From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Tweets and Chemical Safety headlines (9 articles)
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 07:31:06 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 70214E14-CB8E-40D8-BB91-8371E98262AE**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, August 16, 2013 7:28:41 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

acsdchas New blog post: "Where Next for Green Chemistry?" Summary of recent GSC6 conference http://t.co/OOk1deQafg #greenchemistry #chemistry

acsdchas RiskBites: Are green potato chips bad for you? http://t.co/kZTmjx1unL

acsdchas RT **At_Symbol_Here**CHMMNews: Hazmat team investigates Newport News trash truck http://t.co/i2aEQR7qyu #HazMat 2

Table of Contents (9 articles)

FIRE AND SMOKE CLOSES CF SCHOOL
Tags: us_MN, education, fire, response, urethane

ACCURACY OF REPORTED FLASH POINT VALUES ON MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS AND THE IMPACT ON PRODUCT CLASSIFICATION
Tags: other, discovery, environmental, flammables

EXPERT: CHEMICALS FOUND ON OKINAWA LIKELY NOT AGENT ORANGE
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, solvent, waste

FS-WORLD.COM
Tags: us_FL, public, fire, response, sulphur

EMMETT HOSPITAL REOPENED AFTER BEING LOCKED DOWN FOR HAZMAT SPILL
Tags: us_ID, public, release, response, mercury

PETER MACCALLUM CENTRE EVACUATED AMID CHEMICAL LEAK FEARS
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

MULTIPLE INJURIES IN CHEMICAL FACILITY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, injury, radiation, waste

VICTIM BURNED IN METH LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IN, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab

LAB SAFETY VIDEOS ON LAB COATS, EYE PROTECTION, AND EYE WASHING
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, environmental


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FIRE AND SMOKE CLOSES CF SCHOOL
http://www.cannonfalls.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=23396
Tags: us_MN, education, fire, response, urethane

The Cannon Falls middle school/high school building was closed after a fire and the resulting smoke caused some damage and concerns about air quality.

Fire alarms went off and the fire call went out at approximately 10:50 p.m., Thursday, August 8.

According to the District, it appears a chemical reaction occurred in some Rubbermaid garbage containers where the polyurethane floor refinishing chemicals and equipment were disposed. The garbage containers were inside, near the shop room in the northwest corner of the building.‰?ø

The fire was smoldering and kept contained, but caused smoke damage and, of biggest concern, possible air quality issues.

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ACCURACY OF REPORTED FLASH POINT VALUES ON MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS AND THE IMPACT ON PRODUCT CLASSIFICATION
http://oeh.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15459624.2013.818233#.Ug0EQGTzav1
Tags: other, discovery, environmental, flammables

In this project 83 samples of products classified as flammable or combustible, representing a variety of industry sectors and product types, were collected. Flash points were measured and compared to the reported values on the MSDSs. The classifications of the products were then compared using the WHMIS and GHS criteria. The results study indicated that there were significant variations between the disclosed and measured flash point values. Overall, more than one third of the products had flash points lower than that disclosed on the MSDS. In some cases, the measured values were more than 20å¡C lower than the disclosed values.

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EXPERT: CHEMICALS FOUND ON OKINAWA LIKELY NOT AGENT ORANGE
http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/expert-chemicals-found-on-okinawa-likely-not-agent-orange-1.235489
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, solvent, waste

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa ‰?? Chemical barrels recently unearthed on former U.S. military land on Okinawa most likely contained military maintenance shop and hospital waste, not Agent Orange as many feared, according to an American expert on the herbicide.

About two dozen rusted Dow Chemical Company barrels found under a soccer field in Okinawa City appear to be part of a former landfill used by Kadena Air Base for solvents as well as burnt plastic and other waste, according to Alvin Young, a retired Air Force colonel and Department of Defense consultant who has studied tactical herbicides for 30 years.

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FS-WORLD.COM
http://www.fs-world.com/Show.asp?ID=13975&Form=1
Tags: us_FL, public, fire, response, sulphur

For the second time in less than a week, Tampa Fire Rescue put out flames at the same Port of Tampa fertilizer tank. The tank is owned by Gulf Sulphur. Now, firefighters and the fire marshal are closely watching as company workers offload the sulfur so the tank can be thoroughly inspected. The process is expected to take a minimum of three days. Once empty, the tank must pass a complete inspection and must submit a certificate to the fire marshal's office. Last week, the fire at the tank prompted the department to issues warnings about potentially harmful fumes.


Residents in south Tampa and Harbour Island were even told to stay indoors if possible because the fumes could cause eye, skin and throat irritations. Tonight, only one business south of the fire was evacuated. However, a precaution was issued to people in south Tampa.

Officials said there was no imminent threat as the wind is heading in a southeast direction, so the fumes are moving away from highly populated areas. Ladder trucks sprayed water into the tank. The sulfur was molten as the the sulfur is kept warm by a system of heated coils that are installed around the tank. As of 7 p.m., the cause of the fire had not been determined. Tampa Fire Rescue did contain the fire in less than an hour.

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EMMETT HOSPITAL REOPENED AFTER BEING LOCKED DOWN FOR HAZMAT SPILL
http://www.ktvb.com/news/Emmett-hospital-in-lockdown-mode-after-hazmat-spill-219608271.html
Tags: us_ID, public, release, response, mercury

EMMETT -- People and patients at Walter Knox Memorial Hospital were locked down inside the building after a hazmat spill was reported to Gem County authorities at around 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
County dispatch, and hospital spokeswoman Sue Vahlberg, said the report was of an undetermined amount of mercury that spilled at the maintenance shop behind the hospital.
Dispatch told KTVB the spill did test positive for something dangerous. Gem County's Emergency Medical Services Special Operations Unit and Hazmat team joined the city fire department in responding to the report.
Vahlberg said the lockdown, that was enforced at around 11 a.m., was to make sure there was no cross-contamination from the shop building into the hospital, by staff members or any other people.

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PETER MACCALLUM CENTRE EVACUATED AMID CHEMICAL LEAK FEARS
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/peter-maccallum-centre-evacuated-amid-chemical-leak-fears-20130814-2rvc2.html
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

A chemical leak has forced the evacuation of part of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in East Melbourne.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade was called to the St Andrews Place centre at 9.50am after a strong chemical odour was noticed coming from a research laboratory.

Staff working near the laboratory have been evacuated.

A spokeswoman for the MFB said it was not yet known what type of substance was leaking.

Advertisement
The brigade's scientific officer is heading to the scene.

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MULTIPLE INJURIES IN CHEMICAL FACILITY EXPLOSION
http://www.walb.com/story/23137707/massive-industrial-fire
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, injury, radiation, waste

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) - The Red Cross says they are providing assistance to those in the area of a massive fire caused by an explosion inside an industrial park off Madison Highway in Valdosta.

The Valdosta Fire Chief reports three people were taken to the hospital with injuries from the blast. Their conditions were not immediately available. No fatalities have been reported.

Officials say they first received a call at 2:22 p.m. Wednesday to the Perma-Fix Environmental Services near Industrial Boulevard. Plumes of smoke and flames could be seen more than one hundred feet in the air.
....
The Valdosta Fire Chief said the fire is under control but not out. Everyone one mile south of the facility has been evacuated from the area.

According to their website, Perma-Fix Environmental Services is a global provider of nuclear services and radioactive waste management solutions.

The Valdosta facility, Perma-Fix of South Georgia is a waste treatment facility that processes and disposes of hazardous and non-hazardous waste liquid, solids and sludges.

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VICTIM BURNED IN METH LAB EXPLOSION
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130814/LOCAL07/308149936/1043/LOCAL07
Tags: us_IN, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab

A 20-year-old man is recovering in a Fort Wayne hospital after suffering severe chemical burns in a meth lab explosion at a LaOtto mobile home.

Firefighters were called Sunday evening to Lot 16 of the Sunset View Estates mobile home park at 11653 E. Noble County Road 400 S. where they extinguished flames from the explosion and saved most of the home, said Sgt. Terry Waikel of the Noble County Sheriff‰??s Department.

Sheriff‰??s investigators later learned that the man with burns had shown up at Parkview Noble Hospital in Kendallville to be treated. A sheriff‰??s investigator spoke with the man who acknowledged that he was burned in a meth lab explosion at the mobile home, which was not his residence, Waikel said.

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LAB SAFETY VIDEOS ON LAB COATS, EYE PROTECTION, AND EYE WASHING
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2013/08/lab-safety-videos-on-lab-coats-eye-protection-and-eye-washing/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, environmental

Yes, I know, my last post was just videos, too. But people are doing some good ones! Behold a typically great video from the University of California, San Diego, on personal protective equipment: Eye and face protection and lab coats.

From UC Berkeley, what happens when you neglect eye protection (at the end, though, even if his eyes are fine, I think that the acid on his head requires a shower):

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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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