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Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2021 06:43:46 -0400
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 6:43:29 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 (10 articles)

HURSTVILLE AQUATIC LEISURE CENTRE EVACUATED DUE TO TOXIC FUMES
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, acids

TOXIC CHEMICAL FOUND IN GROUNDWATER AT BHP‰??S NEWMAN IRON ORE HUB IN PILBARA
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, asbestos, petroleum, waste

FARM LEADERS TALK UP FARM CHEMICAL SAFETY STANDARDS IN RESPONSE TO PARAQUAT TOXICITY CONCERNS
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, pesticides

FOOD TRUCK‰??S OVERFILLED PROPANE TANKS PROMPT HAZMAT INCIDENT IN SUFFOLK
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, propane

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE EVACUATED AFTER SUSPECTED GAS LEAK
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, flammables, nitrogen

HAZMAT RESPONSE FOR PAINT SPILL INTO MILFORD'S LOUISA LAKE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, other_chemical

HAZARDOUS RESPONSE TO GOLETA CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

ODOR ON CAMPUS SENDS ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, TEACHING STAFF HOME
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, unknown_chemical

FIVE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHLORINE LEAK AT VICTORIAN SWIMMING POOL
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, chlorine

HYDERABAD: PANIC PREVAILED OVER GAS LEAKAGE FROM CHEMICAL FACTORY
Tags: India, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical


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HURSTVILLE AQUATIC LEISURE CENTRE EVACUATED DUE TO TOXIC FUMES
https://www.theleader.com.au/story/7197102/updated-leisure-centre-evacuated/
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, acids

A Georges River Council spokeswoman said a faulty anti-siphoning valve was responsible for an incident at Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre.

More than 150 people were evacuated from the centre yesterday and .

Three people, including a child, were taken to hospital.

The spokeswoman said the centre was evacuated at about 10am yesterday after staff detected an odour caused by a faulty anti-siphoning valve in the plant room, which regulated acid usage.

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TOXIC CHEMICAL FOUND IN GROUNDWATER AT BHP‰??S NEWMAN IRON ORE HUB IN PILBARA
https://thewest.com.au/business/mining/toxic-chemical-found-in-groundwater-at-bhps-newman-iron-ore-hub-in-pilbara-ng-b881839278z
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, asbestos, petroleum, waste

BHP has been ordered to submit plans to a government department as to how it proposes to clean-up a site at its Newman mining hub that has been contaminated by dangerous chemicals.

The WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has told the mining giant to submit an interim site management plan this month and a remediation management plan by July to deal with the presence of contaminants in soils and groundwater at the Mt Whaleback site.

The chemicals include petroleum hydrocarbons from diesel or oil, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, which are substances used in firefighting foam and asbestos.

The DWER has listed the 4147ha site as ‰??contaminated ‰?? remediation required‰??, raising concerns about a potential threat to human health, including mine workers, and the environment.

It is understood the contamination has been caused a range of industrial uses on the site including a former diesel-fired power station, an asbestos mining waste disposal area and fire response training exercises.

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

FARM LEADERS TALK UP FARM CHEMICAL SAFETY STANDARDS IN RESPONSE TO PARAQUAT TOXICITY CONCERNS
https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/7196485/aussie-safety-standards-mitigate-paraquat-risks/
Tags: Australia, industrial, discovery, environmental, pesticides

FARM leaders have backed claims from the manufacturer of the herbicide paraquat that the product's high toxicity does not put both farmers and the broader community at higher risk.

Paraquat has been in the headlines, both locally and internationally, due to concerns that it was a public danger, with reports pointing to accidental and deliberate poisonings from the popular chemical.

RELATED: Concerns over agvet changes

RELATED: Australia doing well on pesticides, but MDB a concern

Through India in particular paraquat is often used by people wanting to commit suicide, and many of the accidental deaths occur in areas with small farming systems where the product is not stored correctly.

Large lobby groups, such as Greenpeace, are pushing for a global ban on the product.

However, Grain Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann said toxicity levels in the product when used incorrectly should not see it banned, instead he said there should be higher punishments for incorrect storage and usage.

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FOOD TRUCK‰??S OVERFILLED PROPANE TANKS PROMPT HAZMAT INCIDENT IN SUFFOLK
https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/suffolk/food-trucks-overfilled-propane-tanks-prompt-hazmat-incident-in-suffolk/
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, propane

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) ‰?? A food truck‰??s overfilled propane tanks have prompted a hazmat incident in Suffolk Saturday afternoon.

According to reports, Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Suffolk Police are currently on the scene of a hazmat incident in the 3000 block of Frederick Street. The call for the incident came in at around 4:50 p.m.

In a release regarding the incident, Battalion Chief William Kessinger said that a mobile food truck pulled over at the location to report a smell of gas.

Officials later determined that the smell came from the overfilled propane tanks on the truck.

The area is currently blocked off as officials flare the tanks. Officials say the scene is expected to be cleared within the next hour.

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

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE EVACUATED AFTER SUSPECTED GAS LEAK
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-opera-house-evacuated-after-suspected-gas-leak-20210404-p57gf0.html
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, flammables, nitrogen

NSW Fire and Rescue launched a minor evacuation operation at the Sydney Opera House after reports of a potential gas leak.

At 2:15pm on Sunday, firefighters were deployed to the Opera House to investigate reports of a gas smell emerging from a small area near the basement in the back-end of the building, an area not frequented by the public.

They were quickly joined by NSW Police who, along with the venue‰??s staff and a HAZMAT crew, evacuated around 200 people in the vicinity after discovering ‰??elevated‰?? levels of gas on the premises.

After 4:30pm, NSW Fire and Rescue confirmed the gas leak was caused by the Opera House‰??s fire suppression system which accidentally activated. The system uses the non-flammable gas nitrogen to extinguish a fire in the case of an emergency

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HAZMAT RESPONSE FOR PAINT SPILL INTO MILFORD'S LOUISA LAKE
https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/news/2021/04/02/hazmat-response-paint-spill-into-milfords-louisa-lake/7063779002/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, other_chemical

MILFORD ‰?? A latex paint spill at Louisa Lake on Wednesday should not affect Milford‰??s drinking water, local officials said.

It‰??s not clear where the spill originated, but residents reported a white substance flowing down a stream into the lake, discoloring a roughly 50-by-50-foot area.

‰??Since the paint was not oil based, it was not floating on the water surface where it could be contained with our booms,‰?? Fire Chief Mark Nelson said. ‰??The substance was mixing with water.‰??

Wells for drinking water are on Clark Island in nearby Milford Pond, but have been offline for maintenance, Nelson said. A representative with the Milford Water Company told him there should be no impact on the town‰??s drinking water as a result of the paint spill.

‰??Unfortunately, it appears to have an impact on wildlife and I did see one picture with a deceased frog,‰?? Nelson said. ‰??I have not heard any reports of additional deceased wildlife.‰??

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HAZARDOUS RESPONSE TO GOLETA CHEMICAL FIRE
https://www.edhat.com/news/hazardous-response-to-goleta-chemical-fire
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Santa Barbara County firefighters and Hazmat crews responded to a chemical fire in Goleta on Thursday evening.

At 7:08 p.m., crews arrived at 6325 Lindmar Drive in Goleta, the building of Microdyn-Nadir, for a reported structure fire. The response was quickly updated to include Hazmat teams from the county and Santa Barbara City.

Crews discovered the fire was initiated by mixing of chemicals, but it was quickly extinguished by fire protection systems on-site and firefighters, said SBC Fire Captain Daniel Bertucelli.

Water flowing out from the building could have been contaminated so firefighters protected storm drains using damming materials.

There were no injuries and the cause is under investigation.

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ODOR ON CAMPUS SENDS ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, TEACHING STAFF HOME
https://freestonecountytimesonline.com/odor-on-campus-sends-elementary-students-teaching-staff-home/
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, unknown_chemical

An odor detected in portions of Fairfield Elementary campus the middle of last week had students and teachers moving out of their classrooms, and later had some of the students finishing the school week through remote learning.

Parents were informed about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 that students had been moved to the gym, cafeteria and playground area. They were given the option of picking their children up early.

School and local officials converged on the scene, including the City of Fairfield, Fairfield VFD, FISD maintenance and administration, HAZMAT out of Waco, TASB environmental, and plumbing contractors.

According to Fairfield ISD Superintendent Dr. Jason Adams, there was an unknown substance in the drain system, of unknown origin.

‰??The water was initially tested on site by HAZMAT officials on Wednesday,‰?? said Dr. Adams. He explained that the test indicated a solvent, but did not indicate toxicity.

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FIVE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHLORINE LEAK AT VICTORIAN SWIMMING POOL
https://www.9news.com.au/national/three-people-evacuated-after-chlorine-leak-in-victoria-swimming-pool/e97f3950-047d-47df-879e-a876a284df3f
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, chlorine

Five people have been rushed to hospital following a chlorine leak at an aquatic centre in Victoria earlier today.
Emergency services responded to calls about the leak ‰?? at the Apollo Bay Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Apollo Bay ‰?? just before 11am this morning.
It is understood at least two people have been airlifted to The Alfred hospital while another is being transported to Geelong Hospital.
The leak is believed to be the result of a mechanical malfunction that saw a chlorine pump expel out the wrong mixture.
The entire centre has been shut down and barriers have been set up around the perimeter.

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

HYDERABAD: PANIC PREVAILED OVER GAS LEAKAGE FROM CHEMICAL FACTORY
https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-panic-prevailed-over-gas-leakage-from-chemical-factory-2119341/
Tags: India, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

Hyderabad: Gas leakage from a chemical factory on Friday triggered panic among the locals at Maruthi Nagar in Golnaka, Amberpet.

According to a report in Telangana Today, the residents of the area after sensing a pungent smell alerted the police and the fire department. The smell was from Deccan Chemical Factory.

Soon after receiving the information, both the fire department and GHMC came into action. A fire engine and a team of the corporation rushed to the spot.

As per the officials, gas leaked due to a damaged reactor at the chemical factory. The reactors at the factory contain acidic and chemical substances.

It may be mentioned that the factory is surrounded by the residential colonies.

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