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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (15 articles)
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 07:52:11 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 9EFBFB6A-D6CE-4855-B73C-4628BEB0A76B**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, January 31, 2020 at 7:51:55 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 (15 articles)
CDC: TWICE AS MANY AFFECTED BY BEACH PARK AMMONIA LEAK THAN INITIALLY THOUGHT; CONFUSION ABOUT ‰??SMOKE‰?? LED TO MORE INJURIES
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, injury, ag_chems, ammonia
'ALL CLEAR' GIVEN AFTER GAS LEAK AT CHEMICAL FACILITY PROMPTED EVACUATION IN WOODWARD, OFFICIALS SAY
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, response, HCl
INTERAGENCY COMMAND AT TPC GROUP SITE ENDS
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
PHILADELPHIA, STATE JOIN SUIT AGAINST EPA OVER CHEMICAL-SAFETY RULES AT INDUSTRIAL SITES
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid, toxics
PROPOSED NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE MATERIALS MAY HAVE A CORROSION PROBLEM
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, radiation, waste
THE CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD FACES AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE DESPITE STRONG BACKING
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
CARPER GIVES OPENING STATEMENT AT EPW HEARING ON CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
Tags: us_DE, public, discovery, environmental
CONTRACTOR DEAD, 3 PEOPLE SEVERELY BURNED AFTER EXPLOSION AT OIL RIG
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, death, petroleum
MAN ACCUSED OF MAKING AND STASHING POUNDS OF POWERFUL EXPLOSIVES IN MANATEE COUNTY
Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, environmental, explosives
HOUSTONIANS IMPACTED BY GESSNER EXPLOSION TO GATHER AT TOWN HALL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
INCINERATOR FAILURE SPARKS FIRE AT INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER IN TROY
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, waste
CHEMICAL REACTION FORCES BUILDING EVACUATION IN ALLEN ‰?? NBC 5 DALLAS-FORT WORTH
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
14 STATES SUE EPA OVER CHEMICAL SAFETY REGULATIONS ROLLBACK
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental
POSTDOC EMPLOYMENT STATUS VARIES WIDELY
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury
FIRE DEPARTMENT, AIRGAS WORK TO CORRECT LIQUID OXYGEN LEAK
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, liquid_oxygen
---------------------------------------------
CDC: TWICE AS MANY AFFECTED BY BEACH PARK AMMONIA LEAK THAN INITIALLY THOUGHT; CONFUSION ABOUT ‰??SMOKE‰?? LED TO MORE INJURIES
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-cdc-report-ammonia-fog-zion-st-0131-20200130-bphoo3jltjffxnsed2u3ftbqqq-story.html
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, injury, ag_chems, ammonia
A lack of communication led to healthcare providers and first-responders exposing themselves to a toxic gas after the release of an agricultural fertilizer that created a fog in April in Beach Park, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Thursday afternoon.
In addition, more than twice as many people ‰?? including homeowners, commuters, police and fire first-responders and hospital personnel ‰?? were exposed and treated during the hazardous material incident than initially reported, according to the CDC‰??s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Authorities reported in the past that the incident sent 41 people to area hospitals, including 11 fire and police personnel, and required residents in a one-mile area to shelter in place or evacuate, according to a National Transportation Safety Report released in June.
The CDC report said that, in fact, 83 people were evaluated at six area hospitals for effects of the chemical release. Fourteen were admitted, including eight who were placed in an intensive care unit, and all but one required endotracheal intubation, where a tube is placed into the windpipe through the mouth or nose along with mechanical ventilation, according to the CDC report.
The leak occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. on April 25, when about 750 gallons of anhydrous ammonia liquefied compressed gas was accidentally released from two 1,000-gallon nurse tanks mounted on a farm trailer that was being pulled by a John Deere tractor, according to a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report on the investigation released on June 11.
---------------------------------------------
'ALL CLEAR' GIVEN AFTER GAS LEAK AT CHEMICAL FACILITY PROMPTED EVACUATION IN WOODWARD, OFFICIALS SAY
https://www.koco.com/article/gas-leak-at-chemical-facility-prompts-evacuation-in-parts-of-woodward-officials-say/30719066#
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, response, HCl
WOODWARD, Okla. ‰??
An "all clear" has been given after a gas leak at a chemical facility prompted evacuation Thursday afternoon in parts of Woodward.
According to officials, a hydrogen chloride gas leak was reported at the Deepwater Chemical Facility near the Woodward Airport. The Woodward County Emergency Manager urged residents evacuate the area near the airport.
The facility was able to stop the leak, and the plume has dissipated, according to emergency officials. All residents and employees in the vicinity of the Woodward Industrial Park and Woodward Airport may return.
Officials with Deepwater Chemicals released the following statement:
"Deepwater Chemicals experienced an upset in one of its chemical processes resulting in a chemical release of hydrogen chloride gas to the atmosphere.
The company implemented its emergency response including notification of the local fire department and the office of emergency management of the incident.
---------------------------------------------
INTERAGENCY COMMAND AT TPC GROUP SITE ENDS
https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Interagency-command-at-TPC-Group-site-ends-15018293.php
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
The interagency command of local, state and federal agencies that handled the TPC Group incident in Port Neches for almost two months disbanded Thursday.
In a Thursday afternoon update from Port Neches Response, representatives for the command said it was able to step back after meeting several ‰??operational milestones.‰??
TPC Group reported it has emptied the site of almost 50% of all chemicals and transferred all of its high-concentration butadiene. It will now focus on moving less volatile chemicals like low-concentration butadiene, raffinate and other materials.
---------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA, STATE JOIN SUIT AGAINST EPA OVER CHEMICAL-SAFETY RULES AT INDUSTRIAL SITES
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2020/01/30/philadelphia-state-join-suit-against-epa-over-chemical-safety-rules-at-industrial-sites/
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid, toxics
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania sued the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday in a challenge to the agency‰??s rollback of an Obama-era chemical safety rule related to industrial facilities like the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery complex.
The city and state joined 13 other states and the District of Columbia in a federal lawsuit that says the new rules violate the Clean Air Act.
Patrick O‰??Neill, divisional deputy for environmental law for the city, said the EPA wants to reverse a common-sense rule regulating facilities that use highly toxic chemicals.
‰??We think this is a very important effort and, given what happened at the PES refinery, this is absolutely not the correct time to be rolling back protections for the public and the environment,‰?? O‰??Neill said.
The EPA‰??s Risk Management Plan Rule governs public disclosures surrounding the use and accidental release of toxic chemicals, such as the deadly hydrofluoric acid released during the explosion last June at PES, as well as response.
---------------------------------------------
PROPOSED NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE MATERIALS MAY HAVE A CORROSION PROBLEM
https://cen.acs.org/energy/nuclear-power/Proposed-nuclear-waste-storage-materials/98/i5
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, radiation, waste
Many countries including the US plan to store nuclear waste in underground repositories. But scientists might not have a complete picture of the safety of the storage materials involved in these plans, according to a new study. The report demonstrates that interactions between the different materials used for these storage systems could accelerate their corrosion when they are exposed to water, increasing the chance of the radioactive waste leaking into the environment (Nat. Mater. 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0579-x).
Spent fuel from nuclear power reactors can remain highly radioactive for thousands of years. The waste is typically kept in large ponds or concrete vaults at reactor sites to cool down. But for permanent storage, several countries plan to turn the waste into glass or ceramic, and encase the solids in stainless steel canisters to store in repositories.
Each of these materials separately resist corrosion in tests that simulate the cold, wet conditions that could exist in repositories, says Xiaolei Guo, a materials scientist and corrosion researcher at Ohio State University. But current nuclear waste storage assessment models do not consider the chemical interactions between these materials when they are brought together. According to experiments by Guo and his colleagues, if water gets inside the steel canister and works its way into the tiny gap between the canister and the glass or ceramic, it can trigger a string of corrosive reactions that degrades both materials.
---------------------------------------------
THE CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD FACES AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE DESPITE STRONG BACKING
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Chemical-Safety-Board-faces-uncertain/98/i5
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
Representatives of the chemical industry, worker unions, and professional engineers, as well as senators from both parties, voiced support for the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) at a Senate oversight hearing Jan. 29.
Opinions at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing stood in sharp contrast to those of President Donald J. Trump, who has tried to defund and eliminate the CSB three times. So far, Congress has continued funding.
However, the board will shortly be down to one member‰??current Interim Executive Authority Kristen Kulinowski. Manny Ehrlich‰??s term expired in January, and Rick Engler‰??s term expires Feb. 6. Kulinowski‰??s term expires in August.
The board investigates chemically related industrial accidents to determine their root cause. As part of that effort, it provides advice and recommendations to companies, regulators, and others on how to avoid or at least mitigate accidents.
The CSB is unique in that it lacks regulatory authority; its only power is its ability to cast a bright light on cause. It was created 30 years ago after public criticism of US regulatory bodies‰?? ability to adequately investigate chemical accidents.
---------------------------------------------
CARPER GIVES OPENING STATEMENT AT EPW HEARING ON CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
https://www.scsuntimes.com/news/20200130/carper-gives-opening-statement-at-epw-hearing-on-chemical-safety-board
Tags: us_DE, public, discovery, environmental
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, gave the opening statement at the Jan. 29 U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, ‰??Stakeholder perspectives on the importance of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.‰??
‰??Good morning,‰?? said Carper. ‰??Today our committee will discuss the importance of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The board has investigated everything from the BP Oil spill, to fatal refinery accidents, to the chemical explosions caused by flooding during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.‰??
‰??Regrettably, this administration has failed to support the agency financially,‰?? said Carper. ‰??In fact, each and every one of the president‰??s last three budget proposals have called for the board‰??s elimination. Fortunately, though, Congress has rightfully rejected President Trump‰??s repeated efforts to dismantle the Chemical Safety Board.‰??
‰??After chemicals at the Arkema facility in Texas exploded during Hurricane Harvey because there was no electricity to keep those chemicals cold, I asked the Chemical Safety Board to investigate,‰?? said Carper. ‰??The board recommended that chemical facilities need to do more to plan for the extreme weather events like hurricanes, flooding and wildfires that climate change is causing and will continue to cause.‰??
‰??The Trump administration is not requiring anyone to plan for or mitigate against the effects of climate change,‰?? said Carper. ‰??As we all know, this administration is doing just the opposite. President Trump even rescinded Obama administration Executive Orders that required federally funded projects to be built to better withstand flood risks and help communities rebuild stronger and smarter following extreme weather damage. That leaves the Chemical Safety Board as the only federal entity that is providing guidance to mitigate the costly and often dangerous impacts of climate change under the Trump administration.‰??
---------------------------------------------
CONTRACTOR DEAD, 3 PEOPLE SEVERELY BURNED AFTER EXPLOSION AT OIL RIG
https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/dps-report-of-explosion-at-oil-well-in-burleson-county
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, death, petroleum
A contractor is dead and three people were severely burned after an explosion at an oil rig in Burleson County.
According to Chesapeake Energy Corporation, who owns the wellsite, a fire was reported around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Caldwell Fire & Rescue initially reported an oil well blow out injured multiple people south of Caldwell on CR-127 off of FM-60.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation says a Chesapeake Energy contractor died as a result of the incident. Three others were transported via helicopters to medical facilities in Austin and Houston.
First responders and oilfield emergency response specialist Boots & Coots are on location.
---------------------------------------------
MAN ACCUSED OF MAKING AND STASHING POUNDS OF POWERFUL EXPLOSIVES IN MANATEE COUNTY
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/homemade-explosive-arrest-manatee-county-bomb-squad/67-97f6afcf-fc03-4c0c-a4cf-ca621cc1a043
Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, environmental, explosives
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. ‰?? A man accused of having highly-sensitive homemade explosive material says he never planned to hurt anyone.
Authorities began investigating 52-year-old James R Hoskins Jr. on Monday afternoon, after they say he made "concerning statements" to a worker at a mental health facility.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office says Hoskins made threats toward a roommate and admitted to having various materials used to make "small rocket motors." Manatee County Hazmat officials and the sheriff's office bomb squad were dispatched. Deputies say Hoskins let them view his self-proclaimed powder room -- where suspicious chemicals were found.
"A majority of the items that were tested came back as precursors for making explosives," the sheriff's office said.
One of the bags contained 2-3 pounds of TATP. Investigators say it's an organic peroxide, highly sensitive homemade explosive. According to the New York Times, it's the same type of explosive used in the November 2015 Paris attacks.
---------------------------------------------
HOUSTONIANS IMPACTED BY GESSNER EXPLOSION TO GATHER AT TOWN HALL
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Gessner-explosion-west-town-hall-chemical-watson-15013423.php
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
Residents impacted by Friday‰??s devastating explosion at a manufacturing company will gather Wednesday evening at a town hall to question elected officials and meet with service providers.
Councilwoman Amy Peck, who represents the area, is hosting the town hall at the recovery center in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints set up by the Red Cross in the wake of the disaster. The Red Cross, Mental Health America and representatives from the city of Houston will attend, according to the release from her office.
Friday‰??s explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing killed two people and damaged 450 structures. Dozens of residents filed suit against the company.
---------------------------------------------
INCINERATOR FAILURE SPARKS FIRE AT INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER IN TROY
https://www.candgnews.com/news/incinerator-failure-sparks-fire-at-industrial-equipment-supplier-in-troy-116729
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, waste
TROY ‰?? Firefighters were called to extinguish a fire in an incinerator at an industrial equipment supplier at 835 Stephenson Highway just after 3:30 p.m. Jan. 24 after equipment reportedly failed ‰?? allowing flames to leap 4 feet high.
According to a press release, fire crews arrived to find thick, black smoke coming from the roof, but no smoke or fire was visible from inside the building.
Normal operations continued at the business, according to the release. Firefighters accessed the roof and discovered fire inside a vent stack for an incinerator used to burn off nonrecyclable material as part of the recycling process, the release states.
Firefighters spoke with site managers and learned that a flame unit used in the burning process had failed and allowed the partially unburned products to ignite in the vent stack.
Crews used dry chemical fire extinguishers through a vent opening on the side of the incinerator, but that was unsuccessful.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION FORCES BUILDING EVACUATION IN ALLEN ‰?? NBC 5 DALLAS-FORT WORTH
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/chemical-reaction-forces-building-evacuation-in-allen/2300587/
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
A chemical reaction caused a building evacuation Wednesday morning in Allen, fire officials say.
Hazardous materials crews responded to reports of a substance seen bubbling from the ground in an industrial area of Allen.
The incident was reported about 10 a.m. near a warehouse on the 1200 block of Andrews Parkway.
Two chemicals were mixed together in a lab inside the facility and there was a reaction that caused a container to break, allowing the mixture to spill onto the floor, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.
No one was injured or exposed to the chemical, Boyd said.
---------------------------------------------
14 STATES SUE EPA OVER CHEMICAL SAFETY REGULATIONS ROLLBACK
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/480553-14-states-sue-epa-over-chemical-safety-rule-rollback
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental
general from 14 states filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its rollback of Obama-era chemical plant safety regulations.
‰??The Trump EPA is gutting critical safeguards against explosions, fires, poisonous gas releases, and other accidents at these facilities, putting New Yorkers in harm‰??s way," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
A rule change finalized by the Trump administration last year eased safety regulations for chemical plants, making it so that they no longer deal with what officials called "unnecessary regulatory burdens."
‰??Accident prevention is a top priority of the EPA and this rule promotes improved coordination between chemical facilities and emergency responders, reduces unnecessary regulatory burdens, and addresses security risks associated with previous amendments to the [risk management plan] rule,‰?? EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement at the time.
An agency spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the EPA doesn't comment on pending litigation.
A coalition of environmental groups also announced last year that it is suing the Trump administration over the rollback. That suit followed an explosion at a chemical plant in Texas.
---------------------------------------------
POSTDOC EMPLOYMENT STATUS VARIES WIDELY
https://www.chemistryworld.com/careers/postdoc-employment-status-varies-widely/4010981.article
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury
Employment status can vary widely, leaving researchers vulnerable to financial instability and issues with healthcare
Nearly four years after the horrific lab accident in which Thea Ekins-Coward lost an arm as a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in the United States, she is still fighting a legal battle for compensation. The experience of this UK citizen is an extreme illustration of just how vulnerable young researchers are, and the difference that their employment status makes.
Experts concluded that the main cause of the March 2016 explosion that severed Ekins-Coward‰??s right arm was an electrostatic charge caused by ill-designed and improperly grounded lab equipment, and many other safety lapses were identified. Hawaii‰??s occupational safety and health agency found that the university had failed to provide a safe workplace, listing 15 separate relevant safety failures.
Ekins-Coward, who was 29 years old when the accident occurred, filed a personal injury lawsuit against the university, her supervisor and others in January 2017. The legal dispute centres on her employee status at the time of the accident.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT, AIRGAS WORK TO CORRECT LIQUID OXYGEN LEAK
https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/content/news/Fire-department-Airgas-work-to-correct-liquid-oxygen-leak-567356771.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, liquid_oxygen
IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WLUC) - Iron Mountain Fire Department was called to a hazardous material situation late Monday morning.
According to the IMFD, around 11:19 a.m. Jan. 27, it was called to the Airgas at 111 Traders Mine Road because three containers of liquid oxygen, each containing 180 liquid liters, had fallen off a forklift.
The containers were slightly inverted and leaking/venting upon the arrival of the fire department.
The building had already been evacuated, but the air quality was then tested and came back good, so workers were able to enter the building again.
An Airgas employee, and IMFD personnel, were able to turn the containers of liquid oxygen upright and secure them back onto the pallet.
There is no danger to the public as a result of this incident.
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