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: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:41:00 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 12, 2014 at 12:40:48 PM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas

Table of Contents (9 articles)

NORTH POLE REFINERY SETTLES HAZMAT STORAGE ALLEGATIONS
Tags: us_AK, industrial, discovery, response, petroleum, waste

NITROGEN LEAK LED TO EVACUATION AT UC
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, release, response, liquid_nitrogen

SMOLDERING TOWELS IN DRIER PROMPT EVACUATIONS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL SAFETY FOR TEACHERS WEBINAR NEXT WEEK
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response

3 MILLION GALLONS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS CLEARED FROM SAMOA PULP MILL SAYS CONGRESSMAN HUFFMAN
Tags: us_CA, transportation, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

EAST BRANDYWINE MAN HURT MIXING POOL CHEMICALS
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals

CENTER FOR CHEMICAL PROCESS SAFETY JOINS EFFORT TO IMPROVE SAFETY IN WEST VIRGINIA
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, response, other_chemical

NBC29 WVIR CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA NEWS, SPORTS AND WEATHER
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, chlorine

MUNITIONS MAKER WILL PAY $1.2 MILLION FOR STORING HAZMAT ILLEGALLY: LAND LINE MAGAZINE
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, dust, explosives, waste


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NORTH POLE REFINERY SETTLES HAZMAT STORAGE ALLEGATIONS
Tags: us_AK, industrial, discovery, response, petroleum, waste

A petroleum refinery in North Pole, Alaska, has reached a settlement with US officials following allegations of mishandling hazardous waste during groundwater a cleanup at the refinery.

On June 19, 2013, Flint Hills Resources conducted groundwater cleanup activities at its refinery that generated spent groundwater pre-filters containing iron sulfide. The spent groundwater pre-filters were disposed of in an exposed, uncovered ?roll off? dumpster where they soon ignited, causing two container fires. The fires required local fire department assistance to extinguish.

The settlement includes a civil penalty of $80,000.

According to Scott Downey, manager of EPA?s Air & Hazardous Waste Compliance Unit in Seattle, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), waste generators are required to determine whether or not their waste is hazardous at the time of generation, then label it clearly and store it properly.

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NITROGEN LEAK LED TO EVACUATION AT UC
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, release, response, liquid_nitrogen

A leaking tank of liquid nitrogen at the University of Cincinnati prompted UC police to call in a hazardous materials unit Thursday.

The leak occurred in a mechanical engineering research lab in Rhodes Hall around 4:40 p.m., according to emergency communications.

Officials evacuated the building for about 20 minutes until the tank was removed.

The culprit of the leak was a faulty catch valve on the nitrogen tank, said Mark Schulz, a mechanical engineering professor.

Schulz said no one was put in danger because of the leak.

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SMOLDERING TOWELS IN DRIER PROMPT EVACUATIONS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

SAN ANTONIO - Between 30 to 40 people were evacuated from a food service warehouse Thursday morning on the city's Northeast Side.

SAFD spokesman Christian Bove said a chemical emergency was initially declared at the warehouse at 11:30 a.m. in the 5300 block of Rittiman Road.

Bove said a noxious smell from a janatorial closet prompted the evacuations.

It turns out that some towels that were placed in a drier emitted a smoldering stench, which made some people nauseous.

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CHEMICAL SAFETY FOR TEACHERS WEBINAR NEXT WEEK
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response

Just a quick post to spread the word that the American Association of Chemistry Teachers is holding a webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 7-8 pm Eastern on ?Chemical Safety for Teachers?:
Join professor and chemical safety expert Sammye Sigmann as she discusses laboratory standards, stockroom management, and answers your questions about safety in the chemistry classroom.

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3 MILLION GALLONS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS CLEARED FROM SAMOA PULP MILL SAYS CONGRESSMAN HUFFMAN
Tags: us_CA, transportation, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced today that the final shipment of some three million gallons of dangerous chemicals has left the former Samoa Pulp Mill site, in Humboldt County, Calif., drastically reducing a potentially catastrophic environmental threat to Humboldt Bay.

Huffman praised the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Seafoods for their rapid response to what was a potential disaster. Last summer, EPA was approached by the Harbor District about millions of gallons of highly caustic pulping liquors abandoned by previous owners in tanks that were inappropriate for storage and actively leaking. Due to the volume of the liquors on site and their proximity to Humboldt Bay, all parties worked diligently to secure the site and began working on a plan to remove the chemicals.

?I?m very pleased that the final truckloads of caustic chemicals have left the Samoa pulp mill site, ensuring that Humboldt Bay is protected from a toxic legacy irresponsibly abandoned by previous owners,? Huffman said. ?I thank the Harbor District, the EPA, the Coast Guard, Coast Seafoods and the community for their response to such a grave threat to one of my district?s most precious resources.?

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EAST BRANDYWINE MAN HURT MIXING POOL CHEMICALS
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals

East Brandywine >> A homeowner was rushed to the hospital by helicopter on Wednesday after suffering burns while mixing pool chemicals at this home in the first block of Blakely Road.

According to East Brandywine Fire Company Assistant Chief Joe Edwards, firefighters and EMS crews were called to the home for reports of a chemical burn around 11:30 a.m. Edwards said the homeowner, who was not identified, was mixing chemicals when a reaction caused harmful materials to enter his face, eyes, mouth, and airways.

Medics from the Downingtown Fire Department?s Minquas Ambulance rushed to the home and quickly requested a helicopter transport for the victim, who was flown to Christiana Hospital in Delaware.

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CENTER FOR CHEMICAL PROCESS SAFETY JOINS EFFORT TO IMPROVE SAFETY IN WEST VIRGINIA
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, response, other_chemical

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and its Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) teamed with the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, the American Chemistry Council, and the National Association of Chemical Distributors on September 8, 2014, for a day-long meeting designed to enhance chemical safety and security in the state, particularly among smaller businesses.

Louisa Nara, technical director of CCPS and a Charleston native and chemical engineering graduate of West Virginia University, led attendees in a featured workshop, ?Recognizing Incident Warning Signs.? According to Nara, ?You can?t always predict exactly when an incident will occur, but you can make yourself more aware of warning signs so you can act to avoid potential incidents.? The workshop offered guidance, drawn from real-world experiences, on recognizing indicators of potential accidents and near-misses. ?Identifying the subtleties and weaknesses in existing processes and safety programs are ways to drive continued improvement in your process safety program,? Nara said.

Other speakers at the event described lessons learned from recent incidents, how communities have been impacted and responded, and how the industry?s ?Responsible Care? and ?Responsible Distribution? programs are making a difference in chemical safety

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NBC29 WVIR CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA NEWS, SPORTS AND WEATHER
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, chlorine

WAYNESBORO, Va (WVIR) -
Hazmat crews are responding to an incident at the Days Inn located along Rosser Ave. in Waynesboro.

End-of-the-season pool maintenance crews knocked over chlorine tablets into standing water in the pool house, causing fumes.

The Days Inn and the Wendy's next door were evacuated as a precaution. No one was hurt.

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MUNITIONS MAKER WILL PAY $1.2 MILLION FOR STORING HAZMAT ILLEGALLY: LAND LINE MAGAZINE
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, dust, explosives, waste

A Pennsylvania-based explosives maker has agreed to replace its president and chief executive officer and pay a $1.2 million fine after it was caught storing and transporting military grade explosives illegally.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney?s Office representing Eastern Pennsylvania, Action Manufacturing Co. builds timing and arms devices for munitions and explosives. To make its products, the company mixes explosive powders and fills boosters, detonators and other items with explosive materials. The process creates solid waste that is explosive, and is required to be disposed with in accordance with laws under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

In November 2011, inspectors from the Environmental Protection Agency?s Land and Chemicals Division and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection inspected Action Manufacturing?s Atglen, Pa., facility. Inspectors found the illegally stored waste ?including scrap parts and components that were years or even decades overdue? for disposal, the news release states.

The company admitted that instead of sending the hazardous waste to an approved treatment, storage and disposal facility, it stockpiled the waste at its Atglen facility without a permit. Action Manufacturing also admitted violating federal Department of Transportation regulations that require recordkeeping for transporting explosives on public roads.

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