DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:58:20 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**ME.COM>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google
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Fireworks storage called wrong place to start disposal - Hawaii News -
Staradvertiser.com
Workers killed by an explosion of fireworks at an underground storage
facility in Waikele on April 8 should not have been working on them in
that bunker, according to a mainland-based fireworks expert who often
serves as a consultant for fireworks firms.
Five employees of Donaldson Enterprises were killed and another worker
injured when aerial fireworks stored in the concrete-lined, tunnel-like
structure exploded as they were either in or just outside the bunker,
police and fire officials said.
Don Holmstrom, lead investigator for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board on
the Waikele incident, told the Star-Advertiser on Wednesday that the
tunnel was being used not just for storage, but for preparation for
demolition at another, unidentified location.
Holmstrom told The on Thursday that the workers "were in the process of
dismantling some of the pyrotechnic devices that were in the storage
area."us_hi industrial explosion death fireworks
=E2=9C=AD
Chemical spill at kids' playground | Courier Mail
A CHEMICAL spill caused panic this morning at a popular child's water
playground on Cairns Esplanade.
The spill occurred at Muddy's Playground at 9.30am, forcing an emergency
response from fire crews, council and an external contractor.
Initial reports are of no injuries after an un-named person, thought to
be a worker, mixed 4l of bleach with hydrochloric acid.
The toxic mix can decay the skin and eyes.
Cairns mayor Val Schier said "accidents happen" and no one was harmed.
She reassured people the spill had been cleaned up and the playground,
dominated by a water fountain that sprays children, will reopen this
afternoon.
"A mistake had been made mixing chemicals with the water," Cr
Schier.australia other release response cleaning_chemicals
2 hours ago
Crews respond to spill at Marathon Oil
Louisville, KY (WDRB) -- Hazmat and fire crews remain on the scene of a
spill at the Marathon Oil facility on Kramers Lane.
The 300 gallon spill of gasoline and ethanol happened just after 3:30
a.m.
An EAS or Emergency Alert System message went to nearby residents about
4:30 a.m. Residents were warned to "shelter in place," stay indoors with
the air conditioners off and windows closed. That warning has now been
lifted and residents were given the "all-clear" to leave their homes.
Many roads near the Marathon facility remain blocked by emergency
vehicles. Kramers Lane is blocked between Beech and Campground
Roads.us_ky industrial release response petroleum
2 hours ago
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Hazmat crews, evacuations disrupt St. Pete Florida Palm Sunday church
service - Tampa Bay Headlines | Examiner.com
On Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, a St. Petersburg, Florida church was
evacuated after people became sick during service. Approximately 2,000
people were evacuated from the St. John Vianney Catholic Church located
in St. Pete Beach at approximately 10:30 am. Eight people were
transferred from the service to a local hospital where they were treated
for symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and dizziness.
Hazmat crews arrived on the scene to investigate the cause of the
mysterious illness. By late afternoon, it was suspected that a sewer
line had backed up causing low levels of methane gas to permeate through
the building, though tests are still inconclusive.
The church service, led by Father John Blum, was continued in the
church=E2=80=99s Parish Hall. By Sunday evening, all had been released
from the hospital. No serious injuries were reported and testing is
still underway to determine the exact cause of the illness.us_fl other
release response sewer_gas
=E2=9C=AD
Man's suicide spurs hazmat scare - The Denver Post
The Denver Fire Department hazmat team along with department personnel
set up outside of the 1600 Glenarm Place Apartments on Sunday.
Authorities said a man on the 12th floor killed himself with a chemical.
(Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post )
A man who committed suicide in a downtown luxury high-rise Sunday night
also caused a hazardous-material scare with the chemical he used to kill
himself, authorities said.
The 12th-floor resident in the 1600 Glenarm Place Apartments used
hydrogen cyanide, said Denver Fire spokesman Phil Champagne.
The residents in the apartment below him saw a liquid dripping through
their vents about 7 p.m., he said.
The 11th and 12th floors were evacuated immediately, and police were
monitoring other floors. No one outside the building was ever at risk,
Champagne said. Glenarm Place is a 33-story building with 330 units.
Two residents were taken to the hospital, but their conditions were not
immediately known.
Hydrogen cyanide is a poisonous, flammable liquid used in industrial
processes and has a history in chemical warfare.
No information about the man was released. He was found dead in his
closet, Champagne said.us_co home release suicide relaunch
Chemical spill in Surrey has several businesses still closed - News1130
SURREY (NEWS1130) - Dozens of Surrey businesses closed by a fire and
chemical spill Monday will have to wait to find out when they can
reopen. The spill happened at Precision Plating on 84th Avenue near
130th, in a large warehouse-like complex.
Senior Environmental Emergency Response Officer Harold Riedler says the
mess entered the storm drain and nearby creek, and includes chromic and
sulphuric acids.
He says the acids are very toxic to aquatic life, but no fish-kill has
been reported. Riedler credits Surrey Fire for quickly responding to the
call, blocking storm drains and preventing more chemicals from reaching
the sensitive creek.
Many shop owners are frustrated, saying they haven't been able to get
answers about when they will be able to resume business. Roger Dayal
owns an auto repair shop and says that's not the only problem they have
because of the spill. "Bylaw officers are down here pointing fingers at
everybody. You can't do this now, you can't do that now ... because of
this environmental spill".
Dayal says he is losing two or three thousand dollars each day his
business is closed.uk industrial release response environmental acids
=E2=9C=AD
South Side business ablaze same day as 23 OSHA citations issued | The
Columbus Dispatch
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire at a South Side
chemical-processing business on the same day the company was cited for
23 safety violations.
A mix of chemicals exploded in a duct and sparked the fire at Howard
Industries Inc. at 1840 Progress Ave. about 8 p.m. Wednesday, according
to the Columbus Division of Fire.
Earlier that day, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
cited the company, saying that it failed to protect workers from
electrical hazards and had other violations, according to an OSHA news
release.
The citations stemmed from a December inspection. The company faces more
than $70,000 in fines, according to OSHA.us_oh industrial fire response
unknown_chemical
Ammonia leak shuts down Norfolk streets - WTKR
NORFOLK=E2=80=94
"The ammonia will turn into an acid when it gets to moisture, and that's
what really causes the problem. And if you get exposed to it, you could
get burned from it," said Harry Worley with Norfolk Fire and Rescue.
Fire officials say a contractor was fixing ceiling tiles inside
AmeriCold Logistics off of Princess Anne Road when he fell from his
ladder and hit a valve, releasing ammonia gas into the air.
That worker along with another were taken to the hospital but are
expected to be ok.us_va industrial release response ammonia
HazMat crews called to Charlotte airport for fuel spill - WBTV 3 News,
Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC-
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Charlotte Firefighters and HazMat crews were
called to the Charlotte-Douglas International airport early Friday
morning for a fuel spill.
Firefighters said a flight was bound for Charleston, SC, was being
refueled when a leak occurred a the gate.
HazMat crews were called to the airport to clean up the spill.
Charlotte firefighters told WBTV the spill was cleaned up. No one was
injured during the incident.us_nc transportation release response
petroleum
=E2=9C=AD
Hazmat crews called to League City park after body found in car |
khou.com | khou.com Local News
LEAGUE CITY, Texas =E2=80=93 Police and hazmat crews were called to
Walter Hall Park Friday afternoon after a body was found in the
passenger seat of a parked car.
The vehicle was found around noon in a parking lot near the 800 block of
Highway 3.
Police said there were three notes taped to the outside of the windows.
One of the notes said "Hydrogen sulfide gas. Do not attempt entry. One
breath can kill, Call hazmat! DANGER."
Another had a skull and crossbones graphic with the word "POISON"
beneath it.
Officers and fire personnel immediately evacuated and closed the park
while they waited for a Houston hazmat team to arrive.
The identity of the man was not released.us_tx other suicide deaths
Palm Beach County teens used household cleaner to make bombs
Three weeks ago, Tequesta Police Lt. Jason Turner heard in a class
taught by a New York state fire marshal that young people are now far
more likely to commit suicide by inhaling a mix of common household
chemicals.
On April 9, three teenagers used those same chemicals to create bombs
that exploded in local neighborhoods, police say.
After learning that the teens discovered how to create the bombs on
YouTube, and knowing how easy it is to buy household chemicals, Turner
is concerned that bomb-making could morph into an even more serious
problem in Palm Beach County.
"I looked at the chemical compound they=E2=80=99re
using,=" Turner said. "And it just so happened these acid
bombs they were making were the same type of chemical that=E2=80=99s
being used in a lot of these chemical suicides around the nation and
internationally.="
The United States ranks second in the world in the number of chemical
suicides, trailing only Japan.us_fl home explosion response bomb
=E2=9C=AD
Fire destroys 10 18-wheelers at natural gas drilling site |
Shreveporttimes | shreveporttimes.com
A line of trucks caught fire at a Chesapeake Energy Corporation drilling
site in west Shreveport Friday, sending a dark plume of smoke skyward
and calling response from multiple fire departments.
The fire caused no injuries, no spills or environmental damage and
didn't threaten the Greenwood neighborhoods surrounding the site,
authorities said. All employees were accounted for by the time the blaze
was brought under control.
The fire started around 11:30 a.m. when a Cudd Energy Services truck
caught fire while working on the Lee 21H-1 natural gas well site near
the intersection of Greenwood Road and Rice Road, according to
Chesapeake Energy Media Coordinator Katie McCullin. The cause of the
fire is still under investigation.
The fire spread quickly to the adjacent trucks, and by the end of the
day, 10 18-wheelers were engulfed and destroyed. The trucks were
carrying hydraulic fracturing fluid, a mixture used in the final stages
of the drilling process, according to Shreveport Fire Department Chief
Safety Officer Scott Wolverton.us_la industrial fire response petroleum
=E2=9C=AD
Neighbors Evacuated Because Of Fire At Battery Facility - News Story -
WSB Atlanta
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Firefighters have finally been able to make entry
into a battery recycling facility in Cartersville that caught fire
Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters and witnesses at the scene said the batteries started
exploding from the fire.
Emergency crews told Channel 2's George Howell that they began
evacuating neighbors in the area because they weren't sure what kind of
chemicals were in the batteries.
Hazmat crews were also at the scene helping with the situation.
Channel 2's Erica Byfield learned from officials at the Cartersville
Medical Center, that eight people from the surrounding neighborhood were
taken the hospital because of possible exposure.us_ga industrial fire
injuries batteries
22 hours ago
=E2=9C=AD
First responders act quickly to assess West Elizabeth chemical spill
The release of a hazardous chemical into the sewer system in West
Elizabeth resulted in a sanitation plant worker being sent to a local
hospital and the evacuation of a house near the plant.The Allegheny
County Hazmat Team and Swiftwater Response Team and more than a dozen
local first response agencies were called to the banks of the
Monongahela River in and around the borough after the chemical was
reported at approximately 1:47 p.m. on Friday after exposure to it
sickened a plant worker at the West Elizabeth Sanitary Authority
treatment plant.?The operator was experiencing eye irritation and
nausea,? said Alvin Henderson Jr., acting chief of operations for the
county Department of Emergency Services. The worker was transported to
Jefferson Regional Medical Center by Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance
where he was evaluated.The chemical entered the plant through the sewage
system. Some of the chemical ? which was identified by Eastman Chemical
in West Elizabeth as being a hydrocarbon ? was released into the
Monongahela River and some of it remained in the plant?s holding tanks,
Henderson said.The amount of the chemical released in the incident is
unclear.us_nj waste release injury unknown_chemical
22 hours ago
=E2=9C=AD
2 injured in ammonia leak in Norfolk | 13NEWS / WVEC.com | WVEC.com Home
Page | Hampton Roads Local News | Hampton Roads Weather
NORFOLK -- Two people were injured in an ammonia leak at a Norfolk
business.
Fire and Rescue personnel say they've secured the situation at Americold
Logistics in the 3800 block of E. Princess Anne Road as a Level 2
hazard.
It was reported around 11:30 a.m. and around 2:39 p.m., a hazmat team
had gone into the building and secured the leak. They started to release
units from the scene around 6:12 p.m.
Capt. Mike Marsala said employees reported a worker on a ladder fell and
struck a pipe that leads to tank containing ammonia.
It wasn't immediately clear what injuries the workers sustained, but two
employees were taken to the hospital. One worker had been released by
1:30 p.m. The other was hospitalized with non life-threatening
injuries.us_va industrial release injuries ammonia
22 hours ago
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