From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2020 07:59:20 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 4A5727AE-E76B-4455-B559-76D50BA61FAF**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 26, 2020 at 7:59:05 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 (11 articles)

TRAIN DERAILS IN LIVINGSTON PARISH DUE TO TREE ON TRACKS, KNOCKS OUT POWER LINES
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, carbon_dioxide

ONE BURNED WHEN GAS-FED TANK EXPLODES AT LONG ISLAND HOME
Tags: us_NY, public, explosion, response, natural_gas

TRANSFORMER POLE FALLS IN ROXBURY, CAR AND STREET SIGNS ELECTRIFIED
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, oils

POSSIBLE 'CORROSIVE MATERIAL' TRIGGERS GIG HARBOR HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response, corrosives

PREPARING CHEMICAL FACILITIES FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS: CSB RELEASES SAFETY ALERT, VIDEO
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

FONTERRA FACTORY EVACUATED AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, ammonia

IRVING FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO GAS LINE LEAK ‰?? NBC 5 DALLAS-FORT WORTH
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas

BOMB SQUAD AND FIRE CREWS AT UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY OVER CHEMICAL SCARE
Tags: New_Zealand, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid

EFFECTS FROM LOW-LEVEL CONCENTRATIONS OF HARMFUL CHEMICALS PRESERVED IN THREE GENERATIONS OF FISH
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, discovery, environmental, pesticides

SERVICE DOGS AND SAFETY IN ACADEMIC LABORATORIES
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental

BAYER TO PAY MORE THAN $10 BILLION TO SETTLE ROUNDUP AND OTHER LAWSUITS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, pesticides


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TRAIN DERAILS IN LIVINGSTON PARISH DUE TO TREE ON TRACKS, KNOCKS OUT POWER LINES
https://www.wbrz.com/news/train-derailment-in-walker-becomes-hazmat-situation-one-resident-evacuated/
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, carbon_dioxide

WALKER- A train carrying non-toxic chemicals derailed at Walker's Corbin Avenue and Florida Boulevard/Highway 190 on Thursday morning.

The train derailed shortly before 6 a.m. due to a tree on the tracks. The cars also knocked down power lines as they left the tracks, causing outages in the area and creating a potential Hazmat situation.

Officials acted swiftly, closing Highway 190 and Corbin Avenue (both eastbound and westbound lanes) to address the situation.


Walker Mayor Jimmy Watson elaborated on the situation, telling WBRZ that one of the four derailed train cars was carrying carbon dioxide, and the other three were, at one point, carrying ammonia, but the ammonia was removed prior to the derailment.

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ONE BURNED WHEN GAS-FED TANK EXPLODES AT LONG ISLAND HOME
https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/nassau/police-fire/one-burned-when-gas-fed-tank-explodes-at-long-island-home/789907/
Tags: us_NY, public, explosion, response, natural_gas

One person was burned when an active gas-fed tank exploded at a home on Long Island.

The incident began in Suffolk County around 9:56 a.m., Thursday, June 25, in the area of Paprocki Avenue and Chestnut Place in West Islip, said the West Islip Fire Department.

Assistant Chief Robert Celeste, who arrived first on the scene, confirmed the tank explosion with an active gas-fed fire and one burn victim.

Firefighters quickly stretched hose lines to start cooling the tank and knocking down the fire, the department said.

As other crews arrived they stretched additional hose lines to protect the neighboring houses.

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TRANSFORMER POLE FALLS IN ROXBURY, CAR AND STREET SIGNS ELECTRIFIED
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/06/25/metro/transformer-pole-falls-roxbury-car-street-signs-electrified/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, oils

A transformer pole fell over and spilled about 29 gallons of mineral oils onto the ground in Roxbury and a car and two street signs to became electrified in Thursday night, officials said.

A Level 2 hazmat incident was declared after the pole fell on Gerard and Kemble streets, Boston fire said on Twitter. The pole leaked mineral oils on the ground which became electrified.

Firefighters responded to the scene at about 5:15 p.m., Boston fire spokesman Brian Alkins said. The situation was upgraded to a level two Hazmat situation at 5:40 p.m.

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POSSIBLE 'CORROSIVE MATERIAL' TRIGGERS GIG HARBOR HAZMAT RESPONSE
https://patch.com/washington/gigharbor/possible-corrosive-material-triggers-gig-harbor-hazmat-response
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response, corrosives

GIG HARBOR, WA ‰?? Five 55-gallon drums containing "possible corrosive material" triggered a hazmat response involving fire departments from across Pierce County on Thursday.

Graham Fire & Rescue tweeted preliminary information just after 6 p.m. while crews were en route to the scene. A spokesman for the department said multiple agencies were headed to 54th Avenue and Bujacich Road, near a septic facility located between Gig Harbor High School and McCormick Forest Park.

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PREPARING CHEMICAL FACILITIES FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS: CSB RELEASES SAFETY ALERT, VIDEO
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20041-preparing-chemical-facilities-for-extreme-weather-events-csb-issues-guidance
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

Washington ‰?? The Chemical Safety Board has published a safety alert and video intended to help hazardous chemical facilities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather events.

Announced in a June 23 press release, the safety alert and five-minute video include highlights from a Center for Chemical Process Safety guidance document. Assessment of and Planning for Natural Hazards, published in October, was developed after CSB‰??s investigation into an August 2017 incident at an Arkema Inc. chemical plant in Crosby, TX.

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FONTERRA FACTORY EVACUATED AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/246176-fonterra-factory-evacuated-after-ammonia-leak.html
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, ammonia

Fire and Emergency crews are attending a chemical leak at a Fonterra factory just outside Hamilton this morning.

They were called at 2.30am to Fonterra Te Rapa due to an ammonia leak.

The hazardous chemical and refrigerant is colourless, with a potent smell.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson says the spill was quite large and the factory had been evacuated.

No homes have been evacuated.

Twenty crew are still working on site and ammonia levels have reduced from 70 per cent to 50 per cent.

Crews will be working for some time until they can stop the leak.

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IRVING FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO GAS LINE LEAK ‰?? NBC 5 DALLAS-FORT WORTH
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/irving-fire-department-responds-to-gas-line-leak/2394943/
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas

The Irving Fire Department is on scene at a natural gas leak coming from a cut two-inch gas line located at the Northeast corner of N. Macarthur and Northgate Drive.

Firefighters were originally called to investigate the smell of gas in the area, and discovered the leaking gas line and then upgraded the incident to a hazmat incident. A truck, hazmat, a battalion chief and an EMS supervisor were sent to the scene.

No injuries to the firefighters or civilians were reported. The fire department said that it appears as though the gas line was struck by a small excavator doing construction at that intersection, which resulted in the leak.

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BOMB SQUAD AND FIRE CREWS AT UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY OVER CHEMICAL SCARE
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/121945986/bomb-squad-and-fire-crews-at-university-of-canterbury-over-chemical-scare
Tags: New_Zealand, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid

A "small situation" involving an explosive chemical resulted in a section of the University of Canterbury being cordoned off and the Defence Force's explosive squad called in.

Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) crews were called to the Biological Sciences building on the university's Ilam campus about 1.30pm.

A university spokeswoman said the "small situation" involved picric acid in a secure laboratory but the chemical was "quickly stabilised".

"No one was harmed or at risk, with only the immediate area needing to be evacuated."

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EFFECTS FROM LOW-LEVEL CONCENTRATIONS OF HARMFUL CHEMICALS PRESERVED IN THREE GENERATIONS OF FISH
https://phys.org/news/2020-06-effects-low-level-chemicals-fish.html
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, discovery, environmental, pesticides

Fish exposed to very low levels of chemicals commonly found in waterways can pass the impacts on to future generations that were never directly exposed to the chemicals, according to Oregon State University researchers.

"What that gets at is something your grandparents may have come into contact with in their environment can still be affecting the overall structure of your DNA in your life today," said Kaley Major, a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State and lead author of the paper published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

The study focused on synthetic (man-made) endocrine disrupting chemicals, which mimic the body's hormones. They are found in many household and industrial products including flame retardants, food, toys, cosmetics and pesticides. Previous research has shown exposures to the chemicals can lead to altered sex ratios, lower fertility rates and deformities in fish.

Endocrine disruptors can cause adverse biological effects in other animals, including humans, by altering natural hormones in the body that are responsible for development, behavior and fertility. Past research done elsewhere has shown that those adverse alterations in humans can be passed to future generations.

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SERVICE DOGS AND SAFETY IN ACADEMIC LABORATORIES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00073
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental

The Americans with Disabilities Act allows a student with a disability to bring a service dog into any facility where the public is allowed, including academic teaching and research laboratories. However, the presence of the service dog does have an impact on the safety of the student, the service dog, and others in the laboratory. This article explores some of the questions that must be addressed to maintain a safe environment.

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BAYER TO PAY MORE THAN $10 BILLION TO SETTLE ROUNDUP AND OTHER LAWSUITS
https://cen.acs.org/policy/litigation/Bayer-pay-10-billion-settle/98/i25
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, pesticides

Bayer says it will pay nearly $10 billion to settle over 125,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs alleging their use of the herbicide Roundup contributed to incidences of non-Hodgkin‰??s lymphoma.

In addition, the company will pay hundreds of millions to settle suits brought by farmers claiming another herbicide, dicamba, damaged their crops as well as suits by local and state governments claiming damages from polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated water.

The company says the settlements will help it move past the legacy legal problems plaguing its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, the original manufacturer of the three chemicals. The agreements do not contain any admission of wrongdoing. Bayer says scientists and regulators agree that Roundup, its brand name for glyphosate, does not pose a danger to human health.

The Roundup settlement will resolve about 75% of cases filed by current plaintiffs as well as potential future claims that have not yet been filed in court. It does not apply to three cases that have already gone to trial. In the first trial, a San Francisco jury awarded Dewayne Johnson, a 46-year old groundskeeper, $289 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Two following cases also went against Bayer. The company is appealing all three verdicts.

The Roundup settlement ‰??resolves most current claims and puts in place a clear mechanism to manage risks of potential future litigation,‰?? Bayer CEO Werner Baumann says in a statement. ‰??It is financially reasonable when viewed against the significant financial risks of continued, multi-year litigation and the related impacts to our reputation and to our business.‰??

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