From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (7 articles)
Date: Fri, 9 May 2014 07:33:06 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: D99EEB0C-9583-44A8-803A-1511F508B02F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


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

Table of Contents (7 articles)

OFFICIAL: CHEMICAL REACTION GONE AWRY CAUSED EXPLOSION AT PETERBOROUGH FACILITY
Tags: us_NH, industrial, follow-up, injury, metals, nitric_acid, waste

COPS: HAZMAT SIGNS DIDN'T KEEP BURGLARS AWAY
Tags: us_OK, public, release, response, toxics

SOLAR PANELS COMPLICATE EFFORT TO DOUSE PLANT BLAZE
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, water_treatment

AMMONIA LEAK DISRUPTS WORK AT CARGILL
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

FIRE IN CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITY IN IRAN
Tags: Iran, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL FOUND IN YONKERS LEADS TO EVACUATION
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

WAREHOUSE BURNS, CALLING HAZMAT CREWS TO SCENE
Tags: us_IN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical


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

OFFICIAL: CHEMICAL REACTION GONE AWRY CAUSED EXPLOSION AT PETERBOROUGH FACILITY
http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/official-chemical-reaction-gone-awry-caused-explosion-at-peterborough-facility/article_2c972562-f651-5047-8345-80286cfecb93.html
Tags: us_NH, industrial, follow-up, injury, metals, nitric_acid, waste

PETERBOROUGH ? Officials at a Peterborough manufacturing plant have determined that a chemical reaction caused an explosion there in February, but haven?t said who is responsible for the blast, or why it happened.
N.H. Ball Bearings has been working with the state Fire Marshal?s Office, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and independent experts to determine the exact cause of the Feb. 10 blast that tore through the Route 202 facility?s first floor and seriously injured two employees, Gary Yomantas, president and chief executive officer, wrote in a May 6 letter to employees on the company?s website.
?We have determined that a chemical reaction occurred when nitric acid from a non-production process was transferred to a 55 gallon drum containing an acidic waste mixture. The acids in question are commonly used in industry for surface treatment and testing of metals,? he wrote.
Yomantas did not go into any detail about the makeup of the acidic waste mixture, why it was in the drum, or if this transfer is a routine process at N.H. Ball Bearings.

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

COPS: HAZMAT SIGNS DIDN'T KEEP BURGLARS AWAY
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/08/oklahoma-burglars-ricin-home/8851437/
Tags: us_OK, public, release, response, toxics

Two accused burglars in Oklahoma had to be decontaminated after their arrests after allegedly breaking into a home that had signs posted about hazardous materials, according to video from KFOR.

Kevin Phillips and Ramon Stephens are accused of breaking into the home of Preston Rhoades, who was accused of plotting to kill his girlfriend with ricin, a deadly toxin.

Police had raided the home, arrested Rhoades and posted signs to warn everyone to stay away.

With Rhoades in jail, police say the suspects saw an opportunity to break into the home, taking water bottles and a speaker system, KFOR says.

Phillips and Stephens were isolated and decontaminated when taken to jail.

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

SOLAR PANELS COMPLICATE EFFORT TO DOUSE PLANT BLAZE
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20140509_Firefighters_battling_chemical_plant_blaze_in_S__Jersey.html
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, water_treatment

WEST BERLIN Firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze in a chemical plant Thursday, with solar panels complicating their efforts.

The fire started before 1:30 p.m. at 160 Cooper Rd., behind the Sahara Sam's indoor water park on Route 73. The address houses ResinTech, which manufactures "a broad range of ion exchange resins for water and wastewater treatment," according to the firm's website.

A statement released on the website said that the manufacturing facility of Aries FilterWorks, a division of ResinTech, was damaged, but that ResinTech's corporate offices were not. It added that "there were no injuries to employees at the facility and no danger to the surrounding public."

Dan Keashan, a Camden County spokesman, said it was doubtful the company would be able to resume operations in the damaged building. Company officials could not be reached. It could not be immediately determined how many people worked there.

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

AMMONIA LEAK DISRUPTS WORK AT CARGILL
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/99296/
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

Gainesville firefighters are investigating an ammonia leak this morning at Cargill at 862 W. Ridge Road.

Units responded at 8:30 a.m. and found that an ammonia line that was leaking in a mechanical room for the chillers, causing the alarm to sound, said Capt. Keith Smith, fire department spokesman.

Ammonia has been turned off to the line. The leak was contained to the mechanical room and didn?t cause any injuries, Smith said.

Firefighters are working ?to ensure the area is clear and the leak secured,? he added.

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

FIRE IN CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITY IN IRAN
http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/2272038.html
Tags: Iran, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

A fire spread through a chemical storage facility near Iran's capital city of Tehran.
Firefighters still are trying to control the fire which started at 10:30 (local time) on May 8 in the Shour Abad district near Tehran, ISNA news agency reported.
Firefighters from Tehran's Fire Department were sent to the 10 thousand square meter facility to help local forces control the fire. A firefighting helicopter from Iran's Red Crescent society also was sent to the region.
Spokesman of Tehran's Fire Department, Jalal Maleki said that the firefighters are trying to prevent the spread of fire to other regions.

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

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL FOUND IN YONKERS LEADS TO EVACUATION
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2014/05/07/hazardous-chemical-find-leads-evacuation/8829989/
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

YONKERS ? Emergency responders closed several blocks in the south side of the city after finding four barrels of a hazardous chemical in an alley, officials said.

The discovery came shortly after fire and building officials came to 53 Morris Ave. to conduct an inspection, officials said. Inspectors were examining the structural integrity of the fire-damaged building when they stumbled on the barrels, Third Precinct Police Capt. Peter Butler said. Police and other responders were called to the scene about 3:30 p.m., he said.

Occupants in a building along Morris Avenue were evacuated as a precaution while hazardous materials crews donned suits and set up tents to examine the substance, Butler said. Officials don't know how the barrels ended up in the alley and who put them there. Fire and police crews also were scene breaking down the door of a nearby building but officials would not say why they did that.

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

WAREHOUSE BURNS, CALLING HAZMAT CREWS TO SCENE
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/warehouse-burns-calling-hazmat-crews-to-scene
Tags: us_IN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

INDIANAPOLIS - A powerful fire spread through a southeast-side warehouse Wednesday morning, drawing fire, health and Hazmat crews to the scene.

Indianapolis fire crews headed to the warehouse just after 5:30 a.m. in the 3500 block of East Terrace Avenue.

Firefighters said when they arrived, the flames were quickly spreading from one end of the building to another. Crews said they had to cut through locks and gates to get to the area where the fire had started, which leads them to believe there was no one inside the warehouse.

RTV6's Julie Pursley reports at least one of the businesses on fire is called Indy Drum of Indianapolis, which reconditions plastic drums and containers.

Hazmat was called to the scene because officials feared these drums and containers held hazardous chemicals, but they later discovered those containers were empty. Now, officials say the only concern they have about hazardous chemicals is whether there were any traces of them on the drums before they burned.

Our news crew on the scene heard a couple small explosions over the course of crews battling the blaze.

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

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post



The content of this page reflects the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) only, not the American Chemical Society, ILPI, Safety Emporium, or any other party. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. Send questions/comments about the archive to secretary@dchas.org.
The maintenance and hosting of the DCHAS-L archive is provided through the generous support of Safety Emporium.