7:25 p.m. found the store being evacuated and a chemical odor inside.
Mixing bleach and ammonia creates toxic chloramine vapor.
Fire and EMS personnel checked one employee for injuries, but the employee wasn‰??t taken to the hospital. The mixture was diluted to safe levels, and the store was allowed to reopen once the odor had dissipated and gases were assessed to be at safe levels.
---------------------------------------------
LANDFILL FIRE IN TAZEWELL COUNTY
https://wvva.com/news/top-stories/2019/05/29/landfill-fire-in-tazewell-county/
Tags: us_VA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
TAZEWELL COUNTY, VA (WVVA) Firefighters in Tazewell County are working to extinguish a fire at the county landfill.
It was first reported to dispatchers at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials at the scene believe a chemical reaction started the fire. There is a lot of smoke, but flames are not visible. It appears crews are using dirt in an attempt to suffocate the fire. They will continue to monitor it over the next few days.
No foul play is suspected.
---------------------------------------------
BRAINERD REC CENTER EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHLORINE SPILL
https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/40552700/brainerd-rec-center-evacuated-following-chlorine-spill
Tags: us_TN, public, release, response, chlorine
The Chattanooga Fire Department has evacuated the Brainerd Recreation Center due to a chemical scare on Wednesday afternoon.
It happened shortly after 2:00 p.m.
CFD Captain Chuck Hartung says work was being done to the facility's pool when a "splash scare" happened with chlorine.
---------------------------------------------
EU TO QUADRUPLE REACH COMPLIANCE CHECKS
https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/EU-quadruple-REACH-compliance-checks/97/i22
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) says it intends to quadruple the number of checks it undertakes on the registrations of thousands of chemical substances used in the bloc. The move is part of an effort to improve compliance with the EU‰??s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation. ECHA also intends to streamline its systems for checking registrations, improve law enforcement, and clarify information requirements for industry, says Ofelia Bercaru, head of dossier evaluation at ECHA.
ECHA admits that of the 2,700 REACH registration dossiers pertaining to 700 chemical substances filed by industry that it has assessed in the past 10 years that two thirds are noncompliant due to missing or inaccurate data. Until now, ECHA has been required to undertake compliance checks on just 5% of the registrations for substances used in the EU. The agency is proposing that it will increase compliance checks to 20% of all registrations and 35‰??40% of registrations for the largest volume chemical substances.
ECHA‰??s planned policy shift comes within a few weeks of the publication of a report by the European Environment Bureau (EEB), a collection of more than 150 environmental organizations across Europe, in which the EEB claims there is widespread breaking of chemical safety law and lax official enforcement. A study by BUND, a German environmental group and member of the EEB, completed in April and cited in the EEB‰??s report, asserts that five of the world‰??s largest chemical companies are among 654 firms that are failing to comply with REACH.
ECHA has sat on this problem for years. We see the agency moving in the right direction, but why all the secrecy?
Tatiana Santos,•ÈÀ EEB Chemicals Policy Manager
The EEB is calling for increased transparency of information associated with REACH registrations, along with the imposition of tougher sanctions, including fines and the naming and shaming of noncompliant companies, without delay. ‰??ECHA has sat on this problem for years. We see the agency moving in the right direction, but why all the secrecy?‰?? says EEB Chemicals Policy Manager Tatiana Santos.
---------------------------------------------
TOXIC CHEMICAL SPILL SERIOUSLY INJURES A TRUCK DRIVER IN NEW YORK, USA [VIDEO]
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/toxic-chemical-spill-seriously-injures-130000673.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMuQpLSudp8c4bqkOn1HIYdOACGR32KF5ARHuqH8ZbB7LuhD7hkDN18vzerRK0LneNL9HnavtoOQM8p4gjeq3vcxd6I-Yi6ZM6t1Jwj27Zmqqp9mkIZNfEmeCs7s68pAmvHyIqq4n9G4nJebF9zKamtqY7vCxri93J972Ke0bHa1
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, injury, sodium_hydroxide
A disastrous chemical spill in New York left one truck driver with serious burns after 25 gallons of sodium hydroxide cascaded onto E 61st Street between Madison and 5th Avenue on May 28.
Over a dozen firefighters, police and ambulance responders flooded the scene to contain the caustic liquid. The road was closed for more than two hours while the responders cleaned up the spill.
The injured driver was rushed to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in serious condition.
The cause of the accident is under investigation
Footage shows first responders in hazmat suits with gas masks on. The filmer also shows paramedics in an ambulance apparently helping the injured truck driver.
---------------------------------------------
FIVE INJURED IN 'EXPLOSION' IN COLLEGE LAB IN TRIPURA
http://www.uniindia.com/~/five-injured-in-explosion-in-college-lab-in-tripura/States/news/1614220.html
Tags: India, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Agartala, May 29 (UNI) At least five under graduate student were injured when a chemical reaction caused ‰??explosion‰?? at a chemistry laboratory in Dharmanagar College of North Tripura yesterday and three of them were brought to Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC), said education minister Ratan Lal Nath.
According to report, the injuries were not much serious but for better medical attention the department brought them to medical college and senior officials of the department have been supervising their treatment. However, two of them were released after first aid from local hospital.
The injured students were identified as Papiya Bhattacharjee, Satarupa Dutta, Raj Gupta, Susmita Das and Sunanda Paul. While Susmita and Sunanda were released after preliminary treatment, conditions of Papiya Bhattacharjee, Satarupa Dutta and Raj Gupta were stated to be critical and shifted to Agartala.
---------------------------------------------
REPORT: MAN SET ON FIRE IN EXPLOSION, INVESTIGATORS FIND SUSPECTED METH LAB ‰?? CBS PITTSBURGH
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/05/28/somerset-meth-lab-explosion/
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, clandestine_lab
SOMERSET, Pa. (KDKA) ‰?? An explosion reportedly led investigators to a meth lab in Somerset County and injured an alleged drug manufacturer, according to TribLIVE.com
Zachary Maust, 33, from Berlin Township, was allegedly making meth in his father‰??s Brothersvalley Township garage when a container he was using to create a chemical reaction exploded.
Police say the explosion also caught Maust on fire.
The Trib reports that Maust was treated for burns at UPMC Somerset and UPMC Mercy hospitals.
In the suspected garage meth lab, investigators say they found 97 one-pot containers and other supplies needed to make meth.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO POTENTIAL CHEMICAL SPILL, DETERMINE SITUATION IS NOT DANGEROUS
https://www.counton2.com/news/local-news/berkeley-county-news/crews-respond-to-hazmat-situation-in-moncks-corner/2034130520
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCBD) ‰?? Rembert C. Dennis Boulevard (52 Bypass) is reopened after a chemical spill Tuesday afternoon.
A "hazmat situation" was reported at 1:30 p.m. after a tanker truck spilled a chemical along the road.
Crews immediately closed surrounding roads and asked employees at nearby businesses to stay inside, including Berkeley Electric Cooperative and Santee Cooper.
Moncks Corner Inn was evacuated during the response. As a safety precaution, students, staff and parents at Berkeley Intermediate sheltered in place. School was later released without incident.
The chemical was later determined to be Therminol VP1 heat transfer fluid (a mixture of diphenyl oxide and biphenyl). After crews isolated the area, it was determined the substance was no longer hazardous.
Luckily, no one was injured in the spill and all roads in the area have reopened.
---------------------------------------------
DEPUTIES INVESTIGATE HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILL IN WEST PALM BEACH
https://cbs12.com/news/local/deputies-investigate-chemical-spill-in-west-palm-beach
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, irritant
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) ‰?? Deputies are investigating a hazmat situation in West Palm Beach.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies say they responded to an attempted burglary on Tuesday at Seminole County Mobile Home Park near Okeechobee Boulevard and Military Trail.
Deputies were overcome with an irritant that caused their eyes and throats to burn, according to deputies. They were transported to a local hospital.
West Palm Beach firefighters also responded to the call, and say it is a 'hazardous chemical spill.'
Firefighters have identified the chemical and have isolated it.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will continue the investigation.
---------------------------------------------
US CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD OPERATION THREATENED AS MEMBERS DWINDLE
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/US-Chemical-Safety-Board-operation/97/i22
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) may soon fail to function unless President Donald J. Trump appoints new members, warns an oversight report by the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The CSB is a small, independent agency that investigates chemically related industrial accidents to determine the cause and recommends safety improvements for companies and agencies. Trump has proposed eliminating it in three budget requests, but members of Congress have continued funding.
The CSB is required by statute to have five board members. Because Trump has neither appointed new members nor extended current appointees‰?? terms, the board now has only three members. The OIG report notes that one member‰??s term will expire in December, another in February 2020, and the third in August 2020.
The OIG also notes that for nearly a year, CSB has functioned without a permanent chairperson, despite members of Congress urging the White House to nominate one.
The EPA OIG, which is charged with overseeing the board, points out that CSB‰??s regulatory language is confusing, ‰??leaving open whether a single board member may constitute a quorum‰?? needed for decision-making, the oversight report says.
‰??Regardless,‰?? the OIG continues, ‰??it is clear that allowing the board to reduce to one or zero members will deeply impair the ability of the board to conduct such critical business as deciding which investigations to open and the finalization of reports.‰??
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