From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (8 articles)
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2019 07:56:59 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 8404FCE8-A232-4248-8F6D-CD786DD3617B**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 7:56:42 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 (8 articles)

26 PEOPLE TREATED DURING HAZMAT SITUATION AT VISALIA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Tags: us_CA, education, release, injury, irritant

PHILADELPHIA REFINERY SITE ‰?? INCLUDING DANGEROUS CHEMICAL ‰?? DECLARED UNDER CONTROL 3 MONTHS AFTER FIRE, EXPLOSION
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrofluoric_acid

HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL LEAK ‰?? WELCOME TO WYANDOTTE DAILY!
Tags: us_KS, public, release, response, ag_chems

5TH ILLNESS LINKED TO VAPING CONFIRMED IN OREGON
Tags: us_OR, public, release, environmental, unknown_chemical

GAS LEAK AT THE CHEMISTRY STORES BUILDING
Tags: us_MT, education, release, response, natural_gas

MASSACHUSETTS BILL TO BAN FLAME RETARDANT CHEMICALS
Tags: us_MA, public, release, environmental, other_chemical

PIPE LEAKING SULFURIC ACID LEADS TO HAZMAT SCENE AT U OF R BUILDING
Tags: us_NY, education, release, injury, sulfuric_acid

POWELL FIREFIGHTER INJURED, HOSPITALIZED DURING WEEKEND FIRE
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, injury, cyanide


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26 PEOPLE TREATED DURING HAZMAT SITUATION AT VISALIA MIDDLE SCHOOL
http://www.kmjnow.com/2019/09/24/26-people-treated-during-hazmat-situation-at-visalia-middle-school/
Tags: us_CA, education, release, injury, irritant

VISALIA, CA (KMJ) ‰?? Emergency crews rushed to a Visalia middle school on Tuesday after 27 people reported smelling a strange odor.

At around 1:35, a staff member reportedly went into a bathroom where she smelt the unknown odor.

She began to feel sick and had difficulty breathing and an ambulance was called for her.

Students reported smelling that same odor in the classroom next door, although none felt ill.

All classrooms in the area of the bathroom were immediately evacuated.

Extra ambulances and the Visalia Fire Department were called out to check out 24 students and 3 staff members.

Firefighters haven‰??t figured out what that odor was, but believe it was some sort of benign irritant released by a student.

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PHILADELPHIA REFINERY SITE ‰?? INCLUDING DANGEROUS CHEMICAL ‰?? DECLARED UNDER CONTROL 3 MONTHS AFTER FIRE, EXPLOSION
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2019/09/24/philadelphia-refinery-site-including-dangerous-chemical-declared-under-control-2-months-after-fire-explosion/
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrofluoric_acid

The site of a refinery explosion and fire that rocked South Philadelphia last June and led to the refinery‰??s shutdown is now under control.

That means fire department personnel will no longer be on site 24-7.

Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said only trace amounts of the dangerous chemical hydrofluoric acid remain at the damaged Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery.

‰??It was a very novel event, so we were dealing with a lot of unknowns, and I‰??m happy we can place this under control,‰?? Thiel said. ‰??Although it remains a dynamic and fluid situation.‰??

The unit that exploded three months ago used large amounts of the toxic chemical hydrofluoric acid. That chemical posed a danger to workers and to the surrounding community in the wake of the June 21 explosion and fire.

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HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL LEAK ‰?? WELCOME TO WYANDOTTE DAILY!
http://wyandottedaily.com/hazmat-crews-respond-to-chemical-leak/
Tags: us_KS, public, release, response, ag_chems

Kansas City, Kansas, HazMat crews responded to a chemical leak on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from a business in the 2400 block of Merriam in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to a Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department spokesman, crews that were called to analyze the substance found out it was a fertilizer leakage that posed no threat to the community.

About 500 gallons of the substance leaked out.

Crews were able to wash the leakage down the drain, according to the spokesman.

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5TH ILLNESS LINKED TO VAPING CONFIRMED IN OREGON
https://kval.com/news/local/5th-illness-linked-to-vaping-confirmed-in-oregon
Tags: us_OR, public, release, environmental, unknown_chemical

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - State health officials say another Oregonian has been struck by a vaping-related severe lung illness in a national outbreak that has killed one Oregon resident and nearly killed at least one other.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports The Oregon Health Authority made the announcement Tuesday and gave no other information, including what products they used, when they fell ill or whether they're currently hospitalized.

Officials have said nine people have died from the illness nationwide including the Oregon victim.

That person reportedly used e-cigarettes, or vape pens, with THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Another Oregon victim reported vaping the nicotine e-cigarette Juul.

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GAS LEAK AT THE CHEMISTRY STORES BUILDING
http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/gas-leak-at-the-chemistry-stores-building/article_ec5ca8de-df05-11e9-b15f-33f3a241053a.html
Tags: us_MT, education, release, response, natural_gas

The Missoula Fire Department and UMPD responded to a 911 call reporting a gas odor near the Skaggs building Monday afternoon, Sept. 23.

UMPD released a UM alert emergency notification informing students and faculty that there was a natural gas leak at the Chemical Stores Building near Skaggs and that people should stay clear of the area as emergency agencies arrived.

Robin Spurlock, the acting battalion chief of the Missoula Fire Department, said that the fire department opened the Chemical Stores Building and detected a gas odor inside.

They shut off the gas meter and waited for a Northwestern Energy employee and the building manager to arrive. The building was unoccupied at the time of the incident.

Marty Ludemann, chief of UMPD, said that he believed there was a gas leak malfunction in the air conditioning unit on the roof of the building. According to Ludemann, University officials would deal with the problem Tuesday morning.

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MASSACHUSETTS BILL TO BAN FLAME RETARDANT CHEMICALS
https://www.recorder.com/Beacon-Hill-Roll-Call-Sept-16-to-Sept-20-2019-28771480
Tags: us_MA, public, release, environmental, other_chemical

Senate 38 to 0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would ban 11 toxic flame retardants from children‰??s products, bedding, carpeting and residential upholstered furniture sold or manufactured in Massachusetts, except for inventory already manufactured prior to Aug. 31, 2020. Another provision requires the Department of Environmental Protection to review, at least every three years, chemical flame retardants used in these type of products and include them on the list of prohibited chemical flame retardants that are documented to pose a health risk. Violators would be fined up to $1,000 for a first offense, and up to $5,000 for a second and subsequent offense.

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PIPE LEAKING SULFURIC ACID LEADS TO HAZMAT SCENE AT U OF R BUILDING
https://13wham.com/news/local/pipe-leaking-sulfuric-acid-leads-to-hazmat-scene-at-u-of-r-building
Tags: us_NY, education, release, injury, sulfuric_acid

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) - Four employees at a University of Rochester facilities building reported feeling sick after a pipe was found to be leaking sulfuric acid over the weekend.

Rochester fire officials said they were called Saturday night about a leak in a pipe flange at the building on Elmwood Avenue.

Sulfuric acid leaked onto the , leading to a Level 1 HazMat response from a cleanup company. The crew was able to stop the leak and left after telling personnel the leak was stopped and everything had been neutralized.

Four employees of the second shift came to work afterward, but began to complain about an odor and feeling sick. The workers did not end up seeking medical treatment.

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POWELL FIREFIGHTER INJURED, HOSPITALIZED DURING WEEKEND FIRE
https://www.waaytv.com/content/news/Powell-firefighter-injured-hospitalized-during-weekend-fire-561169111.html
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, injury, cyanide

A DeKalb County firefighter is in the hospital after chemical poisoning from working a fire.

Josh Lee is a Powell firefighter and was rushed to the hospital over the weekend.

"Some of us are going up there everyday," said Chief Garmon.

We caught up with the chief of Powell's volunteer fire department. He described Josh Lee, the firefighter sent to the hospital.

"Hardworking, dependable, a very busy young man," said Garmon.

Chief Garmon said Josh Lee has worked as a firefighter in DeKalb County for more than a decade, and just recently started working at Powell Fire. He was battling a fire Saturday morning when he went down. He was originally taken to DeKalb Regional Hospital, then flown to Erlanger in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Investigators think Lee is suffering from cyanide poisoning.

"That's very, very, very uncommon," said Garmon.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said fires can create cyanide gas. Right now, they don't expect foul play.

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