From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2020 06:41:17 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 9851908E-AD53-492E-860C-2F93DC1F94E3**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 6:40:53 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)

OTTAWA FIRE TEAMS CONTAIN CHEMICAL SPILL, RESCUE TRUCK DRIVER AFTER HIGHWAY 417 CRASH
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

I-70 REOPENS IN PREBLE COUNTY AFTER SEMI OVERTURNS TUESDAY
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

FATAL BLAST: FIRM, CEO PLEAD GUILTY TO SAFETY OFFENCE, COURTS & CRIME NEWS & TOP STORIES
Tags: Malaysia, laboratory, follow-up, death, gas_cylinders, oxygen

FIRE IGNITES AT CHEMICAL FACILITY DURING MAINTENANCE
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

BRIAR CHEMICALS EXPLOSION: WORKER'S DEATH AN ACCIDENT, INQUEST FINDS
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical

HEARING HELD FOR BILL THAT AIMS TO OUTLAW FIREFIGHTING FOAM CONTAINING HARMFUL CHEMICALS
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

CYANIDE SPILL AT PORT OF BRISBANE
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, sodium_cyanide

FIRE DAMAGES CHEMTRADE SOLUTIONS PLANT IN SPRINGFIELD
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

CHINA COURT SENDS 53 LINKED TO 2019 DEADLY CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION TO PRISON
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, injury, illegal, waste

FORMER CHEMISTRY STUDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO POISONING ROOMMATE
Tags: us_PA, education, follow-up, death, other_chemical, illegal


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OTTAWA FIRE TEAMS CONTAIN CHEMICAL SPILL, RESCUE TRUCK DRIVER AFTER HIGHWAY 417 CRASH
https://www.ottawamatters.com/local-news/ottawa-fire-teams-contain-chemical-spill-rescue-truck-driver-after-highway-417-crash-3142640
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

The Ottawa Fire Services' (OFS) hazmat team has contained a chemical spill, caused by a collision involving two large trucks, west of Carp.

Just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, December 1, OFS was contacted by the Ottawa Paramedic Service, reporting a collision on Highway 417 at Panmure Road.

The investigation revealed that a transport truck had collided with the trailer of another truck that was hauling cars.

The collision sent one of the vehicles on the transport trailer into the cab of the other transport truck, trapping the driver inside. Firefighters used specialized extrication equipment to remove the door of the transport and pry the vehicle dash off of the driver's legs.

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I-70 REOPENS IN PREBLE COUNTY AFTER SEMI OVERTURNS TUESDAY
https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/i-70-in-preble-county-closes-after-semi-overturns-tuesday/
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

PREBLE COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) ‰?? Both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70 in Preble County have been cleared after an overturned semi shut it down near Route 127 Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities told 2 NEWS the contents of the semi spilled and required Hazmat to aid in the clean up. Indiana State Troopers are helping divert traffic from eastbound I-70 while clean up continues.

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FATAL BLAST: FIRM, CEO PLEAD GUILTY TO SAFETY OFFENCE, COURTS & CRIME NEWS & TOP STORIES
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/fatal-blast-firm-ceo-plead-guilty-to-safety-offence
Tags: Malaysia, laboratory, follow-up, death, gas_cylinders, oxygen

An industrial gas supply firm and its chief executive officer failed to take necessary measures to ensure workplace safety, leading to a fatal blast that killed a chemist in 2015.

New mother Lim Siaw Chian, 30, was killed and at least seven others were injured after an explosion at Leeden National Oxygen's Specialty Gas Centre Quality Control Laboratory on Oct 12 that year.

Ms Lim had returned to work from maternity leave a week before the tragedy at the laboratory in Tanjong Kling Road near Pioneer Road.

The former Malaysian had received her Singapore citizenship just a month before she died. She left behind a daughter who was six months old at the time.

Leeden National Oxygen and its CEO Steven Tham Weng Cheong, now 69, each pleaded guilty yesterday to an offence under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

Among other things, they had failed to take measures to ensure that unsafe modified regulatory valve assemblies were not used when testing combustible gases. They had also failed to ensure that there was a system in place for the accurate tracking of gas cylinders.

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FIRE IGNITES AT CHEMICAL FACILITY DURING MAINTENANCE
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/chemical/fire-ignites-chemical-facility-during-maintenance
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Firefighters were called to a blaze at the Chemtrade Solutions facility in Springfield, TN on Monday after a blaze started during maintenance work on the structure‰??s roof, according to coverage by Smokey Barn News.

Dispatched to the site at about 3 p.m., crews arrived on scene and closed roadways within 200 ft of the building out of caution, officials told the news organization. About 10% of the facility was damaged during the incident.

No injuries were logged during the response.

Chemtrade is a provider of industrial chemicals and services in North America and South America. The firm‰??s plant in Springfield manufactures water chemicals, according to information on the company‰??s website.

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BRIAR CHEMICALS EXPLOSION: WORKER'S DEATH AN ACCIDENT, INQUEST FINDS
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-55143650
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical

The death of a man in a chemical factory explosion was an accident, an inquest jury has decided.
Robert Cranston, 46, was using a grinder, creating sparks and causing an explosion at Briar Chemicals in Norwich in July 2018.
He died in hospital the same day.
His family had wanted a verdict of unlawful killing, but Norfolk area coroner Yvonne Blake directed the jury they could only decide if it was a case of accidental death.
Contractor Mr Cranston, of Norwich, was carrying out maintenance on a large storage tank at the Sweet Briar Road plant.

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HEARING HELD FOR BILL THAT AIMS TO OUTLAW FIREFIGHTING FOAM CONTAINING HARMFUL CHEMICALS
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/hearing-held-for-bill-that-aims-to-outlaw-firefighting-foam-containing-harmful-chemicals/7QMRAMXMUBH2DJBQEBLD5OWC7A/
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

A proposed Ohio bill that, if passed, would prohibit the use of firefighting foam containing a group of harmful chemicals passed out of committee Tuesday.

House Bill 328, introduced by state Rep. Brian Baldridge, R-Winchester, proposes that Ohio fire departments be required to find an alternative to firefighter foam containing PFAS ‰?? dubbed ‰??forever chemicals,‰?? because they cannot be destroyed.

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CYANIDE SPILL AT PORT OF BRISBANE
https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/news/chemical-spill-shuts-down-parts-of-the-port-of-brisbane/news-story/e47cbd9131f04e3eb297dd9e72ef583a
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, sodium_cyanide

A berth at the Port of Brisbane remains in lockdown after sodium cyanide spilt from two damaged shipping containers.
The incident occurred about 8am on Wednesday and has resulted in a 200m exclusion zone being constructed around one of the berths.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) spokeswoman said scientists had determined the chemicals and the berth remained cordoned off.
About a dozen QFES emergency vehicles attended the site as a precautionary measure, she said.

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FIRE DAMAGES CHEMTRADE SOLUTIONS PLANT IN SPRINGFIELD
https://smokeybarn.com/fire-damages-chemtrade-solutions-plant-in-springfield/
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

SPRINGFIELD TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) ‰?? 17th Avenue and West Hillcrest Dr. in Springfield were closed for about two hours Monday afternoon following a fire at Chemtrade Solutions, formally General Chemical. MAP

The fire was called in just after 3 pm Monday afternoon. According to officials with the Springfield Fire Department, the fire broke out during maintenance and spread to the roof.

Though the roads were closed off and traffic pushed back about 200 feet from the plant, the move was a precautionary measure. The tanks were empty so there was no chemical or HAZMAT danger to the surrounding area, officials said.

According to officials preliminarily, about 10% of the plant operation was damaged.

It was just last week (November 23) that fire crews were called to the same location due to a fire, however, that fire was caused by a third party pressure washer on sight and the plant was not damaged. Once again the Springfield Fire Department responded and quickly extinguished the fire.

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CHINA COURT SENDS 53 LINKED TO 2019 DEADLY CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION TO PRISON
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2020/12/01/china-court-sends-53-linked-to-2019-deadly-chemical-plant-explosion-to-prison
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, injury, illegal, waste

CHINA, Dec 1 (China Daily/ANN) - Courts in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, on Monday sentenced 53 people to prison over a chemical plant explosion that claimed 78 lives and seriously injured 76 in March last year.

The explosion took place on March 21 at the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Company, located in a chemical industrial park in Yancheng's Xiangshui county. It also caused the hospitalization of 640 people and an economic loss of nearly 2 billion yuan ($302 million).

The Yancheng Intermediate People's Court and seven county-level courts in the city sentenced the 53 suspects involved in 22 criminal cases.

According to the courts, Tianjiayi, whose production license had been revoked after the blast, had illegally stored dangerous nitration waste in the warehouse for a long time. The waste ignited spontaneously due to accumulated heat and caused the blast.

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FORMER CHEMISTRY STUDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO POISONING ROOMMATE
https://cen.acs.org/policy/Former-chemistry-student-pleads-guilty/98/web/2020/11
Tags: us_PA, education, follow-up, death, other_chemical, illegal

Yukai Yang, an international student from China who was completing an undergraduate degree in chemistry at Lehigh University, has been imprisoned without bail since January 2019. Before that, Yang allegedly tried to get himself deported to avoid prosecution, according to the Associated Press.
On Nov. 30, Yang pleaded guilty to attempted murder, causing serious bodily injury, as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Specifically, he admitted purchasing thallium from the internet to poison his former roommate Juwan Royal in front of Judge Stephen Baratta at the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
Yang had also been charged with recklessly endangering another person, aggravated assault, and simple assault, although those charges were dropped as part of the deal. In 2018, he was also charged with ethnic intimidation after writing racist graffiti in the room he shared with Ruwal.
Yang mixed thallium, a substance that is colorless, tasteless, odorless, and toxic to multiple organs, into Ruwal‰??s food and drink in March 2018

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