From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles)
Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2019 07:50:12 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 20197E31-2758-4FF1-A2EC-A60DA2919E96**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, December 27, 2019 at 7:49:55 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)

SKIN-LIGHTENING CREAM TAINTED WITH AN EXTREMELY TOXIC FORM OF MERCURY PERMANENTLY INJURES WOMAN
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, other_chemical

I-80 CRASH: WESTBOUND LANES REOPEN NEAR NEW LENOX AFTER SEMI ROLLOVER, HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

RIVER BELIEVED TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE
Tags: malaysia, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

INSIDE THE SHUTTERED FACTORY WHERE I-696 OOZE ALLEGEDLY ORIGINATED
Tags: us_mi, industrial, follow-up, response, chromium

I-696 OOZE CAME FROM MADISON HEIGHTS COMPANY SHUT DOWN BY STATE
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical, illegal

LOCAL RESPONDERS CONTAINED ACID SPILL
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, injury, phosphoric_acid

TRACTOR TRAILER CARRYING CAR BATTERIES CATCHES FIRE, SHUTS DOWN PART OF PA TURNPIKE
Tags: us_PA, transportation, fire, injury, batteries

WV METRONEWS CHEMICAL INCIDENT PROMPTS EVACUATIONS IN DOWNTOWN MARTINSBURG
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, response, water_treatment

THREE HOSPITALISED AFTER LARA GAS LEAK
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

EXPLOSION SPARKS FIRE, CHEMICAL SPILL AT SONOMA COUNTY GEOTHERMAL PLANT NEAR CLOVERDALE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

RESIDENTS ALLOWED BACK AFTER EVACUATION AT SALT LAKE CITY SENIOR FACILITY
Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, pesticides

VIDEO: CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD RELEASES NEW ANIMATION DETAILING HUSKY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum


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SKIN-LIGHTENING CREAM TAINTED WITH AN EXTREMELY TOXIC FORM OF MERCURY PERMANENTLY INJURES WOMAN
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/26/health/woman-injured-mercury-skin-cream-trnd/index.html
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, other_chemical

(CNN)A Sacramento woman was poisoned by a skin-lightening cream, rendering her comatose. Hers was the first case of methylmercury poisoning linked to a skin cream in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

In July, the 47-year-old woman visited a doctor for an odd pricking sensation and arm weakness. When she returned two weeks later with blurry vision and slurred speech, doctors admitted her to a University of California - San Francisco hospital, where her condition rapidly declined into "agitated delirium," wrote Dr. Paul Blanc of the UCSF Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the California Poison Control System.
Her body contained "abnormally high" levels of methylmercury, he wrote. Methylmercury is highly toxic and can cause permanent nervous system damage.
The CDC report indicates her injuries are likely permanent.

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I-80 CRASH: WESTBOUND LANES REOPEN NEAR NEW LENOX AFTER SEMI ROLLOVER, HAZMAT RESPONSE
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/26/21037948/i-80-crash-rollover-semi-hazmat-phosphoric-acid-closures-new-lenox
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

Westbound lanes on Interstate 80 were closed for hours Thursday after a rollover crash involving a semitrailer carrying hazardous materials near southwest suburban New Lenox.

Officers responded to the crash about 8:30 a.m., in a construction zone in the westbound lanes of I-80 near mile marker 138, according to Illinois State Police.

A preliminary investigation found that the driver, a 33-year-old man from Chicago, attempted to change from lanes, lost control of the truck and struck the guardrail on the right side of the roadway, state police said.

The truck‰??s tractor was carrying triethyl phosphate in liquid form that was leaking from the trailer, state police said. Officers on scene estimate that about 100 gallons of the substance leaked onto the interstate.

Due to the spill, all I-80 westbound lanes were closed and a HazMat crew was called to clear the spill, state police said.

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RIVER BELIEVED TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/12/550661/river-believed-be-contaminated-chemical-substance
Tags: malaysia, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

SEREMBAN: Traces of oil believed to be chemical substance and the presence of dead fish in a river near Jalan 14 Mantin near here were discovered this morning.

Negri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) operation assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the department was alerted of the incident at 5.35am.

He said 18 firemen and two fire engines, including a team from Hazardous Materials Management Team (HAZMAT), were deployed at the site.

‰??We discovered that there were traces of oil and we also found dead fish in the river.

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INSIDE THE SHUTTERED FACTORY WHERE I-696 OOZE ALLEGEDLY ORIGINATED
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2019/12/24/egle-696-water-testing-results-after-ooze-expected-friday/2740637001/
Tags: us_mi, industrial, follow-up, response, chromium

Madison Heights ‰?? A 2016 state inspection of a facility where the Interstate 696 green ooze allegedly originated found "numerous open, unlabeled, leaking containers," including hazardous and volatile chemicals left open and leaking, according to a state report.

The shuttered Electro-Plating Services plant, located in the 945 E. 10 Mile, is believed to be the source of the ooze, which was the result of groundwater contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

The owner had been cited for issues with the facility as far back as 1996, according to the state.

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I-696 OOZE CAME FROM MADISON HEIGHTS COMPANY SHUT DOWN BY STATE
https://www.macombdaily.com/news/local/i--ooze-came-from-madison-heights-company-shut-down/article_6ab9ea18-259f-11ea-aed2-73f7ab913a71.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical, illegal

A green liquid that leaked on to Interstate 696 in Madison Heights came from a company whose owner was recently sentenced to one year in prison for illegally operating a hazardous material facility.

The liquid was found Friday afternoon oozing on to the eastbound side of the freeway near Couzens Road near the Warren border.

It was determined the substance, which contained Hexavalent chromium, originated from Electro-Plating Services, 945 E. 10 Mile Road, which was shut down three years ago by what was known then as the state Department of Environmental Quality. It was later declared a Superfund site by the federal Environmental Protection Agency for illegal storage of hazardous material.

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LOCAL RESPONDERS CONTAINED ACID SPILL
https://poststar.com/news/local/local-responders-contained-acid-spill/article_cfe05b22-fda5-5ebc-b03b-8f369c236d84.html
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, injury, phosphoric_acid

ARGYLE ‰?? The spill of phosphoric acid Friday afternoon at Adirondack Plastics & Recycling was cleaned up quickly by local firefighters and emergency personnel.

J.A. Barkley Hose Co. No. 1 and Argyle Emergency Squad answered the call to the plant on county Route 45, and were soon joined by members of Washington County's hazmat team.

The spill was quickly contained and neutralized, firefighters reported, and two employees that had been hurt were treated by members of the Argyle Emergency Squad.

Responders from the state Office of Fire Prevention & Control also answered the call, along with members the Hartford Volunteer Fire Company, Fort Edward Fire and officers from Washington County Sheriff's Office and State Police.

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TRACTOR TRAILER CARRYING CAR BATTERIES CATCHES FIRE, SHUTS DOWN PART OF PA TURNPIKE
https://www.wtae.com/article/grinch-caught-on-camera-cutting-christmas-lights-in-north-fayette-township/30318743
Tags: us_PA, transportation, fire, injury, batteries

The accident happened on the westbound part of I-76 between New Stanton (Exit 75) and Irwin (Exit 67).

A fire chief on scene tweeted out the above photos of fire crews dousing the flames. He said the truck on fire was full of car batteries.

All lanes are blocked.

Investigators say two people were injured and taken to a hospital

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WV METRONEWS CHEMICAL INCIDENT PROMPTS EVACUATIONS IN DOWNTOWN MARTINSBURG
http://wvmetronews.com/2019/12/23/chemical-incident-prompts-evacuations-downtown-martinsburg/
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, response, water_treatment

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. ‰?? Evacuations spanned at least a half-mile radius this morning after a chemical mishap was reported at the Martinsburg wastewater treatment plant on East John Street.

The Martinsburg Fire Department and residents are reporting a chlorine odor on several streets. Crews have evacuated a half a mile radius of the facility in the 500 block of East John Street, according to a Martinsburg Fire Department Incident page.

According to a release from the Berkeley County Public Safety Office, the incident was due to an accidental chemical mixture of Sodium Hypochlorate and Ferric chloride during a transport.

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THREE HOSPITALISED AFTER LARA GAS LEAK
https://www.bay939.com.au/news/local-news/112282-three-hospitalised-after-lara-gas-leak
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

A gas leak at a local workplace has been declared safe this afternoon.

CFA, HAZMAT and gas crews have attended the scene on Old Melbourne Road, following a gas leak inside a building at 11:45am.

It is not clear what caused the incident, with three people taken to hospital in stable conditions.

The leak has since been rectified and the incident handed back to Riordan Grain.

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

EXPLOSION SPARKS FIRE, CHEMICAL SPILL AT SONOMA COUNTY GEOTHERMAL PLANT NEAR CLOVERDALE
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10501708-181/explosion-sparks-fire-chemical-spill
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Sonoma County officials are investigating what caused a transformer to explode and a fire to break out Saturday night at a geothermal power plant in The Geysers east of Cloverdale, not far from the energy facilities where October‰??s destructive Kincade fire started.

The extent of the damage from a fire that consumed a transformer and a generator, but didn‰??t harm any of the workers on site, is still being determined.

Fire crews from Cal Fire and Lake County responded to a thermal plant near Geysers Resort and Big Sulphur Creek roads about 10:55 p.m. after receiving reports that hazardous material was leaking due to an ongoing fire, said Cal Fire Capt. Cody Parks.

Hazardous material teams from Sonoma County and Santa Rosa were called in to evaluate the seeping chemical before suppression efforts could begin, he said.

‰??They wanted to make sure it wasn‰??t toxic and it wasn‰??t harmful to the crews,‰?? Parks said of the leakage.

After specialists determined it was safe, firefighters extinguished the blaze using foam and water. They cleared the property by 4 a.m. Sunday.

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RESIDENTS ALLOWED BACK AFTER EVACUATION AT SALT LAKE CITY SENIOR FACILITY
https://www.ksl.com/article/46694539/salt-lake-city-crews-responding-to-chemical-exposure-at-apartment
Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, pesticides

SALT LAKE CITY ‰?? Residents at the Rendon Terrace senior apartments were allowed to return Sunday night after two residents and two firefighters were taken to the hospital after a home pesticide cartridge was detonated earlier in the day.

The cartridge had too much product and set off smoke alarms in the building, Salt Lake Fire Capt. Adam Archuleta said, prompting an evacuation and causing authorities to respond to a presumed fire about 2:30 p.m. The pesticide got into the apartment's air vents, Archuleta said.

He said the four treated were in good condition and were transported mostly as a precaution.

Officials said the pesticides were released on the building's second floor, and that the fogger's labels were not printed in English, making it difficult for first responders to read and turn off.

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VIDEO: CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD RELEASES NEW ANIMATION DETAILING HUSKY EXPLOSION
https://www.superiortelegram.com/business/energy-and-mining/4831051-VIDEO-Chemical-Safety-Board-releases-new-animation-detailing-Husky-explosion
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum

The federal agency investigating the 2018 explosion and fire at the Husky Energy refinery in Superior that injured 36 workers and led to the evacuation of much of Superior released an updated animated video Thursday of the incident.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's 5 1/2 minute YouTube video details both the cause of the incident and the emergency crew's response. The board has released several updates in the 20 months since the explosion fire, but its investigation is ongoing.


In a factual update last year, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said that while the refinery had ‰??process hazard analyses‰?? considering what would happen when an open valve would allow hydrocarbons and air to mix within the fluid catalytic cracking unit ‰?? where the explosion occurred ‰?? the safeguard did not consider what would happen when the valve was closed but unable to hold a seal. In an August update, the board said a worn ‰?? but closed ‰?? valve within the fluid catalytic cracking unit allowed air to mix with hydrocarbons, creating an explosive mixture that then ignited.

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