From: Ralph Stuart <rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**ME.COM>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (16 articles)
Date: February 10, 2012 7:41:30 AM EST
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <3655B83D-8454-40FE-ACB9-2554EE95B73A**At_Symbol_Here**me.com>

Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, February 10, 2012 7:40:42 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 (16 articles)

SC STATE: LAB TECH, STUDENTS RECOVERING AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

MAN BURNED IN LABORATORY FIRE - CAMPERDOWN
Tags: Australia, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

FIRE RAGES AT ZINC FACILITY IN CLARKSVILLE INDUSTRIAL PARK
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, zinc

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL FACTORY KILLS TWO IN SOUTH AFRICA
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, explosion, death, toxics

TWO STUDENTS ARRESTED IN EXPLOSION AT GREENACRES MIDDLE SCHOOL; TWO MORE MAY FACE CHARGES
Tags: us_FL, education, explosion, response, illegal

WISCONSIN BLAZE CAUSED BY UNSAFE USE OF CUTTING TORCH
Tags: us_WI, industrial, fire, response, gasoline

STRATHCLYDE UNIVERSITY IS PLUNGED INTO CHAOS AFTER ÔEXPLOSIVE' CAMPUS BLAZE
Tags: United_Kingdom, education, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

FIRE TRIGGERS CHEMICAL LEAK IN NAVI MUMBAI
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, sulfur_dioxide

CHEMICAL SPILL IN JACKSON SENIOR COMMUNITY IS CLEANED UP; NO INJURIES REPORTED
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, pool_chemicals

WORKER SUFFERS BURNS IN DOVER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical

ABOUT 15 HOMES EVACUATED IN WALSH AFTER TANK EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CO, industrial, explosion, response, ammonia

EARLY MORNING FIRE AT DURACELL PLANT IN CLEVELAND
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, dust

OFFICIALS: NO CONTAMINATION FROM CLINTON COUNTY METH LAB BLAST
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, response, meth_lab

CUPOLA ON NEW WEST POINT CHEMISTRY BUILDING CATCHES FIRE
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, fire, response, other_chemical

WORK CONTINUES TO CONTAIN SYDNEY OIL SPILL
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, oils

CAUSTIC SPILL CLOSES ROUTE 513 FOR HOURS, FRANKLIN COPS SAY
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical


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SC STATE: LAB TECH, STUDENTS RECOVERING AFTER EXPLOSION
http://www.wltx.com/news/article/172412/2/SC-State-Lab-Tech-Students-Recovering-After-Explosion
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

Orangeburg, SC (WLTX) - South Carolina State University officials say a chemistry lab technician and five students have been released from the hospital after an explosion Monday in a campus lab.

The explosion took place in a lab at the Leroy Davis Sr. Science Complex around 4:20 p.m.

The school says the lab technician received injuries to her forearm and the students were treated for exposure to fumes during the evacuation.

The five were taken for treatment for a few hours at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg.

The school credits the building's ventilation system for preventing more students from being exposed to the fumes.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Regularly scheduled classes in Leroy Davis Hall and Hodge Hall are suspended until further notice.

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

MAN BURNED IN LABORATORY FIRE - CAMPERDOWN
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/latest_releases?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmViaXoucG9saWNlLm5zdy5nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjIxNTE1Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D
Tags: Australia, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

Police and emergency services were called to Camperdown this afternoon following reports of an explosion in a chemical laboratory.

Officers attached to Newtown Local Area Command have been told a 28-year-old Abbotsbury man suffered burns to 35 per cent of his body on his neck, back, arms and legs when a substance ignited about 5.30pm.

A Careflight helicopter was sent to the university but the man was transferred to Concord Hospital by road ambulance after being treated at the scene by Paramedics.

A number of students were evacuated without problems from the lab and surrounding rooms.

There was minimal damage to the lab.

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

FIRE RAGES AT ZINC FACILITY IN CLARKSVILLE INDUSTRIAL PARK
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120210/MAJOREVENT/120210001
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, zinc

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- A fire has consumed much of the Purity Zinc Metals plant at Clarksville's Industrial Park.

The fire, called in at about 12:30 a.m., at one point threatened several acetylene tanks, and firefighters were forced to back off for fear the tanks might explode near rescue workers.

They later re-approached and were able to get closer to the tanks with chemical fire-retardant foam.

The three-story building's metal glowed orange with the heat at about 3 a.m. The entire 40,000 square foot building was damaged by either smoke or fire all the way to the third floor.

Three workers were in the building working when the fire started. No one has been injured.

By 4:30 a.m. the blaze was diminishing, but firefighters expected to be on the scene for most of the day Friday. Zinc dust is highly flammable, so even as firefighters were putting out blazes, the zinc was reigniting.

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

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL FACTORY KILLS TWO IN SOUTH AFRICA
http://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/48052/Explosion-at-chemical-factory-kills-two-in-South-Africa.aspx?AreaID=2
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, explosion, death, toxics

An explosion and fire killed two workers at a chemical factory in Jacobs, south Durban, South Africa.

The fire started after an explosion just after midnight in the Chemical Technologies building. Department of Labour officials are investigating the circumstances.

Firefighters spent about three hours trying to put out the blaze using foam as there were potentially toxic chemicals in the building. It is not yet known whether the men had been killed in the explosion or whether they had died of smoke inhalation.

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

TWO STUDENTS ARRESTED IN EXPLOSION AT GREENACRES MIDDLE SCHOOL; TWO MORE MAY FACE CHARGES
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/two-students-arrested-in-explosion-at-greenacres-middle-2162010.html
Tags: us_FL, education, explosion, response, illegal

GREENACRES Ñ Four Tradewinds Middle School students may face criminal charges for allegedly bringing a bottle containing a mix of household chemicals to school Thursday and setting it off in the gym's boys bathroom.

The four students, who also face suspension and even expulsion, are in custody, said Nat Harrington, Palm Beach County School District spokesman. Two were arrested and taken to West Palm Beach's Juvenile Assessment Center.

Two of the students brought the explosive onto a school bus and told two others what to do with it. The second pair of students set it off "as a prank," Harrington said.

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

WISCONSIN BLAZE CAUSED BY UNSAFE USE OF CUTTING TORCH
http://www.fdnntv.com/Wisconsin-Blaze-Caused-Unsafe-Use-Cutting-Torch
Tags: us_WI, industrial, fire, response, gasoline

Fire investigators announced that the fire at 4914 Pflaum Road started when gasoline vapors were ignited by a cutting torch. A worker was cutting metal with the torch inside the building. Sparks from the cutting operation ignited gasoline vapors in the area by the torch and the flames quickly spread to a car and other nearby combustibles.

The fire caused $250,000 damage to the auto detail shop where it originated. Minor damage was noted in other businesses in the commercial building. No injuries were reported.

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

STRATHCLYDE UNIVERSITY IS PLUNGED INTO CHAOS AFTER ÔEXPLOSIVE' CAMPUS BLAZE
http://www.scotsman.com/news/strathclyde_university_is_plunged_into_chaos_after_explosive_campus_blaze_1_2105464
Tags: United_Kingdom, education, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

HUNDREDS of students at a flagship faculty in one of Scotland's biggest universities face indefinite disruption to their courses after a fire ripped through a city centre campus.

Engineering lectures and seminars at the University of Strathclyde have been postponed following the blaze on Tuesday evening at the James Weir building in Glasgow's Montrose Street. The student who reported the fire told The Scotsman yesterday he feared there would be a "large explosion," given that it broke out in a department containing laboratories with hazardous chemicals.

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

FIRE TRIGGERS CHEMICAL LEAK IN NAVI MUMBAI
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fire-triggers-chemical-leak-in-navi-mumbai/909665/
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, sulfur_dioxide

A major fire broke out in a godown in Navi Mumbai's Turbhe area on Wednesday morning. The incident took place at the Central Warehousing Corporation godown in Sector 20. The fire also led to a chemical leak in the area.

Fire officials said they received a call around 10 am on Wednesday, after which fire tenders were rushed to the spot. "The employees escaped when the fire broke. We tried dousing the flames as fast as we could," said a fire official.

The official said while they were trying to douse the flames, bystanders began coughing while some complained of respiratory problems.

"It was then that we inquired and realised that sulphur was stored on the premises. We got trucks filled with sand to douse the flames and told bystanders not to stand close to the godown," the officer said.

The fire was extinguished five hours after it broke out. Four persons who were standing close to the area were rushed to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Hospital in Vashi after they complained of respiratory problems.

Doctors at the hospital said while the condition of those who were rushed to the hospital is stable, they are suffering from eye infections, coughs and breathing problems as a result of inhaling the sulphur dioxide fumes.

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

CHEMICAL SPILL IN JACKSON SENIOR COMMUNITY IS CLEANED UP; NO INJURIES REPORTED
http://www.app.com/article/20120208/NJNEWS/302080110/Chemical-spill-Jackson-senior-community-cleaned-up-no-injuries-reported?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, pool_chemicals

JACKSON Ñ A chemical spill in a senior community sent a scare through the quiet neighborhood, as a "plethora" of first responders Ñ some in teal, full-body suits Ñ investigated Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The call came in about 1:30 p.m. simply as a report of a "chemical odor" at Four Seasons. Initial responders traced the source of the odor to a utility-type building near Huntington Drive used to store supplies and chemicals for the community pool, police Sgt. Wayne Olejarz said.

Authorities notified the pool company. Later, as employees of the company carried 50-pound bags of a common pool treatment chemical, sodium thiosulphate, out of the building. Oe of the bags Ñ believed to be the source of the initial call Ñ spilled most of its contents, and "an orange-type, gassy" vapor was released.

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

WORKER SUFFERS BURNS IN DOVER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT
http://www.timesreporter.com/communities/x962222036/Worker-suffers-burns-in-Dover-Chemical-accident
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical

DOVER Ñ
An employee of Dover Chemical Corp. was taken to Union Hospital on Wednesday after suffering chemical burns in a mishap inside the plant at 3676 Davis Road.

According to Melissa Clark-Dross, Dover Chemical's environmental health and safety manager, the man was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure and had returned to work his regular shift Wednesday afternoon.
....
Mossor said three chemicals used for the production of Chlorez spilled on the man who was working on a piece of pipe over his head, and had loosened it. The raw chemicals chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and paraffin came out of the pipe and spilled down his front.

When firefighters arrived, other employees had the man in a shower, where he was being decontaminated.

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

ABOUT 15 HOMES EVACUATED IN WALSH AFTER TANK EXPLOSION
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19919267
Tags: us_CO, industrial, explosion, response, ammonia

About 15 homes in Walsh have been evacuated after a tank filled with a farming chemical exploded this morning.

The tank, which was holding a form of ammonia, exploded on thesoutheast edge of the rural town, located in the southeast corner of Colorado, according to the Baca County Sheriff's Department.

No injuries have been reported.

Hazardous material crews are at the site and the area around the tank has been blocked off, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

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

EARLY MORNING FIRE AT DURACELL PLANT IN CLEVELAND
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/16716307/early-morning-fire-at-duracell-plant-in-cleveland
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, dust

CLEVELAND (WRCB) - A fire at the Duracell plant in Cleveland is now out.

Dispatch says the call came in around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The fire started in the dust collector.

Fire fighters are now involved with a "labor intensive overhaul" of removing debris.

EMS did treat two fire fighters on the scene who were overwhelmed by strong fumes.

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

OFFICIALS: NO CONTAMINATION FROM CLINTON COUNTY METH LAB BLAST
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120208/NEWS01/302080046/Officials-No-contamination-from-Clinton-County-meth-lab-blast?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7C%7Cp
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, response, meth_lab

WATERTOWN TWP. Ñ No contamination was detected in the area surrounding a meth lab that exploded Monday night in a densely populated mobile home park in southern Clinton County, authorities said.

Officials with the Mid-Michigan District Health Department inspected the mobile home park Tuesday in the 7700 block of West Grand River Avenue and saw no need for concern.

The explosion, which happened inside a mobile home, blew out two of the home's windows. The fire extinguished itself, officials said.

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

CUPOLA ON NEW WEST POINT CHEMISTRY BUILDING CATCHES FIRE
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2012/February/08/USMA_fire-08Feb12.html
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, fire, response, other_chemical

WEST POINT - Fire fighters from West Point made quick work of a fire that broke out on a rooftop cupola on the new USMA chemistry lab building on Cullum Road.

Around noontime, an electric belt and motor located in a cupola caught the roof on fire.

The flames were extinguished with a dry chemical fire extinguisher and there was no evidence of structural damage to the building, a West Point spokeswoman said.

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

WORK CONTINUES TO CONTAIN SYDNEY OIL SPILL
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8416193/oil-spill-at-shells-clyde-refinery
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, oils

Work will continue overnight to contain an oil spill at Shell's Clyde refinery in western Sydney.

An unknown amount of a petroleum-based product spilled into Duck Creek at Clyde around 4pm (AEDT) on Wednesday after an overflow at the oil refinery.

Recent heavy rainfall meant the storm water overflow system was unable to contain all of the rain water, causing an overflow, a Shell spokesman said.

"Unfortunately, the overflow material contained oil," the spokesman said in a statement.

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

CAUSTIC SPILL CLOSES ROUTE 513 FOR HOURS, FRANKLIN COPS SAY
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2012/02/caustic_spill_closes_route_513.html
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

FRANKLIN TWP. Ñ A spill of caustic liquid took place on Pittstown Road (Route 513) near White Bridge Road on Jan. 31 at 3:50 p.m.
Carlton McCall Jr., 43, of Concord, N.C. was driving a tractor-trailer on Pittstown Road when he came upon a stopped school bus with lights flashing.
He took evasive action which caused several plastic containers to slam against the inside of the trailer and break open, spilling caustic liquid, which leaked out of the trailer.
The road was closed and a 100-foot-radius buffer zone was established by the county hazmat team. A private company came and cleaned up the spill and none of the liquid got into retention basins or streams, police said.

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