From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (15 articles)
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2018 07:30:14 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 0A8FA02A-8C30-4EAA-BD1F-DE7E7ADB9E1A**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 14, 2018 at 7:30:04 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 (15 articles)

DR CHRIS BUSBY: POLICE BECOME UNWELL AT CHEMICAL WEAPONS EXPERT'S DEVON HOME
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, explosives, radiation, uranium, waste

FIRE AT SAFDARJUNG HOSPITAL‰??S OPERATION THEATRE, THREE INJURED
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, other_chemical

MULTIPLE FIRES, GAS EXPLOSIONS IN LAWRENCE, ANDOVER AND NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS
Tags: us_MA, public, explosion, death, natural_gas

RITE AID ESTABLISHES POLICY FOR ADDRESSING CHEMICALS OF CONSUMER CONCERN
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, response, formaldehyde, toluene

CHEMICAL PLANTS IN THE CAROLINAS GIRD FOR HURRICANE FLORENCE‰??S FURY
Tags: us_SC, industrial, discovery, environmental

GOVERNMENT STUDY OF BPA BACKS ITS SAFETY, BUT DOESN'T SETTLE DEBATE . NEWS
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

2 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING HAZMAT AT DUXBURY RITE AID
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, freon

11 KIDS, 5 ADULTS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER GAS RELEASE NEAR 2 CAMPUSES IN NORTHWEST HOUSTON
Tags: us_TX, education, release, injury, natural_gas

FIREWORKS INDUSTRY SEEKS HIGH-LEVEL PROBE INTO ERODE FIRE ACCIDENT
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, fireworks

SIX LABOURERS KILLED IN UP FACTORY BLAST
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, flammables

9/11 TOXIC AIR WAS INITIALLY MET WITH SKEPTICISM (VIDEO)
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, death, unknown_chemical

FBI EMPLOYEES GRAPPLE WITH 9/11-RELATED ILLNESSES, DEATHS
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, death, dust

HAZMAT SPILL CLOSES WORCESTER ROAD AFTER TRACTOR-TRAILER OVERTURNS
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide

FIRE AT RAJSHAHI PHARMA FACTORY
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, response, pharmaceutical

RIVERTON FIRE COULD CAUSE HEALTH ISSUES, NEPA AIR QUALITY REPORT FINDS
Tags: Jamaica, public, fire, response, waste


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DR CHRIS BUSBY: POLICE BECOME UNWELL AT CHEMICAL WEAPONS EXPERT'S DEVON HOME
https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/national/2684623/dr-chris-busby-police-become-unwell-at-chemical-weapons-experts-devon-home/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, explosives, radiation, uranium, waste

A chemical weapons expert has been arrested after police started feeling ill while visiting his Devon home.
Dr Chris Busby, 73, has been detained under the explosives act after officers at his Bideford home on Wednesday morning felt unwell.
Devon and Cornwall Police said officers at the retired research scientist's home also found "a number of items" which "require expert analysis from specialist officers and an explosive ordnance disposal team".
The British scientist is an expert on the health effects of internal ionising radiation.
He is a contributor on Russia Today, the Kremlin-funded TV channel.
Dr Busby has also worked for Britain's Ministry of Defence on a depleted uranium committee and a committee examining radiation risks of internal emitters.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the officers who were feeling unwell were immediately removed from the scene and a cordon put in place.
A hazardous area response team ambulance was quickly sent to the scene where they treated the officers.

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FIRE AT SAFDARJUNG HOSPITAL‰??S OPERATION THEATRE, THREE INJURED
https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/fire-at-safdarjung-hospital-s-operation-theatre-three-injured/story-hbWaVLTcClNOpOsFf79JzK.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, other_chemical

Two resident doctors and a nursing officer suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out on Thursday in the new OPD building of Delhi‰??s Safdarjung Hospital.

The hospital administration has constituted an inquiry committee to probe the incident.

According to a preliminary report submitted to the medical superintendent of the hospital, Rajendra Sharma, the fire broke out in the eye operation theatre on the fourth floor of the new OPD building during a routine surgery.

‰??During a routine eye surgery at around 12.38pm, a fire accidentally started due to spillage of chemical agent used for cautery. While the patient suffered no harm and his operative procedure could be completed satisfactorily, the injured staff were immediately shifted to the burns casualty,‰?? the report read.

Three people, a PG resident doctor (26), a senior resident doctor (30) and a nursing officer (33) ‰??received thermal injuries‰??. The woman PG resident doctor has suffered 5% thermal burns and was discharged after first aid, Sharma said.

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MULTIPLE FIRES, GAS EXPLOSIONS IN LAWRENCE, ANDOVER AND NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lawrence-ma-fire-gas-explosion-suspected-2018-09-13-live-updates/
Tags: us_MA, public, explosion, death, natural_gas

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- A series of gas explosions an official described as "Armageddon"-like killed a teenager, injured at least 10 other people and ignited fires in at least 39 homes in three communities north of Boston, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate as crews scrambled to fight the flames and shut off the gas.

Authorities said Leonel Rondon, 18, of Lawrence, died Thursday after a chimney toppled by an exploding house crashed into his car. He was rushed to a Boston hospital but pronounced dead there in the evening.

Massachusetts State Police urged all residents with homes serviced by Columbia Gas in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover to evacuate, snarling traffic and causing widespread confusion as residents and local officials struggled to understand what was happening.

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RITE AID ESTABLISHES POLICY FOR ADDRESSING CHEMICALS OF CONSUMER CONCERN
https://www.oaoa.com/news/business/article_65ba7ee2-cd30-5c3f-8a70-d1eec1e6b448.html
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, response, formaldehyde, toluene

CAMP HILL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2018--Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) today announced that the company has established its Chemical Policy and expanded Restricted Substances List as part of ongoing efforts to continue meeting customer expectations for chemical management and product safety.
Rite Aid has been working closely with supplier partners to eliminate eight high-priority chemicals from formulated private brand items since 2016. These chemicals include triclosan, formaldehyde, toluene, butylparaben, propylparaben, dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate and nonylphenol ethoxylates. As a result, the vast majority of the company‰??s private brand portfolio currently complies with these standards and Rite Aid remains on track to fully eliminate these chemicals from private brand items by 2020.
Rite Aid has also expanded its Restricted Substances List (RSL) to go beyond these eight high-priority chemicals as well as existing U.S. regulatory requirements. The expanded RSL brings additional parabens, phthalates, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) and formaldehyde donors within the scope of Rite Aid‰??s efforts to reduce the use of chemicals of concern, bringing the total number of restricted chemicals from eight to 69. Rite Aid‰??s updated RSL, as well as the complete policy, can be found at www.riteaid.com/corporate/chemical-policy.

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CHEMICAL PLANTS IN THE CAROLINAS GIRD FOR HURRICANE FLORENCE‰??S FURY
https://cen.acs.org/business/Chemical-plants-Carolinas-gird-Hurricane/96/web/2018/09
Tags: us_SC, industrial, discovery, environmental

As Hurricane Florence barrels down on the coasts of North and South Carolina, chemical companies that C&EN reached as of Sept. 12 say they are executing well-established plans for severe weather for their facilities in those states.‰??We‰??re monitoring the progress of Hurricane Florence and have been implementing some preventative steps that are aimed to protect our employees and local communities and safeguard our operations,‰?? says Bob Nelson, corporate communications manager at BASF.
The company has a standing emergency response plan, and staff are trained for adverse weather and other events, he says. BASF has several sites in areas that the hurricane may impact, including an R&D center in Resea

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GOVERNMENT STUDY OF BPA BACKS ITS SAFETY, BUT DOESN'T SETTLE DEBATE . NEWS
https://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-government-study-of-bpa-backs-its-safety-but-doesnt-settle-debate/
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

Government scientists have presented new evidence that the plastic additive BPA isn‰??t a health threat.

Low doses of the chemical given to hundreds of rats, ‰??did not elicit clear, biologically plausible adverse effects,‰?? said K. Barry Delclos, a research pharmacologist at the Food and Drug Administration‰??s National Center for Toxicological Research.

Delclos made the remarks Thursday during an online presentation in which he summarized an important part of a $30 million project called CLARITY-BPA, which was launched in 2012 to resolve questions about the chemical‰??s safety.

The results of the rat study had previously appeared in a draft report on BPA (also known as bisphenol-A) released in February. But since then, the research has undergone peer review and revisions, Delclos said.

During his online presentation, Delclos provided an overview of the two-year study, which involved thousands of rats given a wide range of BPA doses.

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

2 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING HAZMAT AT DUXBURY RITE AID
https://www.necn.com/news/new-england/2-People-Hospitalized-Following-Hazmat-at-Duxbury-Rite-Aid-493058771.html
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, freon

Two workers were hospitalized following a hazmat situation Wednesday morning at a Rite Aid in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
Fire crews received a call of the hazmat at 10:50 a.m., according to officials. At the scene, a Freon leak was discovered inside the store, according to Duxbury Fire Department Captain Reardon.
The workers were taken to an area hospital after suffering from cardiovascular symptoms, according to fire crews.
Officials said the hazmat was caused by a "breach of refrigerated package" shipped to the store.

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11 KIDS, 5 ADULTS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER GAS RELEASE NEAR 2 CAMPUSES IN NORTHWEST HOUSTON
https://abc13.com/11-kids-5-adults-hospitalized-after-gas-release-near-schools/4222650/
Tags: us_TX, education, release, injury, natural_gas

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Sixteen people, including 11 children and five adults, were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital after authorities responded to a natural gas release near school campuses in northwest Houston.

Fifteen people from the KIPP NEXUS campus located at Watonga Boulevard near W. 43rd St. were affected.

One child was transported from the St. Ambrose Catholic School about a mile away.

Fire officials say they all reported feeling nauseous and that they smelled rotten eggs.

According to authorities, a natural gas riser in the area released the odor as it's designed to do. Risers are generally out in an open field.

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FIREWORKS INDUSTRY SEEKS HIGH-LEVEL PROBE INTO ERODE FIRE ACCIDENT
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/fireworks-industry-seeks-high-level-probe-into-erode-fire-accident/article24936572.ece
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, fireworks

The Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers‰?? Association has sought a high-level enquiry into the Wednesday‰??s fire accident at Erode that claimed the lives of three persons and injured five others.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, its general secretary K. Mariappan raised the doubt that the cause of the fire could be ‰??illegally manufactured‰?? fireworks.

Seeking a CB-CID probe into the accident, he said that facts about the manufacturers of the crackers, place of manufacturing, whether the site of the accident had licence for selling crackers should be brought out.

‰??Otherwise, such accidents would bring disrepute to the licensed fireworks industry,‰?? he said.

He also recalled that the association had sought the intervention of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in preventing smuggling and sale of Chinese fireworks on a war footing.

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SIX LABOURERS KILLED IN UP FACTORY BLAST
http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/130918/six-labourers-killed-in-up-factory-blast.html
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, flammables

Lucknow: Six labourers were killed in a chemical explosion that took place in a petro-chemical factory in Bijnore district on Wednesday.

Eleven persons were working at the accident site in the Mohit Petro Chemical factory that produces ethanol when the explosion took place.

Two others were seriously injured and have been admitted to a local hospital. One labourer is missing.

Bijnore SP Umesh Singh said that the blast took place when the labourers were repairing a tank.

‰??The methane gas tanker had developed faults and the labourers were fixing it. While welding, the gas which is highly inflammable, caught fire leading to the explosion‰??, the SP said.

The SP said that a case of negligence was being lodged against the owners of the factory for violating safety norms and allowing welding without taking adequate precautions.

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9/11 TOXIC AIR WAS INITIALLY MET WITH SKEPTICISM (VIDEO)
https://www.newsy.com/stories/9-11-toxic-air-was-initially-met-with-skepticism/
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, death, unknown_chemical

Seventeen years after 9/11, the CDC reports that almost 10,000 first responders and survivors have been diagnosed with cancer. Nearly 3,000 people died during the attack and some outlets report that "Deaths from 9/11 diseases will soon outnumber those lost on that fateful day."

Bridget Gormley lost her firefighter father years after 9/11. He died of 9/11 related cancer. She said, "It sounds a bit morbid when I say this, but if you think about it, it was the perfect terrorist attack because you killed so many people that day, but not only that. Now you have this lasting effect that's going. And it's going to be multi-generations. There are kids that are being born with issues now, too."

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FBI EMPLOYEES GRAPPLE WITH 9/11-RELATED ILLNESSES, DEATHS
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fbi-employees-grapple-9-11-related-illnesses-deaths-n908626
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, death, dust

For hundreds of FBI employees and their families, the anniversary of 9/11 magnifies anxieties that haunt them to this day.

FBI first responders and those involved in the investigation of the worst terror attack in U.S. history continue to be diagnosed with life-threatening diseases. The FBI, doctors and health experts say toxic exposure from fumes, dust and chemicals at the crash sites are the likely cause.

As of the 17th anniversary of the attacks on Tuesday, 15 FBI agents have died from cancers linked to their roles in the 9/11 investigation. Three of them have died in just the last six months.

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HAZMAT SPILL CLOSES WORCESTER ROAD AFTER TRACTOR-TRAILER OVERTURNS
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/09/11/hazmat-spill-closes-worcester-road-after-tractor-trailer-overturns/1274611002/
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide

Maryland hazmat crews are working to contain a sodium hydroxide spill on Snow Hill Road in Girdletree in Worcester County after a tractor-trailer overturned Tuesday.

Maryland State Police said in a news release late Tuesday the road is currently closed and will remain so until dawn Wednesday as crews work to tackle the spill.

Police said sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and alkali that decomposes proteins at ordinary ambient temperatures and may cause severe chemical burns. It is highly soluble in water, and readily absorbs moisture and carbon dioxide from the air.

The crash happened at around 4:45 p.m., state police said in a news release.

Troopers from the the state police Berlin Barrack responded to 3323 Snow Hill Road in Girdletree for a report of an overturned tractor trailer and hazardous material spill.

Initial investigation revealed that the tractor-trailer was transporting 10 containers filled with 330 gallons each of sodium hydroxide.

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FIRE AT RAJSHAHI PHARMA FACTORY
https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/fire-rajshahi-pharma-factory-1632721
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, response, pharmaceutical

A fire broke out at the factory of Kemiko Pharmaceuticals Limited in Rajshahi city's Tikapara area yesterday, damaging its electric supply machines worth Tk 45 lakh.

The blaze was triggered at 11:45am from a transmitter blast at the factory's generator room and engulfed the building, Forhad Hossain, station officer of Rajshahi Fire Service and Civil Defence said.

However, three fire fighting units from Rajshahi Sadar, Nawhata and Rajshahi University doused the flames arrived at the scene by 11:55am with five fire trucks, and doused the fire in about 40 minutes. ‰??We managed to save the factory's laboratory building from the fire,‰?? he said.

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RIVERTON FIRE COULD CAUSE HEALTH ISSUES, NEPA AIR QUALITY REPORT FINDS
http://rjrnewsonline.com/local/riverton-fire-could-cause-health-issues-nepa-air-quality-report-finds
Tags: Jamaica, public, fire, response, waste

An air quality study conducted during and after the Riverton city disposal site fire, which blanketed the Corporate Area with smoke for several days last month, has found that elevated levels of certain gases and particulate matter could have resulted in possible health impacts, especially to sensitive groups.

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) released the report Tuesday afternoon.

It said, based on the findings, it is recommending that the associated health effects be provided by the Ministry of Health.

NEPA said samples were taken during the fire and after firefighting activities ended.

The samples were sent to an accredited laboratory in Canada for analysis.

NEPA's report concludes that the fire from the Riverton disposal facility resulted in deteriorated air quality that affected Southern St. Andrew and Kingston, as well as sections of South Eastern St. Catherine.

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