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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (19 articles)
Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2019 07:20:23 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 7E311E30-21CD-494A-B8D6-A25805CBFEA5**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, August 5, 2019 at 7:20:06 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 (19 articles)
A THOROUGH INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE HAZARD ANALYSIS PROCESS LEADS TO SELECTING THE PROPER CONTROLS FOR WORKER PROTECTION
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, ammonia, waste
CHLORINE ODOR SENDS TWO TO VALLEY HOSPITAL
Tags: us_nj, industrial, release, injuries, chlorine
BOMB BLAST INSIDE CDO POLICE HQ 'ACCIDENTAL'
Tags: Philippines, explosion, industrial, response, explosives
CREWS DOUSED HIGHLY FLAMMABLE STYRENE AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN SOUTHERN ALTA.
Tags: canada, transportation, fire, response, styrene
WATER UNCERTAINTY FRUSTRATES VICTIMS OF CALIFORNIA'S WORST WILDFIRE . NEWS
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental
BALDWIN COUNTY CREWS INVESTIGATE AFTER MAN LOSES URANIUM ROCK IN YARD
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, uranium
POTENTIAL MERCURY LEAK IN OCEAN GROVE
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, mercury
APP STATE‰??S SAMUELLA B. SIGMANN WINS 2019 ACS HOWARD FAWCETT CHEMICAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AWARD
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, discovery, environmental
BURNSVILLE APARTMENT BUILDINGS EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK; 2 HURT ‰?? WCCO
Tags: us_MN, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
EXCLUSIVE: PES MAY REPORT TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASE IN JUNE REFINERY BLAST -SOURCES
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
PIPELINE BLAST KILLS ONE IN LINCOLN COUNTY, KENTUCKY
Tags: us_KY, transportation, explosion, death, natural_gas
PEPPER SPRAY ATTACK AT SALVATION ARMY STORE SENDS 5 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, public, release, injury, pepper_spray
HAZMAT SITUATION HOSPITALIZES FIVE FIREFIGHTERS
Tags: us_RI, public, release, injury, pesticides
BORDEN & REMINGTON WORKER HOSPITALIZED AFTER AMMONIA SPILL AT FALL RIVER PLANT
Tags: us_RI, transportation, release, injury, ammonia
SECOND COMPANY COMES UNDER FIRE FOR RELEASING CANCEROUS TOXINS INTO THE AIR
Tags: us_GA, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
WORKER SUES EXXON FOR INJURIES IN BAYTOWN PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
BELDING MANUFACTURER‰??S FAILURE TO SECURE VOLATILE CHEMICAL ‰??UNLAWFUL,‰?? JUDGE SAYS
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, response, chlorine
TEXAS COUNTY SUES EXXON OVER AIR POLLUTION FROM PETROCHEMICAL FIRE: OFFICIAL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS INSTALLS TEMPORARY LABS TO REPLACE THOSE DESTROYED BY FIRE
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
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A THOROUGH INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE HAZARD ANALYSIS PROCESS LEADS TO SELECTING THE PROPER CONTROLS FOR WORKER PROTECTION
https://opexshare.doe.gov/lesson.cfm/2019/7/29/28125/A-Thorough-Industrial-Hygiene-Hazard-Analysis-Process-Leads-to-Selecting-the-Proper-Controls-for-Worker-Protection
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, ammonia, waste
Workers at the Environmental Restoration and Disposal Facility were untarping waste containers when a personal ammonia monitor worn by a worker alarmed. A peak reading of 302 parts per million (ppm) was recorded. This exceeded the Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health Level for ammonia of 300 ppm. Controls were not in place to protect workers from ammonia exposure.
Lesson Learned: Reliance on monitoring real-time data in the breathing zone of workers did not indicate potential hazard from the actual source. The hazard evaluation also did not include any monitoring or historical data to evaluate the potential hazard from inside the ZP-1 Roll-On/Roll-Off waste containers. A robust hazard analysis process includes monitoring hazards from the source in addition to the breathing zone and a review of historical data to insure proper controls are selected for worker protection.
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CHLORINE ODOR SENDS TWO TO VALLEY HOSPITAL
http://glenrocknews.today/2019/08/03/chlorine-odor-sends-two-to-valley-hospital/
Tags: us_nj, industrial, release, injuries, chlorine
A strong odor of chlorine inside of the Village of Ridgewood‰??s Waste Water Treatment Facility, located at 561 Prospect Street, Glen Rock, caused multiple employees of the facility to feel ill on Saturday morning. This resulted in emergency response by Glen Rock PD, Glen Rock FD, Glen Rock EMS, and the Bergen County Hazmat Unit.
Two of the workers overcome by fumes were transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital for treatment. The source of the odor remains under investigation by FD and Hazmat personnel.
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BOMB BLAST INSIDE CDO POLICE HQ 'ACCIDENTAL'
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1076884
Tags: Philippines, explosion, industrial, response, explosives
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY ‰?? Authorities ruled out the possibility that Friday's explosion inside the headquarters of the police's Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) here was an act of sabotage.
‰??There was no human intervention. It was likely that the explosion was caused by a chemical reaction,‰?? said Lt. Colonel Mardy Hortillosa, the Police Regional Office-10 spokesperson, on Saturday.
Hortillosa said about 50 stored bombs and other ordnance exploded inside the RFMB camp in Barangay Indahag, causing alarm among the residents living nearby.
Citing an initial report provided by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal investigation team, Hortillosa said it was not probable that the explosion was triggered by human intervention as there would have been casualties if that were the case.
He said the unexploded ordnance (UXO) were stored in a shed made of wood and galvanized iron sheets located a few meters from the RMFB office. The blast did not damage the main building itself, including its living quarters and armory.
The police official admitted that the explosive storage facility was not the ideal place to stock bombs and other explosives.
He said the storage site should have been situated at least three kilometers away from any building or a populated area.
Hortillosa said the storage should have also been made of solid materials.
Last month, he said Explosive and Ordnance Division experts from the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters inspected the facility and recommended that the UXOs be disposed of.
‰??But before these bombs could be disposed of, the explosion happened,‰?? Hortillosa said, adding the remaining UXOs inside the camp has been disposed of. (PNA)
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CREWS DOUSED HIGHLY FLAMMABLE STYRENE AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN SOUTHERN ALTA.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/irving-derailment-spill-update-1.5235783
Tags: canada, transportation, fire, response, styrene
Residents in Cypress County in southeastern Alberta are back in their homes after a train derailment led to a chemical spill near the community.
The county confirmed Saturday that the leaked material was the highly flammable substance styrene.
An Alberta Emergency Alert told residents within a seven-kilometre radius to evacuate the area immediately on Friday afternoon.
The train derailed on the west side of Irvine ‰?? a community of about 300 people, some 35 kilometres southeast from Medicine Hat ‰?? along the north side of Highway 1 in Cypress County, officials said.
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WATER UNCERTAINTY FRUSTRATES VICTIMS OF CALIFORNIA'S WORST WILDFIRE . NEWS
https://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-water-uncertainty-frustrates-victims-of-californias-worst-wildfire/
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental
Tammy Waller thought she was one of the lucky ones after her home in Magalia survived California‰??s most destructive wildfire ever, but her community remains a ghostly skeleton of its former self.
Hazmat crews are still clearing properties, and giant dump trucks haul away toxic debris. Signs on the water fountains in the town hall say, ‰??Don‰??t drink.‰??
Waller remembers the day she came back home after the Camp Fire.
‰??When I first walked in, I went to my kitchen sink and turned on the water, and it was just literally black,‰?? Waller says.
After the fire, scientists detected dangerous levels of cancer-causing benzenes from burned plastics in some water lines. Recent tests show the problem has not gone away. Chronic exposure to benzenes can heighten the risk of blood cancers such as leukemia.
Today, Waller‰??s taps are running clear, and she has been told the water is safe to drink. But less than a half-mile away, in a neighborhood destroyed by fire, the water isn‰??t considered safe. And the pipes there are part of the same system that brings water to Waller‰??s neighborhood.
‰??It‰??s not a risk I want to take to drink it,‰?? Waller says.
Fire survivors like Waller are frustrated by the mixed signals from state and local officials. It‰??s not always clear which water is safe, who‰??s at risk and who isn‰??t.
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BALDWIN COUNTY CREWS INVESTIGATE AFTER MAN LOSES URANIUM ROCK IN YARD
https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/baldwin-county-crews-investigate-after-man-loses-uranium-rock-in-yard/93-c59c7f30-4068-4b1a-9d68-46e59a9f1a03
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, uranium
A Baldwin County man had a scare Friday evening after he said he lost a piece of uranium mineral rock in his yard.
According to Chief Deputy Phillip Adams with Baldwin County Fire Rescue, just before 6 p.m., 911 dispatch was called to a home on Carrs Station Road where a man who described himself as a rock collector said he got a shipment of depleted uranium the size of a piece of gravel and believed he lost it in his yard.
WMAZ
Fire rescue called CHEMTREC, a call center for hazmat emergency response coordination, as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Protection Division. They told the man to turn the rock over to authorities. Crews also reached out to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the ATF to help.
---------------------------------------------
POTENTIAL MERCURY LEAK IN OCEAN GROVE
https://www.bay939.com.au/news/local-news/107556-potential-mercury-leak-in-ocean-grove
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, mercury
CFA have declared the area of a small mercury spill in Ocean Grove officially safe.
The incident saw an antique object containing mercury dropped while a resident was moving, forcing the evacuation of a home and its resident.
Fire fighters and HAZMAT contained and cleared the scene on Saturday afternoon, with the area back to normal by 3:55pm.
CFA Duty officer Ian Breswick says it was a fairly unusual callout.
"We still do get do the odd mercury leak where people drop thermometers and old clocks and things," he said.
"It's not something we go to regularly but we do get them every now and then."
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APP STATE‰??S SAMUELLA B. SIGMANN WINS 2019 ACS HOWARD FAWCETT CHEMICAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AWARD
https://today.appstate.edu/2019/08/02/sigmann
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, discovery, environmental
BOONE, N.C. ‰?? The American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Health and Safety (ACS CHAS) has announced Appalachian State University‰??s Samuella B. Sigmann ‰??80 ‰??88 as the recipient of its 2019 Howard Fawcett Chemical Health and Safety Award. The award recognizes outstanding leadership and service in the field of chemical health and safety.
Sigmann, a senior lecturer of chemical safety education, certified Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) and chemistry stockroom director in Appalachian‰??s A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences (CFS), will receive the award during the ACS Fall 2019 National Meeting in San Diego Aug. 25‰??29.
‰??Being recognized by my peers for ‰??outstanding contributions in the field of chemical health and safety‰?? is quite an honor for me,‰?? Sigmann said. ‰??The ACS is starting to recognize chemical safety as a true subdiscipline of chemistry and it is exciting to be part of this.
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BURNSVILLE APARTMENT BUILDINGS EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK; 2 HURT ‰?? WCCO
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/08/02/burnsville-apartment-buildings-evacuated-due-to-chemical-leak-2-hurt/
Tags: us_MN, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ‰?? Fire officials in Burnsville say a chemical leak that prompted the evacuations of two apartment buildings Friday has been resolved.
According to the Burnsville Fire Department, it received a call at 9 a.m. about a pool chemical leak at the Carrington Court Apartments, located at 700 Evergreen Drive.
Upon arrival, crews discovered chemicals actively leaking and causing health concerns for residents and firefighters. Two victims were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
---------------------------------------------
EXCLUSIVE: PES MAY REPORT TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASE IN JUNE REFINERY BLAST -SOURCES
https://kfgo.com/news/articles/2019/aug/02/exclusive-pes-may-report-toxic-chemical-release-in-june-refinery-blast-sources/924236/?refer-section=national
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
(Reuters) - Philadelphia Energy Solutions was expected to report to government officials on Friday that the toxic chemical hydrofluoric acid may have been released from its refinery in June, when a series of blasts and fire damaged the plant, two sources familiar with the plan said.
It was unclear how much of the chemical might have been released from the refinery or if the PES report would be made public, the sources said. PES officials were not immediately available for comment.
PES filed for bankruptcy on July 21 and is winding down the 335,000 barrel-per-day refinery with no scheduled restart after the fire. City, state and federal agencies are investigating the June 21 fire.
---------------------------------------------
PIPELINE BLAST KILLS ONE IN LINCOLN COUNTY, KENTUCKY
https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/pipeline-blast-kills-one-in-lincoln-county-kentucky/article_7ad8621a-b472-11e9-8aa9-17fe4bc6b82d.html
Tags: us_KY, transportation, explosion, death, natural_gas
JUNCTION CITY, Ky. (WDRB) ‰?? At least one person died and five others were injured after authorities said a natural gas pipeline ruptured early Thursday in Lincoln County, Ky., triggering an explosion and massive fire that could be seen as far away as Lexington.
Lisa Renee Derringer, 58, was killed, according to Lincoln County Coroner Farris Marcum. She was among those living closest to the blast and was found outside her home, said Kentucky State Police spokesman Tpr. Robert Purdy.
---------------------------------------------
PEPPER SPRAY ATTACK AT SALVATION ARMY STORE SENDS 5 TO HOSPITAL
https://patch.com/illinois/oaklawn/pepper-spray-attack-salvation-army-store-sends-5-hospital
Tags: us_IL, public, release, injury, pepper_spray
OAK LAWN, IL ‰?? A pepper spray attack inside a thrift store on Thursday afternoon sent five people to area hospitals with respiratory issues. Two other people drove themselves, Oak Lawn fire officials said.
The Oak Lawn fire crews responded to a report of a possible hazmat situation just after 2 p.m. at the Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center on 87th Street and Cicero Avenue. When firefighters arrived, customers and employees were standing outside the store. The fire department enacted an EMS Plan 2, calling for more ambulances to transport patients.
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HAZMAT SITUATION HOSPITALIZES FIVE FIREFIGHTERS
https://turnto10.com/news/local/hazmat-situation-hospitalizes-five-firefighters
Tags: us_RI, public, release, injury, pesticides
Misuse of pesticides leads to a hazmat situation in East Providence on Thursday.
Firefighters responded to a home on Roger Williams Avenue for a woman having trouble breathing.
She had sprayed a large number of pesticides inside the house officials say.
Five firefighters were taken to the hospital with trouble breathing, the Battalion Chief told NBC 10.
Everyone is expected to be okay.
---------------------------------------------
BORDEN & REMINGTON WORKER HOSPITALIZED AFTER AMMONIA SPILL AT FALL RIVER PLANT
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20190801/borden-amp-remington-worker-hospitalized-after-ammonia-spill-at-fall-river-plant
Tags: us_RI, transportation, release, injury, ammonia
FALL RIVER ‰?? A Borden & Remington Corporation employee was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for observation after liquid ammonia spilled on him Thursday afternoon while he unloaded a shipment of the corrosive chemical, according to fire officials.
Fall River police, EMS and fire officials trained in hazmat situations responded to the 63 Water St. chemical distribution company about 1 p.m.
According to Fall River Fire Department District Chief Kevin Blythe, the employee forgot to close a stoppage valve before he disconnected a hose used to transfer the liquid ammonia from a tractor trailer.
‰??He forgot to close the valve when he was unhooking the hose and a blast (of aqueous ammonia) came out,‰?? said Blythe.
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SECOND COMPANY COMES UNDER FIRE FOR RELEASING CANCEROUS TOXINS INTO THE AIR
https://www.cbs46.com/news/second-company-comes-under-fire-for-releasing-cancerous-toxins-into/article_2a5358f0-b4cb-11e9-8669-43060fd3d351.html
Tags: us_GA, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
COVINGTON, Ga. (CBS46) -- A community is terrified with concerns of a cancer-causing chemical being leaked into the air by a local plant.
Residnets of a Covington community are looking for answers after a recent WebMD article linked a Covington business to cancer-causing chemicals.
Nearly 200 citizens packed Calvary Baptist Church on Mills Street Thursday night -- many fearful of exposure and possible health issues.
‰??If it‰??s being omitted all the time then it‰??s really a 24-hour exposure to this chemical,‰?? said one citizen.
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WORKER SUES EXXON FOR INJURIES IN BAYTOWN PLANT EXPLOSION
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Worker-sues-Exxon-for-injuries-in-Baytown-plant-14274888.php
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A worker who was injured in the Exxon Mobil plant explosion sued the chemical company on Thursday, asking for 1$ million in damages, according to the petition.
The worker, Daniel Serrano, is being treated for injuries to his neck, back, head and other parts of his body, the lawsuit said. In total, 37 people were injured Wednesday morning in the blast, which sent a plume of smoke around the Baytown facility and forced a brief shelter-in-place order.
"Filing this lawsuit will allow Daniel and his family to use the civil courts to discover what happened to cause this catastrophic explosion and to hold Exxon accountable," Serrano's attorney, Kyle Findley, said in a prepared statement. "All refinery accidents are preventable, and it's important for the workers and the community to find out what could have prevented this disaster."
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BELDING MANUFACTURER‰??S FAILURE TO SECURE VOLATILE CHEMICAL ‰??UNLAWFUL,‰?? JUDGE SAYS
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/08/belding-manufacturers-failure-to-secure-volatile-chemical-unlawful-judge-says.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, response, chlorine
BELDING, MI -- After ‰??continued failure‰?? to secure a volatile chemical, a Belding manufacturing plant now risks contempt of court.
Ionia County Circuit Judge Ronald Schafer recently ordered Kassouni Manufacturing Inc. to stop all production using the chemical, trichloroisocyanuric acid, and secure all remaining stocks.
Trichloroisocyanuric acid is a volatile chemical that catches fire and releases toxic chlorine gas when subjected to small amounts of water. KMI uses it in the production of tablets for chlorinating pools.
KMI‰??s ‰??continued failure to secure all trichloroisocyanuric acid at its manufacturing plant is unlawful, and poses an immediate and irreparable risk to the public health, safety and welfare,‰?? Schafer wrote in the July 26 order.
If KMI violates the order, they risk contempt of court, which could carry monetary fines.
In the 12 years or so that KMI has operated in a residential area of Belding, the company has had at least seven trichloroisocyanuric acid fires that resulted in toxic chlorine gas releases, according to the Ionia County Health Department.
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TEXAS COUNTY SUES EXXON OVER AIR POLLUTION FROM PETROCHEMICAL FIRE: OFFICIAL
https://kdal610.com/news/articles/2019/aug/01/exxon-faces-lawsuit-over-air-pollution-from-petrochemical-fire-official/923802/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Harris County, Texas sued Exxon Mobil Corp on Thursday over pollution from a fire a day earlier at the company's Baytown Olefins Plant, according to an attorney for the county.
The fire was being investigated by federal and state agencies. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) were at the scene to determine the cause of a blaze that raged for hours and raised a column of black smoke over the area.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which is authorized to probe industrial chemical accidents, will not investigate the Baytown Olefins Plant fire, said spokeswoman Hillary Cohen in a statement.
The suit by Harris County, which includes Baytown, is the second lawsuit this year against the company involving fires at the plant.
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UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS INSTALLS TEMPORARY LABS TO REPLACE THOSE DESTROYED BY FIRE
https://cen.acs.org/safety/lab-safety/University-St-Andrews-installs-temporary/97/i31
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
The University of St. Andrews is setting up temporary facilities for staff affected by a fire that destroyed the university‰??s biomedical sciences building earlier this year.
The fire, which broke out on Feb. 10, started when ‰??a routine post-experiment wash-up went wrong,‰?? the university previously said.
‰??Although the building‰??s compartment design restricted the spread of the blaze, the operation to douse the flames caused extensive water-damage to all areas‰?? of the facility, the university says. No students or staff were injured during the incident.
For researchers dislocated from their labs, the university is adding new chemistry research labs within the Purdie Building, home to the School of Chemistry. That work will cost å£3 million ($3.6 million).
In addition, the university in July began installing a temporary two-story building composed of 40 modular units. This building will include space for biology teaching and research labs, as well as offices. The project will cost the university å£9 million ($11 million) and should be completed by mid-October, the school says.
A university spokesperson tells C&EN it‰??s not yet clear how long the temporary building will be needed. More work must be done to determine when the permanent facilities will be restored, the spokesperson says.
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