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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (13 articles)
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2020 07:33:00 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: A98D1809-F53E-4428-808D-9144436B4E6A**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, January 6, 2020 at 7:32:39 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 (13 articles)
MAN RECOVERING IN HOSPITAL AFTER EATING BEANS CONTAINING RICIN
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
HAZMAT CREWS SECURE LEAKING CO2 TANK NEAR MARANA
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, carbon_dioxide
TRACTOR TRAILER CRASH, CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES RT. 2 AT MARSHALL-WETZEL COUNTY LINE
Tags: us_WV, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, corrosives, toxics
CHEMICAL SPILL CAUSES EVACUATIONS AT UCHEALTH ANSCHUTZ BUILDING
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, release, response, epoxy
TANKER LEAK CAUSES PANIC ON NH-48
Tags: India, transportation, release, response, flammables
RICIN AND SAXITOXIN: TWO NATURAL PRODUCTS THAT BECAME CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Tags: Spain, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
SUBSTANCE IN OBERLIN WALMART HAZMAT SCARE THAT SENT SEVERAL TO HOSPITAL IDENTIFIED AS CRYSTAL METHAMPHETAMINE
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES FIRE, DAMAGES KITSILANO FURNITURE STORE
Tags: Canada, public, fire, response, petroleum
FORK-LIFT FIRE SPREADS TO CHEMICAL TANKS. AIR MONITORING UNDERWAY IN N.J. TOWN.
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CRACKER FACTORY ERUPTS IN FLAMES AT NAIHATI: 4 KILLED, 1 INJURED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
COMPANY FINED FOR FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACILITY
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, environmental, flammables
FIRE PUT OUT AT CHEMICAL FACILITY ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
SAFE IN KENNEWICK WA CONTAINED POISONOUS WWI CHEMICAL WEAPON
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response, explosives, time-sensitive
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MAN RECOVERING IN HOSPITAL AFTER EATING BEANS CONTAINING RICIN
https://heraldplanet.com/man-recovering-in-hospital-after-eating-beans-containing-ricin/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
Police in hazmat suits had sealed off Manchester street due to fears about deadly toxin
A man is recovering in hospital after consuming castor beans, which contain traces of the deadly toxin ricin.
Officers wearing protective clothing sealed off a street in Manchester on Saturday morning, but Greater Manchester police said on Sunday that the investigation into the incident had ended and there were no longer concerns about the health of the man, who is in his 20s.
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HAZMAT CREWS SECURE LEAKING CO2 TANK NEAR MARANA
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/hazmat-crews-secure-leaking-co2-tank-near-marana
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, carbon_dioxide
TUCSON, Ariz. ‰?? Northwest Fire and Golder Ranch Fire crews responded to an alarm near Ina and Thornydale roads Sunday.
NWF crews found a CO2 alarm ringing, and called for a Full Hazmat assignment.
Crews were able to get inside and secure a leaking CO2 tank, according to NWF.
The hazard diminished and crews returned to service.
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TRACTOR TRAILER CRASH, CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES RT. 2 AT MARSHALL-WETZEL COUNTY LINE
https://wtov9.com/news/local/tractor-trailer-crash-chemical-spill-closes-rt-2-at-marshall-wetzel-county-line
Tags: us_WV, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, corrosives, toxics
PROCTOR, W. Va. (WTOV) ‰?? An accident involving a tractor-trailer forced the closure of Route 2 near the Marshall-Wetzel County Line.
It happened Sunday evening when a trailer hauling an unidentified chemical became separated from the truck that was pulling it, according to emergency officials.
During the incident, which occurred in the southbound travel lanes, the highly corrosive and toxic chemicals inside the truck spilled onto the roadway and into nearby waterways.
Wetzel County Emergency Management Agency authorities say the truck was leaving the Covestro Plant shortly before the incident occurred.
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CHEMICAL SPILL CAUSES EVACUATIONS AT UCHEALTH ANSCHUTZ BUILDING
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/chemical-spill-causes-evacuations-at-uchealth-anschutz-building/73-9ccc1086-3c46-4649-88a0-f82f454ba679
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, release, response, epoxy
AURORA, Colo. ‰?? Aurora Fire Rescue's hazmat team on Sunday afternoon responded to a spill of a chemical epoxy with dangerous fumes at a building on the Anschutz Medical Campus, the agency tweeted.
Crews evacuated the building and ventilated fumes.
Fire rescue said only a few people were in the building at the time of the call and no injuries were reported.
---------------------------------------------
TANKER LEAK CAUSES PANIC ON NH-48
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/tanker-leak-causes-panic-on-nh-48/articleshow/73113619.cms
Tags: India, transportation, release, response, flammables
Vadodara: Panic spread on national highway-48 near Karjan toll plaza late on Sunday evening after petrochemical started leaking from a tanker going to Surat.
The leakage was caused when another heavy vehicle brushed against the tanker damaging the chemical tank at the toll plaza. Firemen from Vadodara city had to rush 30km to contain the damage.
‰??We sprayed foam liquid and contained the leak from the tanker but a lot of petrochemical had already spilled onto the drain. We are therefore working on it so that it does not lead to fire,‰?? said fire officer Nikunj Azad of Makarpura GIDC fire station. He added that the chemical is highly inflammable and a small spark could blow up the entire stock of liquid. The tanker contained 30,000 litre of petrochemical.
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RICIN AND SAXITOXIN: TWO NATURAL PRODUCTS THAT BECAME CHEMICAL WEAPONS
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00841
Tags: Spain, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Ricin and saxitoxin are highly toxic natural products that have been weaponized and are included in Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Both toxins are available from natural sources, and they can be used as homemade chemical weapons for terrorist purposes. The availability of ricin is high because the shrub Ricinus communis is widespread worldwide, and access to Ricinus seeds (castor beans are the source of ricin) is easy; its use for illegal purposes has happened several times. Contrary to ricin, saxitoxin is difficult to isolate from natural sources, or to obtain by chemical synthesis, which makes the use of saxitoxin in terrorist actions unlikely. Additionally, the mechanisms of action of both toxins are totally different. Ricin targets the ribosome while saxitoxin targets the Na-channels in the cell membrane. In both cases cell death occurs very efficiently. The potency of both chemicals makes ricin and saxitoxin excellent leads for the development of new dru!
gs for rightful applications, including, among others, treatment of cancer or anesthesia.
....
Finally, this article highlights two essential points on chemical education. The first point is the dual nature of chemistry showing that the same chemical may be used for the future welfare of the humankind or as a weapon of mass destruction. This is inherent to scientific knowledge, but in no other branch of knowledge is this duality higher than in chemistry. The second point is the social misconception that ‰??natural is good and synthetic is bad‰??. A recent article(58) evaluated the response of European citizens from eight European Union countries to chemicals. As many other times the common people in this survey believe that ‰??natural‰?? is better than ‰??synthetic‰??, even if the chemical is the same, independent of the source. Ricin and saxitoxin are clear examples to demonstrate the futility of this belief. Both substances are encountered in common, everyday natural sources, and they are among the most harmful chemicals in Earth.
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SUBSTANCE IN OBERLIN WALMART HAZMAT SCARE THAT SENT SEVERAL TO HOSPITAL IDENTIFIED AS CRYSTAL METHAMPHETAMINE
https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/01/04/substance-oberlin-walmart-hazmat-scare-that-sent-several-hospital-identified-crystal-methamphetamine/
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
OBERLIN, Ohio (WOIO) - The substance that caused the hazmat scare in the parking lot of the Oberlin Walmart on Oct. 29 has been identified.
According to The Chronicle, the Lorain County Crime Lab identified the substance as crystal methamphetamine this week.
Six people, including an Oberlin police officer got sick from the substance.
Oberlin police identified the man accused of releasing the crystal methamphetamine as 28-year-old Javonte Adams.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES FIRE, DAMAGES KITSILANO FURNITURE STORE
https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/01/04/fire-kitsilano-furniture-store-chemical-reaction/
Tags: Canada, public, fire, response, petroleum
KITSILANO (NEWS 1130) ‰?? Part of a Kitsilano furniture store went up in flames early Saturday morning after a chemical reaction between oil-stained rags ignited.
The fire took place at Kits Furniture near West 8th Avenue and Burrard Street just past 7:00 a.m., and fire crews arrived after a passerby noticed the flames and smoke.
Assistant Chief of Operations Trevor Connelly says it appears an employee was staining furniture last night and left out the oily rags.
‰??Over the course of the night, there was a chemical reaction that happened to a pile of rags where the reaction creates heat, and it heats up the rags to a point where they self ignite.‰??
The fire damaged the rear of the building, where the fire started and left smoke damage towards the front end of the retail store.
Fire crews forcibly entered a restaurant connected to the store to ensure the fire had not spread.
---------------------------------------------
FORK-LIFT FIRE SPREADS TO CHEMICAL TANKS. AIR MONITORING UNDERWAY IN N.J. TOWN.
https://www.nj.com/union/2020/01/fork-lift-fire-spreads-to-chemical-tanks-air-monitoring-underway-in-nj-town.html
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A two-alarm fire involving chemical tanks Friday morning at a transport company in Union County prompted an evacuation and continued monitoring of air quality in the area, authorities said.
The fire was reported about 9:15 a.m. at Linden Bulk Transportation at 4200 block of Temley Point Road, according to police Lt. Christopher Guenther.
The fire began on a fork-lift truck and spread toward chemical transport tanks stacked nearby, Guenther said.
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CRACKER FACTORY ERUPTS IN FLAMES AT NAIHATI: 4 KILLED, 1 INJURED
http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/cracker-factory-erupts-in-flames-at-naihati-4-killed-1-injured-394191
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
Kolkata: Four labourers were killed and another critically injured after a huge explosion took place at a cracker factory at Naihati in North 24-Parganas on Friday morning.
According to sources, a cracker factory used to operate at a house in Mamudpur area. The factory was located beside an abandoned place. On Friday morning at around 11:30 am, residents of Mamudpur village heard sounds of multiple explosions.
The intensity of explosion was so high that residents within an eight kilometer radius heard the sound and felt tremors. When villagers went to the spot, they saw the cracker factory gutted by the blaze. Due to the explosions, the roof of the one-storey building blew off with the labourers still working inside.
Locals saw the injured labourers lying with burn injuries and tried to control the fire by throwing water, but failed as the intensity of the fire was very high.
---------------------------------------------
COMPANY FINED FOR FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACILITY
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/Company-Fined-for-Fire-at-Chemical-Facility-01-03-2020
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, environmental, flammables
Aerosol and liquid chemicals manufacturer LMA Services Ltd. Was issued a fine of å£14,000 (about $18,300) by a British court for its role in a 2016 fire that damaged several buildings and storage areas at the company‰??s chemical dispensing facility in Pocklington, England, Great Britain‰??s workplace safety regulator, The Health & Safety Executive (HSE), announced in a recent release.
The fire broke out as heptane was being decanted from a bulk storage container into 4-liter metal cans. A worker dropped a can as it was being filled. Flames spread and destroyed two warehouses and an external storage area at the site, the agency said.
HSE investigators determined that the filling process involved a bulk container of heptane that was held about 1.5m high by racking, a table with an electrical weighing scale below the racking, and manual operation of a tap on the bulk container. The process allowed flammable vapor to contact an ignition source, which officials said was most likely the scale.
The company pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 6(3) of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002. In addition to the fine, LMA Services was also ordered to pay å£2,377 in court costs.
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FIRE PUT OUT AT CHEMICAL FACILITY ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2020/1/3/401873/Fire-Put-Out-At-Chemical-Facility-On.aspx
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
There were no injuries at a Chattanooga business on Friday after a call came in about a possible commercial fire and reported explosion.
The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to Brandt Industries on Riverside Drive just after 2 p.m.
The company cleans brass and other materials so chemicals are present in the building, prompting officials to initially call for extra manpower and members of the Special Operations team in case of a hazmat situation.
But the fire was out upon the arrival of our crews thanks to the quick actions of employees at the facility.
Firefighters spent time thoroughly examining the impacted area to make sure the fire was fully extinguished.
Officials were working to determine what exactly caused the fire.
---------------------------------------------
SAFE IN KENNEWICK WA CONTAINED POISONOUS WWI CHEMICAL WEAPON
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article238952418.html
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response, explosives, time-sensitive
A Kennewick homeowner who bought an old safe found a nasty surprise inside.
It was rigged with a theft deterrent device.
The metal contraption had three glass vials inside holding a slightly opaque liquid, according to Ryan Lancaster, spokesman for the Washington state Department of Ecology.
It was apparently intended to deter safe crackers who might break the vials and get a toxic surprise, he wrote in a Department of Ecology blog post.
They typically used chloropicrin or phosgene, poison gases first manufactured for chemical warfare during World War I.
A theft deterrent device filled with poison was found in an old safe purchased by a Kennewick homeowner.
The Kennewick Fire Department contacted Ecology‰??s spill response program for help in the incident.
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