From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (15 articles)
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 06:13:59 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: D3B8F349-57CE-451B-AD74-D5E75BB290A8**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at 6:13:42 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 (15 articles)

HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO BEAVER DAM FACILITY
Tags: us_IL, public, release, environmental, formaldehyde

CARBON DIOXIDE LEAK TEMPORARILY EVACUATES MCDONALD'S ON WESTERN
Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, carbon_dioxide

ST. ANN'S CLEARED OF POSSIBLE CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, cleaners

HARFORD SHERIFF‰??S DEPUTY, EMS WORKERS SENT TO HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF ‰??CHEMICAL SMELL‰?? AT UNATTENDED DEATH; HAZMAT NOW ON SCENE
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

MAJOR FIRE BREAKS OUT AT PANCHKULA CHEMICAL FACTORY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

SIX FIRE ENGINES RUSH TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT HEYSHAM PORT
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

PROPANE GAS LEAK LEADS TO EVACUATION
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, propane

DANGEROUS CHEMICALS REMAIN IN BEIRUT PORT
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES FIRE AT SOMAVRAC DISTRIBUTION SITE
Tags: Canada, industrial, fire, response, bleach

NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ‰??FOREVER CHEMICAL‰?? POLLUTION
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

LEBANON'S PRIME MINISTER WAS WARNED ABOUT CHEMICAL DUMP TWO WEEKS BEFORE MASSIVE BEIRUT BLAST
Tags: Lebanon, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate

CHEMICAL REACTION IN LYTTON SENDS 2 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, injury, hydrogen_sulfide

PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER URGED TO STAY INDOORS DUE TO LARGE CHEMICAL SPILL IN HAVERHILL
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, acetonitrile, pharmaceutical

AFTER BEIRUT BLASTS, EXPLOSIVE CHEMICAL AMMONIUM NITRATE STORED NEAR CHENNAI BEING MOVED TO HYDERABAD
Tags: India, public, discovery, environmental, ammonium_nitrate

ORICA PLANT IN NEWCASTLE WITH SAME CHEMICAL LINKED TO BEIRUT EXPLOSION
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, ammonium_nitrate


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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO BEAVER DAM FACILITY
https://fox11online.com/news/local/hazmat-team-called-to-beaver-dam-facility
Tags: us_IL, public, release, environmental, formaldehyde

BEAVER DAM (WLUK) -- A company in Beaver Dam was evacuated after a formaldehyde leak.

Crews were called to the Animart facility on Green Valley Rd. just before 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The chemical was leaking from a damaged 275-gallon tote container inside the facility.

All employees made it out safely and management was able to assure the fire department there was no life safety hazard.

Dodge County Hazmat technicians and Beaver Dam firefighters in personal protective equipment quickly stopped the leak from the tote and spread absorbent materials in the area to contain the spill.

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CARBON DIOXIDE LEAK TEMPORARILY EVACUATES MCDONALD'S ON WESTERN
https://week.com/2020/08/11/carbon-dioxide-leak-temporarily-evacuates-mcdonalds-on-western/
Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, carbon_dioxide

PEORIA (WEEK) ‰?? There are no reported injuries after a carbon dioxide leak at the McDonald's on Western in Peoria forced Peoria Firefighters to temporarily evacuate the business.

Firefighters were called at around 12:35 p.m. to a carbon dioxide alarm.

After evacuating the building, the department's HAZMAT team was activated.

Using various detectors and pieces of equipment to monitor the air, it was determined to be a leak in a piece of equipment.

A release from the fire department said the equipment was shut down and a repair company was contacted to fix it.

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

ST. ANN'S CLEARED OF POSSIBLE CHEMICAL LEAK
https://www.wdio.com/news/duluth-fire-department-investigating-possible-chlorine-leak-st-anns/5823668/?cat=10335
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, cleaners

The Duluth Fire Department had to flush a utility sink at St. Ann's Residence Tuesday evening. They say chemicals were improperly disposed of.

They had evacuated the first floor of the building as a precaution after they were called there for a possible chlorine leak.

There was a "potent smell" on the first floor, Duluth Public Information Officer Kate Van Daele said.

Van Daele says it was unclear why multiple types of chemicals had been poured down the sink.

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

HARFORD SHERIFF‰??S DEPUTY, EMS WORKERS SENT TO HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF ‰??CHEMICAL SMELL‰?? AT UNATTENDED DEATH; HAZMAT NOW ON SCENE
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/harford/aegis/cng-ag-hazmat-death-20200812-ck3shae4cjfwdlftjfdequ3dd4-story.html
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

A Harford County Sheriff‰??s deputy and two EMS providers were sent to the hospital after experiencing headaches and burning eyes at the scene of an unattended death Tuesday night in Forest Hill.

Crews from the Bel Air Fire Department and the Harford County Hazmat unit are now on scene in the 2600 block of Chestnut Hill Road investigating, said Jenn Chenworth, a spokesperson for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.

‰??The investigation is still very active,‰?? Chenworth wrote in a text message around 8:40 Tuesday night.

The initial call came around 7:15 p.m., Kyle Andersen, a spokesperson for the sheriff‰??s office, said. The call came in as an adult male in cardiac arrest and EMS requested additional resources after exiting the home due to a possible chemical exposure, Chenworth said.

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MAJOR FIRE BREAKS OUT AT PANCHKULA CHEMICAL FACTORY
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/major-fire-breaks-out-at-panchkula-chemical-factory-125510
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Industrial Area Phase 2, Panchkula, in the early hours of Wednesday. However, no loss of life or injury was reported in the incident.

At least 10 firefighting vehicles were rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control.

It took them more than 4 hours to douse the flames. However, the firefighting operations continued until morning.

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

SIX FIRE ENGINES RUSH TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT HEYSHAM PORT
https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/six-fire-engines-rush-chemical-18754669
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

Six fire engines are currently at the scene of a chemical leak at Heysham Port.

Crews from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have been called to the scene this morning (August 12) following the incident just off Shore Road.

Nearby residents are urged to stay inside with their windows and doors shut while emergency services attend.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We have six fire engines dealing with a chemical leak at Heysham Port this morning. If you live close to the port, please stay inside and keep windows and doors shut. More information will follow shortly."

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

PROPANE GAS LEAK LEADS TO EVACUATION
https://www.whitecountynews.net/local/propane-gas-leak-leads-evacuation
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, propane

A propane gas leak Monday afternoon on Holiness Campground Road led to the evacuation call for residents in the area.

Around 1 p.m. Aug. 10, White County 911 received a call reporting the leak at 690 Holiness Campground Road (the address for Georgia Mountain Gas). Roughly 2,800 gallons of liquid propane leaked from a broken valve on a delivery truck, according to a press statement from White County Public Safety.

White County Fire Services Stations 2 and 4 responded to the scene, along with White County EMS and the White County Sheriff‰??s Office. Mutual aid was sought from Hall County Fire Station 2 and the Hall County Hazmat team, though the hazmat team was called off when the leak was contained prior to their arrival.

The CodeRed emergency alert system advised immediate area residents to evacuate, and firefighters came to doors to assist residents in the evacuation, according to White County Public Safety.

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

DANGEROUS CHEMICALS REMAIN IN BEIRUT PORT
https://www.centralmaine.com/2020/08/10/dangerous-chemicals-remain-in-beirut-port/
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

BEIRUT ‰?? Chemical experts and firefighters are working to secure at least 20 potentially dangerous chemical containers at the explosion-shattered port of Beirut, after finding one that was leaking, according to a member of a French cleanup team.

Some of the containers were punctured when last week‰??s deadly blast ripped through the port and the Lebanese capital, said Lt. Anthony, a French chemical expert at the site who was not authorized to be identified by his full name according to government policy.

French and Italian chemical experts working amid the remains of the port have so far identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals, Anthony said.

‰??We noted the presence of containers with the chemical danger symbol. And then noted that one of the containers was leaking,‰?? he told The Associated Press in a TV interview on Monday.

The experts are working with Lebanese firefighters to secure all of the containers and analyze their contents, he said. ‰??We need to clean everything and put all in security.‰??

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

CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES FIRE AT SOMAVRAC DISTRIBUTION SITE
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/industrial-fires-explosions/chemical-reaction-causes-fire-somavrac-distribution-site
Tags: Canada, industrial, fire, response, bleach

A chemical reaction is thought to be the cause of a fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon at a Somavrac Group facility in Trois-Rivieres, QC that forced people living near the plant to shelter-in-place, according to local and national news reports.

A fire involving 3,600 kilos of sodium hydrochorite, a powdered chemical used to bleach paper and pulp, started in the facility at about 2:10 pm, GlobalNews.ca said, citing information from the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change.

The chemical can ignite and release toxic fumes if it is contacted by water. Company officials told media that rain likely caused the chemical reaction.

‰??We saw that there was a little water in the warehouse. That product is in a warehouse which is usually very dry,‰?? Marc Paquin, president of Somavrac Group, said in coverage in The Canadian.

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

NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ‰??FOREVER CHEMICAL‰?? POLLUTION
https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20200810/north-carolina-attorney-general-launches-investigation-into-lsquoforever-chemicalrsquo-pollution
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

FAYETTEVILLE ‰?? State Attorney General Josh Stein is having his office investigate the sources of ‰??forever chemicals‰?? pollution in North Carolina ‰?? substances like the PFAS and GenX chemicals discovered in recent years to have contaminated drinking water supplies in southeastern North Carolina.

‰??North Carolinians expect and deserve clean water to drink,‰?? Stein said in a news release late Monday afternoon announcing the investigation. ‰??The emergence of forever chemicals like PFAS has led to significant and dangerous pollution ‰?? and we must hold those responsible accountable.‰??

The news release said the investigation will look into manufacturers and other parties causing the pollution. A spokeswoman declined to get into specifics of what that would entail.

‰??PFAS‰?? is short for ‰??perfluoroalkyl substance‰?? and ‰??polyfluoroalkyl substance.‰?? PFAS chemicals are man-made and used in industrial processes to make nonstick coatings, fire suppression foams, lubricants and other commercial, industrial and consumer products.

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

LEBANON'S PRIME MINISTER WAS WARNED ABOUT CHEMICAL DUMP TWO WEEKS BEFORE MASSIVE BEIRUT BLAST
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/lebanon-s-prime-minister-was-warned-about-chemical-dump-two-weeks-before-massive-beirut-blast
Tags: Lebanon, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate

Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president last month that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut‰??s port posed a security risk and could destroy the capital if it exploded, according to documents seen by Reuters and senior security sources.

Just over two weeks later, the industrial chemicals exploded in a massive blast that obliterated most of the port, killed at least 163 people, injured 6,000 more and destroyed some 6,000 buildings, according to municipal authorities.

A report by the General Directorate of State Security about events leading up to the explosion included a reference to a private letter sent to President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab on 20 July.

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

CHEMICAL REACTION IN LYTTON SENDS 2 TO HOSPITAL
https://www.messengernews.net/news/local-news/2020/08/chemical-reaction-in-lytton-sends-2-to-hospital/
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, injury, hydrogen_sulfide

LYTTON ‰?? A potentially deadly cloud of hydrogen sulfide gas that developed near a well Monday afternoon sent two people to a hospital.

The incident happened at about 1:15 p.m. in Lytton.

Both men, one of whom had briefly stopped breathing, were taken to Loring Hospital in Sac City. A report on their conditions was not available Monday evening.

A crew from Sargent Drilling, of Carroll, was injecting 110 gallons of hydrochloric acid into the well when a chemical reaction occurred, according to Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter. He said a large cloud of what was later identified as hydrogen sulfide was created.

A worker in the well building was overcome by the gas, Hergenreter said. One of his co-workers went into the building and pulled him out.

Hergenreter said the worker who was overcome was not breathing when he was pulled from the building. He said Calhoun County 911 dispatchers instructed the second man in performing CPR. As a result, the patient was breathing when emergency personnel arrived.

The Region V Hazardous Materials Response Team operated by the Fort Dodge Fire Department was called to the scene.

Hazardous materials team members in full protective gear identified the gas as hydrogen sulfide. Hergenreter said at that time the amount of gas in the well building was 10 times the level at which it is considered lethal.

The hazardous materials team flushed the acid in the well, eventually dissipating the hydrogen sulfide.

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

PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER URGED TO STAY INDOORS DUE TO LARGE CHEMICAL SPILL IN HAVERHILL
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/chemical-spill-haverhill-1-6784611
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, acetonitrile, pharmaceutical

A cordon has been lifted at a Haverhill industrial estate following a large-scale chemical incident.
Share
It happened at the site of pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck in Homefield Road at about 4.30pm today.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service had 10 appliances on site, and police and ambulance crews also attended, after reports of a spill involving 1,500 litres of the liquid acetonitrile, which can cause skin irritation.

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AFTER BEIRUT BLASTS, EXPLOSIVE CHEMICAL AMMONIUM NITRATE STORED NEAR CHENNAI BEING MOVED TO HYDERABAD
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-beirut-blasts-explosive-chemical-ammonium-nitrate-stored-near-chennai-being-moved-to-hyderabad-2276836
Tags: India, public, discovery, environmental, ammonium_nitrate

Chennai: Safety concerns over the storage of ammonium nitrate, in the shadow of the explosion of the chemical in Beirut, were addressed as the substance has been e-auctioned and is being shipped to Hyderabad, sources said on Sunday.
697 tonnes of the chemical was being kept in the container freight station near Chennai, sources said, adding that the e-auction of the chemical is over.

The disposal of the cargo will be done within a short period by adhering to safety rules, they said.

Some containers with the chemical have already left for Hyderabad, police sources said.

The substance was seized in 2015 under the Customs Act 1962.

The cargo was then kept at the freight station located about 20 km from the city and there was no residential area in the vicinity of the storage area, they said.

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ORICA PLANT IN NEWCASTLE WITH SAME CHEMICAL LINKED TO BEIRUT EXPLOSION
https://en.brinkwire.com/news/orica-plant-in-newcastle-with-same-chemical-linked-to-beirut-explosion-leaving-135-dead/
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental, ammonium_nitrate

Up to 12,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate is being stored near homes in a busy Australian industrial town, sparking fears of a Beirut-style mega blast.

At least 135 people have died and a further 5,000 were injured when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate blew up in Lebanon early on Wednesday AEST, with the death toll expected to rise.

Just three kilometres from Newcastle, north of Sydney, up to 12,000 tonnes of the same chemical is stored at the Orica Plant in Kooragang ‰?? 800m from suburban homes in North Stockton.

At least 300 residents in the Stockton Community Action Group have long been calling on the government to relocate the plant or reduce the stockpiles of the deadly chemical.

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