From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] CHAS Tweets and Chemical Safety headlines (14 articles)
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 07:28:03 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: B79B8634-CE96-4020-A467-949D1651BA9E**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


**At_Symbol_Here**ACSDCHAS and **At_Symbol_Here**LabSustain tweets and Chemical Safety Headlines
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
Tweets available on our ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (DCHAS) Facebook Page
Tagged Article summaries are available at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
acsdchas ACS GCI Green Chemistry is Alive & Well in the EU and India http://t.co/TndjgfjHAQ

acsdchas J Occ Hygiene Dermal Absorption of Chemicals: Estimation by IH SkinPerm http://t.co/CToG5Xtr5U

labsustain Great Lakes Echo: Chemistry getting greener at Michigan companies, universities" http://t.co/DwNTRF26Xt

acsdchas ACS DCHAS Reactive Chemical Management for Laboratories & Pilot Plants:Dallas 15 March 2014 http://t.co/FmMmS0lpeQ

labsustain JChemEd: Microfluidics for High School Chemistry Students http://t.co/A8kzP5FLNQ http://t.co/s0yGyYPDcm

JCHAS New Articles in Press, 16 December-22 December 2013
1. Pioneers in Chemical Safety Robert Alaimo

2. Inspection and maintenance of safety equipment Peter C. Ashbrook

3. Toxic tips: Acrylonitrile William E. Luttrell, Austin L. LaGrow

4. Bundt or binders? John DeLaHunt

5. UPCOMING EVENTS

6. Process safety: Understand your protective barriers Dennis C. Hendershot

7. Rebuilding West Harry J. Elston

8. Letter to the Editor Bob Alaimo


9. Defense in Depth Neal Langerman


10. Laboratory/Research Equipment Review and Approval Process David Rainer

Table of Contents (14 articles)

OSHA FINES OWNER OF OLEFINS PLANT
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, death

MAN DIES FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS DELIVERED WITH BOX OF SHOES
Tags: China, transportation, release, death, toxics

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDERGO COURSE TO PREVENT RISING CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS
Tags: Tanzania, education, discovery, response, other_chemical

MALIBU HIGH SCHOOL SET FOR CLEANUP AFTER CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL FOUND IN SOME ROOMS (12/21/13 6:15 PM)
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, other_chemical, pcbs

DUMP FIRES CREATE CHEMICAL FUMES :: CAYCOMPASS.COM
Tags: Cayman_Islands, industrial, fire, environmental, wastes

AXIALL INVESTIGATES WHY WESTLAKE, LA., PLANT EXPLODED, CAUSING FIRE THAT RELEASED TOXINS (12/21/13 6:22 PM)
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, toxics

SITE OF WESTLAKE CHEMICAL FIRE HAS HISTORY OF VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrochloric_acid, paints

FIRE REDUCES INK FACTORY TO ASHES
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

LOCAL PLANT FIRE LEADS TO BRIEF SHUTDOWN OF I-10, SHELTER-IN-PLACE
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, sulphur

ALL CLEAR AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT AT MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

MOLASSES SPILL BRINGS TRAFFIC TO A HALT AT DUBBO
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

CHEMICAL SPILL, FIRE AT TULSA COUNTY'S SULZER CHEMTECH FORCES EVACUATION OF NEARBY BUSINESSES
Tags: us_OK, industrial, fire, response, nitric_acid

FIRE CAUSES TOXIC FUMES AT FACTORY
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical, flammables

WV-BASED AL SOLUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT SAFEGUARDS AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, titanium, waste


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OSHA FINES OWNER OF OLEFINS PLANT
http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i51/OSHA-Fines-Owner-Olefins-Plant.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, death

The owner of a Louisiana ethylene and propylene plant faces a $99,000 fine for alleged workplace safety violations after a June explosion that killed two workers and injured scores of others. OSHA proposed the penalty earlier this month when it cited Williams Olefins LLC for six alleged violations of federal standards for process safety management. OSHA says one of those alleged violations was willful because Williams Olefins failed to develop written procedures, as required, for putting idle pressure vessels into service. Tulsa-based Williams Partners LP, which owns Williams Olefins, says it is reviewing OSHA?s findings and is committed to enhancing safety performance. The company, which was expanding its Geismar, La., facility when the explosion occurred, is rebuilding and plans to complete the expansion by April 2014.

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MAN DIES FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS DELIVERED WITH BOX OF SHOES
http://www.thejournal.ie/contaminated-parcels-china-1235376-Dec2013/
Tags: China, transportation, release, death, toxics

A MAN WAS killed and seven others injured in China after receiving parcels from a delivery company that were contaminated with toxic chemicals, it was reported Saturday.
The unnamed man, from China?s eastern Shandong province, died after taking delivery of a box of shoes in late November which were tainted with methyl fluoroacetate, a highly toxic chemical, the Xinhua news agency reported citing the local post bureau.
The bureau said four parcels delivered by Shanghai YTO Express, a private delivery company, were found to be contaminated by the chemicals, making five delivery workers and two recipients sick. The report did not state the condition of the injured.

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UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDERGO COURSE TO PREVENT RISING CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS
http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=62893
Tags: Tanzania, education, discovery, response, other_chemical

Students at the University of Dar es Salaam are to join a unique training programme aimed at curbing chemical accidents dubbed Chemical Accidents Prevention and Preparedness Programme (CAPP-TZ).

The project seeks to raise public awareness on increasing incidents involving chemical accidents.

The initiative is a joint project of the University?s Department of Chemistry, the Government Chemical Laboratory Agency (GCLA) and the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Dr Egid Mubofu, head of chemistry department at the Hill told an inaugural workshop that the training programme was aimed at raising public awareness on how to curb personal injury from preventable chemical accidents.

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MALIBU HIGH SCHOOL SET FOR CLEANUP AFTER CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL FOUND IN SOME ROOMS (12/21/13 6:15 PM)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/2a07b031250a41cb87c3e028d7e6d712/CA--Malibu-High-Toxic-Cleanup
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, other_chemical, pcbs

MALIBU, California ? Malibu High School buildings will be cleaned and tested during the winter holiday break after a cancer-causing chemical was found in some rooms, the school superintendent said.

Some rooms will be cleaned of dust and air and dust samples will be taken to ensure they are safe before classes resume on Jan. 6, Sandra Lyon, superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, said in a Thursday letter to parents and staff, the Santa Monica Daily Press (http://bit.ly/1bXHRsl">http://bit.ly/1bXHRsl) reported.

In October, 20 staff members, including three diagnosed with thyroid cancer, wrote a letter to the district complaining of a variety of health-related issues. Rumors spread about potential contaminants.

Students from 11 classrooms were switched to other rooms on campus and a nearby elementary school.

Later testing at dozens of locations throughout the school found elevated levels of PCBs in caulking around some window sills.

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in industrial and commercial products before they were banned in 1979. In some studies, the compounds have been associated with cancer and damage to the immune system.

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

DUMP FIRES CREATE CHEMICAL FUMES :: CAYCOMPASS.COM
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/12/20/Dump-fires-create-chemical-fumes/
Tags: Cayman_Islands, industrial, fire, environmental, wastes

Friday morning?s fire at the George Town Landfill could threaten the health of anyone exposed to the thick, oily smoke billowing from the site, and could cost as much as US$1 million to extinguish, according to an expert on landfill fires.

A burning dump, frequently caused by spontaneous combustion in the wake of the intense heat created by decomposition of biological materials, releases a wide range of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, aldehydes (e.g. formaldehyde), acrolein, benzo (a) pyrene, hydrogen bromide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen fluroride, nitrogen oxides, phenol, sulfur dioxides, dioxins and furans, and have both short and long-term health effects.

Most immediately, lesions of the skin, called chloracne can occur, while peripheral neuropathy and liver enzyme induction are also possible, although frequently reversible.

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AXIALL INVESTIGATES WHY WESTLAKE, LA., PLANT EXPLODED, CAUSING FIRE THAT RELEASED TOXINS (12/21/13 6:22 PM)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/963206124a524877b83b0625165d60ae/LA--Axiall-Fire
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, toxics

WESTLAKE, Louisiana ? Company officials are trying to figure out what caused a Friday explosion and fire at the Axiall Corp. chemical plant near Lake Charles.

The American Press reports (http://bit.ly/1dutSJB">http://bit.ly/1dutSJB) that a dozen motorists were taken to hospitals as a precaution after the fire producing hazardous smoke that drifted over Interstate 10.

The explosion happened about 1:30 p.m., with the ensuing fire releasing unknown amounts of vinyl chloride, hydrochloric acid and EDC dichloroethane.

State troopers to briefly closed I-10 and ordered residents in parts of Calcasieu Parish to stay inside their houses, businesses and schools for a time.

Atlanta-based Axiall makes ingredients for the plastic polyvinyl chloride and other chemicals in Westlake. The plant was formerly owned by PPG, but became Axiall when the former Georgia Gulf bought PPG's commodity chemical business.

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

SITE OF WESTLAKE CHEMICAL FIRE HAS HISTORY OF VIOLATIONS
http://www.katc.com/news/site-of-westlake-chemical-fire-has-history-of-violations/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrochloric_acid, paints

The fire at a Calciseau chemical plant is now under control and the shelter-in-place has been lifted, but State Police are still investigating the cause of the fire that began in a unit containing hazardous chemicals.

Billions of pounds of chemicals -- including hydrochloric acid and vinyl chloride, which were located where the fire began -- are stored at the Axiall Corporation in Westlake, which blends chemicals that are used in paints, coatings, glass and other materials.

And, as a KATC Investigation found, the company has a long track record of chemical spills and violating government regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

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

FIRE REDUCES INK FACTORY TO ASHES
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Fire-reduces-ink-factory-to-ashes/articleshow/27696882.cms?cfmid 00000
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

KANPUR: A major fire broke out at an ink factory situated in Panki Industrial area on Friday evening. A short-circuit is believed to have triggered the blaze in which property worth crores was destroyed. There was no casualty.

The fire reduced major portion of the factory to ashes. It took eight fire tenders from Latouche Road, Fazalganj and Colonelganj fire stations several hours to douse the flames. The task was made tougher by the presence of combustible material in the factory.

According to the firemen, workers were present in the factory but no one suffered injuries. There was a major a loss of property, including machines, raw material and products worth several crores.

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

LOCAL PLANT FIRE LEADS TO BRIEF SHUTDOWN OF I-10, SHELTER-IN-PLACE
http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/article/20131220/NEWS/131229975/2000
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, sulphur

A Friday afternoon fire at the Axiall chemical plant in Westlake forced an evacuation of the facility, the closure of I-10 near the plant for a brief time and a shelter-in-place to be called for Westlake and east Sulphur.
According to an Axiall Corporation news release, the fire occurred at around 1:40 p.m. in the vinyl chloride manufacturing area of the company?s chemicals complex in the Westlake area. The fire was extinguished at approximately 2:38 p.m. and the shelter-in-place was lifted by 2:52 p.m. While no injuries to plant personnel were reported from the scene, 12 cases of respiratory issues have been reported from a local hospital.
Students were placed in lockdown at Western Heights Elementary, Westwood Elementary, S.P. Arnett Middle and Westlake High schools in Westlake and Maplewood School in Sulphur until after the shelter-in-place was lifted and the all-clear was given. Students were released around 3:15 p.m.

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ALL CLEAR AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT AT MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL
http://manchester-nj.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/all-clear-after-hazmat-incident-at-manchester-township-high-school
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

A hazardous materials team was called out to Manchester Township High School early Thursday afternoon, after a beaker of unknown liquid shattered in a science lab, but no one was hurt and the school was quickly determined to be safe, police said.

A teacher working alone in a lab just before 1 p.m. accidentally dropped the beaker, which shattered and released fumes, police said, and administrators closed off both the classroom and the affected wing of the school as a precaution.

The Berkeley Township Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team was called in to the school, police said, and determined both the classroom and school were safe following the incident.

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

MOLASSES SPILL BRINGS TRAFFIC TO A HALT AT DUBBO
http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/1983429/molasses-spill-brings-traffic-to-a-halt-at-dubbo/?cs=111
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

An eastbound lane of Mitchell Highway in front of Orana Mall was shut for an hour yesterday as Dubbo Fire and Rescue and HAZMAT crews cleaned up 600 litres of molasses that had spilled from a truck.

A crack in a container spread a trail of the liquid cattle feed over a distance of almost a kilometre but the worst of it was in front of the shopping centre. DFR were called to the scene just after 1pm and began cleaning up the mess.

"We've had a spill of a liquid cattle feed known as Molafos [molasses]," DFR station officer Adam Wixx said.

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

CHEMICAL SPILL, FIRE AT TULSA COUNTY'S SULZER CHEMTECH FORCES EVACUATION OF NEARBY BUSINESSES
http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/sapulpa/chemical-spill-fire-at-tulsa-countys-sulzer-chemtech-forces-evacuation-of-nearby-neighborhood
Tags: us_OK, industrial, fire, response, nitric_acid

SAPULPA -- A nitric acid-fueled fire at a Tulsa County chemical plant was extinguished shortly after 10 p.m., according to Sapulpa police.

Officials cleared the scene around midnight.

The fire, which reportedly began around 7:15 p.m. Thursday at Sulzer Chemtech, forced the evacuation of several motels and nearby businesses and residences as a southerly wind pushed potentially hazardous smoke into the area near New Sapulpa Road and the Turner Turnpike.

Sapulpa police blocked off the area for several hours as multiple agencies worked to put out the flames and dam up the nitric acid spill.

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

FIRE CAUSES TOXIC FUMES AT FACTORY
http://wangarattachronicle.com.au/2013/12/20/fire-causes-toxic-fumes-at-factory/
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical, flammables

TOXIC fumes filled the air inside an Australian Country Spinners (ASC) storeroom on Wednesday, after a volatile chemical caught fire.

Country Fire Authority hazmat experts from across the North East rushed to the Wangaratta factory just after 5pm to contain the chemical reaction, after an ASC employee first spotted smoke coming from the pallet of chemicals.
....
The chemical, Thiourea Dioxide, is a solid but flammable chemical that is a risk of catching fire if exposed to moisture.

?It is unstable and is liable to spontaneous combustion, so it is a fairly volatile chemical,? Mr Stibilj said.

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

WV-BASED AL SOLUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT SAFEGUARDS AFTER EXPLOSION
http://www.statejournal.com/story/24265742/wv-based-al-solutions-to-implement-safeguards-after-explosion
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, titanium, waste

The U.S. EPA announced Dec. 19 the metal recycler AL Solutions will implement extensive, company-wide safeguards to prevent future accidental releases of hazardous chemicals from its facilities.

The agreement resolves the alleged Clean Air Act violations that stemmed from an explosion at the company's New Cumberland facility that killed three people.

AL Solutions recycles titanium and zirconium raw materials for use as alloying additives by aluminum producers.

Three employees who had been handling zirconium powder at the company's former plant in New Cumberland died in December 2010 after an explosion that may have been caused by an accidental release of the chemical.

Debris from the explosion destroyed the production area of the facility, and was scattered into area yards.

EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin said EPA and OSHA worked together after the explosion to coordinate an investigation and to share information.

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