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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 6:19:04 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 (12 articles)
COVINGTON OFFICIALS CALL FOR HAZMAT SIGNAGE, ENFORCING BAN
Tags: us_OH, transportation, follow-up, environmental
CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN SOUTH DUNEDIN
Tags: New_Zealand, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CITY COUNCIL APPROVES HAZMAT CHANGES STEMMING FROM WATSON EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
HIGH TEMPERATURE CLEANING SOLUTION SOURCE OF HAZMAT INCIDENT AT BRIGHTON LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY ‰?? CBS DENVER
Tags: us_CO, public, release, injury, other_chemical
WARREN FIRE OFFICIAL: NATURAL GAS LEAK APPEARS TO HAVE CAUSED WEDNESDAY HOUSE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, response, natural_gas
EPA CORRECTS BEA MOUNTAIN
Tags: Liberia, public, discovery, environmental, ammonium_nitrate, illegal
FATAL BELLE PLANT EXPLOSION SHOWS FEDERAL LAW DOESN'T PREVENT LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NEW CHEMICALS AT FACILITIES
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, bleach, methanol
PEPSI PLANT IN ORANGE COUNTY EVACUATED AS HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, response, ammonia
HOUSTON SEEKS TO TIGHTEN HAZMAT RULES, INCLUDING STORAGE LOOPHOLE CITED IN WATSON EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental
SOUTH AFRICA CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSIONS INJURE 13, TWO CRITICALLY
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, explosion, injury, acetone, gas_cylinders
CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION, FIRE INJURES OVER 10 WORKERS
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, solvent
LEBANON PRIME MINISTER CHARGED WITH NEGLIGENCE OVER BEIRUT EXPLOSION
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate, illegal
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COVINGTON OFFICIALS CALL FOR HAZMAT SIGNAGE, ENFORCING BAN
https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/northern-ky/news/2020/12/17/covington-officials-push-for-better-hazmat-signage-on-brent-spence
Tags: us_OH, transportation, follow-up, environmental
COVINGTON, Ky. ‰?? Covington‰??s Board of Commissioners passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for stricter enforcement of a 2013 regulation banning hazardous materials (hazmat) from the Brent Spence Bridge.
Covington officials are calling for stricter enforcement of a hazardous materials ban on the Brent Spence Bridge
A mid-November collision caused an emergency closure of the bridge ‰?? one truck involved was carrying flammable, hazardous materials
Officials say the ban is neither widely known nor followed correctly, as signs on the bridge seem to contradict it
The Brent Spence Bridge is scheduled to reopen Dec. 23
Officials pointed to the recent collision on the bridge that led to its closure ‰?? crippling traffic and infrastructure in the surrounding areas ‰?? as a "wake-up call."
On Nov. 11, an early-morning crash between two tractor-trailers caused significant damage to the bridge's concrete and steel structure. An important thing to note is that one of the tractor-trailers involved in the wreck were carrying a common hazmat known as lye ‰?? when combined with diesel fuel, the lye created an almost instantaneous fireball that burned on the bridge for hours.
The 2013 regulation classifies the Brent Spence Bridge as a "Restricted Hazardous Material" route, banning vehicles from carrying hazardous materials across the bridge. Covington officials said the ban "appears to be neither widely known nor routinely followed."
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN SOUTH DUNEDIN
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/chemical-incident-south-dunedin
Tags: New_Zealand, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A chemical spill prompted a fire service call-out in South Dunedin this evening.
Firefighters with breathing apparatus converged on a premises in Glasgow St after a report of an explosion.
There were no indications of a fire, but a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said a possible chemical spill needed to be investigated.
In an update around 8.50pm, a Fenz spokesman confirmed there had been a spill, but there was no word on what the chemical was.
Sand had been used to absorb it and prevent it from spreading.
Six fire crews attended.
---------------------------------------------
CITY COUNCIL APPROVES HAZMAT CHANGES STEMMING FROM WATSON EXPLOSION
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/environment/article/City-council-approves-hazmat-changes-stemming-15808269.php
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
City council voted Wednesday to close a loophole that allowed businesses that store hazardous materials outdoors to skirt city regulation, a change directly influenced by the Watson Grinding & Manufacturing explosion in January.
The council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve that change and a few others to the city‰??s hazardous enterprise ordinance, which lays out permitting procedures for the businesses and how often the Houston Fire Department inspects them.
Watson Grinding was the site of a Jan. 24 explosion that killed three people and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses in the Spring Branch area. Many residents still have not recovered and remain displaced, wrangling with insurers and trying to rebuild their homes. Hundreds have sued the company, as well.
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HIGH TEMPERATURE CLEANING SOLUTION SOURCE OF HAZMAT INCIDENT AT BRIGHTON LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY ‰?? CBS DENVER
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/12/16/high-temperature-cleaning-solution-hazmat-brighton-inglenook/
Tags: us_CO, public, release, injury, other_chemical
BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4)‰?? Fire investigators have found the source of a hazardous materials incident that caused a partial evacuation of a long-term care facility in Brighton. On Tuesday evening, crews with Brighton Fire Rescue rushed to Inglenook at Brighton on reports of a hazmat incident.
Investigators have determined that a high temperature cleaning solution set off the facility‰??s sprinkler system. That triggered an evacuation of one of the wings of the facility located in the 2100 block of E. Egbert St.
Three residents were taken to the hospital for respiratory distress. All evacuated residents were moved into different parts of the facility because of water damage from the sprinklers.
---------------------------------------------
WARREN FIRE OFFICIAL: NATURAL GAS LEAK APPEARS TO HAVE CAUSED WEDNESDAY HOUSE EXPLOSION
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2020/12/16/warren-fire-official-natural-gas-leak-appears-have-caused-wednesday-house-explosion/3928232001/
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, response, natural_gas
Warren ‰?? A natural gas leak appears to have caused an explosion at a home Wednesday, city fire officials said.
Warren Fire Commissioner Skip McAdams said firefighters were called at about 6:30 p.m. to 8452 Lozier Avenue near Nine Mile and Van Dyke roads to respond to a report of a house explosion.
Firefighters arrived and found the single-family home engulfed in flames. They managed to contain most of the blaze, but one spot continued to burn because it was fed by natural gas, McAdams said. A Consumers Energy crew was called to stop the gas leak and enable fire fighters to extinguish the home.
---------------------------------------------
EPA CORRECTS BEA MOUNTAIN
https://thenewdawnliberia.com/epa-corrects-bea-mountain/
Tags: Liberia, public, discovery, environmental, ammonium_nitrate, illegal
The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) Professor Wilson K. Tarpeh says the EPA has worked along with the concession firm, Bea Mountain to correct all missteps the company made during its recent importation.
‰??The importers that [brought] the 4,000 metric tons of Ammonium Nitrate explosives received a license from the lands and mines and energy and other securities institutions, but the law of EPA requires them to obtain a license due to the impact said importation has on the environment‰??, Professor Tarpeh said Wednesday, 16 December in a news conference in Monrovia.
He said part of the EPA law requires such importers to receive a license from the EPA, which was never done, and that was a misstep on the part of Bea Mountain. However, he said this has been corrected and the EPA is working along with the company to put in more safety measures.
Tarpeh, former Minister of Commerce, who now heads the EPA, said the news conference was called to dismiss insinuation that the 4,000 metric tons of Ammonium Nitrate imported by KAPEKS Liberia, Ltd chemical is dangerous and has been banned.
---------------------------------------------
FATAL BELLE PLANT EXPLOSION SHOWS FEDERAL LAW DOESN'T PREVENT LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NEW CHEMICALS AT FACILITIES
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/fatal-belle-plant-explosion-shows-federal-law-doesnt-prevent-lack-of-knowledge-about-new-chemicals/article_8bea3055-4ade-5f2d-9432-9177eaa0910a.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, bleach, methanol
C.W. Sigman, director of emergency management for Kanawha County, said a Chemours site fire brigade identified the presence of CDB-63 and methanol for other responders when they arrived after the explosion, which happened at 10:02 p.m. on Dec. 8.
CDB-63 is the product name for a chlorinated dry bleach chemical, sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate.
The chemical was not included in the annual Tier II chemical inventory data sheet that the Optima facility submitted for 2019 and has not been updated since, Messina said. The annual federal Tier II reporting period for the previous year is Jan. 1 to March 1 for hazardous chemicals that exceeded minimum reporting thresholds at facilities in the previous calendar year.
But Optima says that the day of the explosion was the first time it processed sodium dichlorocyanurate dihydrate at the Belle facility.
‰??At the time of the required report, sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate was not used or processed at the facility,‰?? reads a sheet of frequently asked questions about the facility and its use of the chemical leading up to last week‰??s explosion. ‰??In fact, it would have been inappropriate to include CDB on the Tier II report since, at the time of the report, sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate was not used at the facility.‰??
---------------------------------------------
PEPSI PLANT IN ORANGE COUNTY EVACUATED AS HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/12/15/pepsi-plant-in-orange-county-evacuated-as-hazmat-crews-investigate-ammonia-leak/
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, response, ammonia
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. ‰?? Hazmat crews are investigating an ammonia leak Tuesday morning at a Pepsi plant in Orange County.
Orange County Fire Rescue was called just after 8 a.m. to the Oak Ridge plant on Directors Row.
The building was evacuated before first responders arrived, according to OCFR.
Authorities say hazmat teams are working to find the source of the leak and the cause.
---------------------------------------------
HOUSTON SEEKS TO TIGHTEN HAZMAT RULES, INCLUDING STORAGE LOOPHOLE CITED IN WATSON EXPLOSION
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-seeks-to-tighten-hazmat-rules-including-15803881.php
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental
City Council this week is set to consider changes to how Houston oversees the storage and use of hazardous materials, the first step of a broader effort to tighten restrictions after the January explosion of the Watson Grinding & Manufacturing plant that killed three people and damaged hundreds of Spring Branch-area homes.
The first batch of changes are on the council‰??s Wednesday agenda. If approved, they would make adjustments to the city‰??s ‰??hazardous enterprise‰?? ordinance, called Chapter 28, which dictates the permitting process for nearly 200 Houston businesses and lays out inspection requirements and other rules.
The ordinance was adopted in 1996, and it has been ‰??largely untouched since then,‰?? said Brian Crimmins of the city‰??s Planning Department.
---------------------------------------------
SOUTH AFRICA CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSIONS INJURE 13, TWO CRITICALLY
http://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/182590/South-Africa-chemical-factory-explosions-injure-13--two-critically.aspx
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, explosion, injury, acetone, gas_cylinders
A fire and several explosions at a chemical factory in Durban, South Africa injured 13 people on December 8. Over 100 workers were evacuated from the factory and two of the injured are reported to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
The incident happened at a factory belonging to Zeta Laboratories in New Germany, outside of Pinetown in Durban and occurred just days after another explosion in the city at an oil refinery operated by Engen.
Firefighters tackled the blaze for several hours before it was extinguished. A lack of fire hydrants in the area had made it difficult for firefighters to tackle the flames until fire trucks arrived at the scene. Paramedics attended the scene at around 11:00 local time and all 13 inured people were taken to local hospitals.
Local officials said that they believe the fire started in the processing area of the factory and quickly spread to 20 gas cylinders which caused an explosion. A number of chemicals were stored on site, including 10 tonnes of sanitisers, acetone, hydrogen peroxide, caustic soda, and petroleum jelly tanks which all helped the fire to spread and caused further explosions.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION, FIRE INJURES OVER 10 WORKERS
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/chemical/chemical-plant-explosion-fire-injures-over-10-workers
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, solvent
An explosion and fire at the Vindhya Organics Private Limited chemical plant in Hyderabad, India on Saturday left more than 10 workers with injuries, reports by local news organizations said.
Emergency personnel were called to the facility at about 1:30 p.m. and discovered after arrival that a solvent was involved in the blaze, law enforcement officials told The Times of India. Injured workers were transported to an area hospital.
‰??The fire erupted in the factory supposedly due to the explosion of a reactor,‰?? a fire official said in coverage by The Hindustan Times. Personnel at other facilities near the chemical plant were evacuated during the incident.
At least 11 workers were injured during the incident, according to The Sentinel.
---------------------------------------------
LEBANON PRIME MINISTER CHARGED WITH NEGLIGENCE OVER BEIRUT EXPLOSION
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/lebanon-prime-minister-charged-with-negligence-over-beirut-explosion/
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate, illegal
AN investigating prosecutor has charged Lebanon‰??s acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers with negligence in connection with the ammonium nitrate explosion in Beirut that killed around 200 people.
Diab and the three former ministers ‰?? Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zaiter, and Youssef Fenianos ‰?? were charged by prosecutor Fadi Sawan for negligence in relation to the explosion that occurred on 4 August. Diab had allegedly been warned about the stockpile a few weeks prior to the explosion, according to documents seen by The New York Times. Diab was Prime Minister at the time of the explosion. He resigned a few days afterwards, along with his cabinet, but he remains in a caretaker role.
The 2,750 t of ammonium nitrate had been stored at the port since 2013 and the bags were reported to be torn and piled on top of each other. The explosion killed around 200 people, as well as injuring 6,000 and leaving 300,000 people homeless.
Diab has accused Sawan of violating the constitution and bypassing the parliament, according to state-run National News Agency (NNA). NNA also reported that Sawan will be listening to the testimonies of the former ministers this week.
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