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Subject: Re: Alertbox, April 11,
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:39:06 -0700
Author: Dave Einolf 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: Hazmat incident summary: Feb 2010 - April 2011
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:44:09 -0600
Author: Alan Hall


Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:41:57 -0400
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 B Stuart <rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: Re: Hazmat incident summary: Feb 2010 - April 2011
In-Reply-To: <OFA1BD961A.F96A7ED2-ON8525786F.0057D98B-8525786F.0058A0A8**At_Symbol_Here**notes.cc.sunysb.edu>

> >2. Not sure if you can easily tell, but how many of these stories are re
peats? I know the Texas Tech incident was listed many times over a few mont
hs. Do your totals mean individual, new incidents, or everything? eg. are t
he 166 lab incidents really only 100 lab incidents with multiple reportings
 of a few cases? If so, then I'd hesitate to call the "incidents". It makes
 for an inflated amount of incidents in the labs. Perhaps call them "report
ing occurrences"? 

In general, I do my best to avoid noting the same incident twice. As I was 
preparing the summary, I removed a variety of entries that referred to the 
same incident or events that were not specific incidents. So, I believe tha
t there were about 166 separate lab events reported by Google over the last
 14 months. +/-10 events.

> >3. Under "chemical involved", could you include the "chemical suicide" c
ategory? 

Along with meth lab events, chemical suicides seem to go in spurts. Meth la
bs have been particularly busy the last few months; I can't tell if this is
 related to increased law enforcement around them or something about the se
asonal climate in the US. Australia has had a similar upswing.

Suicides were more active last fall, less so recently. Over the tracking pe
riod, there were 16 chemical suicides reported. Another illegal activity th
at is similarly faddish are "bottle bombs". Perhaps there is a feedback loo
p between media coverage and these activities - either for the people parti
cipating in them or other media in covering them.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH
Laboratory Ventilation Specialist
rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu

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