From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2020 07:52:54 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 21FF697D-E3C4-4802-AEDA-15546FD3AB18**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 12, 2020 at 7:52:43 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 (10 articles)

METH LAB BUST IN MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES SMALL FIRE
Tags: us_MI, public, fire, injury, meth_lab

SECOND FIRE INCIDENT IN A WEEK: LABOURER KILLED IN ANKLESHWAR
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, pesticides

‰??FIRE AT DAHEJ CHEMICAL FIRM DAMAGED OUR HEALTH, ECOLOGY‰??
Tags: India, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

MINOR CHEMICAL SPILL AT REDSTONE ARSENAL FORCED SOME WORKERS TO SHELTER-IN-PLACE ON WEDNESDAY
Tags: us_AL, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO STERLING CEMETERY ON REPORT OF PERSON PASSED OUT IN CAR
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

A FLAME RETARDANT COMMONLY FOUND IN VINTAGE FURNITURE MAY BE AFFECTING HUMAN SPERM
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, dust

CHEMICAL SAFETY: TATP FORMATION IN 2-PROPANOL
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, explosives

2 HOSPITALIZED AFTER GAS LEAK IN BEAVERTON
Tags: us_or, release, industrial, injury, carbon_monoxide

CHARLOTTE STOPS FUNDING POLICE CHEMICAL AGENTS AMID PROTESTS
Tags: us_nc, public, discovery, enviromental

FLAMES LEAP FROM OIL WELL
Tags: india, explosion, industrial, response, petroleum


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METH LAB BUST IN MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES SMALL FIRE
https://www.upmatters.com/news/meth-lab-bust-in-marquette-township-chemical-reaction-causes-small-fire/
Tags: us_MI, public, fire, injury, meth_lab

MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJMN) ‰?? On June 10 around 7:30 p.m., the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET) was requested to assist troopers from the Michigan State Police Negaunee Post with a meth lab at Whetstone Apartments.

Troopers who first arrived on the scene determined a man was attempting to manufacture meth when a chemical reaction caused a small fire in the bathroom of the suspect‰??s apartment.

The suspect sustained burns due to the fire and was transported to UP Health System ‰?? Marquette for treatment.

The Marquette Township Fire Department assisted at the scene. The fire did not spread beyond the suspects apartment and there was only minor damage to the bathroom where the incident occurred.

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SECOND FIRE INCIDENT IN A WEEK: LABOURER KILLED IN ANKLESHWAR
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/second-fire-incident-in-a-week-labourer-killed-in-ankleshwar-6454927/
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, pesticides

In the second fire incident at a chemical factory within a week, one worker was killed and five others were injured after an explosion in a reactor at Hemani industries at Ankleshwar GIDC led to a fire early on Thursday.

According to police, the incident took place in Hemani industries, which deals with pesticides products and intermediate chemicals, around 1 am when the workers on night shift were on duty. Six labourers suffered severe burns as the hot toxic chemicals fell on them from the reactor.

Other labourers in the unit rushed the injured to private hospitals in Bharuch and also alerted the disaster management office at Ankleshwar GIDC. Fire fighters battled the flames for over 90 minutes before bringing it under control. The factory has been shut down after the incident.

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‰??FIRE AT DAHEJ CHEMICAL FIRM DAMAGED OUR HEALTH, ECOLOGY‰??
https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad/crime/fire-at-dahej-chemical-firm-damaged-our-health-ecology/articleshow/76330776.cms
Tags: India, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

Fishermen in Bharuch have sought action against Yashashvi Chemicals, where a huge fire killed not just 10 workers but also harmed the health of villagers and caused ecological damage to water sources nearby.
An FIR of culpable homicide through negligence was on Thursday filed against seven officials of the chemical company in Bharuch that witnessed the death of 10 workers after an explosion ripped through the facility on June 3. In-charge Inspector VL Gagiya of Dahej Marine police filed the complaint on government‰??s behalf.
The FIR comes days after Samast Bharuch Jilla Machimar Samaj wrote to the SP, the Collector, the National Green Tribunal as well as the government seeking action against the firm.
SBJMS head Kamlesh Madhiwala, had petitioned that the blast caused damage to houses of villages nearby and also had an immediate detrimental effect on the health of the villagers. ‰??The burnt raw material spread all over the area. Rain washed it into the Narmada, polluting it. This will have an adverse implication on the environment.‰?? The Samaj also filed a police application. The complaint on Thursday was filed against Atalbihari Kumar Mandal, Mahesh Galchar, Bharat Agrawal, Dharam Thummar, Mitesh Patel, Alok Panda and Yunus Khaliwala. It states so had an immediate detrimental effect on the health of the villagers. ‰??The burnt raw material spread all over the area. Rain washed it into the Narmada, polluting it. This will have an adverse implication on the environment.‰?? The Samaj also filed a police application.

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MINOR CHEMICAL SPILL AT REDSTONE ARSENAL FORCED SOME WORKERS TO SHELTER-IN-PLACE ON WEDNESDAY
https://www.waff.com/2020/06/10/minor-chemical-spill-redstone-arsenal-forced-some-workers-shelter-in-place-wednesday/
Tags: us_AL, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Redstone Arsenal reported a chemical spill on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m. using the mass phone notification system.

The spill is located in the area of Building 4500. This location is near Marshall Space Flight Center.

A quarter-mile radius blockade has been instituted.

There was a minor chemical spill in a lab environment in building 4500 near Martin Road. There are no injuries and no damage reported.

The Redstone Arsenal Fire Department has secured the scene, and appropriate precautions are being taken in the immediate area to ensure the continued safety, security and well-being of our workforce.

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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO STERLING CEMETERY ON REPORT OF PERSON PASSED OUT IN CAR
https://www.telegram.com/news/20200610/hazmat-team-called-to-sterling-cemetery-on-report-of-person-passed-out-in-car
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

STERLING ‰?? A hazardous materials team was dispatched to Oak Hill Cemetery on Tuesday morning on a report of a strong chemical odor coming from a car with an unconscious person inside, according to authorities.

The person in the car, whose name was not provided by authorities, was taken to a Worcester hospital with serious injuries after Sterling firefighters, donning protective equipment, removed and decontaminated the person. Life-saving measures were performed, authorities said.

The chemical turned out to be a household cleaning product, Fire Chief David C. Hurlbut Jr. said.

Police and firefighters went to the cemetery just after 8:15 a.m. The chief requested a state police Tier 1 hazmat team, a crew that assesses and identifies the existence of chemicals.

Police, fire and the hazmat workers were at the site for three hours determining what the chemicals were and securing them for disposal.

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A FLAME RETARDANT COMMONLY FOUND IN VINTAGE FURNITURE MAY BE AFFECTING HUMAN SPERM
https://www.salon.com/2020/06/10/a-flame-retardant-commonly-found-in-vintage-furniture-may-be-affecting-human-sperm/
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, dust

new study reveals that polybrominated biphenyl-153 (PBB-153) ‰?? a flame retardant present in older consumer products, which has been banned since 1976 ‰?? may cause serious birth defects by altering the genetic code in sperm. The new study into this common household chemical raises questions about the present-day consequences of corporate malfeasance nearly half a century ago.

Polybrominated biphenyls tend to resemble white, off-white or beige powders at room temperature. Currently, biphenyl-153 is only manufactured in a very limited capacity, such as in electronics and electronic products sold in the European Union. In the past, however, biphenyl-153 was commonly used as a fire retardant in products like automobile upholstery, lacquers and coatings, as well as a flame retardant additive in molded plastics, textiles and synthetic fibers. Application of PBB and similar chemicals as flame retardants began in earnest after the Flammable Fabrics Act was amended in 1967.

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CHEMICAL SAFETY: TATP FORMATION IN 2-PROPANOL
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00061
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, explosives

On November 21, 2019, at approximately 2:00 AM, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Police carried out a controlled detonation of a bottle outside an apartment building.(1) The bottle originally contained 500 mL of Life brand 99% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, 2-propanol), with an expiry date of February 2007, and was stored in the dark underneath a bathroom sink. In August of 2017, and again in May 2019, application of the rubbing alcohol to sterilize an area of skin (on two different people) resulted in scab formation, thought originally to be a sensitivity to rubbing alcohol. Some time after May 2019, the bottle had tipped over, cracking the plastic top and partially spilling the contents, which were slower to volatilize than expected for pure rubbing alcohol, and whose odor was a little off. In mid-November, 2019, the owner partially discarded some of the remaining liquid, and at this time noticed gas evolution at the sink drain and the presence of approximate!
ly 25 g of a white solid mass remaining in the bottle. The owner initially thought that it might have been a result of product tampering, so a small sample of the solid was analyzed by X-ray crystallography(2) and found to be a polymorph(3) of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an organic peroxide and high explosive. Once the solid compound was identified as such, emergency services were called to handle the disposal at the apartment building.

The ability of 2-propanol to form peroxides has been mentioned before.(4) The exact nature of the solid peroxide formed has not been known until now. Stoichiometrically, 2-propanol and oxygen gas is equivalent to acetone and hydrogen peroxide, the ingredients required for classic TATP synthesis,(5) which may be relevant to its formation under these conditions. Similar compounds are known to form upon photosensitization with benzophenone.(6) Given the use of 2-propanol in clandestine drug laboratories and of TATP in recent terrorism incidents, the implications for police work are clear.

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2 HOSPITALIZED AFTER GAS LEAK IN BEAVERTON
https://www.koin.com/local/washington-county/crews-respond-to-hazmat-incident-in-beaverton/
Tags: us_or, release, industrial, injury, carbon_monoxide

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) ‰?? Two people were rushed to a hospital after being exposed to toxic gas Tuesday afternoon in Beaverton, firefighters said.

Emergency responders were sent to a business complex in the 10800 block of SW 5th Street just after 2 p.m. after receiving reports about someone experiencing cardiac arrest, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

Police officers found one person who was semi-conscious struggling to leave the building and found a second person unconscious inside on the floor.

Firefighters arrived and got the unconscious person out of the building. The person was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, fire crews said. The other person was also taken to a local hospital. A third person who was in a different part of the building refused treatment at the scene.

A hazmat team found potentially deadly levels of carbon monoxide inside the affected building, which officials described as a warehouse facility. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas.

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CHARLOTTE STOPS FUNDING POLICE CHEMICAL AGENTS AMID PROTESTS
https://www.wwaytv3.com/2020/06/09/charlotte-stops-funding-police-chemical-agents-amid-protests/
Tags: us_nc, public, discovery, enviromental

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) ‰?? The Charlotte City Council has voted to stop funding chemical agents for police use a week after the city‰??s police department received criticism for using them on demonstrators.

News outlets report the measure to defund the chemical agents passed in a 9-2 vote Monday night.

A city official says the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has spent $103,000 on chemical agents in 2020.

A local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police slammed the council‰??s vote, calling it dangerous and saying the city would be on fire without the use of chemical agents.

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FLAMES LEAP FROM OIL WELL
https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/north-east/flames-leap-from-oil-well/cid/1779735
Tags: india, explosion, industrial, response, petroleum

Amassive fire broke out at the Baghjan oil well after an explosion on Tuesday afternoon and spread to nearby areas, burning houses and trees and prompting a second round of exodus after the recent blowout-driven evacuation.

Television images showed flames leaping 30-40ft into the sky and ending in a plume of black smoke that people said was visible from Tinsukia town, 15km away.

A fire-fighter from ONGCL suffered ‰??minor injuries‰?? in the blaze, which set off ‰??violent‰?? protests that led to a few Oil India employees being ‰??manhandled‰?? and a few vehicles damaged, an Oil India official said.

A company official said ‰??the army has been deployed to assist the police and maintain order‰?? while the chief minister‰??s office said the air force was on standby to help fight the fire, if necessary. Some 20 fire tenders were trying to control the fire in the evening.

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