From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (6 articles)
Date: Wed, 27 May 2020 07:24:04 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 90A26508-07DC-4786-AC59-12841F182044**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at 7:23:28 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 (6 articles)

TANKER SPILL SHUTS DOWN INDIANAPOLIS BOULEVARD IN EAST CHICAGO
Tags: us_in, transportation, release, response, petroleum

NORTH SMITHFIELD FIREFIGHTERS STOP PICKUP FIRE AT WALMART BEFORE CHEMICAL TANKS EXPLODE
Tags: us_ri, fire, public, response, gas_cylinder

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES NEW PFAS RESEARCH CENTER
Tags: us_mi, laboratory, discovery, environment, other_chemical

FEARS NORTHLAND TOXIC CHEMICAL STOCKPILE COULD CAUSE FIRE, ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
Tags: new_zealand, public, discovery, waste, other_chemical

FIRE AT COSMETIC FACTORY DOUSED AFTER 30 HOURS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, flammables

DO HAZMAT SUITS PROTECT AGAINST CORONAVIRUS WHEN YOU TRAVEL?
Tags: us_WA, transportation, discovery, environmental


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TANKER SPILL SHUTS DOWN INDIANAPOLIS BOULEVARD IN EAST CHICAGO
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/tanker-spill-shuts-down-indianapolis-boulevard-in-east-chicago/article_4d443b99-36e8-5b9e-b574-337026d0dbda.html
Tags: us_in, transportation, release, response, petroleum

EAST CHICAGO ‰?? An oil tanker started leaking a black, tar-like substance on Indianapolis Boulevard in East Chicago Tuesday night, shutting down the busy road.

A tanker truck from the Safety-Kleen refinery in East Chicago spilled the substance while driving southbound on Indianapolis Boulevard between Chicago Avenue and 151st Street at about 7:30 p.m., East Chicago Fire Chief Anthony Serna said.

The East Chicago Fire Department, East Chicago Police Department and the Lake County HAZMAT responded to the scene, redirecting traffic while making sure the spill was contained.

"We sent out every rig we had," Serna said. "It was a nuisance. It was in the middle of the road, making it slick to drive. First responders did good work getting the scene under control."

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NORTH SMITHFIELD FIREFIGHTERS STOP PICKUP FIRE AT WALMART BEFORE CHEMICAL TANKS EXPLODE
https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20200526/north-smithfield-firefighters-stop-pickup-fire-at-walmart-before-chemical-tanks-explode
Tags: us_ri, fire, public, response, gas_cylinder

NORTH SMITHFIELD ‰?? If an older work truck had been parked in a marked parking space when it caught fire at Walmart Sunday night, other vehicles would have burned too, Fire Capt. Bill Laforge said.

Multiple callers reported a vehicle on fire outside the Walmart at 7 Dowling Village Blvd. Laforge said the driver had left it parked illegally while he went in to buy some boots.

Firefighters worked about 20 minutes, in danger from oxygen and acetylene tanks in the back, to put it out.

Laforge said the fire destroyed any clues in the engine compartment about the cause.

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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES NEW PFAS RESEARCH CENTER
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2020/05/26/msu-announces-new-pfas-research-center/5258718002/
Tags: us_mi, laboratory, discovery, environment, other_chemical

LANSING ‰?? A team of Michigan State University scientists launched a new effort to study the toxic PFAS chemicals polluting sites across Michigan, the university announced Tuesday.

Researchers at the new MSU Center for PFAS Research will study the chemicals' impacts on agriculture, health and natural resources. Scientists in fields including chemistry, engineering, food science, human nutrition, human medicine and packaging will work at the center.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that were used industrially for decades to create a host of products, including fire-fighting foams, stain- and water-resistant fabrics and non-stick coatings.

The chemicals linger in the environment and human body instead of breaking down. They pollute 91 known sites in Michigan, including the Grand Ledge Army Aviation Support Facility and Armory Site and former Adams Plating and General Motors sites in west Lansing.

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FEARS NORTHLAND TOXIC CHEMICAL STOCKPILE COULD CAUSE FIRE, ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300019423/fears-northland-toxic-chemical-stockpile-could-cause-fire-environmental-damage
Tags: new_zealand, public, discovery, waste, other_chemical

Authorities fear a Northland site where about a million litres of toxic chemicals are stored could cause a "catastrophic" explosion or fire, with the potential to damage New Zealand's fuel pipeline.

The site at Marsden Point, Ruakaka, is to be urgently cleared of all hazardous substances, according to a May 11 ruling by the Environment Court.

But the court documents show just how difficult such a clean-up will be, with a "clear danger" if it is not done.

Between 700,000 and 1.1 million litres of industrial chemicals are stored haphazardly on the site, in old, damaged, rusty, leaking and unmarked containers, despite their toxicity and flammability.

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FIRE AT COSMETIC FACTORY DOUSED AFTER 30 HOURS
https://www.hindustantimes.com/gurugram/fire-at-cosmetic-factory-doused-after-30-hours/story-4KJvf3uFxSfsINQbmRzFyI.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, flammables

A fire at a manufacturing unit of hand sanitisers and cosmetics in Kherki Daula was put out after 30 hours on Sunday. The fire at Stella Industries Limited, which started around 9.15am on Saturday, was doused at 3pm on Sunday.

Fire department officials said they had managed to contain the fire at the three-storey establishment around 4pm on Saturday, but a combination of chemicals, used in the processing of hand sanitisers, along with plastic containers resulted in the fire continuing in the basement of the building for another 23 hours.

‰??The plastic containers, in which the solution of hand sanitisers is added, melted due to the fire and disfigured in such a manner that they formed a layer on top of the basement and prevented water from seeping through below. The highly flammable chemicals were stored below this layer and they continued burning as water couldn‰??t pass through. Finally, around 7am on Sunday, we used air-pressure machines to shift the topmost layer of plastic and started dousing the fire below,‰?? said IS Kashyap, assistant divisional fire safety officer.

Kashyap said that a total of 21 fire tenders were used to douse the fire, as part of a phased operation ‰?? all 21 were used in dousing operations until 4pm on Saturday, after which only 12 tenders were deployed and subsequently, this number was reduced to six early Sunday morning.

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DO HAZMAT SUITS PROTECT AGAINST CORONAVIRUS WHEN YOU TRAVEL?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/people-are-wearing-hazmat-suits-planes-are-they-effective/
Tags: us_WA, transportation, discovery, environmental

Disposable PPE suits can cost less than $20 online, but health experts aren‰??t advocating wearing them on planes during the pandemic.

‰??Wearing a hazmat suit on an airplane is unnecessary and could cause undue concern for other travelers,‰?? Scott Pauley, a press officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told The Washington Post by email. ‰??CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.‰??

Nonetheless, multiple carriers are requiring flight attendants to wear hazmat suits on planes, including Philippine Airlines, AirAsia and, most recently, Qatar Airways, CNN reported.

On May 18, Qatar Airways announced it would require members of its cabin crew to wear disposable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits over their uniforms in addition to other gear including safety goggles, gloves and a mask.

‰??At Qatar Airways, we have introduced these additional safety measures onboard our flights to ensure the continued health and well-being of our passengers and cabin crew, and to limit the spread of coronavirus,‰?? Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said in a statement. ‰??As an airline, we maintain the highest possible hygiene standards to ensure that we can fly people home safely during this time.‰??

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