Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Friday, August 19, 2011 8:33:24 AM

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Table of Contents (15 articles)

DOW SCIENCE COMPLEX CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY AFTER =91CHEMICAL EXPOSURE=92
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

SMOKE FROM ELEVATOR MOTOR EVACUATES DOW SCIENCE COMPLEX
Tags: us_MI, education, release, response, unknown_chemical

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION: MAN DIES AFTER CHEMICALS INCIDENT
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL VAPORS SEND ONE PERSON TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

AMMONIA LEAK FORCES EVACUATION OF PERDUE PLANT ON EASTERN SHORE
Tags: us_VA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

2 WOMEN KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSION IN CITY
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, hydrogen_peroxide, illegal, 
mek

NY CELLPHONE WORKERS SICKENED IN CLEANER MISHAP
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, cleaners

THE MANEATER - BLOGS - POLICE BEAT - CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN 
SIXTH STREET, CAUSES EVACUATION (AUG. 18, 2011)
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, response, acetone, copper_sulphate, 
methanol

'ALL CLEAR' FOR CHESTER COUNTY CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_PA, transportation, fire, response, hydrogen

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL EVACUATES BUSINESS
Tags: us_CO, industrial, fire, response, bromine

PEARLAND: HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS TO SCENE OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

HAZ-MAT INCIDENT AT FAIRFIELD 5N PLUS, INC.
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, metals

SOCCER-MARACANA WORKERS STRIKE AFTER ON-SITE BLAST
Tags: Brazil, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL EXPLOSION INJURES PITT GRADUATE STUDENT
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, explosion, injury, explosives

CHEMICAL SPILL AT MU DRAWS EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

---------------------------------------------

DOW SCIENCE COMPLEX CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY AFTER =91CHEMICAL EXPOSURE=92

http://www.cm-life.com/2009/08/28/breaking-news-police-dow-science-comple-
to-reopen-at-1-p-m-after-chemical-mishap/
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

The university shut down the Dow Science Complex and canceled classes 
today after a base-filled beaker dropped to the ground, releasing 
potentially dangerous chemicals.
Central Michigan University Police reopened the building at about 2 p.m. 
today, allowing students to retrieve materials left in the building =97 
backpacks, laptops, purses and books. The building was officially 
reopened at about 4 p.m., but classes will not resume until Monday 
morning.
=93Especially in a science building, people need to be ready to get out 
quickly,=94 said David Bailey, a Coldwater sophomore who was in class 
when the accident occurred. =93It=92s not as easy as spraying down a 
chemical fire with water. If you do that, the building could blow up. 
One drop of a vase, and the building could be shut down for five hours. 
Students need to be aware of that.=94
Steve Smith, director of public relations, said rooms 343, 344 and 345 
on the third floor will remain closed for another 24 hours to help air 
out the partially airborne chemical exposure.
Smith said anyone who needs their personal items before Monday can 
contact the CMU Police Department, but if students can wait until 
Monday, they need to proceed to the department of the class they were 
attending. Their belongings, he said, will be held safely during the 
weekend.

---------------------------------------------

SMOKE FROM ELEVATOR MOTOR EVACUATES DOW SCIENCE COMPLEX

http://www.cm-life.com/2011/08/18/smoke-observed-at-dow-hall-fire-departme
nt-investigating/
Tags: us_MI, education, release, response, unknown_chemical

There was smoke, but fortunately for the thousands working or moving in 
across campus Thursday, there was no fire.
Faculty and graduate students were evacuated from the Dow Science 
Complex around 3:00 p.m. when the fire alarm was set off by smoke from 
an elevator motor, but there was no fire, said CMU Police Captain Fred 
Harris.
Harris said the report of the fire alarm was received at 2:52 p.m.
=93There was no damage to the building and no injuries,=94 Harris said.
Physics professor Axel Mellinger was one of the first people to smell 
smoke within the building.
=93It was coming from the elevator leading down to the mechanical room,=94
 Mellinger said. =93Hopefully none of the smoke gets into my lab.=94
Mellinger said the campus police were the first to arrive, soon followed 
by the fire department.
=93It=92s funny having this happen to Dow after the flooding and the 
chemical spill,=94 Mellinger said. =93There was even a fire drill 
scheduled for this Friday.=94

---------------------------------------------

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION: MAN DIES AFTER CHEMICALS INCIDENT

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h6AgLToqAzn6zOOIECT
r2MNQgONg?docId=N0467041313686731812A
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

A man has died after he became unwell while working at an industrial 
estate.
It is understood the man, believed to be in his 30s, had collapsed 
inside a chemical tank he had been working in.
Four fire engines, a heavy rescue unit and an ambulance were sent to the 
scene at Diamond Wheels Technologies in Baird Avenue, Dryburgh 
Industrial Estate, in Dundee.
He was taken to Ninewells Hospital in the city, where he died a short 
time later.
Two other members of staff at the alloy wheel business, who had gone to 
their colleague's aid, were assessed at the scene by an ambulance crew 
before they were taken to the same hospital for checks.
Police said there are no concerns for their health at this time.
Emergency services were called at around 1.35pm on Thursday. A spokesman 
for Tayside Police said: "The area concerned was cordoned off and 
Tayside Fire and Rescue Service established a temporary exclusion zone 
around the affected area while the initial stages of the emergency were 
dealt with.

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL VAPORS SEND ONE PERSON TO HOSPITAL

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/chemical-vapors-send-one-p
erson-to-hospital-1233219.html
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

HUBER HEIGHTS -- Vapors from a hazardous chemical sent one person to a 
hospital and prompted a hazardous materials response at Veolia 
Environmental Services on Thursday.
Executive Boulevard =97 the company is located in the 6100 block =97 was 
shut down for a short time while firefighters and a hazardous materials 
response team assessed the situation.
City Fire Chief Mark Ashworth said the person overcome by fumes, who was 
identified as a worker, was taken to a hospital suffering from injuries 
that were not life threatening.
Ashworth said the worker opened the rear doors of a trailer and was 
overcome by the vapors.
The chemical was not identified.
The chief praised officials at Veolia, which transports chemical waster, 
for their response and cooperation.

---------------------------------------------

AMMONIA LEAK FORCES EVACUATION OF PERDUE PLANT ON EASTERN SHORE

http://www.wvec.com/home/Perdue-plant-on-Eastern-Shore-evacuated-due-to-am
monia-leak-128013243.html
Tags: us_VA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

ACCOMAC - Workers at the Perdue plant in Accomac were evacuated for 
three hours because of an ammonia leak.
Fire officials say Perdue's Haz Mat Team was trying to control the leak 
when crews from several areas arrived just before 8:00 p.m. Wednesday.
More than a dozen workers were evaluated and none needed to be taken to 
hospitals, fire officials stated.
Members of the Eastern Shore Regional HazMat Team, and other emergency 
personnel donned special suits before going in to isolate and control 
the leak.

---------------------------------------------

2 WOMEN KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSION IN CITY

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/2-women-killed-in-chemic
al-factory-explosion-in-city/articleshow/9655402.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, hydrogen_peroxide, illegal, 
mek

HYDERABAD: Two daily-wage workers died in an explosion at a chemical 
unit in Amberpet on Thursday morning. 

The two victims were identified as Venkata Lakshmi, 45, and Kalpana, 30, 
of Venkatapuram Colony, who were working at Nagamani Chemicals owned by 
B Nanda Gopal from Bapu Nagar in Amberpet. The incident took place at 
11.30am when the two workers were mixing hydrogen peroxide, methyl ethyl 
ketone and sodium sulphate to produce a chemical substance used in the 
manufacturing of asbestos sheet moulds and coolants. The high intensity 
of the explosion damaged a portion of the chemical unit's roof and 
severely injured both Venkata Lakshmi and Kalpana. 

"With critical burn injuries, Venkata Lakshmi died on the spot and 
Kalpana succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at a nearby 
private hospital," Amberpet inspector A Srinivas said. 

Police said that the chemical unit was an illegal one. Nanda Gopal, the 
owner of the unit, has been arrested and cases have been booked against 
him under section 304-A (Causing death due to rash or negligent act) of 
the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

---------------------------------------------

NY CELLPHONE WORKERS SICKENED IN CLEANER MISHAP

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/18/3847424/ny-cellphone-workers-sickened.htm
l
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, cleaners

BOHEMIA, N.Y. -- Authorities say two chemical cleaning agents were 
inadvertently mixed at a New York cellphone business, sickening more 
than four dozen workers.

The Suffolk County police say 54 workers at CWG Communications became 
ill Thursday afternoon. They showed symptoms of nausea, vomiting and 
respiratory distress. Two workers had mild convulsions.

Hazardous material emergency responders responded to the business, which 
cleans and refurbishes cellphones. Many of the sickened were found on a 
lawn outside the facility.

Authorities say a new cleaning agent apparently mixed with some residual 
solution on equipment, causing the reaction. Police Inspector Stuart 
Cameron says it "appears to be just an accident."

---------------------------------------------

THE MANEATER - BLOGS - POLICE BEAT - CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN 
SIXTH STREET, CAUSES EVACUATION (AUG. 18, 2011)

http://www.themaneater.com/blogs/crime/2011/8/18/chemical-spill-shuts-down
-sixth-street-causes-evac/
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, response, acetone, copper_sulphate, 
methanol

MU Environmental Health and Safety personnel are still determining the 
cause of a chemical spill, which occurred Wednesday night in a 
laboratory in Thomas and Nell Lafferre Hall.

"It was a rupture of a container," Battalion Chief Steven Sapp said. 
"When people think of an explosion, they think of what they see on 
television. This was a rupture."

The incident shut down Sixth Street temporarily and caused the 
evacuation of fewer than 15 people from Thomas and Nell Lafferre Hall 
between 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. No one was injured.

"We were very fortunate that there we no injuries," MU spokesman 
Christian Basi said. "Everyone was evacuated and safe."

The incident occurred in room C-2266 and was reported by two students 
working in a nearby laboratory. The Columbia Fire Department responded 
with the assistance of MUPD and the MU Department of Environmental 
Health and Safety.

"There was reported that a gallon-sized glass container stored in a 
cabinet had ruptured and that some of the material had spilled onto the 
floor of the lab," Sapp said. "When we got there, we went in with 
protective clothing and respirators and identified that is exactly what 
had taken place."

MU officials have identified some of the chemicals involved in the 
spill, including: acetone, methanol and isopropyl alcohol, common 
cleaning solvents, potassium hydroxide, alumninum and copper sulfate, 
according to an MU News Bureau release. The cause of the spill is still 
undetermined.

"The EHS are still looking into why it happened," Basi said. "When we 
have an incident in a laboratory with a spill, which is very rare, we 
will go back and try and determine how it happened. The event may have 
happened due to something we could have prevented; that is part of our 
investigation. It could have been something no one could prevent."

---------------------------------------------

'ALL CLEAR' FOR CHESTER COUNTY CHEMICAL FIRE
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/126707433.html
Tags: us_PA, transportation, fire, response, hydrogen

Residents in West Whiteland Township, Pa. who were ordered to 
immediately evacuate Wednesday afternoon because of a fire at a nearby 
specialty chemicals company have been given the "all clear" to return.

The fire began in a trailer full of hydrogen at the Johnson Matthey 
plant at about 10:30 a.m.

The trailer fire was contained as of about 2 p.m., officials say. The 
plant itself was evacuated, as well as some houses in the area earlier 
in the day.

---------------------------------------------

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL EVACUATES BUSINESS
http://www.kjct8.com/news/28896342/detail.html
Tags: us_CO, industrial, fire, response, bromine

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- Employees at a Grand Junction recycling 
business inadvertently cut into a pipe containing a chemical called 
Bromine Trifluoride. The chemical caught fire inside the pipe and caused 
employees to evacuate the business on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident took place at Pacific Steel and Recycling, located at 2365 
River Rd.
Employees were recycling some metal pipe when when the chemical fire 
occurred. According to officials, the chemical Bromine Trifluoride is 
commonly used in oil field work to help drill through hard materials.
The Grand Junction Fire Department says that because the smoke from the 
fire is a respiratory irritant, the business' yard, which is about 
20-acres, had to be evacuated, including the 30 employees who were 
working there at the time.

---------------------------------------------

PEARLAND: HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS TO SCENE OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT

http://www.khou.com/news/neighborhood-news/Pearland-Hazmat-crew-called-to-
scene-of-construction-incident-127953763.html
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

PEARLAND, Texas - The Pearland Fire Marshal=92s Office responded to a 
Hazmat scene at Barry Rose Road and Pearland Parkway Wednesday morning.
Officials said they were called to the scene after a contractor backed 
over a piece of equipment that contained a small amount of a hazardous 
chemical.
It was unclear if the capsule containing the chemical was breached, so 
Hazmat crews responded as a precaution.
The incident occurred in a vacant field.

---------------------------------------------

HAZ-MAT INCIDENT AT FAIRFIELD 5N PLUS, INC.

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfield_cty/haz-mat-incident-at-fairfield-5
nplus
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, metals

Fairfield, Conn. (WTNH) - A Fairfield company is expected to open as 
usual today after an early morning hazardous materials incident.

Fairfield firefighters were called to 5N Plus on Commerce Drive just 
after midnight. The company produces specialty metal and chemical 
products.

The fire chief tells News 8 there was a chemical reaction. An employee 
responded and thought he fixed the problem, unaware there was a second 
chemical reaction also occuring.

The scene was cleared shortly after 3:30 a.m. and the company will be 
able to open today.

One firefighter was treated for possible exposure to chemical vapors. He 
got a clean bill of health and was back on the job in the morning.

---------------------------------------------

SOCCER-MARACANA WORKERS STRIKE AFTER ON-SITE BLAST

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/18/soccer-world-brazil-strike-idUSL
DE77H00H20110818
Tags: Brazil, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Construction workers refurbishing the giant Maracana 
stadium for the 2014 World Cup finals went on strike after one of their 
colleagues was badly burnt in an on-site explosion on Wednesday, the 
workers' union said.

The worker's legs were also injured when an oil barrel with chemical 
residue exploded on Wednesday morning and he had been rushed to the 
city's Souza Aguiar hospital, the union added.

"We must improve our working conditions which are not ideal. We'll only 
return to work when our demands have been heard," union director Romildo 
da Silva told Reuters.

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL EXPLOSION INJURES PITT GRADUATE STUDENT

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_752069.ht
ml
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, explosion, injury, explosives

A chemical explosion on Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh's 
Chevron Science Center burned a graduate student on his face, chest and 
arms.

The student, 30, was working in a hooded research area in Room 1123 
about 10 a.m. when his beaker, which contained mercury perchlorate 
hydrate, broke. The chemical can explode if not handled properly, but 
the cause of the incident remains under investigation.

The student was conscious when medics took him to UPMC Presbyterian in 
stable condition, said police, who did not release the man's name or say 
how severe his burns were.

Safety officials evacuated the building at the corner of Bigelow 
Boulevard and Parkman Avenue. Pitt Police Chief Timothy Delaney did not 
know how many people were in the building at the time of the explosion.

School is not in session. The building is the university's chemistry 
center and is a mix of classrooms and labs. Pitt spokesman John Fedele 
said researchers work at the center year-round.

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL SPILL AT MU DRAWS EMERGENCY RESPONSE

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/08/17/chemical-spill-mu-dra
ws-emergency-response/
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

COLUMBIA =97 A hazardous materials spill at Lafferre Hall at MU drew 
emergency responders and environmental and health services officials for 
a cleanup on Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters responded to the call at about 8 p.m. at the building at 
416 S. Sixth St. A glass container in a lab ruptured and spilled 
material on the floor, according to a news release from the fire 
department.

The hazardous materials, which were not identified in the news release, 
were determined not to cause an "immediate threat to safety," and were 
contained within the lab space. About a half-gallon of the material was 
spilled.

Research assistant Dan Howard discovered the spill while in the 
building, but the cause of the spill is under investigation. Officials 
from MU Environmental Health and Safety will investigate further, 
according to a news release from the MU News Bureau.

The lab will be closed until MU Environmental Health and Safety 
officials conduct a secondary check of the lab Thursdy morning.

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