From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: August 20, 2012 7:55:57 AM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, August 20, 2012 7:55:44 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 (13 articles)

EARLY MORNING EXPLOSION ROCKS TOWN HALL IN WASHINGTON- THE REGISTER CITIZEN
Tags: us_CT, public, explosion, response, propane

NASA'S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY IN LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE HAS HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

ACID LEAKS PROMPT EVACUATION OF STEPHEN F. AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, acids

MARANA NEWS HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL ACCIDENT LEAVES HOMEOWNER INJURED AND TWO CATS IN SERIOUS CONDITION
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals

EVACUATION OVER CHEMICAL FEAR
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, flammables, gas_cylinders

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION: CHEMICAL SPILL SCHOOL IS EVACUATED
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, response, ammonia

FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN JOBURG
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

MORE THAN 24 HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL ODOR LEAK IN GOSHEN
Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

STATE CHEVRON INVESTIGATORS RIP FEDS ON FACEBOOK
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

CANADA REFINERY EXPLOSION AND FIRE CAUSED BY CORRODED PIPE
Tags: Canada, industrial, follow-up, injury, diesel

EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED NEAR BELLE CHASSE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

EXPLOSION ROCKS LANE AVENUE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

ACID SPILLS ON SIDEWALK
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, environmental, formic_acid


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EARLY MORNING EXPLOSION ROCKS TOWN HALL IN WASHINGTON- THE REGISTER CITIZEN
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2012/08/19/news/doc50310331a9849385393108.txt
Tags: us_CT, public, explosion, response, propane

WASHINGTONÑThe cleanup after a wedding reception at Bryan Memorial Town Hall late Saturday night ended with a bangÑliterallyÑafter a caterer's vehicle reportedly dislodged a valve on an underground propane tank when it was pulled up close to the municipal building.

According to town officials and responders still gathered at the scene Sunday afternoonÑand still trying to fix the problem with the propane tankÑthe mishap with the valve caused a boiler room in the basement of town hall to fill with gas.

Local fire crews responded around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning, and shortly after they arrived the gas that had filled the basement room ignited and caused an explosion.

No injuries have been reported, and the explosion did not cause a fire.

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NASA'S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY IN LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE HAS HAZMAT SCARE
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8778610
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (KABC) -- Los Angeles County firefighters responded to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge after reports of a hazardous chemical leak.

The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. There were reports that a gas called arsine was leaking at one of the buildings.

Firefighters and security guards at JPL told Eyewitness News they didn't find anything dangerous.

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ACID LEAKS PROMPT EVACUATION OF STEPHEN F. AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8778551
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, acids

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Workers were evacuated from a Houston high school Saturday after acid leaks were discovered.

Emergency responders were called to Stephen F. Austin High School of Dumble Street around 11am.

We spoke to a man who was delivering a cabinet to the school. He said he was moving the cabinet inside when he first noticed the leak. Ten minutes later, there was some kind of cloud, he told us.

Hazmat cleared the building. According to officials, they found three different kinds of acid leaking from containers that were being moved into the school for chemistry labs.

No one was injured, the building was not damaged and there was no danger to the public, authorities said.

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MARANA NEWS HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL ACCIDENT LEAVES HOMEOWNER INJURED AND TWO CATS IN SERIOUS CONDITION
http://www.maranaweeklynews.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=3717
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals

TUCSON Ñ The Northwest Fire District responded to a home on the northwest side on Thursday after the homeowner accidentally mixed pool chemicals within the house.

This morning, firefighters and members of the Northwest Fire District's Hazardous Material response unit responded to a residential home. The owner indicated he had mixed the two packages of pool shock into some water and it began to off gas. The occupant suffered inhalation injuries from the fumes and was treated at the scene by NWFD paramedics. The occupant also noted that he had two cats in the home Firefighters donned their air packs to enter the home and rescue the cats. Both cats were taken from the residence and brought to a vet for emergency treatment. Their conditions are considered serious.

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EVACUATION OVER CHEMICAL FEAR
http://www.wigantoday.net/news/local-news/evacuation-over-chemical-fear-1-4845197
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, flammables, gas_cylinders

AN INDUSTRIAL estate has been evacuated amid fears that highly flammable gas cylinders could explode in a major fire.

Firefighters are investigating the blaze involving a number of chemical cylinders at Carlisle House, in Atherton Industrial Centre, Bolton Road, at 12.40pm on Friday after a rubbish fire broke out.

Specialist fire officers were called to identify the chemicals and to assess their danger.

It is thought they may be acetylene and as a precaution a cordon was put in place and staff at nearby Bet Fred were ordered to leave nearby premises.

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THE PRESS ASSOCIATION: CHEMICAL SPILL SCHOOL IS EVACUATED
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jgK3zjAJDCL6ZVCQXA-IAWIXn5Xw?docId=N0032661345204017552A
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, response, ammonia

A chemical spill has forced the evacuation of a new secondary school on its second day of term.
Fire crews were called to the Nicolson Institute on Lewis at about 10.15am following the spillage in a science lab.
The school has about 1,100 pupils and senior students spent their first day in the new building on Thursday.
Western Isles Council said that it was evacuated "as a precaution" and closed early at 2pm to allow the fire service to deal with the spill.
It is thought the chemical involved was ammonia. Highland and Islands Fire and Rescue said that three fire engines were at the scene.

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FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN JOBURG
http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/fire-at-chemical-factory-in-joburg-1.1365277#.UDCzOMRYsrg
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

A fire at a chemical factory in Turffontein, south of Johannesburg on Saturday morning was being kept under control, Johannesburg Emergency Services said.

Spokesman Neil Roy said the fire started at the factory's outside transformer around 6am on Saturday.

"The fire was well alight but is under control. We are still on the scene."

He said the fire was contained before any part of the factory was damaged.

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MORE THAN 24 HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL ODOR LEAK IN GOSHEN
http://www.abc57.com/news/local/More-than-12-people-taken-to-hospital-following-chemical-leak-in-Goshen-166554486.html
Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

GOSHEN, Ind. -- More than 24 people were hospitalized on Friday afternoon following some type of chemical odor at Benteler Automotive in Goshen on Eisenhower St.

Firefighters described the chemical fumes as a byproduct of Benteler's manufacturing and or a strong odor from the subcontractor's tanker when he was pumping the byproduct out of the Goshen factory. Whatever the case was, a strong fume made it hard for several people to breathe and caused some of them chest pain, while others became faint.

Jim Ramer, the Goshen Assistant Fire Chief said the west winds blew directly east into Flair Interiors across the street and 8 employees inside that plant also became ill as well.

Goshen firefighters and EMS brought in as many ambulances as they could but had to call for mutual aid from the New Paris fire department to help them out.

Firefighters determined the fumes did not pose a serious health risk and those who had trouble breathing have been treated and released.

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STATE CHEVRON INVESTIGATORS RIP FEDS ON FACEBOOK
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_21345786/state-chevron-investigators-rip-feds-facebook
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

RICHMOND -- The investigation into the massive fire at the Richmond Chevron refinery by a handful of agencies has gotten chippy, as state officials used social media to claim their federal counterparts were "grandstanding," "scaring" the public and biased.
Since the early stages of the investigation, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has held news conferences and spoken openly about its findings, while the other handful of agencies have played a quieter role with the media. As the investigation into the Aug. 6 fire continues, the agencies have been working alongside each other at the damaged No. 4 crude unit.
On Aug. 11, Cal/OSHA lead investigator Clyde Trombettas posted a statement on his Facebook page -- which is open to the public --criticizing the feds.
"Typical CSB grandstanding in the press," he wrote. "Scaring the public with half truths and misleading information. Two days into an investigation and they can't wait to talk to the press. Hmmm ... one might conclude they have a biased agenda. they don't even play nice in the sandbox."
Cal/OSHA compliance engineer Carla Fritz commented on Trombettas' post, calling the chemical board's comments "a one-note, quickie conclusion designed to incriminate, to indict, to dazzle the media, & to inflate one's standing in a community of committed health & safety professionals...
"I would be a poor investigator indeed if I were to climb onto the bandstand early & loudly with
my uninformed OPINION, only to be constrained to retract my bombast later on," she wrote. "Without putting too fine a point on it, it is unwise, incautious, prejudicial, & likely ultimately not helpful to pursue the 'ready fire aim' strategy."
Trombettas' post was eventually removed.

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CANADA REFINERY EXPLOSION AND FIRE CAUSED BY CORRODED PIPE
http://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/52631/Canada-refinery-explosion-and-fire-caused-by-corroded-pipe.aspx?AreaID=2
Tags: Canada, industrial, follow-up, injury, diesel

Scott Banda, CEO of Federated Co-operatives Limited, told reporters on August 16 that his company accepted the results of the investigation into the explosion at the Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina, Sakatchewan, last October, which injured 52 people and caused $100 million in property damage and production loss.


One pipe ruptured in an overhead pipe rack in a diesel processing area called the Middle Distillate Unifier (MDU). The failure resulted in a 7.5 inch long rupture in the six-inch diameter reactor effluent line, triggering an explosion, fire and subsequent explosions. The fire-damaged area was 90 feet by 130 feet or less than half an acre within a complex covering almost 640 acres.

Banda said the company regretted the incident and apologised to the citizens of Regina. With respect to the corroded pipe, he said thinning of the wall was detected when the 20-foot pipe was inspected in 2010.

"Corrective actions were taken in terms of replacing some pipe, decisions were made and the protocols were followed as to how far those went. In short, something was missed," he said.

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EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED NEAR BELLE CHASSE CHEMICAL PLANT
http://www.wwltv.com/news/Chemical-release-fire-in-Belle-Chasse--166568096.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

BELLE CHASSE, La. - A mandatory evacuation order was lifted Saturday morning for residents near the Sun Drilling Chemical plant in Belle Chasse.
The all-clear was given shortly before 10 a.m. As of 8:00 a.m. the situation had been stabilized and the immediate danger over, according to State Police, which had become the lead investigating agency.
Trooper Nick Manale, a State Police spokesman, said Saturday that the situation was a chemical release and not a fire caused by a lightning strike, as was originally believed.
People were evacuated, Manale said, because of the possibility that a tank involved might explode and cause a more serious leak.
The chemical reaction at the plant near Main and G Streets near the Belle Chasse ferry caused the evacuation of some nearby residents and some government buildings, including the district attorney's office, the sheriff's office and the council building.
Initially, officials said a lightning strike sparked a fire in a chemical tank, releasing chemicals and prompting road closures and voluntary evacuations. Then officials called mandatory evacuations, saying the tank began to swell and they feared an explosion.

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EXPLOSION ROCKS LANE AVENUE CHEMICAL PLANT
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-08-18/story/explosion-rocks-lane-avenue-chemical-plant
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

An explosion in a turpentine tank rocked the Iff Chemical Plant on Lane Avenue Saturday morning. But the fire caused by the explosion was extinguished with no one hurt or killed.

Charles Drysdale, chief of operations for the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, said and explosion in the the 250,000 gallon turpentine tank occurred around 9 a.m. The explosion damaged the top of the tank, but didn't harm other parts of the plant.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. About ten blocks of Lane Avenue were shut down into the afternoon while police and fire dealt with the situation.

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ACID SPILLS ON SIDEWALK
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/acid_splashes_sidewalk/
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, environmental, formic_acid

A delivery of acid to a Yale lab building went wrong Friday morning, ending up not in the hands of researchers but splattered on the sidewalk outside.

Someone delivering a bottle of formic acid to the Malone Engineering Center at the corner of Trumbull and Prospect Street dropped the box containing the acid, spilling some of the liquid onto the sidewalk.

The accident happened at around 10:45 a.m. Friday, said Phil Colavecchio of Yale's department of environmental health and safety. He was on the scene as two women scrubbed the sidewalk to clean up the acid. They wore thick black gloves, white coats, and floppy yellow booties as they scrubbed the sidewalk with green pads behind yellow caution tape.

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