From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (15 articles)
Date: January 23, 2012 8:08:37 AM EST
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <8DC51044-813D-4ABC-B0D1-B744A0197857**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>

Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, January 23, 2012 8:08:15 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 (15 articles)

BIOCHEMISTRY BUILDING EVACUATED, ONE INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, release, injury, tetrahydrofuran

CHEMICAL FACTORY IN ST MARYS BURSTS INTO FLAMES FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A WEEK
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, acids, flammables

NO INJURIES AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

AP IMPACT: METH FILLS HOSPITALS WITH BURN PATIENTS
Tags: public, follow-up, injury, meth_lab

CRASH CAUSES GLUE-LIKE SUBSTANCE TO SPILL ON I-70
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

WORKER KILLED IN BLAST AT MRPL
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, sulphur

METH LABS ON THE RISE IN NORTHWEST N.C.
Tags: us_NC, public, follow-up, response, meth_lab

AMMONIA THEFT IN INDIANA
Tags: us_IN, public, discovery, response, ammonia, drugs

SUSPECTED METH COOK CHARGED WITH ARSON FOLLOWING AN APARTMENT FIRE ON WALNUT STREET
Tags: us_MO, public, follow-up, response, illegal, meth_lab

FLAMMABLE CARRIER TRUCK ACCIDENT
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, flammables

SAFETY CONCERN LEADS TO EARLY DISMISSAL AT LOWELL H.S.
Tags: us_MI, education, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

2 HOSPITALIZED IN POOL TRUCK CRASH
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, injury, pool_chemicals

DEADLY CHEMICAL FIND SHUTS DOWN CALDER ALTERNATE HIGHWAY
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, ag_chems

CAL/OSHA PROBE FAULTS PROFESSOR, UCLA IN DEATH OF LAB ASSISTANT SHERI SANGJI
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death

3 HURT IN FIERY WELL SITE EXPLOSION NEAR PEARSALL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical


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BIOCHEMISTRY BUILDING EVACUATED, ONE INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/news/biochemistry-building-evacuated-one-injured-after-chemical-spill/article_3d5668d6-45a0-11e1-9a54-001871e3ce6c.html
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, release, injury, tetrahydrofuran

A hazardous materials crew, police officers, ambulances and fire trucks responded to a chemical spill in a UW-Madison biochemistry laboratory after a graduate student spilled a highly flammable solvent, injuring one person.
According to a graduate student in the Biochemistry building, the student spilled about 40 liters of tetrahydrofuran (THF), a chemical that can dissolve a wide range of materials including latex gloves, flooring and other plastics, in the Ronald Raines laboratory between 10:15 and 10:45 a.m.
The graduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, said they received e-mails detailing the accident. According to the e-mails, a student was "reaching for a single, large bottle of THF when the shelf of multiple glass bottles crashed down."
The person injured in the laboratory suffered a minor cut.

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

CHEMICAL FACTORY IN ST MARYS BURSTS INTO FLAMES FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A WEEK
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/chemical-factory-in-st-marys-bursts-into-flames-for-the-second-time-in-a-week/story-e6freuzi-1226250877482
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, acids, flammables

A FACTORY stocked with hazardous chemicals burst into flames last night in what was the second fire on the premises in a week.

The inferno reached about 30 metres into the air and destroyed the entire 3,500 square metre building on Christie Street, St. Marys after starting about 12.30am.

The factory worked reconditioning drums filled with flammable chemicals and acids.

NSW Fire Department is investigating the incident after last night's blaze was the second fire at the business in a week.

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

NO INJURIES AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/01/23/2201382/no-injuries-after-chemical-reaction.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

A chemical reaction at an industrial packaging plant was contained Friday morning and no injuries were reported, according to officials.
The incident occurred about noon at Greif Inc., 2400 Cooper Ave. The company manufactures industrial packaging systems for carrying products such as steel containers, fiber drums, plastic drums and more, according to its website.
Some mixed products created the chemical reaction, according to Merced Fire Chief Mike McLaughlin, who said the reaction was contained in a 55-gallon drum.
Two fire companies responded and set up a perimeter around the area. The county fire department's hazardous materials team also was called in, McLaughlin said.
"They took some samples of the product and helped define the hazards," McLaughlin said. "It just self-stabilized."

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

AP IMPACT: METH FILLS HOSPITALS WITH BURN PATIENTS
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/01/23/ap_impact_meth_fills_hospitals_with_burn_patients/
Tags: public, follow-up, injury, meth_lab

ST. LOUISÑA crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment -- a burden so costly that it's contributing to the closure of some burn units.

So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by combining raw, unstable ingredients in a 2-liter soda bottle. But if the person mixing the noxious brew makes the slightest error, such as removing the cap too soon or accidentally perforating the plastic, the concoction can explode, searing flesh and causing permanent disfigurement, blindness or even death.

An Associated Press survey of key hospitals in the nation's most active meth states showed that up to a third of patients in some burn units were hurt while making meth, and most were uninsured. The average treatment costs $6,000 per day. And the average meth patient's hospital stay costs $130,000 -- 60 percent more than other burn patients, according to a study by doctors at a burn center in Kalamazoo, Mich.

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

CRASH CAUSES GLUE-LIKE SUBSTANCE TO SPILL ON I-70
http://www.wtae.com/r/30269766/detail.html
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

DONEGAL TOWNSHIP, Pa -- A Freightliner tractor-trailer carrying a glue-type substance drove off Interstate 70 eastbound by mile marker 2 in Donegal Township Saturday afternoon.
The tanker spilled its liquid glue-like cargo into a drainage ditch and HAZMAT was called to the scene.
One lane is currently open as cleanup continues in the area.

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

WORKER KILLED IN BLAST AT MRPL
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/221037/worker-killed-blast-mrpl.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, sulphur

A labourer was killed and five others sustained injuries in an explosion at the Sulphur Recovery Unit II at MRPL on Saturday. Nagesh, 25, is the dead.

All the injured were rushed to KMC and they are out of danger. The blast occurred during welding work at the site. As two chemical engineers of the unit were on leave, chemical engineer from a different unit was on duty when the accident occurred.

The contract labourers blamed the MRPL for not taking adequate safety measures, which according to them led to the mishap. A blast had occurred in MRPL a few years ago. The deceased Nagesh of Kulai here was working in MRPL as a contract labourer for the last four years.

ÒThe refinery operations were not affected. The management is investigating the incident and a high-level expert committee has been constituted,Ó said an official release from MRPL.

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

METH LABS ON THE RISE IN NORTHWEST N.C.
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/jan/21/wsmet01-meth-labs-on-the-rise-in-northwest-nc-ar-1838885/
Tags: us_NC, public, follow-up, response, meth_lab

WILKESBORO --
The number of methamphetamine labs being found in Northwest North Carolina is on the rise again.

The discovery of clandestine meth labs had dropped markedly after a 2006 law required that certain cold medicines Ñ ones that can be used in making meth Ñ be placed behind pharmacy counters so they aren't as easily accessible. But the numbers are rising again as a simpler "one pot" method of producing methamphetamine spreads.

Wilkes County saw a spike to 19 meth labs in 2011, the fourth most of any county in the state, according to statistics from the State Bureau of Investigation. That's up from the seven labs busted in 2010. Officials found just two labs in 2009, one in 2008 and none in 2007.

Watauga County had 22 clandestine meth labs in 2011, the second most of any county in the state. Watauga had 20 labs found in 2010, but just three in 2009, five in 2008 and three in 2007.

Those local trends mirror a statewide trend that saw clandestine labs drop in 2006, but start climbing again in recent years.

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

AMMONIA THEFT IN INDIANA
http://www.14news.com/story/16564611/suspect-in-meth-related-house-explosion-arrested-on-new-charges
Tags: us_IN, public, discovery, response, ammonia, drugs

WARRICK CO., IN (WFIE) -
Five suspects have been arrested in what authorities are calling a two county drug ring.

Warrick County authorities arrested two people last night on meth related charges and Posey County Deputies say that lead them to three more suspects who investigators say were stealing anhydrous ammonia from the Posey County Co-Op.

Deputies say the two groups were working together and communicating through text messages.

That's how two arrests turned into five.

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

SUSPECTED METH COOK CHARGED WITH ARSON FOLLOWING AN APARTMENT FIRE ON WALNUT STREET
http://articles.kspr.com/2012-01-19/apartment-fire_30645357
Tags: us_MO, public, follow-up, response, illegal, meth_lab

Springfield, Mo Ñ A Springfield man is charged with first degree arson tonight after investigators say his meth lab sparked a fire in an apartment. Firefighters say the chemical fumes put other tenants in danger. Dale Penechar is charged with first degree arson.

An eviction sign is hung on the door of the apartment the fire started in on west Walnut Street. ÒIt bothers me a lot the fumes could make the entire apartment, if not the building, poisonous,Ó neighbor Ruth Fleming said. Fleming lives right across the hall from the apartment that caught fire. She says meth is a problem. ÒThis is where I can afford to live right now and it's prevalent,Ó Fleming said.

Many people who live in the eight unit building were potentially exposed. ÒSmoke is bad enough as it is however when you add the chemicals being used in meth production it adds significantly to the danger,Ó Springfield Fire Marshal Bill Spence said. ÒWhen you start heating them in a fire and you are putting them in the atmosphere they are an inhalation issue. People in the immediate area are inhaling those chemicals and those toxins.Ó

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

FLAMMABLE CARRIER TRUCK ACCIDENT
http://www.newswest9.com/story/16567539/traffic-being-diverted-on-interstate-20-in-reeves-county
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, flammables

REEVES COUNTY - Interstate 20 traffic is being diverted after a tractor trailer rolled in Reeves County.

Both directions of traffic are being affected at this time.

Traffic is being diverted onto the service roads near mile marker 13.

HAZMAT crews are on the scene because of a material spill.

TXDOT officials tell NewsWest 9 the material is believed to be a highly flammable compound cleaning liquid.

The cleanup will take several more hours.

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

SAFETY CONCERN LEADS TO EARLY DISMISSAL AT LOWELL H.S.
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/195513/14/Safety-concern-leads-to-early-dismissal-at-Lowell-HS
Tags: us_MI, education, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

LOWELL, Mich. (WZZM) Lowell Public Schools dismissed High School students early today after a routine check turned up an expired science chemical.

Officials with the district say the chemical posed no immediate risk, but as a precaution hazmat was called in to dispose of the material. Students were released early to ensure their safety.

As a result, the district also dismissed middle school students early so administrators could coordinate bussing.

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

2 HOSPITALIZED IN POOL TRUCK CRASH
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21006479417685/2-hospitalized-in-pool-truck-crash/
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, injury, pool_chemicals

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (WSVN) -- Two pedestrians were taken to the hospital after they were struck in the street.

Skyforce HD was over the scene of the crash, which happened near Southwest 146th Street and South Dixie Highway, Friday.

A pool truck struck the two pedestrians, and the crash caused the truck to spill about 100 gallons of chlorine on the roadway. HazMat crews were called out to the scene because of the chemical spill.

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

DEADLY CHEMICAL FIND SHUTS DOWN CALDER ALTERNATE HIGHWAY
http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/crime-and-law/deadly-chemical-find-shuts-down-calder-alternate-highway/2427546.aspx
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, ag_chems

FOUR canisters holding a toxic chemical, that is fatal if inhaled, were found dumped beside the Calder Alternate Highway at Ravenswood yesterday.
Police set up a 100-metre exclusion zone around the canisters and blocked the highway in both directions.

County Fire Authority biohazard officers, wearing full gas suits with breathing apparatus, placed the canisters and chemical that had spilled onto the ground in recovery buckets around 4pm.

CFA operations officer Alun Hughson confirmed the damaged canisters contained the pesticide fumitoxin used to control rabbits.

He said the dangerous canisters were likely to have been dumped.

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

CAL/OSHA PROBE FAULTS PROFESSOR, UCLA IN DEATH OF LAB ASSISTANT SHERI SANGJI
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ucla-lab-20120121,0,6983392.story
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death

Ever since Sheri Sangji was fatally burned in a December 2008 lab fire, UCLA officials have cast it as a tragic accident, saying the 23-year-old staff research assistant was a seasoned chemist who was trained in the experiment that went awry.

But Sangji was neither experienced nor well trained Ñ if trained at all Ñ in the safe handling of air-sensitive chemicals that burst into flame, ignited her clothing and spread severe burns over nearly half her body, according to a report on a Cal/OSHA criminal investigation obtained by The Times.

The 95-page report adds new detail to the circumstances surrounding Sangji's death and provides insight into the basis for felony charges filed last month against UCLA chemistry professor Patrick Harran and the UC Board of Regents. Based on labor code violations, the charges are thought to be the first stemming from an academic lab accident in the United States.

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

3 HURT IN FIERY WELL SITE EXPLOSION NEAR PEARSALL
http://www.newschannel6now.com/story/16563371/3-hurt-in-fiery-well-site-explosion-near-pearsall
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

Texas (AP) - Authorities say three workers have been injured in a fiery explosion at a South Texas well site that destroyed an oil tank.

The fire about three miles south of Pearsall (PEER'-sahl) burned for several hours before being extinguished around 9 p.m. Thursday.

Pearsall Volunteer Fire Department Chief Placido Aguilar said Friday that authorities are trying to determine what started the fire on a fracking tank, as three workers were on top. He says the fire then spread to a 30-foot tall oil tank, leading to an explosion that blew off the lid.

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Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society

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