From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (9 articles)
Date: October 8, 2012 7:09:46 AM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, October 8, 2012 7:09:26 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 (9 articles)

EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED AFTER IND. CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

SOUTH KOREA DESIGNATES CHEMICAL LEAK AREA 'DISASTER ZONE'
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid

STATE POLICE AIM TO EDUCATE PUBLIC ABOUT 'METH' LABS
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab

HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOUND IN SAN MATEO PARK
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, bomb

SINKHOLE EXPLOSIVE METHANE OFFICIALLY LIFE THREATENING, RESIDENTS NOT TOLD
Tags: us_LA, industrial, discovery, environmental, methane

THE DAILY ITEM: FIRE, CHEMICAL LEAK AT REVERE CANDY FACTORY INJURES TWO FIREFIGHTERS
Tags: us_MA, industrial, fire, injury, ammonia

HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATED AS HAZMAT TEAM INVESTIGATES
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, release, response, corrosives, sodium_bicarbonate

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN SOUTH KOREA KILLS 3, INJURES 5 OTHERS
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, explosion, death, hydrofluoric_acid

NEEDHAM LAB UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER EXPLOSION BURNS MAN
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, explosion, injury, flammables


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EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED AFTER IND. CHEMICAL FIRE
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/15/hundreds-evacuated-after-indiana-chemical-fire/
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

MISHAWAKA, IND. - Hundreds of northern Indiana residents returned home Saturday after spending the night at shelters, hotels or with relatives after a chemical fire at a vacant plant that's in the midst of a federally supervised cleanup ousted them from their homes.

Mishawaka Battalion Chief Mike Croy said the all-clear was given about 7 a.m. Saturday after air monitoring showed it was safe for residents to return home within a one-mile radius of the old Baycote factory.

The fire inside a small area of the factory in Mishawaka released a chemical vapor cloud of unknown substances over the city's south side, prompting officials to order the precautionary evacuation, Croy said.

"They really weren't sure what the chemical was and what effects it might have on people," he said.

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SOUTH KOREA DESIGNATES CHEMICAL LEAK AREA 'DISASTER ZONE'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19867454
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid

South Korea has designated an area around a plant where an explosion led to a toxic chemical leak a special disaster zone.

Eight tonnes of hydrofluoric acid leaked from the Hube Global plant in Gumi after a blast on 27 September.

Five people died in the explosion. Since then some 3,000 residents have sought treatment for nausea and other ailments, Yonhap news agency says.

Three hundred people have moved out of the area, local reports say.

Hydrofluoric acid is corrosive and can cause burns to the eyes and skin. It can also irritate the respiratory system and is very toxic if swallowed.

The explosion and leak - which took place as workers unloaded acid from a tanker - have withered plants and trees in some areas and also affected livestock, Yonhap reports.

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STATE POLICE AIM TO EDUCATE PUBLIC ABOUT 'METH' LABS
http://thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_85dfe454-0f69-11e2-a00f-001a4bcf887a.html
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab

litter of containers from common household products may signify more than an inconsiderate motorist. It could be evidence of someone making methamphetamines, an illegal and highly addictive stimulant.
That's the most important thing state police emphasized Friday at a news conference at Troop A Headquarters in Batavia. Residents should familiarize themselves with substances that comprise the recipe for cooking up the drug, which is a fairly simple process, police said.
"We really want to get this message out to the public," said Major Christopher Cummings, commander of Troop A.
Discarded bottles of charcoal lighter fluid, two-liter pop bottles, drain cleaner, dry gas or bags from table salt, rock salt or cat litter could indicate a clandestine operation of meth makers. Packages of cold medication containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine should be red flags because the chemical is the most important ingredient in meth recipes, troopers said.

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HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOUND IN SAN MATEO PARK
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_21715315/homemade-explosive-device-found-san-mateo-park
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, bomb

SAN MATEO, Calif.ÑSan Mateo police have cleared out a community park after a work crew found what a police spokesman is calling a "homemade explosive device."
Police say a park employee found three clear plastic bottles containing liquid with a strong chemical smell at Casanova Park Saturday morning.
A San Mateo County hazmat team and the bomb squad were called in to the remove the bottles. The park and a nearby residential area of about 15 homes were also evacuated. Other neighborhood residents were urged to stay in their homes.
No additional details have been released, but Norris says the bottles will be sent to the county's crime lab for analysis.
Investigators believe the discovery of the materials is an isolated incident.

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SINKHOLE EXPLOSIVE METHANE OFFICIALLY LIFE THREATENING, RESIDENTS NOT TOLD
http://www.examiner.com/article/sinkhole-explosive-methane-officially-life-threatening-residents-not-told
Tags: us_LA, industrial, discovery, environmental, methane

Officials advised the Assumption Parish President on Thursday that Bayou Corne sinkhole area has high levels of methane in nearby water wells, posing risks to health, fire and explosion and that residents need to heed the mandatory evacuation order. That day, parish officials postponed Saturday's resident briefing with no explanation.

"Of the chemicals reviewed, only methane, detected in the industrial water wells, presents a potential health risk (Type 2 of fire/explosion)," Dr. Raoult Ratard, State Epidemiologist of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Office (DHH) of Public Health stated in an environmental data report of the Bayou Corne oil and gas sinkhole event sent to Assumption Parish President Martin S. Triche Thursday.

That morning, at 9:00 a.m., parish officials stated in a blog post developed to keep residents informed about the sinkhole incident, "*NOTE* The resident briefing scheduled for Saturday morning has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at the Command Post at 6:00 p.m.
....
Speculations are increasing that methane is the mysterious "powerful underground force" wreaking havoc in south Louisiana, including the sinkhole disaster area.

Methane gas leaks are spreading throughout the south Louisiana area. Within four months, as of this week, methane bubbling sites have increased to twenty-eight, including in Pierre Part, outside the mandatory evacuation area but within hearing distance and jolts of seismic activities where foul chemical odors are nauseating and burning, as some residents there have reported.

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THE DAILY ITEM: FIRE, CHEMICAL LEAK AT REVERE CANDY FACTORY INJURES TWO FIREFIGHTERS
http://www.itemlive.com/articles/2012/10/06/updates/updates22.txt
Tags: us_MA, industrial, fire, injury, ammonia

REVERE Ñ Two firefighters were sent to the hospital and a hazmat scene has been declared after a fire at a candy factory in Revere caused a leak of a dangerous chemical on Friday.

Revere District Fire Chief Glen Rich said a fire broke out around 11 p.m. in the mechanical room of the New England Confectionery Company, a candy company better known by its acronym NECCO, at 135 American Legion Highway.

Rich said the fire started in the mechanical room of the building, which is always monitored by an employee because it contains tanks of a potent kind of ammonia commonly used for refrigeration and food preservation.

"It's pretty bad stuff," Rich said.

He said the employee called the fire department immediately, but as firefighters rushed into the building they were overcome by fumes from ammonia, which had begun to leak. Two firefighters passed out and were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where they were treated with oxygen.

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HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATED AS HAZMAT TEAM INVESTIGATES
http://www.gazette.com/articles/school-145571-high-chemical.html
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, release, response, corrosives, sodium_bicarbonate

A hazardous chemical spill at Aspen Valley Alternative High School Friday afternoon turned out to be nothing that a little baking soda and some paper towels couldn't handle, said Principal George Stone.

The District-20 alternative school on Chapel Hills Drive, which has 104 students, was evacuated for a little more than an hour Friday after a teacher spotted unusual corrosion on the lock of the chemical supplies closet, Stone said.

The school was advised to call 911 and students were evacuated a block from the building to the district offices while Colorado Springs Fire Department hazardous materials crews responded to check for a chemical spill.

Officials determined that every chemical was safely intact inside the cabinet, and that the residue of a mild corrosive, which had previously spilled, was the culprit for the rusty discoloration on the lock.

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EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN SOUTH KOREA KILLS 3, INJURES 5 OTHERS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/explosion-at-chemical-factory-in-south-korea-kills-3-injures-5-others/2012/09/27/c55ba6d8-08a5-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, explosion, death, hydrofluoric_acid

SEOUL, South Korea Ñ An explosion at a chemical factory in South Korea has killed at least three people and injured five others.

Police say the explosion occurred Thursday when five people were working near a tank truck carrying hydrofluoric acid.

The blast killed three of the workers and injured the two others. Police say three people living near the factory also were treated at hospitals after inhaling toxic gas.

Police say about 600 residents were evacuated to a community hall to avoid the toxic gas.

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NEEDHAM LAB UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER EXPLOSION BURNS MAN
http://www.wickedlocal.com/needham/news/x738671874/Needham-lab-under-investigation-after-explosion-burns-man#axzz28WvH9LRz
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, explosion, injury, flammables

Needham Ñ
An employee of a Needham-based laboratory suffered major burns from a toxic chemical explosion yesterday, according to Needham Fire Department reports.

While disposing of leftover chemicals at Microwave Development Laboratories at 135 Crescent St., the employee mixed flammable waste paint product with an acid, causing an explosion and fire, said Fire Chief Paul Buckley.

The employee was handling paint materials including epoxy and urethane mixes inside two 55-gallon steel drums and added an acid called iridite, causing a violent reaction, according to reports. He was not wearing any special protective gear, said Buckley.

"He did not appear to be properly suited to the task," he said.

When fire officials responded to the incident at 2:25 p.m. on Oct. 3, the man had already left the room and ridden with a coworker to Needham's Beth Israel Hospital.

Fire officials visited the hospital to give his doctors the names of the chemicals involved, Buckley said.

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