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Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2021 06:17:36 -0500
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, March 8, 2021 at 6:17:04 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
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Table of Contents (11 articles)

VIDEO: VICCO COSMETICS LABORATORY ENGULFED IN FLAMES NAGPUR TODAY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

FIRE DESTROYS FACTORY IN UMM AL QUWAIN
Tags: United_Arab_Emirates, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

RESULTS OF AMBERLEY'S TOXIC TYRE FIRE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK
Tags: New_Zealand, public, follow-up, environmental

LOOK BACK: EXPLOSION IN SCHOOL LAB
Tags: Fiji, laboratory, follow-up, injury, hydrogen_peroxide, potassium_permanganate

ONE DEAD, 42 HURT AFTER FIRE IN CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK FROM CONTAINERS AT VEHICLE ROLLOVER INCIDENT
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

BNSF SUFFERS HAZMAT DERAILMENT NEAR LUDLOW, CALIF.
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, ethanol

MASSIVE FIRE AT BRAHMAPURAM PLANT TRIGGERS PANIC- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, waste

WHY DOES BENGALURU‰??S BELLANDUR LAKE CATCH FIRE SO OFTEN?
Tags: India, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics

LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST FOREVER CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, environmental, other_chemical

CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD RELEASES INVESTIGATIVE UPDATE ON FATAL BELLE PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, bleach, waste


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VIDEO: VICCO COSMETICS LABORATORY ENGULFED IN FLAMES NAGPUR TODAY
https://www.nagpurtoday.in/nagpur-vicco-cosmetics-laboratory-engulfed-in-flames/03081041
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Nagpur: A thick blanket smoke along with mighty flames emanated from MIDC Hingna‰??s VICCO laboratory, following a major fire incident reported on Sunday night. Ground plus two storied structure has been collapsed due to heat. The sun of 10 fire tenders have been pressed into service to contain the flames, informed Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Rajendra Uchake.


Speaking with Nagpur Today, CFO, Rajendra Uchake said, the Fire Department received a call at around 10.45 pm, following which 6 water tankers from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), two from MIDC, and one each from Wadi Municipal Council and Kamleshwar were rushed to the spot.

Despite the hardcore efforts, the fire officials are yet to bring fire under control as there‰??s tremendous of wax and alcohol stored in the factory. Exact reason behind the fire and material loss could not be figured out at the given time, the CFO mentioned.

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FIRE DESTROYS FACTORY IN UMM AL QUWAIN
https://gulfnews.com/uae/fire-destroys-factory-in-umm-al-quwain-1.77680800
Tags: United_Arab_Emirates, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Umm Al Quwain: A fire that broke out in a paint and chemical factory in Umm Al Thuoob Industrial Area in Umm Al Quwain on Sunday. No injuries were reported.

Umm Al Quwain Civil Defence teams attended the incident, after it was reported at 10.30am.Forty people were evacuated from the warehouse and the adjacent area. The fire was controlled and extinguished before spreadin, with the site cooled before being handed over to the competent authorities complete the necessary procedures.

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RESULTS OF AMBERLEY'S TOXIC TYRE FIRE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/124395562/results-of-amberleys-toxic-tyre-fire-expected-next-week
Tags: New_Zealand, public, follow-up, environmental

Residents in the North Canterbury town of Amberley could next week find out what effects January‰??s tyre fire had on their health and that of their stock.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) northern zone delivery lead Andrew Arps said on Friday that laboratory analysis of ground contaminants and the initial modelling of the smoke plume from the fire had now come back.

‰??The results and modelling are currently being reviewed by external experts and have been sent to [Canterbury District Health Board] CDHB for comment, and we hope to be able to report back fully next week,‰?? he said.

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LOOK BACK: EXPLOSION IN SCHOOL LAB
https://www.fijitimes.com/look-back-explosion-in-school-lab/
Tags: Fiji, laboratory, follow-up, injury, hydrogen_peroxide, potassium_permanganate

AS a result of a school science experiment explosion, a high school student of Ba was admitted at the Lautoka Hospital on March, 1978.

Student Anoop Kumar a Form 4 student then at Sarava High School was rushed to the hospital after the experiment caused an explosion at his school science laboratory.

The incident which was reported by The Fiji Times on this day in 1978 had raised a lot of concern about the science course offered at schools.

According to the principal education officer science, Devakar Rao on Tuesday March, 7 the experiment was deleted from the Fiji Junior exam course because it was too dangerous.

Chemistry teacher Satend Singh was also injured from the explosion.

This newspaper reported that Kumar had received cuts from flying glass but was reported recovering at Lautoka Hospital after having glass fragments removed from his chest.

The experiment had involved mixing potassium chlorate and manganese dioxide to produce oxygen.

Mr Rao said that three years ago he had sent a circular to science teachers telling them to delete it from the syllabus because it was dangerous.

He had left them with the choice of preparing oxygen from either hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate ‰?? both considered to be safe methods. He said he failed to understand why the old and dangerous method was still being followed at the Sarava School.

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ONE DEAD, 42 HURT AFTER FIRE IN CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE
https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/one-dead-42-hurt-after-fire-chemical-warehouse-2056097
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical

A garment factory employee died, 20 workers were injured and another 22 fell sick in a fire at the chemical warehouse of the factory in Gazipur's Sreepur upazila yesterday morning.

The dead, Masum Sikder, 23, was a wielding operator at Dhaka Garments and Washing Limited in Bhangnahati area.

Witnesses said there were several power outages at the warehouse after 9:30am. As the fire broke out around 10:00am, workers of the garment factory, housed in a five-storey building next to the warehouse, rushed to the main entrance of the factory, but found it locked.

Twenty workers sustained injuries there in a crowd surge before the factory authorities opened the gate.

Many workers then went to the nearby warehouse to put out the flames. At least 22 of them fell unconscious after inhaling toxic fumes, added witnesses.

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HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK FROM CONTAINERS AT VEHICLE ROLLOVER INCIDENT
https://newsmaven.io/keynewsnetwork/losangeles/hazmat-responds-to-chemical-leak-from-containers-at-vehicle-rollover-incident-BRof3d8r20iOrLm2qK9BYg
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Los Angeles: On Friday, Mar.5, at 11:44 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department, California Highway Patrol and Hazmat Team responded to a vehicle rollover at the Northbound I-5 Terra Bella off-ramp in Arleta. CHP requested a hard closure due to chemicals on the ground leaking from containers. One patient was treated at the scene in the ambulance by paramedics. The incident caused a traffic backup. The conditions are unknown and the incident is being investigated by CHP.

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BNSF SUFFERS HAZMAT DERAILMENT NEAR LUDLOW, CALIF.
https://www.rtands.com/freight/class-1/bnsf-suffers-hazmat-derailment-near-ludlow-calif/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, ethanol

A BNSF train traveling west on Wednesday derailed near Ludlow, Calif., in the Mojave Desert, not far from Interstate Highway 40.

RT&S reached out to BNSF for details, and received the following statement:

‰??Around 12:20 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, March 3, a BNSF train traveling from Kansas City, Kansas, to Barstow, Calif. carrying mixed freight derailed near Ludlow, Calif. Initial reports indicate 44 cars derailed, and one car carrying ethanol alcohol was leaking. There are no injuries. Both main lines are currently open and trains are moving through the area. The cause is under investigation.‰??

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MASSIVE FIRE AT BRAHMAPURAM PLANT TRIGGERS PANIC- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2021/mar/06/massive-fire-at-brahmapuram-plant-triggers-panic-2272839.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, waste

KOCHI: Almost a year after a massive fire outbreak at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, a similar incident happened on Friday when a heap of garbage behind the waste segregation unit caught fire. The efforts of fire officers to douse the fire, which started around 12.30pm, continued till midnight. Like last year, the thick fumes from the fire engulfing Kakkanad triggered panic among residents.

Around 15 firefighting units from Thrikkakara, Pattimattom, Gandhinagar, Mattanchery, Tripunithura, Aluva and Club Road stations battled the fire. ‰??Though the fire was brought under control, we are still working to completely douse it. It may take a few more hours to completely bring the situation under control,‰?? said V S Ranjith Kumar, station officer, Thrikkakara.

Though the preliminary inquiry suggested that a chemical reaction resulted in the fire, the opposition in the municipality alleged mystery behind the incident. ‰??During the tenure of the previous UDF-led municipal council, hydrants were installed inside the plant to curb fire. Despite such a facility, a massive fire broke out,‰?? said Antony Kureethara, Opposition leader.

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WHY DOES BENGALURU‰??S BELLANDUR LAKE CATCH FIRE SO OFTEN?
https://edtimes.in/why-does-bengalurus-bellandur-lake-catch-fire-so-often/
Tags: India, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics

Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India is one of the most sought-after places by the youth of the country to live.

In fact, the Ministry of housing and urban affairs released the Ease of Living Index report on Thursday which ranked Bengaluru as the most liveable city in the country. The city is also known for its amazing weather and the range of lakes and gardens that it is covered with.

While it sounds like a dreamy place to live in, it is also in Bengaluru, that the largest lake in the city burns ferociously almost every year. I swear it is not a joke.

Bellandur Lake has made headlines before as well due to its incessant burning and yesterday the lake caught fire for the third time in the span of 5 years.

What Exactly Happened?

On 3 March 2021, a fire broke out at Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru. After lake marshals and firefighters managed to control the fire, it was found that unlike what Bellandur lake was famous for, this fire was not caused due to the toxic chemical deposits in the lake.

Rather, some unidentified individuals had started the fire in a nearby area while burning garbage. Due to the chemical deposits in the lake, the whole place started burning in no time. The fire has been controlled to a large extent now.

This is the third time that the Bellandur lake fire has garnered media attention, but the lake has been having these incidents every year since 2015!

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LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST FOREVER CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS
https://www.ehextra.com/news/lawsuit-filed-against-forever-chemical-manufacturers/article_0fa8451c-4659-5d33-ae0a-9449f535341c.html
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, environmental, other_chemical

LA CROSSE, Wis.‰??Crueger Dickinson and Napoli Shkolnik together filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of the City of La Crosse against nearly two dozen chemical companies whose products the city alleges caused groundwater well contamination in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Crueger Dickinson is a leading Milwaukee-based law firm focused on high-stakes litigation around the country, including national class action and mass tort litigation, and Napoli Shkolnik is one of the nation‰??s largest law firms focused on environmental litigation and mass tort actions.

The complaint was filed against eight manufacturers of aqueous firefighting foams (AFFF) containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and 15 manufacturers of fluorosurfactants containing PFOS and PFOA. The lawsuit is one of thousands that have been filed nationwide by municipalities, residents and firefighters, including over one hundred cases filed by government entities.

Tyco Fire Products of Marinette, formerly Ansul and now Johnson Controls Inc., is a defendant.

‰??Defendants were aware since the 1960s and 1970s that PFOA and PFOS were toxic, do not biodegrade, are persistent in the environment, move easily through soil and groundwater, and pose a significant risk to human health and health and safety; yet Defendants elected to manufacture and sell products utilizing these chemicals without warning their customers, placing profits over public health and safety,‰?? the complaint notes.

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CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD RELEASES INVESTIGATIVE UPDATE ON FATAL BELLE PLANT EXPLOSION
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/chemical-safety-board-releases-report-on-fatal-belle-plant-explosion/article_e9b65614-24a3-566d-8c91-d7743714b839.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, bleach, waste

The company whose chemical facility in Belle was the site of an explosion that killed a worker in December 2020 said it hasn‰??t resumed operations in response to a notice of violation it was issued by West Virginia environmental regulators stemming from the incident.

Optima Belle LLC said it is still assessing its terminated operations at the facility to minimize the possibility of another explosion and fire in a letter addressed last week to an environmental inspector supervisor from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. In January, the DEP issued the company a notice of violation for ‰??not operat[ing] its facility to minimize the possibility of an explosion which released hazardous waste constituents to the air and soil.‰??

The Dec. 8 explosion occurred in an industrial dryer unit as Optima Belle was performing a process to remove water from chlorinated dry bleach, according to a brief incident summary released Wednesday by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The CSB report noted that the board is working with Optima Belle to sample and test the chlorinated dry bleach powder involved in the incident.

The DEP announced Dec. 10 that air monitoring data collected by its Division of Air Quality indicated no federal national ambient air quality standards were exceeded during or in the hours following the explosion.

The DEP concluded the fire that burned for two hours after the explosion did not create ongoing emissions to the atmosphere. It based its conclusion on data from an ambient air monitoring station in Charleston, 8 air miles from the Optima Belle facility.

But Terry Fletcher, the department‰??s acting communications coordinator, said Thursday the Division of Air Quality was still investigating the incident.

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