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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 6:30:09 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 (16 articles)
LORING ARENA IN FRAMINGHAM CLOSED DUE TO AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, ammonia
MYSTERIOUS VAPOR LEADS TO HAZMAT SITUATION IN SACRAMENTO
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, irritant, solvent
NIST TOOL WILL HELP MILITARY VEHICLES FIGHT FIRES USING LESS HARMFUL CHEMICALS
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, fire_extinguisher
CHILDREN ARE CONSUMING HAND SANITIZER. HERE‰??S HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFE.
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, ethanol
HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP JET FUEL SPILL AFTER SEMI-TANKER CRASH IN SUMMIT CO.
Tags: us_UT, transportation, release, environmental, jet_fuel
AUTHORITIES: 1 KILLED IN LOUISIANA OIL WELL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, death, petroleum
FIREFIGHTERS REMOVE HAZARDOUS MATERIAL IN 15-HOUR AFFAIR
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
BREAKING NEWS: "CHEMICAL INCIDENT" EVACUATES DOW HALL
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
NGT FORMS PANEL TO LOOK INTO FIRE INCIDENT AT AGRO-CHEMICAL COMPANY PLANT IN GUJARAT''S JHAGADIA
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death
PROMOTING A SAFE LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT USING THE REACTIVE HAZARD EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS COMPILATION TOOL
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
CHEMISTS IN TEXAS ASSESS DAMAGE FROM WINTER STORM
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
7TH STREET BRIDGE TO BE CLOSED 'FOR SEVERAL MONTHS' AFTER GAS LINE FIRE, OFFICIALS SAY
Tags: us_AZ, public, fire, response, methane
TC FIRE RELEASED PFAS-LADEN FOAM AT AIRPORT
Tags: us_MI, transportation, follow-up, environmental, toxics
‰??THE PRODUCT IS DANGEROUS‰??: NSW MOVES TO BAN TOXIC FIREFIGHTING CHEMICAL
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, toxics
DOJ CHARGES MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY SPRAYED CHEMICALS AT COPS IN CAPITOL RIOT
Tags: us_DC, public, follow-up, environmental, pepper_spray, illegal
INTEL WORKER EXPOSED TO TOXIC GAS WINS $1.2M SANTAN SUN NEWS
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrogen_sulfide
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LORING ARENA IN FRAMINGHAM CLOSED DUE TO AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/news/2021/03/02/loring-arena-framingham-closed-due-ammonia-leak/6885995002/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, ammonia
FRAMINGHAM ‰?? Loring Arena was shut down Tuesday after an ammonia leak was discovered, authorities said.
A state hazardous materials team found the leak in the Fountain Street ice rink and shut it down a little after 11 a.m., Fire Chief Michael Dutcher said. No one was injured.
The rink manager called the Fire Department about 8:30 a.m. after an ammonia leak detection system alerted him. Ammonia is used in the process to make the ice and keep it cold, the chief said.
‰??Our meters measured the air and found the ammonia was at an extremely high level,‰?? Dutcher said.
Because of the high level, the Fire Department called for a Tier 1 HazMat response, which is the lowest response level. The HazMat team inspected the system, located the leak and shut it down.
---------------------------------------------
MYSTERIOUS VAPOR LEADS TO HAZMAT SITUATION IN SACRAMENTO
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/55-gallon-drum-strange-smell-leads-hazmat-situation-north-sacramento/103-eedd04d1-d540-44a1-acdb-ed528c9889a3
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, irritant, solvent
A hazmat situation unfolded in North Sacramento Tuesday evening.
According to Sacramento Fire, someone called for help just before 8:15 p.m. near 1600 Helena Avenue.
When officials arrived they found a 55-gallon drum at a roofing company which was, as fire officials describe it, "admitting a vapor that is an irritant to the respiratory system."
Officials believe the substance in the drum to be some sort of solvent. Sacramento Fire says the hazmat team is on scene mitigating the situation and disposing of the drum.
No injuries have been reported at this time.
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NIST TOOL WILL HELP MILITARY VEHICLES FIGHT FIRES USING LESS HARMFUL CHEMICALS
https://www.miragenews.com/nist-tool-will-help-military-vehicles-fight-522012/
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, fire_extinguisher
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new, interactive spreadsheet that will help the U.S. military extinguish aircraft and vehicle fires using the latest environmentally friendly chemicals.
While it may sound old-school, the spreadsheet is actually an upgrade of a NIST computer program that has helped protect valuable military assets and lives for several decades, despite being based on the vintage operating system MS-DOS.
Fire protection is a major issue for military vehicles, which carry flammable fluids and can incur significant damage and casualties in accidents or combat. These vehicles carry hand-held fire extinguishers among other fire-suppression systems. A challenge is filling the bottles in such a way that the heat of a fire does not boost the pressure to the point of explosion. Calculations are needed to safely combine a fire suppressant agent with the nitrogen that expels and disperses the chemical. Another challenge is what agent to use. Efforts are underway to identify fire suppression agents with low or no global warming potential (GWP).
In the 1990s, NIST researchers developed a computer program for bottle-filling calculations called PROFISSY (PROperties of FIre Suppressant SYstems), which was distributed informally and has been widely used. But the old source code made it difficult to add new fluids. NIST has now replaced PROFISSY with a spreadsheet that has additional functionality and fluids and also links to NIST‰??s REFPROP database, which contains properties of many additional chemicals and mixtures. REFPROP has been widely adopted as a standard in the refrigerants community and also contains fire suppressing agents, including environmentally preferable alternatives to halons that deplete Earth‰??s protective ozone layer and hydrofluorocarbons that contribute to global warming.
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CHILDREN ARE CONSUMING HAND SANITIZER. HERE‰??S HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFE.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/well/family/sanitizer-kids-safety.html?referringSource=articleShare
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, ethanol
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer became a must-have item during the pandemic. But as sales jumped and families stocked up, poison control centers started getting more calls about little children who had accidentally ingested it.
Even now, about a year after the frenzy to stock up on sanitizer first began, hand sanitizer remains within easy reach in many homes, and calls to the nation‰??s poison control centers are on pace to continue trending higher than before the pandemic.
Last year, there were more than 20,000 exposures to hand sanitizer among children under 6, an increase of 40 percent from 2019, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers that was obtained by The New York Times.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP JET FUEL SPILL AFTER SEMI-TANKER CRASH IN SUMMIT CO.
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/haz-mat-crews-clean-up-jet-fuel-spill-after-semi-tanker-crash-in-summit-co
Tags: us_UT, transportation, release, environmental, jet_fuel
SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah ‰?? A Park City Fire Department hazardous materials team and crews from several other local agencies helped clean up a jet fuel spill along I-80 Monday morning.
According to PCFD, two semitrailers and another vehicle were involved in a crash on westbound I-80 near mile marker 182. One of the semitrailers was a tanker hauling 2,500 gallons of jet fuel.
Jet fuel leaked into the freeway median near the crash scene. Officials with the Utah Highway Patrol, the Summit County Sheriff's Office, the Utah Department of Transportation, Uinta County Fire and the Summit County Health Department also responded to the scene.
---------------------------------------------
AUTHORITIES: 1 KILLED IN LOUISIANA OIL WELL EXPLOSION
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Authorities-1-killed-in-Louisiana-oil-well-15990457.php
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, death, petroleum
LONGVILLE, La. (AP) ‰?? One person was killed when an oil well exploded in southwest Louisiana over the weekend, authorities said.
Emergency crews were called to the scene of the explosion near Longville on Sunday evening, according to a statement from Beauregard Parish Fire District 2. The agency said one person died in the blast.
Authorities did not immediately identify the victim.
The blaze was extinguished shortly after 6 p.m., officials said. No responders were hurt, and it was not immediately clear what caused the blaze.
Nearby resident Brenda Eddins told KPLC-TV that she looked out from her front door and saw a ‰??big cloud of boiling oil smoke and fire."
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS REMOVE HAZARDOUS MATERIAL IN 15-HOUR AFFAIR
https://www.sherbrookerecord.com/firefighters-remove-hazardous-material-in-15-hour-affair/
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
On Friday evening in the Rock Forest neighborhood of Sherbrooke, firefighters responded to a hazardous materials call at the Soucy-Techno manufacturing facility. Sherbrooke fire department operations chief, Alexandre Groleau was on the scene. ‰??We arrived and quickly detected an acidic atmosphere in the building,‰?? he said.
The firefighters on the scene were not from just any unit. They were part of a specialized hazardous materials response team. Wearing green ‰??level B‰?? hazmat suits and a breathing apparatus, the team entered the facility to determine what was the source of the acidic atmosphere.
---------------------------------------------
BREAKING NEWS: "CHEMICAL INCIDENT" EVACUATES DOW HALL
https://www.cm-life.com/article/2021/03/breaking-news-chemical-incident-03-1
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
A member of the Central Michigan University community came across a hazardous chemical "that they did not expect to find" in a storage facility on the first floor of Dow Hall, according to Central Michigan University Police Department Lt. Michael Sienkiewicz.
The hall was evacuated due to a "chemical incident," according to a Central Alert sent out at 4:55 p.m. on March 1. Sienkiewicz said it was a flammable/explosive chemical.
"There was no explosion, spill, or anything like that," Sienkiewicz said. "(Emergency services) just had to get the bottle out of there. We want to make sure that everything is done right and as soon as it's safe we'll open the building back up."
---------------------------------------------
NGT FORMS PANEL TO LOOK INTO FIRE INCIDENT AT AGRO-CHEMICAL COMPANY PLANT IN GUJARAT''S JHAGADIA
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/ngt-forms-panel-to-look-into-fire-incident-at-agrochemical-company-plant-in-gujarats-jhagadia/2038985
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death
New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a four-member committee and directed it to submit a report over a fire incident at agro-chemical major UPL''s Jhagadia plant in Gujarat''s Bharuch district in which two workers died.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel took note of a media report and issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Central Pollution Control Board, state pollution control board, UPL, Director, Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), and the district magistrate.
"We constitute a four-member joint committee comprising of the CPCB, state pollution control board, DISH and the district magistrate, Bharuch, to give a report to this tribunal. The nodal agency for coordination and compliance will be the CPCB and the Gujarat state pollution control board," the bench said.
The NGT directed the committee to visit the site within the next week and give its report about the cause of the incident in a month by email.
---------------------------------------------
PROMOTING A SAFE LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT USING THE REACTIVE HAZARD EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS COMPILATION TOOL
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.1c00006
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
In the past several years, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has found an increase in the frequency of laboratory accidents and injuries. An independent survey of industrial and academic laboratories by the authors indicated the shortage of documentation on best practices and lack of free and user-friendly risk assessment tools to be some of the key reasons for the occurrence of safety incidents. Thus, development of a framework to document, assess, and mitigate hazards is a critical starting point for ensuring safe laboratory practices. To address this requirement, Reactive Hazards Evaluation Analysis and Compilation Tool (RHEACT), an online platform to compile and scrutinize hazards-related information, was developed. When planning an experiment, the researchers provide RHEACT: (1) information about the chemicals involved in the reaction, in the form of Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and (2) operating parameters of the reaction. Through the user-supplied SDS, an operational hazard!
matrix and a chemical compatibility matrix are generated. In addition, adiabatic temperature rise of the reaction is estimated to ensure that the chemistry is within user-controlled bounds. The user is provided with a broad initial evaluation of potential hazards and is notified of safety concerns associated with the reaction before conducting the experiment. We believe that this user-friendly online tool will help engender a safer laboratory working environment.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMISTS IN TEXAS ASSESS DAMAGE FROM WINTER STORM
https://cen.acs.org/environment/Chemists-Texas-assess-damage-winter/99/i7
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
Chemists across the state of Texas are assessing damage to their experiments, laboratories, and equipment after a severe winter storm that began Feb. 13. Unusually cold temperatures combined with power outages led many pipes in the region to freeze and then burst, causing water damage in several chemistry departments. Many schools also had to cancel classes because power outages made online instruction impossible.
Water from broken pipes flooded chemistry buildings at Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, according to chemists at those schools who spoke with C&EN. This list is not comprehensive and does not include universities in nearby states that were also struck by the storm.
---------------------------------------------
7TH STREET BRIDGE TO BE CLOSED 'FOR SEVERAL MONTHS' AFTER GAS LINE FIRE, OFFICIALS SAY
https://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/phoenix-firefighters-battling-gas-line-fire-near-7th-street-and-university-drive
Tags: us_AZ, public, fire, response, methane
PHOENIX ‰?? Phoenix city officials say the 7th Street bridge will be closed for several months after a fire erupted early Sunday morning.
Crews were called to the scene near 7th Street and University Drive around 4 a.m. Sunday for reports of flames and smoke coming from under the 7th bridge.
Upon arrival, crews found 20- and 30-foot flames that were being fed by a 10-inch main gas line that somehow ruptured, according to Phoenix Fire officials.
Southwest Gas was called to the scene and secured the main which stopped the flames.
---------------------------------------------
TC FIRE RELEASED PFAS-LADEN FOAM AT AIRPORT
https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/tc-fire-released-pfas-laden-foam-at-airport/article_c609fa98-7918-11eb-8e0f-1b64b9b4b806.html
Tags: us_MI, transportation, follow-up, environmental, toxics
TRAVERSE CITY ‰?? Firefighters twice released foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at Cherry Capital Airport, and Traverse City will pay for the cleanup that followed.
Northern A-1 Environmental Services cleaned up both releases and Elmer‰??s Crane and Dozer responded to the first, and on Monday city commissioners will vote to pay the total bill of $40,351.16. City manager Marty Colburn said it‰??s the city‰??s responsibility to pay, as the releases involved Traverse City firefighters ‰?? the department serves the airport under contract.
The first happened Nov. 28 during training with an airport crash-fire truck, according to a memo from Traverse City Fire Department Chief Jim Tuller. A firefighter accidentally pushed the foam system switch, which is next to the water system switch, causing a foam-and-water solution to release onto the airfield ground, Tuller wrote ‰?? he confirmed Friday the foam contained PFAS.
More foam came from the same truck on Dec. 5 while checking the truck, Tuller wrote. A firefighter saw foam in the water while testing the truck‰??s water systems and it flowed onto pavement.
Colburn said the spills affected small areas, and were reported to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy as required by law.
---------------------------------------------
‰??THE PRODUCT IS DANGEROUS‰??: NSW MOVES TO BAN TOXIC FIREFIGHTING CHEMICAL
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-product-is-dangerous-nsw-moves-to-ban-toxic-firefighting-chemical-20210225-p575tv.html
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, toxics
The state government will ban firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals, bringing NSW into line with Queensland and South Australia where foams containing the dangerous toxins are already outlawed.
The Herald can reveal the ban will be announced on Monday by NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean and will prohibit the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS for training or demonstration purposes from March.
NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean will introduce a ban on firefighting foams containing PFAS.CREDIT:LOUIE DOUVIS
Foams containing the per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals will still be able to be used in catastrophic or special circumstances.
‰??This ban on PFAS firefighting foam will significantly reduce the impact on our environment
but still enable our emergency agencies to fight catastrophic fires that can have devastating
impacts on life and property,‰?? Mr Kean said.
PFAS chemicals do not break down in the environment and have been linked to a slew of health effects by overseas governments, including cancer, immune system suppression and hormone disruption.
---------------------------------------------
DOJ CHARGES MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY SPRAYED CHEMICALS AT COPS IN CAPITOL RIOT
https://www.kezi.com/content/news/DOJ-charges-man-who-allegedly-sprayed-chemicals-at-cops-in-Capitol-riot-573888901.html
Tags: us_DC, public, follow-up, environmental, pepper_spray, illegal
(CNN) -- The Justice Department has charged a Texas man who was allegedly caught on video attacking a dozen police officers with a chemical spray during the Capitol insurrection, according to court records.
Federal prosecutors say Daniel Caldwell, 49, used a chemical spray against a line of officers that were blocking rioters from entering the Capitol. It happened amid a massive melee with police, who used batons and pepper spray to fend off the crowd, according to footage of the incident that was cited in court filings.
Hours after the riot, Caldwell spoke about the incident in a video that was posted to the far-right social media site Parler, according to prosecutors. The clip was among hundreds of videos later published by ProPublica.
---------------------------------------------
INTEL WORKER EXPOSED TO TOXIC GAS WINS $1.2M SANTAN SUN NEWS
https://santansun.com/2021/03/01/intel-worker-exposed-to-toxic-gas-wins-1-2m/
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrogen_sulfide
A federal judge has awarded $1 million in damages to a former Intel contract worker who was exposed to toxic gas on the company‰??s Chandler campus in 2016.
Ahmad Alsadi, 29, claimed he sustained damage to his respiratory system after inhaling toxic fumes of hydrogen sulfide while one of Intel‰??s buildings was being evacuated for a gas leak.
Alsadi later sued Intel, Chandler‰??s largest employer, for negligence and accused the technology company of failing to protect workers from harmful chemicals.
After a six-day bench trial earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell awarded $921,188 to Alsadi and another $250,000 to the plaintiff‰??s wife.
Campbell concluded there was evidence to suggest Intel had been advised to install gas monitors and exhaust systems before the 2016 incident, yet the company failed to do so.
‰??Because Intel did neither in the face of multiple instances of (hydrogen sulfide) off-gassing and its knowledge that H2S is extremely hazardous for workers, the court finds that Intel breached its duty with respect to operation of the (wastewater) system,‰?? Campbell wrote in his ruling.
Linda Qian, an Intel spokesperson, said the company was ‰??disappointed‰?? by the judge‰??s ruling and said Intel acted properly during the events described in Alsadi‰??s lawsuit.
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