From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (16 articles)
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2019 07:09:22 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 0AC537D8-3876-4944-A8C4-D09AE2A7258D**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 27, 2019 at 7:09:11 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 (16 articles)

BAGAN SERAI ACETONE SPILL: NO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES DETECTED IN AIR, SAYS PERAK FIRE AND RESCUE DEPT
Tags: Malaysia, industrial, release, response, other_chemical

VAN DELIVERING BATTERIES ROLLS OVER IN RANDALL COUNTY, HAZMAT CREWS RESPONDING
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, batteries

CATALENT FACTORY CHEMICAL INCIDENT CAUSES EMERGENCY EVACUATION
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, pharmaceutical

BLAST AT CHEMICAL FACTORY, THREE WOMEN INJURED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

FATAL EXPLOSION SLAMS SOUTH KOREA??S HYDROGEN FUTURE
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, explosion, injury, hydrogen

BALED STRAW CATCHES FIRE ON RIVERHEAD FARM
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, flammables

2 INJURED IN CHLORINE LEAK AT SAPUTO CHEESE PLANT
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, chlorine

CHEMICAL SPILL AT SEATTLE LAB HOSPITALIZES ONE
Tags: us_WA, laboratory, release, injury, hydrofluoric_acid

TRNAVA FIRE: A FORMER TAZ CAR PLANT UP IN FLAMES
Tags: Slovakia, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals

MECHANIC SUFFERS LIFE-THREATENING BURN INJURIES AFTER BLAZE ENGULFS MANSFIELD GAS STATION ?? BOSTON NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
Tags: us_MA, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

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


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BAGAN SERAI ACETONE SPILL: NO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES DETECTED IN AIR, SAYS PERAK FIRE AND RESCUE DEPT
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/09/26/bagan-serai-acetone-spill-no-hazardous-substances-detected-in-air-says-pera/1794626
Tags: Malaysia, industrial, release, response, other_chemical

BAGAN SERAI, Sept 26 ?? No hazardous substances were detected in the air around Kampung Parit Mentara 3, here following the spill of about 20,000 litres of Aceton early yesterday morning.

Perak Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director, Mohamed Yunus Abu said the Hazardous Materials Unit (Hazmat) team had used three types of hazardous chemical detectors, namely litmus paper, ??GFG 450?? and Gasmed.

He said the three-time detection using litmus paper and GFG 450 four times did not give any disturbing readings.

??The GFG 450 can detect four major substances namely oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane gas and hydrogen sulphide and monitoring until 3 am did not indicate any hazardous substances in the air,?? he told Bernama.

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VAN DELIVERING BATTERIES ROLLS OVER IN RANDALL COUNTY, HAZMAT CREWS RESPONDING
https://www.newschannel10.com/2019/09/26/van-delivering-batteries-rolls-over-randall-county-hazmat-crews-responding/
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, batteries

RANDALL COUNTY, Texas (KFDA) - The Randall County Fire Department is responding to a rollover of an Interstate Batteries van near FM 168 and Buffalo Lake Road.

The van was delivering batteries, and numerous batteries were damaged in the rollover.

The Amarillo Fire Department Hazmat crew was called to the scene to deal with the acid from the batteries.

Drivers may want to avoid the area while crews work the scene.

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CATALENT FACTORY CHEMICAL INCIDENT CAUSES EMERGENCY EVACUATION
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/17930618.chemical-incident-factory-caused-emergency-evacuation/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, pharmaceutical

Staff were evacuated after a chemical incident at a pharmaceutical factory in Swindon.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service rushed to the scene at Catalent on Frankland Road after emergency services were called at 5pm.

A hazardous materials team along with police officers attended the scene as an investigation got underway.

An ambulance was at the incident but no casualties were reported.

The area was cordoned off until 6.52pm.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: "We have left the scene and we are going back tomorrow (Friday) for a further investigation on the incident."

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BLAST AT CHEMICAL FACTORY, THREE WOMEN INJURED
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/blast-at-chemical-factory-three-women-injured/article29522739.ece
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

Three women workers suffered grievous injuries in a blast at Vajra Matrix Abrasives and Tools, a chemical factory, at Rampur industrial area on the outskirts of Warangal city on Thursday.

The injured were identified as Priyanka (28) of Madikonda, Naini Swaroopa (35) and Naini Rajitha (32) of Rampur village. While the critically injured Priyanka was shifted to MGM Hospital and later to Hyderabad for better treatment, Swaroopa and Rajitha were admitted to a private hospital, Subedari. Priyanka suffered 75 per cent burn injuries.

Speaking to The Hindu, Madikonda Inspector of police Jani Narasimhulu said that the chemical caused the blast and fire accident. ??The right leg of Swaroopa was amputated by the doctors as the injury was serious,?? he said.

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FATAL EXPLOSION SLAMS SOUTH KOREA??S HYDROGEN FUTURE
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fatal-explosion-slams-south-korea-190000850.html
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, explosion, injury, hydrogen

South Korean resident groups have been protesting hydrogen stations being built in their area following a May explosion in a hydrogen storage tank at a government research project in the city of Gangneung. Two people were killed, six injured, and the complex half the size of a soccer field was destroyed.

A month later, an explosion occurred at a hydrogen refueling station in Norway. This week, three South Korean workers were burned at a chemical plant caused by a hydrogen leak and subsequent fire.

A preliminary investigation into the fatal May explosion determined that the blast was caused by a spark after oxygen found its way into the tank.

??One victim was blown away by pressure and then killed after being hit by rock,?? said Kong Gikwang, a lawyer who represents the family of one of the two who died in a lawsuit against the research complex.

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

BALED STRAW CATCHES FIRE ON RIVERHEAD FARM
https://riverheadlocal.com/2019/09/26/baled-straw-catches-fire-on-riverhead-farm/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, flammables

Riverhead firefighters doused a fire on a farm north of Sound Avenue this afternoon, where numerous rolls of baled straw caught fire.

It was spontaneous combustion, Riverhead Fire Department spokesperson William Sanok said. The bales heated up and had just enough moisture in them to catch fire, Sanok said.

Moisture in baled hay or straw causes chemical reactions that produce flammable gas, which when the bale??s internal temperature gets hot enough, can spontaneously ignite.
About 20 bales were involved, Sanok said.

A dozen Riverhead firefighters with two trucks and a tanker responded to the 12:30 p.m. call, he said.

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2 INJURED IN CHLORINE LEAK AT SAPUTO CHEESE PLANT
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/2-Injured-in-Chlorine-Leak-at-Saputo-Cheese-Plant-09-25-2019
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, chlorine

Two people were transported to a hospital last Thursday morning after they were exposed to chlorine in the Saputo Cheese plant in Alto, WI, the Fond Du Lac County Sheriff??s Office announced in a recent press release.

The workers were reportedly switching out canisters of chlorine when the incident occurred and then they had breathing difficulties. Crews responded to the facility at about 7:40 a.m., the sheriff??s office said, and an ambulance transported the two people to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

125 other workers evacuated the Saputo plant and were taken to the Alto Community Center. After a HAZMAT team ventilated the facility, the scene handed back to Saputo personnel at about 2:40 p.m.

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CHEMICAL SPILL AT SEATTLE LAB HOSPITALIZES ONE
https://patch.com/washington/seattle/chemical-spill-seattle-lab-hospitalizes-one
Tags: us_WA, laboratory, release, injury, hydrofluoric_acid

SEATTLE, WA ?? A person is being treated at the hospital after hydrofluoric acid spilled at a lab in Seattle's University District Wednesday night. Hazmat crews responded to the 4600 block of Union Bay Place NE shortly before 6 p.m. The specifics of where the spill happened have not been disclosed, but the block houses a number of facilities, including a nano-technology firm, computer research firm and a battery manufacturer.

Hazmat crews evacuated the building and were able to confine the spill to one area, containing the substance around 7:30 p.m. One patient was taken by medics to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition. No other injuries were found and Seattle Fire said the building is now secure.

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

TRNAVA FIRE: A FORMER TAZ CAR PLANT UP IN FLAMES
https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22221604/a-huge-explosion-and-fire-hits-former-taz-plant-in-trnava.html
Tags: Slovakia, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals

The premises of the former TAZ (Trnavsk̩ automobilov̩ zvody) car manufacturing plant in Trnava went up in flames in Trnava during the late afternoon, as reported by the Sme daily.

The fire started on the afternoon of September 25 in one of the hallways where swimming pool chemicals are produced today. A crisis staff has been set up at the Trnava town hall.


A former car plant in Trnava blazes up (8 photos)
"We recommend closing windows and staying inside," the city of Trnava wrote on Facebook an hour after the hallway burst into flames. Police cars were driving around the city and calling on people to stay in.

Shortly after 21:30, head of the municipal police Igor Kelei told the local Trnavsk̩ Rdio station that the due measurements have been made and it was safe for people to come out to the streets.

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MECHANIC SUFFERS LIFE-THREATENING BURN INJURIES AFTER BLAZE ENGULFS MANSFIELD GAS STATION ?? BOSTON NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
https://whdh.com/news/mechanic-suffers-life-threatening-burn-injuries-after-blaze-engulfs-mansfield-gas-station-2/
Tags: us_MA, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

MANSFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) ?? A mechanic was flown to the hospital with life-threatening burn injuries after a massive blaze broke out at a gas station in Mansfield on Wednesday afternoon.

Crews responding to a report of an explosion at Cannan Fuels Gas & Auto Repair on Pratt Street before 1 p.m. found thick smoke billowing into the air and a raging fire that had engulfed a garage, according to the Mansfield Police Department.

Gas station workers say the head mechanic was welding a container inside a repair bay when it suddenly burst into flames.

??All of his clothes were all in flames so we were just ripping his clothes off,?? fellow mechanic Christopher Merano told 7NEWS. ??He got 85 percent of his body burned. It??s pretty bad.??

A stunned Shannon Adams says she called 911 as she watched workers scrambling to help the victim.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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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