Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:51:34 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google
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HYDERABAD: Eruption of a
fire spark in one of Dr Reddy's Laboratories unit gave jitters to its
employees today. The spark in one of the units, located at Bachupally,
was claimed to be outcome of a chemical reaction. But there are no
casualties or injuries, according to the company
officials.
As a precautionary measure,
the company also called a fire engine to avoid untoward incidents.
Recently, there was a fire in one of the DRL's units at Bollarum wherein
a chemist and a contract worker died due to a gas leak at the US Food
and Drug Administration-approved plant that produces active
pharmaceutical ingredients. A threemember committee, comprising two
officials from the Directorate of Factories and one pharma expert, are
probing into the gas leak incident at Dr Reddy's Laboratories production
unit.
-----------------------
HYDERABAD: A major fire gutted a chemical laboratory
in the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) at Habsiguda today
evening.
Initial inquiry by the
police and fire services officials suggested that the fire might have
occurred due to electric short circuit. However, none was injured in the
mishap.
The fire broke out in the
Discovery Laboratory in a ground-plus-two building on the IICT campus
where a huge quantity of solvents used in experiments was
stored.
The fire control room
received a call at 4.53 p.m and a fire tender from Moula Ali, which is
stationed within the IICT campus, was rushed to the
spot.
According to sources, a
couple of scientists working in the laboratory ran out after the fire
started.
With solvents catching fire,
the fire services personnel could not use water to douse the flames.
They had to rely on foam. As the fire could not be controlled, more fire
tenders, a multi-purpose tender and a dry chemical powder tender had to
be rushed to the spot.
"The fire
in the lab was so intense that the fire services department had to press
five fire tenders into service. It took about two hours to put out the
fire," Nacharam police inspector T Manohar Reddy said.
The lab that caught fire was on the first floor of one
of the blocks in the IICT. Luckily the blaze did not spread to other
floors. The extent of property loss is yet to be ascertained, said
police.
According to reports,
solvents like methanol, ethanol and acetene were stored in drums in the
lab. "The solvents are highly inflammable and they caught fire within
minutes," a fire services officer said adding that the fire might have
started from an electric switch in the laboratory.
-----------------------
An
explosion rocked Duratech Systems, 12546 Beech Daly Road, at 9:15
a.m.
Redford Township Officials
released a statement minutes ago that indicated the explosion occurred
as workers were cleaning out storage tanks at the facility. There were
no apparent injuries but two DuraTech employees were taken to a local
medical clinic as a precautionary measure.
=93We had
numerous calls,=94 said Redford Township Supervisor Tracey Schultz
Kobylarz, including one that said the blast waves were felt as far away
as Five Mile and Inkster.
Officials do not believe air quality has been
compromised but they have called in the Department of Environmental
Quality to assess the situation. All local roads remain
open.
-----------------------
Attempted theft of ammonia gas perhaps by old-school
methamphetamine cookers appears to be the cause of a leak in a cold
storage plant in downtown Kent this morning.
Investigators found that someone had taken the cap off an
outside valve that was no longer used.
Kent Fire
Department responded to a 6:45 a.m. report of a strong chemical smell in
the 300 block of Railroad Ave. N. at Washington Cold Storage. Ammonia is
used in the plant=92s refrigeration process and is considered
toxic.
Firefighters quickly cordoned off an area surrounding
the business and Kent Police closed West James Street in both directions
in order to ensure that no one was exposed to the toxic gas. The gas
leak also affected the operations of Mill Creek Middle School and the
Regional Justice Center.
-----------------------
CORPUS CHRISTI =97 For
dispatchers Monday at the Corpus Christi police station, an emergency
occurred in their own office.
Dispatch center staff were evacuated for nearly two
hours from the fourth floor of the building in the 300 block of John
Sartain Street about 5 p.m. after its fire alarm system was triggered,
spraying a chemical dispersant, said police spokesman Tony
Acevedo.
=93It was some kind of false alarm,=94 Acevedo said.
=93The fire department came and checked it out and no injuries were
reported.=94
Staff were moved to the department=92s Emergency
Operations Center at the Frost Bank Building, Acevedo
said.
The building=92s Halon alarm system is designed to
extinguish a fire without the use of water and not damage electronics,
fire officials said.
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