From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles)
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2020 05:59:57 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: D1C59EF7-C091-4D12-895D-35D021FF0A35**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at 5:59:43 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 (12 articles)

UPDATE: MUSICAL PROP CAUSE OF ALARM AT SCHOOL
Tags: us_ny, education, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

I-10 REOPENS WEST OF BATON ROUGE AFTER EARLY-MORNING HAZMAT CRASH
Tags: us_la, transportation, release, response, gasoline

BEIRUT FACING ACUTE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS, WARNS UN ENERGY SPECIALIST
Tags: lebanon, public, follow-up, enviromental

MURFREESBORO ROAD REOPENS AFTER FUEL SPILL
Tags: us_TN, transportation, release, response, gasoline

BLEACHING AGENT STORED AT LOUISIANA CHEMICAL PLANT THAT CAUGHT FIRE, SAYS U.S. CSB
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, response, chlorine, pool_chemicals

LUBRIZOL FIRE: A VAST EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED TUESDAY ON MORE THAN 5,000 PEOPLE ‰?? PLEDGE TIMES
Tags: France, industrial, follow-up, environmental

ATTENDEES OF UNDERGROUND RAVE IN NORWAY POISONED BY CARBON MONOXIDE
Tags: Norway, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide, diesel

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MASSIVE EXTRA-ALARM BLAZE AT IMPERIAL ZINC CORPORATION IN PULLMAN ON FAR SOUTH SIDE, CFD SAYS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, zinc

THE ROOF OF A BURNING WAREHOUSE OF PAINTS AND VARNISHES COLLAPSED IN NOVOSIBIRSK ‰?? PLEDGE TIMES
Tags: Russia, industrial, fire, response, gas_cylinders, paints

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS VOTE TO PHASE OUT TOXIC FIREFIGHTING FOAM
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES STREETS IN OXNARD'S LA COLONIA NEIGHBORHOOD
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid, sodium_carbonate

FIRE BOSSES SAY NO RISK OF FIRE GETTING TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE AT OLD MILL
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical


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UPDATE: MUSICAL PROP CAUSE OF ALARM AT SCHOOL
https://www.post-journal.com/news/latest-news/2020/09/hazmat-crews-called-to-cassadaga-valley-school/
Tags: us_ny, education, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

SINCLAIRVILLE ‰?? An electronic prop used during musical productions at Cassadaga Valley Central School was the source of an alarm Tuesday.

According to Superintendent Charles Leichner, the prop ‰?? used to create a flash during shows ‰?? became warm and discharged in a tote. The school‰??s fire alarm system was set off by the discharge, prompting a response that included volunteer firefighters, a rehab trailer as well as Chautauqua County fire coordinators.

Initial reports from fire officials on scene indicated that a small explosion had taken place inside the school‰??s chemical lab. A small amount of smoke was located within, and with reports of the incident taking place inside a lab, county Hazmat crews were summoned to school grounds.

However, Leichner said the prop discharged inside a classroom, not a lab, and noted that damaged was limited to the tote and some of its contents.

The classroom itself did not sustain any damage, the superintendent said.

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I-10 REOPENS WEST OF BATON ROUGE AFTER EARLY-MORNING HAZMAT CRASH
https://www.wbrz.com/news/hazmat-crash-officials-remove-leaking-tanker-from-basin-bridge-at-i-10-w/
Tags: us_la, transportation, release, response, gasoline

WEST BATON ROUGE - Early Tuesday morning, a tanker carrying a gas product overturned on the Basin Bridge resulting in a hazmat situation and the closure of I-10 West. Traffic was diverted at LA 415 in Lobdell while crews cleared the wreckage.

Officials say the tanker that was carrying 8,700 gallons of gas began leaking after falling over the bridge around 5 a.m. DOTD reported the interstate was fully reopening around 2:30 p.m.

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BEIRUT FACING ACUTE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS, WARNS UN ENERGY SPECIALIST
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1071462
Tags: lebanon, public, follow-up, enviromental

The destruction of the Port of Beirut has created up to 800,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste in the city said Ms. Seoud, and it is likely to contain hazardous chemicals, given the types of material known to be normally stored there, such as pesticides, pharmaceutical products, industrial chemicals, lead from vehicles, and various types of heavy metals.

The chemicals can damage health, through direct exposure, or soil and water contamination, said Ms. Seoud, adding that, although air pollution from the blast is currently considered to be limited, chemical contamination of particles scattered by the explosion may become airborne again, and could pose a new public health threat.
Cleanup teams have already started work on debris waste from outside the port; cleaning, sorting and recycling the waste to the extent possible: concrete and stones, for example, can be crushed into smaller sizes and reused in paving sidewalks or asphalting roads.

However, Beirut‰??s waste management systems are now at breaking point, with one of the two plants serving the city, severely damaged in the blast, as more goes directly to landfill sites, one of which is nearly full. Ms. Seoud told reporters that the city could be facing another municipal solid waste crisis soon if this issue is not resolved.

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MURFREESBORO ROAD REOPENS AFTER FUEL SPILL
https://www.wsmv.com/news/rutherford_county/thompson-lane-in-murfreesboro-closed-due-to-gas-spill/article_94731eb0-ebce-11ea-9ce4-ebdb2973ab04.html
Tags: us_TN, transportation, release, response, gasoline

MURFREESBORO, TN (WSMV) - Hazmat crews blocked Thompson Lane after a gas spill on Monday afternoon.

Northbound Thompson Lane was closed to traffic between Sam Walton and Robert Rose drives. Drivers are being advised to find alternate routes by clicking here.

Fire officials said the spill was near the Exxon gas station. According to crews, "several hundred gallons of gas spilled as a tanker truck worker was filling underground tanks at the store."

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BLEACHING AGENT STORED AT LOUISIANA CHEMICAL PLANT THAT CAUGHT FIRE, SAYS U.S. CSB
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-storm-laura-chemical-fire/bleaching-agent-stored-at-louisiana-chemical-plant-that-caught-fire-says-u-s-csb-idUKKBN25R31S
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, response, chlorine, pool_chemicals

(Reuters) - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said on Monday about 835 tons of a bleaching agent used in swimming pools was stored at the Louisiana plant where a chlorine chemical fire had erupted last week in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

The Bio-Lab chemical plant, owned by KIK Custom Products, manufactures chlorine-based cleaning products.

The chemical being stored at the facility was trichloroisocyanuric acid, which by itself is not combustible but is an explosion hazard as it increases the combustibility of other substances, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

The facility had been shut in anticipation of the hurricane and no fatalities or injuries were reported.

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LUBRIZOL FIRE: A VAST EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED TUESDAY ON MORE THAN 5,000 PEOPLE ‰?? PLEDGE TIMES
https://pledgetimes.com/lubrizol-fire-a-vast-epidemiological-investigation-launched-tuesday-on-more-than-5000-people/
Tags: France, industrial, follow-up, environmental

Did the fire at the Lubrizol factory, on the night of September 25 to 26, 2019, have any impact on the health of the inhabitants of the Rouen conurbation? To determine this, Public Health France announced on Monday August 31 that a large epidemiological study will be launched on Tuesday ‰??to describe the health and quality of life of the population‰?? following the spectacular fire at the chemical plant.

Nearly 10,000 tonnes of chemicals had burned on the Lubrizol site and on that of its neighbor Normandie Logistique. A 22 km long cloud of black smoke had formed. For several weeks or even months after the accident, residents of the Rouen metropolitan area complained of odors emanating from the site but also of symptoms such as headaches or vomiting. In mid-August, the residents of the factory had thus noted an increase in bad odors and hydrocarbon-like fumes, reported France 3 Normandy.

This survey will be carried out among 5,200 inhabitants of Seine-Maritime selected at random, to analyze the ‰??fire perception‰?? by the population and ‰??the impact on his health‰??, said the health agency, which had mentioned the launch of this study in early June.

‰??4,000 adults and 1,200 children‰?? of 122 municipalities in this depart

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ATTENDEES OF UNDERGROUND RAVE IN NORWAY POISONED BY CARBON MONOXIDE
https://www.ibtimes.com/attendees-underground-rave-norway-poisoned-carbon-monoxide-3037367
Tags: Norway, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide, diesel

At least 25 attendees of a rave in an underground bunker in Norway‰??s capital of Oslo were taken to hospital with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday.

The location was discovered after a group of affected young people flagged down a police car, and several others emerged from a bunker asking for medical attention. The people appeared dizzy and incoherent.

Of the 25 people who were affected, five were in critical but not life-threatening condition and were rushed to a hospital. Many of the patients were young, between the ages of 20 and 30, according to Norwegian daily Aftenposten. Portable generators were suspected to have caused the poisoning.

Two victims were reportedly police officers attending to those affected. ‰??Fortunately, they are all improving. We can say that they are out of danger,‰?? chief physician Fridtjof Heyerdahl at Oslo University Hospital told the publication.

Oslo police said about 200 people were attending the party, with neither the participants nor the organizers realizing using a diesel generator in a confined space could prove dangerous, Oslo police wrote on Twitter. Authorities urged other attendees to call for medical help in case they begin to feel nausea, headaches, or dizziness.

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

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MASSIVE EXTRA-ALARM BLAZE AT IMPERIAL ZINC CORPORATION IN PULLMAN ON FAR SOUTH SIDE, CFD SAYS
https://abc7chicago.com/far-south-side-news-chicago-chemical-plant-fire-pullman/6395762/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, zinc

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said.

According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E. 103rd Street.

Hazmat teams were called in because of the chemicals inside the plant, CFD said.

The fire department tweeted out a photo Sunday morning showing the roof of the building had collapsed.

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THE ROOF OF A BURNING WAREHOUSE OF PAINTS AND VARNISHES COLLAPSED IN NOVOSIBIRSK ‰?? PLEDGE TIMES
https://pledgetimes.com/the-roof-of-a-burning-warehouse-of-paints-and-varnishes-collapsed-in-novosibirsk/
Tags: Russia, industrial, fire, response, gas_cylinders, paints

A warehouse with paints and varnishes and plastic products is on fire in Novosibirsk, the press service of the regional EMERCOM of the Russian Federation reports.

The total combustion area was 1000 square meters. The roof also collapsed on an area of ‰??‰??200 square meters.

The department noted that extinguishing is complicated by the fact that 15 gas cylinders and a large number of other combustible materials are stored in the warehouse.


Now fire and rescue units are preventing the threat of fire spreading to neighboring buildings. For this, a build-up of the group has been organized. A fire train was also sent to the place of emergency.

In total, 73 personnel and 20 pieces of equipment were involved in extinguishing the fire. In addition, there is a chemical and radiometric laboratory on site that monitors the state of the environment.

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CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS VOTE TO PHASE OUT TOXIC FIREFIGHTING FOAM
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-08-30/california-lawmakers-vote-to-phase-out-toxic-firefighting-foam
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

California lawmakers voted Sunday to phase out the sale and use of firefighting foam containing toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer and have contaminated drinking water throughout the state.

The measure, put forward by state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), requires municipal fire departments, chemical plants and oil refineries to gradually stop using the foam, replacing it with alternatives that don‰??t contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals commonly known as PFAS.

Scientists have called PFAS ‰??forever chemicals‰?? because they persist indefinitely and accumulate in the human body. Exposure to them has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, as well as high levels of cholesterol, thyroid disease and other serious health problems.

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CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES STREETS IN OXNARD'S LA COLONIA NEIGHBORHOOD
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/camarillo/2020/08/30/chemical-spill-closes-streets-oxnards-la-colonia-neighborhood/5675796002/
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid, sodium_carbonate

Authorities in Oxnard closed down a street in the La Colonia neighborhood for a time Sunday evening after a reported chemical spill.

The incident was reported shortly before 5:40 p.m. near the 200 block of north McKinley Avenue, Ventura County Fire Department reports showed.

The incident involved an estimated 30 gallons of chlorine that spilled in the street, according to Oxnard Police Department officials. Muriatic acid and soda ash were also reported at the scene, authorities said.

One civilian who was exposed to a hazardous material was transported to St. John's Regional Medical Center, firefighters at the scene reported.

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FIRE BOSSES SAY NO RISK OF FIRE GETTING TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE AT OLD MILL
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122617716/fire-bosses-say-no-risk-of-fire-getting-to-hazardous-substance-at-old-mill
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Fire bosses this afternoon say the fire at the former paper mill in Mataura is not near the ouvea premix which is stored on the site.

‰??There is no danger of the fire getting near the premix,‰?? incident controller Scott Lindsay said.

The fire is 30 metres away from the premix and down another floor, and is regarded now by the fire service as contained.

The fire was 10m by 10m in size and in a sub-basement area in the hydro generator.

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