From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (16 articles)
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2020 07:37:51 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: DF3068EA-DDFF-47BA-AD27-C7A20267BB1B**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, January 17, 2020 at 7:37:34 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)

7 STUDENTS EVALUATED BY EMS AFTER INCIDENT DURING CHEMISTRY CLASS AT ASHLEY HALL SCHOOL
Tags: us_SC, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical

RECENT CHEMICAL SPILL SPARKS CONVERSATION ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental

MAHARASHTRA GOVT ORDERS HIGH-LEVEL INQUIRY INTO TARAPUR FACTORY BLAST
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, pharmaceutical

JOEL BLVD REOPENS AFTER CHLORINE SPILL IN LEHIGH ACRES
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, acids, chlorine

CAMDEN PARK PAIR ARRESTED FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT SUSPECTED DRUG LAB
Tags: Australia, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab

STEELWORKERS SUE EPA OVER CHANGES TO CHEMICAL SAFETY RULE
Tags: us_DC, public, discovery, environmental

SPANISH ETHYLENE OXIDE EXPLOSION KILLS 3
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, ethylene_oxide

FIRE NEAR BUS YARD PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE IN GRESHAM ‰?? NBC CHICAGO
Tags: public, fire, response, unknown_chemical

FLYING METAL FROM SPANISH FACTORY BLAST MAY HAVE KILLED MAN TWO KILOMETRES AWAY
Tags: Spain, industrial, follow-up, death, metals

TARAPUR FACTORY BLAST: MPCB ISSUES CLOSURE NOTICE TO ANK PHARMA
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death

HAZMAT TEAM, POLICE RESPOND TO SANTA ANA RESIDENCE AFTER MERCURY FOUND: OFFICIALS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, mercury

AT LEAST 60 TREATED, INCLUDING CHILDREN, AFTER PLANE DUMPS FUEL ONTO LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS DURING EMERGENCY LANDING
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, other_chemical

FREEPORT HAZMAT SPILL FORCES RESIDENTS INTO THEIR HOMES
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

ONE KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSION IN SPAIN
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

INDUSTRY, ADVOCACY GROUPS SLAM PROPOSED CHEMICAL DISCLOSURE RULE
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental

'FOREVER CHEMICALS' FOUND IN FOAM FROM 2 TWIN CITIES CREEKS
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical, other_chemical


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

7 STUDENTS EVALUATED BY EMS AFTER INCIDENT DURING CHEMISTRY CLASS AT ASHLEY HALL SCHOOL
https://www.live5news.com/2020/01/16/hazmat-crews-first-responders-present-private-downtown-charleston-school/
Tags: us_SC, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Hazmat crews and emergency personnel responded to the Ashley Hall School in downtown Charleston Thursday morning for an incident during a chemistry class.

Charleston fire department spokesman Mike Julazadeh said a teacher was conducting a science experiment in a classroom just before 10 a.m. and some students started having breathing issues.

Seven students were treated by EMS and one was taken to the hospital.

‰??The issue was contained to one classroom,‰?? he said.

The school is working to notify parents about what happened at the all-girls school.

All 16 students in the classroom walked outside on their own.

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

RECENT CHEMICAL SPILL SPARKS CONVERSATION ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
https://www.wifr.com/content/news/Recent-chemical-spill-sparks-conversation-on-disaster-preparedness-567053261.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental

STEPHENSON COUNTY, Ill. (WIFR) -- After a dangerous chemical spill at a Freeport manufacturing plant earlier this week, Stephenson County officials are making sure everyone is prepared for cases of emergency.

The Stephenson County Health Department along with the senior volunteer program host a presentation how to create a plans, help people stay informed and have the right material in an emergency kit. Modern Plating Corporation in Freeport had a hydrochloric acid spill earlier this week. Luckily hazmat teams cleaned it up and no one was hurt, but officials want to make sure residents are prepared no matter the disaster.

‰??Most of us seem to be of the attitude that it's not going to happen here, but it's happening more and more. Most of us don't pay enough attention to what's going on around us, situational awareness is important,‰?? said Rick McDonough with the Stephenson County Health Department.

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

MAHARASHTRA GOVT ORDERS HIGH-LEVEL INQUIRY INTO TARAPUR FACTORY BLAST
https://in.news.yahoo.com/maharashtra-govt-orders-high-level-213443166.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, pharmaceutical

THE STATE government has instituted a high-level inquiry into last week‰??s blast at a chemical factory of a pharmaceutical company in Tarapur Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), in which eight persons were killed.

The inquiry will be carried out by Konkan divisional commissioner, director of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and MIDC chief fire officer.

A DISH official said the probe team is awaiting reports of preliminary inquiries conducted by the local police, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and other agencies that had granted clearances and permission to operate to A N K Pharma Private Limited, where the explosion occurred just after 7 pm on January 11. ‰??The inquiry will study the preliminary probe reports and arrive at its own conclusions on how the blast took place,‰?? the official added.

Immediately after the blast, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had ordered an audit of all chemical factories in MIDC complexes across the state.

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

JOEL BLVD REOPENS AFTER CHLORINE SPILL IN LEHIGH ACRES
https://www.winknews.com/2020/01/16/chlorine-spill-due-to-crash-blocking-joel-blvd-in-lehigh-acres/
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, acids, chlorine

Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District responded to a crash involving a chlorine and acid spill that blocked Joel Boulevard for several hours in Lehigh Acres Thursday.

According to the fire department‰??s tweet, firefighters were on scene along Joel Boulevard at the intersection with Country Club Parkway, where Lee County Sheriff‰??s Office created a 500-foot perimeter.

There was a roadblock along Joel Blvd. between Country Club Pkwy. and Suffolk Court for several hours before it was safe to be reopened.

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

CAMDEN PARK PAIR ARRESTED FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT SUSPECTED DRUG LAB
https://www.9news.com.au/national/camden-park-explosion-suspected-clandestine-drug-lab-adelaide-news/2e65c615-b7a2-4d2e-bf8d-7f7102364073
Tags: Australia, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab

Two people are in hospital under police guard following an explosion at a suspected clandestine drug lab in Adelaide's south-west.
Emergency services were called to the Anzac Highway public housing complex at Camden Park around 5.30am and found significant structural damage to a bathroom.
Two people from that unit ‰?? a 46-year-old man and 36-year-old woman ‰?? were taken to hospital, the man suffering serious burns.

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

STEELWORKERS SUE EPA OVER CHANGES TO CHEMICAL SAFETY RULE
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/19320-steelworkers-sue-epa-over-changes-to-chemical-safety-rule
Tags: us_DC, public, discovery, environmental

Washington ‰?? United Steelworkers is suing the Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Andrew Wheeler, over the agency‰??s recent changes to the Obama-era Chemical Disaster Rule.

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 7 in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, USW is petitioning the court to restore the original text of the rule. EPA‰??s Risk Management Program Reconsideration final rule, which took effect Dec. 19, eliminated various provisions intended to prevent future incidents at chemical facilities.

The Chemical Disaster Rule amends the Risk Management Program rule for chemical facilities with the intention of:

Preventing catastrophic incidents by improving incident prevention program requirements.
Enhancing emergency preparedness to ensure coordination between facilities and local communities.
Improving information access to help the public understand the risks at RMP facilities.
Improving third-party audits at RMP facilities.
The rule was finalized Jan. 13, 2017, but was delayed numerous times before it went into effect Feb. 19, 2019. It was prompted, in part, by an April 2013 explosion at a fertilizer facility in West, TX, that killed 15 people and injured more than 260 others.

EPA contends in a Nov. 21 press release that the RMP Reconsideration rule ‰??modifies and improves the existing rule to remove burdensome, costly, unnecessary amendments while maintaining appropriate protections and ensuring first responders have access to all of the necessary safety information.‰??

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

SPANISH ETHYLENE OXIDE EXPLOSION KILLS 3
https://cen.acs.org/business/petrochemicals/Spanish-ethylene-oxide-explosion-kills/98/i3
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, ethylene_oxide

An explosion at an ethylene oxide plant operated by Iqoxe near Tarragona, Spain, has killed three people‰??two workers and a member of the public‰??and injured seven workers. Owned by the Spanish conglomerate CL Grupo Industrial, Iqoxe is Spain‰??s only ethylene oxide producer. The plant‰??now severely damaged‰??has an annual capacity of 140,000 metric tons. Within the past year or so, Iqoxe has significantly expanded the plant at a cost of $11 million.

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

FIRE NEAR BUS YARD PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE IN GRESHAM ‰?? NBC CHICAGO
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/fire-near-bus-yard-prompts-hazmat-response-in-gresham/2201592/
Tags: public, fire, response, unknown_chemical

A fire broke out Tuesday near a school bus yard in Gresham, prompting a hazardous materials response in the South Side neighborhood.

The fire happened about 10:56 p.m. at a vacant building in the 8500 block of South Vincennes Avenue, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

Buses with Sunrise Transportation, located at 8500 S. Vincennes Ave., were parked next to the building, fire officials said. Multiple buses were believed to be damaged.

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

FLYING METAL FROM SPANISH FACTORY BLAST MAY HAVE KILLED MAN TWO KILOMETRES AWAY
https://in.reuters.com/article/spain-catalonia-blast/flying-metal-from-spanish-factory-blast-may-have-killed-man-two-kilometres-away-authorities-idINKBN1ZE1KU?il=0
Tags: Spain, industrial, follow-up, death, metals

MADRID (Reuters) - A flying plate of metal may have killed a man some 2km away from the site of a huge chemical plant explosion in northeastern Spain when it was hurled out by the blast and crashed into his apartment building, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Firefighters spray water after a large fire broke out at the chemical factory, after explosion at a factory in the Tarragona, Spain January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
The explosion in Tarragona on Tuesday also killed a worker at the plant and injured eight others, the local authorities said.

The Vall d‰??Hebron hospital in Barcelona then confirmed on Wednesday evening that a third person had died after suffering ‰??extensive burns‰?? in the blast, which sent flames and plumes of black smoke billowing for kilometres.

A large metal plate is believed to have been propelled into the third floor of an apartment block 2km away by the explosion, collapsing its floor and killing a man in the apartment below, the Tarragona authorities said in a statement.

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

TARAPUR FACTORY BLAST: MPCB ISSUES CLOSURE NOTICE TO ANK PHARMA
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/tarapur-factory-blast-mpcb-issues-closure-notice-to-ank-pharma-6218736/
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death

THE MAHARASHTRA Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Monday issued a closure notice to A N K Pharma Private Limited, located at Boisar‰??s Tarapur Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), after discovering that machinery had been installed illegally at the factory and that the company had flouted environmental pollution norms by storing hazardous chemicals in its premises.

Last Saturday, eight persons were killed and seven injured following an explosion triggered by a failed trial run of chemical production at the factory.

On October 10, 2019, when an MPCB field officer had visited the factory, its owner Natwarlal Patel had assured that a newly constructed building near the main gate would house the firm‰??s administrative office. He had also claimed that no machinery would be installed in close proximity to the entrance gate of this new building. Patel, however, according to MPCB, installed reactors, thermopacks and centrifuges at the new building without obtaining requisite permissions from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) of the state labour department.

On January 2, days before a powerful blast killed eight persons, MPCB had granted Consent to Operate until 2024 to Patel, who also sustained injuries in the explosion. This was after Patel installed an effluent treatment plant in order to achieve zero liquid discharge.

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

HAZMAT TEAM, POLICE RESPOND TO SANTA ANA RESIDENCE AFTER MERCURY FOUND: OFFICIALS
https://ktla.com/2020/01/14/hazmat-team-police-respond-to-santa-ana-residence-after-mercury-found-officials/
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, mercury

A hazardous materials team has responded to a residential area in Santa Ana on Tuesday morning to investigate illegally dumped mercury, fire officials said.

The incident was reported around 8:30 a.m. in the area of MacArthur Boulevard and Greenville Street, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

A hazmat team as well as personnel from the Santa Ana Police Department are at the scene investigating.

One bottle of the potentially harmful element was found at a woman‰??s residence, police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told KTLA. He said additional mercury was found at another house where the woman‰??s boyfriend or ex-boyfriend lives.

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

AT LEAST 60 TREATED, INCLUDING CHILDREN, AFTER PLANE DUMPS FUEL ONTO LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS DURING EMERGENCY LANDING
http://sandhillsexpress.com/abc_national/at-least-60-treated-including-children-after-plane-dumps-fuel-onto-los-angeles-schools-during-emergency-landing-abcid36250397/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, other_chemical

(LOS ANGELES) ‰?? At least 60 people, including both children and adults, were being treated after an aircraft dumped fuel over several schools in the Los Angeles area as it prepared for an emergency landing, according to authorities.

The group was being evaluated by firefighters and paramedics after the incident Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. There were no transports to the hospital, authorities said, and no evacuation orders for the area. Authorities said Los Angeles County Fire had 44 total patients and Los Angeles City Fire had 16 patients.

Los Angeles ABC station KABC said the fuel dump had occurred near Cudahy and South Los Angeles elementary schools.

A third school ‰?? Jordan High School ‰?? was also affected by the dump, according to the Los Angeles School Police Department.

Delta Airlines said in a statement Tuesday that shortly after takeoff flight 89 from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai ‰?? carrying 149 passengers and 15 crew on board ‰?? experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return to the airport. The plane started intentionally dumping fuel over the ocean shortly after takeoff around 7,000 to 8,000 feet, according to a Delta spokesperson.

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

FREEPORT HAZMAT SPILL FORCES RESIDENTS INTO THEIR HOMES
https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/freeport-hazmat-spill-forces-residents-into-their-homes/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) ‰?? Hazmat crews are called into action when a dangerous chemical is spilled at a stateline manufacturer.


Photo courtesy: City of Freeport Facebook
Freeport Fire crews were called to Modern Plating Corporation, 701 South Hancock Avenue, Tuesday evening.

Officials say 5,500 gallons of hydrochloric acid were spilled.

The plant was evacuated. Residents in the nearby Arcade neighborhood were told to stay inside, but have since been given the all clear.

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

ONE KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSION IN SPAIN
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-catalonia-blast/one-dead-after-chemical-factory-explosion-in-spains-tarragona-idUKKBN1ZD2EZ?il=0
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

TARRAGONA, Spain (Reuters) - One person was killed, another was missing and six were injured in an explosion and fire at a chemical factory in northeastern Spain, local authorities said.

Black smoke billowed above the factory in Tarragona, following what rescue services called a ‰??chemical accident‰??. However, authorities said there was no evidence of any ‰??toxic cloud‰??.

A spokesman for Catalonia‰??s rescue services said the fire had been contained, adding that several of the injured had suffered burns.

The building in which one person died collapsed near the factory. This was due to a shockwave from the explosion, media including La Vanguardia and El Pais newspapers said.

‰??We dispatched two medical units (to the collapsed building) which confirmed the death of one person and treated a second person with less severe injuries,‰?? Catalonia‰??s emergency medical service said in a tweet.

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

INDUSTRY, ADVOCACY GROUPS SLAM PROPOSED CHEMICAL DISCLOSURE RULE
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/safety/industry-advocacy-groups-slam-proposed-chemical-disclosure-rule
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental

Industry and environmental groups are calling the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board‰??s proposed chemical disclosure rule ‰??largely useless‰?? after the comment period on the proposal closed Jan. 13.

The proposed rulemaking comes after several recent chemical releases and refinery explosions, which led a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in February to order the CSB to develop the rule by February 2020. It also follows a Ninth Circuit decision Dec. 9 giving the CSB authority to subpoena records from Exxon Mobil Corp. in relation to a refinery explosion in Torrance, Calif., in 2015....

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

'FOREVER CHEMICALS' FOUND IN FOAM FROM 2 TWIN CITIES CREEKS
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Forever-chemicals-found-in-foam-from-2-Twin-14975235.php
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical, other_chemical

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ‰?? Minnesota pollution regulators have found foam containing potentially harmful ‰??forever chemicals‰?? from two creeks in the eastern Twin Cities.

Elevated levels of the industrial compound known as PFAS turned up in naturally-occurring foam in Raleigh Creek in Oakdale and in Battle Creek in eastern St. Paul. Officials say there's no immediate health threat to the public. But they're warning people to avoid the contaminated foam and to take precautions if they or their pets come in contact with it.

Maplewood-based 3M made the chemicals ‰?? used in Scotchgard, fire retardants and nonstick cookware ‰?? starting in the 1950s and stopping in 2002.

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

---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post



The content of this page reflects the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) only, not the American Chemical Society, ILPI, Safety Emporium, or any other party. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. Send questions/comments about the archive to secretary@dchas.org.
The maintenance and hosting of the DCHAS-L archive is provided through the generous support of Safety Emporium.