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Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2021 06:52:25 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 6:52:12 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 (11 articles)

OFFICIALS: FUMES, UNUSUAL SMELL AT USC LAB POSE NO THREAT
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

DURHAM HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND AFTER SUSPICIOUS AMAZON DELIVERY REPORTED
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, response, adhesives, dust

11,000 GALLONS OF SPILLED FUEL CLOSES INTERSTATE 25 IN NORTHERN COLORADO
Tags: us_CO, transportation, fire, injury, diesel

KLASEY: A FIREFIGHTER'S DEATH IN THE LINE OF DUTY
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, fire_extinguisher

AJ PRITCHARD'S GIRLFRIEND ABBIE QUINNEN 'ENGULFED IN FIRE AND LEFT WITH 3RD DEGREE BURNS'
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

BECOMING HIGHLY RELIABLE IN PROTECTING THE U.S.
Tags: us_KS, laboratory, discovery, environmental

WORCESTER FIRM PAYS $55K FINE FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIAL VIOLATION
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, asbestos

EXPLOSION AT HARRIMAN BUSINESS INJURES 1, FEDERAL AGENTS INVESTIGATING
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives

THE DISASTROUS BEIRUT EXPLOSION WAS SO BRUTAL THAT IT DISTURBED EARTH'S IONOSPHERE
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental

VADODARA: FIRE AT PETROCHEMICAL UNIT, 5 INJURED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, pharmaceutical

FOUR DEAD IN MAHARASHTRA CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical


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OFFICIALS: FUMES, UNUSUAL SMELL AT USC LAB POSE NO THREAT
https://mynewsla.com/education/2021/03/21/officials-fumes-unusual-smell-at-usc-lab-pose-no-threat-2/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

Firefighters and a hazardous materials team determined that an unusual smell and small fumes in one of the labs at USC Sunday posed no lasting threat.

Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched at 10:08 a.m. to 1050 W. Childs Way in response to a report of a small amount of fumes with an unusual smell was coming from one of the university‰??s labs, said Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

‰??LAFD Hazardous Materials specialists arrived on scene, where the smell had largely dissipated and there was no lasting threat,‰?? Prange said. ‰??LAFD firefighters and Hazmat team have now cleared the scene.‰??

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DURHAM HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND AFTER SUSPICIOUS AMAZON DELIVERY REPORTED
https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/durham-hazmat-crews-respond-after-suspicious-amazon-delivery-reported/
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, response, adhesives, dust

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) ‰?? Emergency crews in Durham shut down part of a street Sunday evening after a resident reported a suspicious package.

The incident was reported around 6:45 p.m. at a home in the 900 block of South Alston Avenue, according to Durham fire officials.

The person who reported the incident told officials that an Amazon delivery at their home contained a white powdery substance.

Hazmat crews responsded to investigate and tested the substance. It turned out to be adhesive tape and was not harmful.

The road was never closed, but one lane of traffic was blocked while authorities investigated.

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11,000 GALLONS OF SPILLED FUEL CLOSES INTERSTATE 25 IN NORTHERN COLORADO
https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/11-000-gallons-of-spilled-fuel-closes-interstate-25-in-northern-colorado/article_864a124f-5e2f-51be-ac59-ae737d80cb8c.html
Tags: us_CO, transportation, fire, injury, diesel

Interstate 25 is closed Saturday morning as crews clean up a large fuel spill.

The highway is shut down in both directions between CO 402 and US 85 near Loveland, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

A tanker truck crashed around 1 a.m., spilling 11,000 gallons of diesel fuel. When responders arrived, the truck was already fully engulfed in flames, according to CDOT. The driver had to be extricated from the wreck but suffered only minor injuries.

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KLASEY: A FIREFIGHTER'S DEATH IN THE LINE OF DUTY
https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/klasey-a-firefighters-death-in-the-line-of-duty/article_fff76ad2-8864-11eb-b391-bb47cbda90c6.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, fire_extinguisher

At 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, 1921, while fighting a small blaze at a home on Greenwood Avenue, the Kankakee Fire Department lost one-twelfth of its manpower. Veteran firefighter Arthur A. Stiers, one of the dozen members of the Kankakee Department, was killed instantly when a chemical fire extinguisher tank exploded.

The fire, at the home of Walter Fisher, 128 N. Greenwood Ave., ‰??was not one of great consequence,‰?? reported the Kankakee Daily Republican. ‰??The firemen found a barrel of paper and kindling wood on fire near the furnace in the basement. It was evident that the chemical tanks would be sufficient to extinguish it.‰??

Stiers‰?? death occurred only moments after the department‰??s two fire trucks arrived on the scene. Details of what happened were revealed at a coroner‰??s inquest, reported in the Republican on December 19: ‰??Stiers, Assistant Fire Chief Noah Betourne, and Fireman Pat Bochant were about to operate a hand chemical [tank] which had been secured from Fire Truck No. 2‰?|.Betourne was in the basement‰?|Stiers and Bochant were on the outside of the house, ready to turn on the valve of the hand chemical [tank] when Betourne gave the word. When Betourne shouted ‰??All right,‰?? Stiers leaned over the chemical tank to turn it on. Immediately, there was a terrific explosion, the tank shooting skyward‰?? and hit Stiers.

The tank the firefighters were using, which contained six gallons of liquid under pressure, was made of thick copper. In service for about 20 years, it had last been used at a fire on Nov. 5, then recharged.

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AJ PRITCHARD'S GIRLFRIEND ABBIE QUINNEN 'ENGULFED IN FIRE AND LEFT WITH 3RD DEGREE BURNS'
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-aj-pritchards-girlfriend-abbie-23766667
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

AJ Pritchard's girlfriend Abbie Quinnen has been left with third degree burns after she was engulfed in fire when a social media video went badly wrong, it's claimed.

A blazing wine bottle reportedly bottle exploded in her face and set her hair and clothing alight.

....

The couple were said to be filming a video about a hack to turn a wine bottle into a vase.

It involves dipping rope into a flammable chemical, wrapping it around the bottle and lighting a flame to it.

But their hack sparked a fireball which engulfed Abbie.

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BECOMING HIGHLY RELIABLE IN PROTECTING THE U.S.
https://themercury.com/opinion/nbaf-update-becoming-highly-reliable-in-protecting-the-u-s/article_33e465d8-84f3-58dd-9226-2c0e43ad2cf0.html
Tags: us_KS, laboratory, discovery, environmental

Since Manhattan was first announced as the site for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, or NBAF, there have been questions from the community about potential risks to the surrounding area. NBAF‰??s entire mission is to protect the U.S. from specific foreign livestock animal diseases. An important part of that mission includes addressing risks associated with the operation of the facility.

As with all Biosafety Level-3 and -4 laboratories complying with regulations and industry standards, NBAF has a team dedicated to managing and minimizing those risks. The goal of that team ‰?? called biorisk management ‰?? is to prevent accidental and intentional misuse or release of infectious material, also called biohazards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has hired a team of individuals who bring with them the skills and expertise needed to accomplish that goal. NBAF scientists and biorisk management will work closely together as a team to accomplish critical research in a safe and secure environment.

NBAF‰??s biorisk program management training coordinator, Dr. Chad Austin, has extensive experience working in high containment laboratories and biorisk management programs. As a graduate student, he worked in high containment for several years and as part of his postdoctoral training, he spent two years at the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program at the National Institutes of Health. After that, he served as a biosafety specialist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston where his duties included developing and delivering training. He continues to train other biosafety professionals through ABSA International, formerly the American Biological Safety Association.

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WORCESTER FIRM PAYS $55K FINE FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIAL VIOLATION
https://www.wbjournal.com/article/worcester-firm-pays-55k-fine-for-hazardous-material-violation
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, asbestos

Worcester real estate firm and its manager have agreed to pay a fine of up to $55,000 to settle allegations from the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office they knowingly failed to report hazardous materials at an apartment site off Shrewsbury Street.

The firm, ASAA LLC, converted a former machine shop into a 24-unit apartment building at 10 Nebraska St., in a largely industrial area between Shrewsbury Street and rail lines that carry commuter rail trains and freight trains running to and from the nearby CSX rail yard.

In developing the site, the firm failed to report releases of oil, lead, arsenic, asbestos and other hazardous material, Attorney General Maura Healey's office said in announcing the settlement Friday afternoon. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection guidelines require documentation of such materials.

ASAA and its manager, Anthony Bianco, settled the case in which they were alleged to have known lead found in soil at the site could be hazardous, Healey's office said. As part of the settlement, the firm is required to assess the extent of contamination at the site and comply with clean-up requirements.

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EXPLOSION AT HARRIMAN BUSINESS INJURES 1, FEDERAL AGENTS INVESTIGATING
https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/explosion-at-harriman-business-injures-1-federal-agents-on-scene/
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) ‰?? A person was injured in an explosion at a Harriman business Thursday morning.

Agents with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the FBI are on the scene at PSC Metals in the 2400 block of Roane Street, about halfway between Rockwood and Harriman.

‰??(A) specialist is working with our partners to determine the cause of the explosives incident. The determination is still pending on if their were explosives mixtures involved,‰?? a spokesperson for the ATF said.

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THE DISASTROUS BEIRUT EXPLOSION WAS SO BRUTAL THAT IT DISTURBED EARTH'S IONOSPHERE
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/45480/20210319/the-disastrous-beirut-explosion-was-so-brutal-that-it-disturbed-earths-ionosphere-scientists.htm
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental

Early last August, people living close to Beirut's Lebanese port observed in fear as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions on record caused by humans ripped a portion out of their city, leading to loss of hundreds of lives, with thousands wounded, and hundreds of thousands lost their homes.
The shock from the explosion was felt around the globe, detectors as far away as Germany and Tunisia picked up the deep noise, and tectonic stations close to 300 miles (500 kilometers) away noted its tremor.
Vibration of the Highest Layers
Now it appears that the Beirut explosion led to the highest layers of the atmosphere to vibrate, and the result of the data could notify future efforts to keep a watch on weapons testing carried out by states that are rogue.
Scientists from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India, and Japan's Hokkaido University measured electrical interruptions in the ionosphere, discovering the blast was tantamount to the impact of various volcanic explosions.

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VADODARA: FIRE AT PETROCHEMICAL UNIT, 5 INJURED
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/vadodara-fire-at-petrochemical-unit-5-injured-7236898/
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, pharmaceutical

FIVE WORKERS of Shivam Petrochem Industries in Gothda village of Savli taluka of Vadodara district suffered burns after a fire broke out reportedly due to increased pressure on a reactor during a process of manufacturing a pharmaceutical chemical, officials said on Friday. A loud explosion that took place early on Friday morning was followed by a raging fire as six workers used their presence of mind to escape in the nick of time, sources said.
Four of the six employees who injured were taken to SSG hospital for treatment while two others with minor injuries received first-aid at a local hospital in Savli. The blaze from the factory was so strong that the district police diverted traffic from the Vadodara-Savli Road, which had to be closed to vehicular movement in order to allow fire tenders to bring the fire under control.
It took nearly a dozen fire tenders of the emergency department as well as other private companies nearly five hours to bring the blaze under control, and the operation continued later during the day as some sparks continued to be seen from the reactor.

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FOUR DEAD IN MAHARASHTRA CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE
https://telanganatoday.com/four-dead-in-maharashtra-chemical-factory-fire
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical

Ratnagiri: At least four workers were killed and one other person was injured in a fire that broke out at a chemical factory in Maharashtra, a police official said.

The blaze, the cause of which is not clear, was reported at around 9.15 a.m. at the Gharda Chemicals Ltd. factory in Lote-Parshuram MIDC complex.

At least four fire-tenders and firemen rushed to the spot to battle the conflagration and rescue the labourers working there.

‰??The five persons were trapped inside, and the firemen managed to rescue one. The charred bodies of four others were later found in the operation,‰?? an official of the Khed Police Station told IANS.

The injured worker was rushed to a nearby government hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the four deceased were sent to a morgue for autopsy and other formalities, the official added.

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