From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2019 07:55:27 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 9E5109E6-37B7-4DB3-BE0E-CD017D802CFC**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, March 15, 2019 at 7:55:13 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 (11 articles)

WOMAN CASUALLY LEAVES URANIUM WASTE AT CITY DUMPSTER, SPARKS RADIATION SCARE ‰?? RT WORLD NEWS
Tags: Belarus, public, discovery, response, radiation, waste

JOHOR GAS POISONING VICTIMS NOW AT 2,775, BUT PM MAHATHIR SAYS THE SITUATION IS 'UNDER CONTROL', BUSINESS INSIDER
Tags: Malaysia, public, follow-up, environmental, waste

METH EXPOSURE HOSPITALIZES 3 SPENCER, MASS. POLICE OFFICERS
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, dust, clandestine_lab

NOTTINGHAM COLLEGE CORDONED OFF AFTER 'CHEMICAL SPILL' IN SCIENCE LAB
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical

12 PEOPLE TREATED AS HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE LEAK AT BUSINESS IN O'FALLON, MO.
Tags: us_MO, industrial, release, injury, peroxide

HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO OILY SHEEN ON LAKE MERRITT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, petroleum

ARMY DEPLOYS CHEMICAL EXPERTS TO ASSIST IN PASIR GUDANG CONTAMINATION
Tags: Malaysia, public, follow-up, response, waste

ANOTHER CNG CAR CATCHES FIRE NEAR AKSHARDHAM IN DELHI
Tags: India, public, fire, response, gas_cylinders

CHEMICAL FIRE BREAKS OUT IN DRISCOLL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

EXXONMOBIL TO PAY CIVIL PENALTY FROM DEADLY FIRE AT TEXAS REFINERY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, petroleum

LONG LIST OF SAFETY ISSUES AT CLIVE PALMER'S YABULU NICKEL REFINERY REVEALED
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, asbestos


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WOMAN CASUALLY LEAVES URANIUM WASTE AT CITY DUMPSTER, SPARKS RADIATION SCARE ‰?? RT WORLD NEWS
https://www.rt.com/news/453861-radioactive-waste-dumpster-belarus/
Tags: Belarus, public, discovery, response, radiation, waste

A hazmat squad responded after a bucket full of radioactive waste was found near a trash can in Minsk, Belarus. The materials were marked with radiation symbols, which did not stop a local woman from taking them out like trash.
A bucket with cans made of glass and plastic and sporting distinctive radioactivity warning signs were discovered by a stunned communal service worker in Minsk on Thursday. The bucket was placed near a trash can at a dumpster in a residential district.

The vigilant worker immediately alerted emergency services, which dispatched a hazardous materials unit to check for radiation exposure. Once the team arrived at the scene, which was sealed off in precaution, they discovered that the level of radiation within one meter (3.2ft) of the bucket was four times higher than normal.

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JOHOR GAS POISONING VICTIMS NOW AT 2,775, BUT PM MAHATHIR SAYS THE SITUATION IS 'UNDER CONTROL', BUSINESS INSIDER
https://www.businessinsider.my/johor-gas-poisoning-victims-now-at-2775-but-pm-mahathir-says-the-situation-is-under-control/
Tags: Malaysia, public, follow-up, environmental, waste

The situation around Malaysia‰??s Pasir Gudang gas poisoning has worsened, with the number of victims nearly tripling from under 1,000 on Thursday (March 14) to 2,775 on Friday (March 15), state news agency Bernama reported.

The source of the toxic gas is illegally-dumped chemical waste in the Sungai Kim Kim river.

Read also: Johor has closed 111 schools over toxic gases from a polluted river ‰?? here‰??s the full timeline of what happened

The Malaysian Armed Forces dispatched medics and two teams with expertise in chemical and radioactive waste to help with cleanup efforts, Bernama said in a report on March 14. They join a list of government agencies on the scene, including the police, the Hazardous Materials Management (Hazmat) Team and the National Disaster Management Agency.

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METH EXPOSURE HOSPITALIZES 3 SPENCER, MASS. POLICE OFFICERS
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Meth-Exposure-Sends-3-Police-Officers-Spencer-to-Hospital-507189771.html
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, dust, clandestine_lab

Three police officers were hospitalized and a hazmat team responded to the Spencer Police Department in Massachusetts after the officials came into contact with methamphetamine.
Two police officers pulled over a driver Thursday night and encountered a white powder substance in their car. The responding officers reported feeling light-headed and dizzy shortly after and were taken to a nearby hospital.
A third officer and the driver who was yielded were also hospitalized as a precaution. All have since been released from the hospital.
Authorities said a Level 1 hazmat was declared and crews responded to the officers' cruiser and station.

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NOTTINGHAM COLLEGE CORDONED OFF AFTER 'CHEMICAL SPILL' IN SCIENCE LAB
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-college-cordoned-maid-marian-2646304
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical

Nottingham College was cordoned off and evacuated for a brief period on Thursday afternoon, after an accident in one of the labs.

Two students were checked over by paramedics as a precaution, after acetylsalicylic acid - also known as aspirin - spilt during an experiment.

Scores of students were told to leave the campus, at the bottom of Maid Marian Way in Nottingham city centre.

Three fire engines, a police car and an environmental investigation unit rushed to the scene, the campus was cordoned off and Maid Marian Way was closed to traffic.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters from London Road were called to reports of a chemical spill at a premises on Maid Marian Way, Nottingham shortly after 2.30pm today (14 March).

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

12 PEOPLE TREATED AS HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE LEAK AT BUSINESS IN O'FALLON, MO.
https://www.kmov.com/news/people-treated-as-hazmat-crews-investigate-leak-at-business-in/article_f463aefe-4597-11e9-8bf3-8371fe681b85.html
Tags: us_MO, industrial, release, injury, peroxide

O'FALLON, Mo. (KMOV.com)--- Hazmat crews are working to clean up a chemical spill that began early Wednesday morning near a business in O'Fallon, Mo.

Emergency crews were called to the 800 block of Hoff just after 8 a.m. for a reported organic peroxide leak. St. Charles County officials said the chemical started to produce a gas, causing a concern.

KMOV
More than 12 people were treated for possible respiratory issues at the scene but it is unknown where the leak started.

The leak was contained within 30 minutes and there is no current threat to the public at this time, officials say.

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HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO OILY SHEEN ON LAKE MERRITT
https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Hazmat-Team-Responds-To-Oily-Sheen-On-Lake-Merritt-13687267.php
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, petroleum

An oily sheen on Lake Merritt was reported Wednesday evening to Oakland fire officials, a fire captain and dispatcher said.

Someone called the fire department at 6:44 p.m. to report the sheen on the lake near the corner of Harrison Street and Grand Avenue

"We see a sheen," fire Capt. Matthew Nichelini said.

A hazardous materials team responded and around 8 p.m. were placing a boom around the sheen to contain it.

Nichelini said it looked to be some sort of fuel, but firefighters hadn't confirmed that.

Nichelini did not know how much potential fuel was in the water. He said the amount was "very small."

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ARMY DEPLOYS CHEMICAL EXPERTS TO ASSIST IN PASIR GUDANG CONTAMINATION
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/03/14/army-deploys-chemical-experts-to-assist-in-pasir-gudang-contamination/1732686
Tags: Malaysia, public, follow-up, response, waste

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 14 ‰?? The Malaysian Armed Forces deployed its Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) team yesterday, to assist the Hazardous Materials and Waste Management (Hazmat) Unit in clearing the contamination caused by the illegal chemical dumping in Pasir Gudang, which led to toxic fumes spreading in the area.

In a statement, today, the team from the Royal Army Engineers Regiment (RAJD), consisting of four officers and 21 others from different rankings, is led by Lieutenant Colonel Norhelmi Ismail.

It said the CBRN observation team has reported to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) management centre at the Taman Pasir Putih multipurpose hall in the district, while its decontaminating team are set to help authorities in the cleaning process.

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ANOTHER CNG CAR CATCHES FIRE NEAR AKSHARDHAM IN DELHI
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/another-cng-car-catches-fire-near-akshardham/articleshow/68399686.cms
Tags: India, public, fire, response, gas_cylinders

NEW DELHI: Two days a woman and her two daughters were killed in a car blaze on Akshardham flyover, a Honda City car went up in flames just half a kilometre away on the same stretch on Wednesday afternoon. It is suspected that a leak in the CNG cylinder caused the fire.

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CHEMICAL FIRE BREAKS OUT IN DRISCOLL
https://kztv10.com/news/2019/03/13/chemical-fire-breaks-out-in-driscoll/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Emergency crews battled a large chemical fire in Driscoll, Texas.

The fire broke out Wednesday morning just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at 100 S. Sunset St.

The Driscoll police chief said a couple of tanks ignited. Fire crews were concerned the blaze would reach two tanks nearby.

Officers temporarily shut down FM 665 near County Road 81, but the road reopened about 12:30.

No word on what caused the blaze at this time.

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EXXONMOBIL TO PAY CIVIL PENALTY FROM DEADLY FIRE AT TEXAS REFINERY
https://www.orangeleader.com/2019/03/13/exxonmobil-to-pay-civil-penalty-from-deadly-fire-at-texas-refinery/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, petroleum

WASHINGTON ‰?? The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with ExxonMobil Oil Corporation (ExxonMobil) today to resolve federal Clean Air Act claims arising from a 2013 fire at the company‰??s oil refinery in Beaumont, Texas that killed two employees and injured ten others. In a complaint filed today with the settlement, the United States alleges that the company violated Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act, which requires measures to prevent accidental releases of extremely hazardous substances that can have serious public health and environmental consequences.

The April 17, 2013, fire at the refinery occurred when workers used a torch to remove bolts from the top, or ‰??head,‰?? of a device called a heat exchanger. The torch ignited hydrocarbons released from the head. EPA‰??s inspection following the incident disclosed violations of Section 112(r) and of the regulations known as the Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions.

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LONG LIST OF SAFETY ISSUES AT CLIVE PALMER'S YABULU NICKEL REFINERY REVEALED
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-14/clive-palmer-yabulu-qld-nickel-refinery-qld/10897998
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, asbestos

Leaking chemicals, a disintegrating asbestos roof and crumbling structures are among the list of concerns recently raised by authorities looking into Clive Palmer's nickel refinery near Townsville in north Queensland.

Key points:

The Yabulu site has been in caretaker-maintainer mode since 2016
WHSQ found other issues across two subsequent investigations in 2017 and 2018
In a statement to ABC News, Clive Palmer said operators have been working with authorities in accordance to workplace laws
The safety issues are detailed in three separate reports commissioned by the Queensland Government since the refinery's financial collapse in early 2016.

It comes in addition to revelations of a dangerous explosion at the site and fears about the structural integrity of the refinery's concrete stack, as revealed by ABC's 7.30 this week.

The site has been in caretaker-maintainer mode since 2016.

One of the reports, carried out by private engineering firm WorleyParsons in 2016 on behalf of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), found structures at the refinery visually corroded and deteriorated amid chemical leaks.

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