From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles)
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2019 07:35:42 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: F25E97C0-4F76-48E4-BC23-0B27604F0E30**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 7:35:25 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 (12 articles)

INVESTIGATORS TO ENTER ITC TANK FARM FOR FIRST TIME SINCE...
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum

FIREFIGHTERS, EMPLOYEES BATTLE FLAMES AT WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILI
Tags: us_NY, public, fire, response, waste

POLICE OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTER AMONG 6 HOSPITALIZED AFTER CRASH AT QUNICY GAS STATION SETS OFF FIRE SUPPRESSANT SYSTEM
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, dust

URGENCY RISES FOR TACKLING HAZARDOUS WASTE
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, waste

OFFICIALS: FOUL ODOR NEAR CHOCTAW AREA NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, petroleum, waste

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL FIELD DOUSED IN GASOLINE, SET ON FIRE IN ATTEMPT TO DRY IT FASTER
Tags: us_CT, education, fire, response, gasoline

DUNBAR HALL, 'IT STINKS'
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, discovery, environmental

UPDATED: BUILDING REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION AT INL BUILDING
Tags: us_ID, industrial, release, response, hvac_chemicals

RALEIGH FIRE CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT AT NC STATE LAB
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

KMCO EXPLOSION IN CROSBY, TEXAS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED: LAWSUIT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables

WATCHDOG: EPA DATA ON SEWER PLANT POLLUTION IS INACCURATE
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

MERCURY SPILL AT CHICAGO SCHOOL LARGER THAN 1ST REPORTED; SCHOOL STILL CLOSED WEEK LATER
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, follow-up, response, mercury


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INVESTIGATORS TO ENTER ITC TANK FARM FOR FIRST TIME SINCE...
https://www.click2houston.com/news/itc-officials-to-give-progress-update-a-month-after-chemical-fire
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum

PASADENA, Texas - It has been over a month since a massive fire broke out at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. in Deer Park.

After burning for multiple days and two flare-ups, crews were able to put the blaze out and begin the cleanup process.

n the following days, a benzene detection forced a shelter-in-place order for the area, nearby waters were polluted with oily residue from runoff and residents in Channelview even saw some flyaway foam landing in their yards.

ITC was also hit with multiple lawsuits over the fire, including lawsuits filed by the Texas attorney general and Harris County.

According to the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office, investigators are expected to enter the tank farm Tuesday for the first time since the blaze erupted.

"Investigators will conduct an initial scene examination," said Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen. "Investigators will make entry into the tank farm with the appropriate level of personal protective equipment (PPE), which will include hazmat suits and air purifying respirators."

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

FIREFIGHTERS, EMPLOYEES BATTLE FLAMES AT WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILI
http://hudsonvalley.news12.com/story/40278593/firefighters-employees-battle-flames-at-waste-management-facility-in-yonkers
Tags: us_NY, public, fire, response, waste

YONKERS -
Fire officials say a chemical may have started a fire Tuesday morning at the Waste Management building in Yonkers.

The rubbish fire spread to piles of papers, cans and bottles. The flames erupted just feet away from multiple gas pumps at a Sunoco gas station.

Workers inside the tin building on Yonkers Avenue say recyclable material caught fire and the flames quickly grew out of control. There were four employees inside when the fire began.

The employees on duty for the private company tried to put out the fire, but couldn't do so without the help of 13 fire companies.

"My co-workers had grabbed a fire extinguisher," says Steven Huber. "We grabbed fire hoses, but the water pressure was too low so we couldn't actually put out the fire at all."

There were no reports of any injuries.

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

POLICE OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTER AMONG 6 HOSPITALIZED AFTER CRASH AT QUNICY GAS STATION SETS OFF FIRE SUPPRESSANT SYSTEM
https://www.wcvb.com/article/man-hopes-homemade-t-shirt-will-help-him-find-kidney-donor/27019414
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, dust

Six people, including two police officers and a firefighter, were taken to local hospitals following a gas station crash that activated the fire suppression system.

Officials said an elderly man accidentally backed his sedan into one of the pumps at the Prestige gas station at the intersection of Franklin and School streets in Quincy.

The elderly driver also struck a pedestrian and the falling gas pump landed on a blue SUV. The female driver of the SUV, the elderly driver and the man he hit were all treated for minor injuries.

Under protocol, the gas station activated the fire suppression system, which sprayed a chemical in the form of white powder.

Two police officers and a firefighter were also treated because they inhaled the white powder. They are all expected to be OK.

The fire chief said the crash resulted in no fire, explosions or serious injuries.

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

URGENCY RISES FOR TACKLING HAZARDOUS WASTE
http://www.ecns.cn/news/2019-04-10/detail-ifzhaszu6982168.shtml
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, waste

The deadly blast at a chemical plant in Jiangsu province last month that left 78 dead clearly highlights the urgent need to properly handle hazardous waste management in the country.

As central authorities tighten management by revising laws and issuing detailed policies to support hazardous waste treatment, experts are calling for mandating that facilities to process such waste be built in all chemical industry parks nationwide.

The explosion occurred on March 21 in Xiangshui county, Yancheng, at a Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co Ltd plant. The accident also injured more than 600.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, set up an investigation group and the probe into the cause of the blast is ongoing.

Multiple sources have suggested that the casual handling of hazardous chemical waste produced by the company could be a cause of the deadly blast.

China Chemical Industry News reported that the blast originated at the company's hazardous waste storage facility, citing a source close to the investigation group.

Beijing News also reported that the facility caught fire before the explosion. The facility is adjacent to a natural gas station, the explosion of which caused the tragedy, the report said.

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

OFFICIALS: FOUL ODOR NEAR CHOCTAW AREA NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN
https://www.wbrz.com/news/officials-foul-odor-near-choctaw-area-no-cause-for-concern/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, petroleum, waste

BATON ROUGE - The fire department says a strange odor near the Choctaw area Monday night is not dangerous, and nearby residents and businesses should not be concerned.

The foul smell was reported late Monday night near Kincaid Ave and Choctaw Drive. A spokesperson with the Baton Rouge Fire Department says waste oil products leaked from drums while being moved from a nearby warehouse.

HazMat was called to the scene.

Officials say there is no danger and a cleanup effort is underway.

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

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL FIELD DOUSED IN GASOLINE, SET ON FIRE IN ATTEMPT TO DRY IT FASTER
http://www.wlox.com/2019/04/09/high-school-baseball-field-doused-gasoline-set-fire-attempt-dry-it-faster/
Tags: us_CT, education, fire, response, gasoline

RIDGEFIELD, CT (WTNH/CNN) - A high school baseball field in Connecticut needs repairs after police say it was set on fire in a reported attempt to warm up the infield before a game.
Police are investigating but are unsure if anyone will face charges after the Ridgefield High School baseball field was set on fire Saturday morning. Video shot by a teacher reportedly shows the moment after 24 gallons of gasoline were poured on the infield and set ablaze.
"It had rained the night before, [and] there was a scheduled baseball game... [that] was delayed due to the wet field. It is an active investigation into who instructed, if anybody instructed, in regard to warming the field with fire,‰?? said Police Capt. Shawn Platt.
When the fire started burning, someone among the families gathered at the field ran across the street to the police department and notified authorities.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's hazmat group was called. Gasoline-soaked soil had to be tested and removed. It‰??s a process that will cost the town thousands.
"I‰??d like to see somebody pay for it, rather than me. All the people who stood around and thought it was a good idea, it would be nice if they all chipped in and paid for it,‰?? one resident said.
The field will be closed for the remainder of the week as testing is done on the soil. Meanwhile, neighbors have been left wondering why the incident happened.

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

DUNBAR HALL, 'IT STINKS'
https://ndsuspectrum.com/dunbar-hall-it-stinks/
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, discovery, environmental

Dunbar Hall is an unsafe eyesore. The university doesn‰??t want to showcase it, the state hasn‰??t been able to pay for it for the last two decades, no private investors want to invest because of the lack of chemistry companies in the area and no one in their right minds would want to work or study in it.

Simply put, Dunbar Hall is a burden to the chemistry department here at North Dakota State for both students and staff. Furthermore, it is a hindrance to the potential of the state economy. Dunbar is gross, it smells, the bathrooms are outdated and it has been cited as a potential fire hazard for years.

And this isn‰??t a uniquely NDSU problem; there are buildings like Dunbar Hall all across this country.

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

UPDATED: BUILDING REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION AT INL BUILDING
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2019/04/chemical-leak-prompts-evacuation-at-inl-building/
Tags: us_ID, industrial, release, response, hvac_chemicals

IDAHO FALLS ‰?? The Energy Innovation Building at Idaho National Laboratory has reopened after a refrigerant leak prompted the evacuation of the building.

Sarah Neumann, a spokeswoman for INL said Building C has reopened as of 4 p.m. to the approximately 100 employees who work there.

She confirmed the 407C liquid gas is a chemical used in the air-conditioning system at the building.

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

RALEIGH FIRE CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT AT NC STATE LAB
https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-fire-crews-respond-to-hazmat-incident-at-nc-state-lab/1909518672
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) -- Fire crews are at the scene of a hazardous materials incident in a lab at North Carolina State University Monday evening.

The incident was reported around 6 p.m. at 2820 Faucette Drive.

Raleigh fire officials said two chemicals were mixed together in the lab, triggering the hazmat incident.

Fire officials are not sure what chemicals were used or what chemical was created when they were mixed together.

So far, the building has not been evacuated, but people inside are being told to "shelter in place."

No one was injured.

Authorities said they expect to be on the scene for at least an hour.

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

KMCO EXPLOSION IN CROSBY, TEXAS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED: LAWSUIT
https://abc13.com/kmco-explosion-could-have-been-prevented-lawsuit/5239431/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables

CROSBY, Texas (KTRK) -- Could the deadly blast at KMCO have been prevented? Three contractors who worked at the plant say yes.

"They absolutely knew about the leak... at least within the many minutes before the explosion," said Larry Wilson.

Wilson represents the three contractors who filed suit Monday morning.

These contractors are claiming in the suit that officials knew about a leak in a check valve that malfunctioned. That valve, according to the lawsuit, was connected to the butylene line.

"Obviously what they should have been doing at that point was calling a general alarm and evacuating people when they began to suspect a leak," said Wilson.

The lawsuit claims that authorities instead only went to investigate, and in that time the fire ignited

"The only way that you end up with flammable products outside of where they're supposed to be is because you at some point had a breakdown in the system," claimed Wilson.

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

WATCHDOG: EPA DATA ON SEWER PLANT POLLUTION IS INACCURATE
http://www.startribune.com/watchdog-epa-data-on-sewer-plant-pollution-is-inaccurate/508291152/
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

The Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general says data released to the public about municipal sewer discharges is not accurate.

The agency watchdog sent a letter to the head of the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention on Monday, warning that some information about hazardous substances released from publicly owned sewer systems is missing from a public database.

The watchdog says there were "discrepancies" between the total pounds of releases in the Toxics Release Inventory and internal data the EPA provided to the inspector general for the reporting years 2014-2017.

The agency publishes information about emissions and discharges of potentially harmful chemicals to water, air and land from private and public facilities nationwide.

An EPA spokesman says the agency corrected the information within three days of learning about it internally.

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

MERCURY SPILL AT CHICAGO SCHOOL LARGER THAN 1ST REPORTED; SCHOOL STILL CLOSED WEEK LATER
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/cps-mercury-spill-belmont-cragin-school-camras-elementary/
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, follow-up, response, mercury

Seven days after a mercury spill initially deemed ‰??very small‰?? by school district officials, a Belmont Cragin elementary remains shut down at least through the end of the week as city and federal officials continue cleanup efforts that have left many parents on edge.

A day after the March 26 spill at Marvin Camras Elementary, Chicago Public Schools officials called the closure precautionary, due to a small thermometer breaking inside a science lab in the school at 3000 N. Mango Ave.

CPS says they‰??ve since learned it was actually a barometer that spilled 5 tablespoons of the toxic metal.

‰??While this is a larger release than our initial estimate, it has not changed the type of response needed to ensure students are safe,‰?? according to a district statement.

‰??The health and safety of our students and staff is the district‰??s highest priority, and thankfully no students at Camras have required medical treatment,‰?? CPS spokesman Michael Passman said in an email. ‰??CPS is working with its partners at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chicago Department of Public Health to ensure the safety of Camras students and staff, and classes will resume at the school once remediation efforts are complete and the building is cleared for student use by the EPA and Chicago Department of Public Health.‰??

EPA workers remained at the school through the weekend, and the school was still closed Wednesday.

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