From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2019 06:57:44 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 12C39474-AA67-4F26-8CDF-87E2DDBB9C1F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, October 25, 2019 at 6:57:32 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
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Table of Contents (10 articles)

BAGGAGE ‰??EXPLODES‰?? AFTER BEING RUN OVER BY LUGGAGE CARRIER AT MIDWAY AIRPORT ‰?? TRAVEL WEEKLY
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, response, batteries

CREWS EXTINGUISH FIRE AT TALLAHASSEE MAG LAB
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

GUELPH WASTE FACILITY EMPLOYEES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL DUE TO CHEMICAL ODOUR IN BUILDING
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, solvent, waste

KURARAY TO PAY $92 MIL. IN SETTLEMENT OVER US PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL RUNOFF FROM ZSCHIMMER & SHWARZ, INC. FIRE KILLS FISH IN FISHING CREEK
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, environmental, runoff

FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO OVERNIGHT CHEMICAL SPILL IN WEST FARGO
Tags: us_ND, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

MAN ARRESTED AFTER EL CAJON SHED BURSTS INTO FLAMES; HONEY OIL AT FAULT?
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, clandestine_lab

SPILLED COMBUSTIBLE CHEMICAL EYED IN GENSAN MALL FIRE
Tags: Philippines, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical

SHAPIRO: ‰??LEGAL ACTION‰?? COMING FOR COMPANIES TIED TO PFAS DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

SEVERAL EMPLOYEES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO POSSIBLE CHEMICAL ODOUR
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, waste


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BAGGAGE ‰??EXPLODES‰?? AFTER BEING RUN OVER BY LUGGAGE CARRIER AT MIDWAY AIRPORT ‰?? TRAVEL WEEKLY
http://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/baggage-explodes-after-being-run-over-by-luggage-carrier-at-midway-airport/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, response, batteries

A PIECE OF BAGGAGE HAS ‰??EXPLODED‰?? AFTER A LUGGAGE CARRIER RAN IT OVER AT CHICAGO MIDWAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

Chicago Police said the incident occurred at 12:18pm (local time), while a Level One Hazmat was declared, according to NBC Chicago.

According to reports citing a Chicago Fire Department spokesperson, the piece of luggage fell from the back of a transport and made a ‰??popping sound‰??, and the bomb squad was reportedly called to Midway Airport to clear the scene.

Police reportedly said there was no threat to public safety, and airport operations resumed Monday afternoon.

Officials believe a cell phone battery or battery charge exploded inside a suitcase, and the bag did not ‰??combust or explode on its own‰??, according to NBC Chicago, citing a Chicago police spokesperson.

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CREWS EXTINGUISH FIRE AT TALLAHASSEE MAG LAB
https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/crews-respond-to-fire-at-tallahassee-mag-lab
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) ‰?? Authorities have extinguished the fire at Tallahassee's Mag Lab and say all normal activities have resumed.

Police and Fire personnel have responded to a fire at Tallahassee's High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

According to a FSU Alert, crews are on currently on scene of the Mag Lab located at 1800 E Paul Dirac Drive.

Authorities are asking residents to avoid the area or expect delays in your commute until the scene has cleared.

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GUELPH WASTE FACILITY EMPLOYEES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL DUE TO CHEMICAL ODOUR IN BUILDING
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/guelph-waste-facility-odour-hospital-employees-1.5333269
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, solvent, waste

Several employees of Guelph's material recovery facility of the Waste Resource Innovation Centre were taken to hospital Wednesday after a chemical odour caused at least one employee to have difficulty breathing.

The Guelph Fire Department was called to the waste facility in the city's east end at 8:30 a.m. and evacuated the building where the workers were located.

"Numerous employees complained of respiratory and other health issues as a result of solvent-type odour in the building," a press release from the fire department said.

Paramedics were called to take over caring for the employees while fire crews tested the air quality. The air monitoring devices "did not register anything significant," the fire department said.

A large amount of debris in the area was believed to be the source of the smell, although the exact cause of the odour is unknown, the fire department said. The debris was moved by waste facility employees and the building was ventilated to get rid of the stench.

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KURARAY TO PAY $92 MIL. IN SETTLEMENT OVER US PLANT FIRE
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20191025/p2g/00m/0bu/017000c
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese chemical maker Kuraray Co. said Thursday it has agreed to pay $92 million in a settlement with some of the plaintiffs in lawsuits over its subsidiary's Texas plant fire last year.

According to Kuraray, more than 160 contract workers and others filed for damages against Kuraray America Inc. in several lawsuits claiming physical and psychological injuries as a result of the fire incident at the company's EVAL plant in Texas in May 2018.

The Japanese maker said the settlement covers 13 plaintiffs whose losses could be reasonably estimated at this time, including the most seriously injured person.

The Tokyo-based firm plans to book a special loss of 14 billion yen ($129 million) in the January to September consolidated earnings report, including the payment of the settlement amount.

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CHEMICAL RUNOFF FROM ZSCHIMMER & SHWARZ, INC. FIRE KILLS FISH IN FISHING CREEK
https://www.unionrecorder.com/news/chemical-runoff-from-zschimmer-shwarz-inc-fire-kills-fish-in/article_3045bc52-f6c1-11e9-99d8-9787243b6825.html
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, environmental, runoff

Several fish reportedly were killed in Fishing Creek this week after the runoff of chemicals from a retention pond on the site where a chemical plant in Baldwin County caught fire Monday night, The Union-Recorder has learned.

State officials have not disclosed how many fish might have been killed resulting from the chemicals running out of the retention pond at Zschimmer & Schwarz Inc. and into Fishing Creek, as well as another unnamed tributary. In several places along Fishing Creek, which runs through various areas of the county, as well as in the city limits of Milledgeville, several fish were spotted dead Wednesday afternoon.

Fishing Creek flows in the Oconee River, which runs from Milledgeville to Dublin in Laurens County.

It was not immediately known whether fish in Fishing Creek were safe for eating since the chemical mishap, which reportedly was triggered when chemicals from the plant‰??s retention pond spilled over after approximately 40 sprinkler heads went off, dousing the flames from the fire in a small warehouse.

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FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO OVERNIGHT CHEMICAL SPILL IN WEST FARGO
https://www.kvrr.com/2019/10/23/firefighters-respond-to-overnight-chemical-spill-in-west-fargo/
Tags: us_ND, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

WEST FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) ‰?? The Fargo Fire Department Hazmat response team and West Fargo Firefighters responded to a chemical leak shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday at XPOLogistics trucking company in the 1700 block of 2nd Ave.Northwest, in the West Fargo industrial park.

Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Baron says 250 gallons of the chemical, calcium chloride, leaked from a semi-trailer in the parking lot of the warehouse. He says it‰??s possible the chemical container was punctured, causing the leak.

The chemical is toxic with exposure, causing skin burns and respiratory problems.

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MAN ARRESTED AFTER EL CAJON SHED BURSTS INTO FLAMES; HONEY OIL AT FAULT?
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2019/10/23/man-arrested-after-el-cajon-shed-bursts-into-flames-honey-oil-at-fault/
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, clandestine_lab

A man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after a fire burst through a backyard shed in El Cajon due to a possible honey oil operation, according to OnSceneTV.

According to the report, neighbors surrounding a home on the 100 block of Chamberlain Avenue in El Cajon reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke coming from behind a nearby residence. When fire crews arrived, a shed was found to be on fire.

Firefighters quickly doused the flames. However, some items were found that were determined to be suspicious in nature.

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SPILLED COMBUSTIBLE CHEMICAL EYED IN GENSAN MALL FIRE
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1084016
Tags: Philippines, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The huge fire at a shopping mall here could have been triggered by combustible chemical that leaked and spilled in its hardware section as a result of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake last Oct. 16.

Fire Chief Insp. Reginald Legaste, former chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) station here, said Wednesday such findings are based on the results of the three-day probe at the Gaisano Mall by a team of investigators from their central office.

He said the team found traces of combustible chemical, which have yet to be identified, at the second level of the establishment.

The spilled chemical might have reached the ground level of the mall, where the fire was first reported to have started several minutes after the 7:37 p.m. earthquake last Oct 16.

‰??They (investigators) already brought the recovered samples to Manila for further examination,‰?? he said during the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting here.

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SHAPIRO: ‰??LEGAL ACTION‰?? COMING FOR COMPANIES TIED TO PFAS DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION
https://www.theintell.com/news/20191023/shapiro-legal-action-coming-for-companies-tied-to-pfas-drinking-water-contamination
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

Attorney General Josh Shapiro says his office will file legal action in the coming months against companies that made firefighting foams. Chemicals found in the foams have contaminated Bucks and Montgomery County communities.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said his office is preparing to take ‰??legal action‰?? against companies that have manufactured firefighting foams, which contain chemical ingredients that have contaminated water supplies in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

Shapiro revealed the upcoming action during a meeting with the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer editorial boards this week.

‰??We will be taking significant legal action in the next couple of months,‰?? Shapiro said.

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SEVERAL EMPLOYEES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO POSSIBLE CHEMICAL ODOUR
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/several-employees-taken-to-hospital-following-exposure-to-possible-chemical-odour-1.4652976
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, waste

Guelph Fire officials say several employees were taken to hospital following exposure to a potential chemical odour at a waste facility.

Crews were called to the Material Recovery Facility at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre on Dunlop Drive around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

They say an employee was having difficulty breathing due to a possible chemical odour.

After passing the patient over to paramedics, fire officials began testing the air quality in the building.

They say none of their devices found anything significant.

Waste Facility employees removed large amounts of debris in the area, believed to be the source of the odour.

The building was then ventilated to remove any remaining odour.

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