From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (3 articles)
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2020 07:56:57 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 6DC0E3EF-37C7-44C4-A2BD-50D61520F31A**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 7:56:37 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
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Table of Contents (3 articles)

COMPANY UNDER FIRE FOR RELEASING CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS SUES COBB COUNTY TO REOPEN FULLY, PERMANENTLY
Tags: us_GA, public, discovery, environmental, ethylene_oxide

CORONAVIRUS: ANGER AS MIGRANTS SPRAYED WITH DISINFECTANT IN INDIA
Tags: India, public, release, response, other_chemical

CORONA RESCUE FLIGHTS: AIR INDIA CREW SAYS PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT ‰??FAILING WITH ALARMING FREQUENCY‰??
Tags: India, public, discovery, environmental


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COMPANY UNDER FIRE FOR RELEASING CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS SUES COBB COUNTY TO REOPEN FULLY, PERMANENTLY
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/sterigenics-sues-cobb-county-to-be-allowed-to-fully-reopen/85-10cb04d3-8e85-4104-9ad5-4de2604b8c5e
Tags: us_GA, public, discovery, environmental, ethylene_oxide

A Cobb County company that has come under scrutiny for emitting cancer-causing chemicals into the air has filed suit in an effort to be allowed to reopen fully.

Sterigenics is a medical sterilization company that uses ethylene oxide gas to sterilize medical devices and tools used in hospitals and other medical facilities across the country. The chemical, however, is a known carcinogen and research has shown emissions of it can lead to higher instances of cancer in surrounding areas.

After news of the amount of ethylene oxide Sterigenics was releasing into the air became public, the county took steps to pressure the company to close until it could reign in the emissions; Sterigenics did so last fall. Tense negotiations have been ongoing since to allow the facility to reopen with new monitoring equipment in place.

Now, the company has filed a lawsuit to be allowed to reopen permanently amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sterigenics announced it filed a complaint in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Cobb County, county officials and the state, Monday.

In the complaint, the company said it is seeking "immediate and permanent relief to resume normal operations" at its facility in Cobb County, near the Smyrna area. Sterigencis cited the coronavirus pandemic and the need to sterilize essential medical products and devices as the reason behind the lawsuit.

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CORONAVIRUS: ANGER AS MIGRANTS SPRAYED WITH DISINFECTANT IN INDIA
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52093220
Tags: India, public, release, response, other_chemical

An investigation has been launched after a group of migrant workers were filmed being doused in a "chemical solution" by Indian officials.

They are understood to be migrants who returned to the city of Bareilly, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

They are among millions who have returned to their home villages amid a nationwide, three-week lockdown.

The move is supposed to stop the spread of coronavirus, but there are fears the returnees may spread the virus further.

The video - which has been viewed nearly 400,000 times after it was uploaded by a Times of India journalist - shows the group squatting on the ground while medical and fire department officials dressed in hazmat suits spray them with a "chemical solution".

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CORONA RESCUE FLIGHTS: AIR INDIA CREW SAYS PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT ‰??FAILING WITH ALARMING FREQUENCY‰??
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/corona-rescue-flights-air-india-crew-says-personal-protective-equipment-failing-with-alarming-frequency/articleshow/74892619.cms
Tags: India, public, discovery, environmental

NEW DELHI: Air India crew, which has been operating evacuation flights to corona hotspots like Wuhan, Japan and Europe, has complained of poor quality personal protective equipment (PPE). Crew members say there have been occasions when hazmat suits have got ruptured on these flights.

Indian Pilots‰?? Guild, union of erstwhile Air India (before with Indian Airlines), wrote to airline chairman Rajiv Bansal last Saturday (March 28), saying: ‰??During our recent rescue flights, the protective equipment being provided to the flight crew has been failing with an alarming frequency or has been plagued with other issues. For example, shoe covers have failed in as little as 10 minutes, gloves in 3 hours, hand sanitisers on board have not been provided in sufficient quantity, hazmat suits have been ill fitting and (are) available only in limited quantity increasing the risk of rupture.‰??

‰??We have repeatedly emphasised that the risk of contagion (spreading) is very high for flight crew because of the nature of duty. Even at the peak of this crisis if corners are being cut when it comes to protecting rescue personnel adequately, the entire purpose of the government initiative (21-day lockdown to prevent spread) is lost and the repercussions will be felt widely not just in the airline industry but the country as a whole‰?| request you to ensure that our flight crew get the best equipment available to perform these important duties,‰?? says the letter by Captain Kanav Hingorani, IPG general secretary.

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