From: CHAS membership <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (14 articles)
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2021 06:24:03 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 4D926B1E-650E-4B45-B7A8-3C2BFC639498**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, April 19, 2021 at 6:23:49 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 (14 articles)

'DO NOT OCCUPY' ORDER POSTED ON APARTMENT BUILDING IN WEST KELOWNA, DISPLACING ABOUT 150 TENANTS
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

SFD FIGHTS FIRE AT LOCAL BATTERY DISTRIBUTOR, CONTAINS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, batteries

RATNAGIRI CHEMICAL COMPANY FIRE DEATHS LOTE MIDC MAHARASHTRA LATEST NEWS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical

MAN ARRESTED AFTER SPILLING HYDROCHLORIC ACID AT NEW PLYMOUTH PRIMARY SCHOOL, TAKING CLOTHES OFF
Tags: New_Zealand, education, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

DON‰??T ADD TO CART: EXPOSURE TO DANGEROUS CHEMICALS ‰??HIGHLY POSSIBLE‰?? DUE TO E-COMMERCE, SAYS DENR ‰?? MANILA BULLETIN
Tags: Philippines, public, discovery, environmental, cyanide, mercury

CHINA: EXPLOSION IN CHEMICAL FACTORY LEAVES 2 KILLED, 3 MISSING
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

REMEMBERING THE WEST FERTILIZER PLANT EXPLOSION 8 YEARS LATER
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate

HYDERABAD: FIRE ACCIDENTS AT CHEMICAL COMPANY, SCRAP GODOWN
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, waste

WORKER DIES IN CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

2 DEAD, 2 CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE FOUND IN HOME
Tags: us_TN, public, release, death, carbon_monoxide

2 HURT IN LARGE ACETATE PLANT FIRE AND OTHER CHEMICAL INDUSTRY NEWS
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, fire, injury, ethyl_acetate

HOW TEXAS‰??S ZOMBIE OIL WELLS ARE CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER ZONE
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, petroleum

CLOTH FACE MASKS CONTAINING SILVER: EVALUATING THE STATUS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, titanium, silver

FOLKESTONE AND HYTHE COUNCIL UNDER FIRE OVER CONTROVERSIAL HERBICIDE USED AT ROYAL MILITARY CANAL
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides


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'DO NOT OCCUPY' ORDER POSTED ON APARTMENT BUILDING IN WEST KELOWNA, DISPLACING ABOUT 150 TENANTS
https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-story-331298-101-.htm
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

About 150 tenants of a newly-constructed rental apartment building in West Kelowna have been displaced indefinitely.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue and the regional HazMat team spent Sunday searching for the source of the noxious odour to no avail. Crews, however, continue to detect levels of concern through various parts of the building at 3623 Elliott Road.

The building has now been turned over to its owner, declared unsafe with a ‰??do not occupy‰?? order posted.

West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says no one may occupy the building until it has been made safe by the owner with the help of qualified professionals.

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

SFD FIGHTS FIRE AT LOCAL BATTERY DISTRIBUTOR, CONTAINS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
https://www.arklatexhomepage.com/news/local-news/sfd-fights-fire-at-local-battery-distributor-contains-hazardous-materials/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, batteries

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) ‰?? A Sunday morning fire in a north Shreveport battery factory was quickly brought under control by Shreveport firefighters.

Just after 9:15 a.m. Sunday, the Shreveport Fire Department received multiple calls concerning smoke coming from the Interstate Battery Building in the 1000 block of Jack Wells Road.

When they arrived at 9:20 a.m., firefighters reported heavy black smoke visible from the rear of the building.

Fire crews from Engine 1 and Rescue 1 entered the commercial building and located the fire in a battery storage area.

Fire crews contained the fire to the rear of the building and quickly extinguished the fire, bringing it under control only nine minutes after they arrived.

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RATNAGIRI CHEMICAL COMPANY FIRE DEATHS LOTE MIDC MAHARASHTRA LATEST NEWS
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/ratnagiri-chemical-company-fire-deaths-lote-midc-maharashtra-latest-news-698653
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical

Three people were killed and eight others injured after a fire broke out in a chemical company in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Sunday morning, police said. The incident took place around 9.30 am in the unit located in Lote MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) area in Khed taluka, about 300 km from Mumbai, an official at Ratnagiri police control room said.
It is suspected that the blaze erupted after a blast in the unit, he said, adding that the police were trying to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
"Three persons, who were inside the firm, died on the spot, while eight received serious injuries," he said.

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MAN ARRESTED AFTER SPILLING HYDROCHLORIC ACID AT NEW PLYMOUTH PRIMARY SCHOOL, TAKING CLOTHES OFF
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/124881215/man-arrested-after-spilling-hydrochloric-acid-at-new-plymouth-primary-school-taking-clothes-off
Tags: New_Zealand, education, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

A 30-year-old man who was ‰??under the influence of something‰?? has been arrested after he broke into a Taranaki school‰??s shed, spilt hydrochloric acid and undressed before walking to another school.

New Plymouth Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) crews were called to Spotswood Primary School around 11.30am on Monday after the caretaker found a 20-litre drum of the chemical spilled at the pool shed.

Fenz central shift manager Mike Wanoa said the acid had covered some items, but no one had been injured or compromised.

Wanoa said crews had worked to dilute the chemical, which can be used to clean pools.

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DON‰??T ADD TO CART: EXPOSURE TO DANGEROUS CHEMICALS ‰??HIGHLY POSSIBLE‰?? DUE TO E-COMMERCE, SAYS DENR ‰?? MANILA BULLETIN
https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/19/dont-add-to-cart-exposure-to-dangerous-chemicals-highly-possible-due-to-e-commerce-says-denr/
Tags: Philippines, public, discovery, environmental, cyanide, mercury

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has acknowledged the ‰??risk‰?? that e-commerce brings to Filipinos when it comes to the online trade of regulated hazardous substances.

‰??While e-commerce is a significant driver of our economy and provides convenience to millions of consumers, there [is] also [a] certain degree of risk to the population in general,‰?? DENR Usec. Juan Miguel Cuna said over the weekend.

Rreferring to the online selling of regulated chemicals or chemical products, Cuna said: ‰??With these products being highly accessible to anybody who has access to online trading sites, risk of human exposure or environmental contamination is highly possible, especially when sellers or suppliers do not have permits from government regulatory agencies.‰??

Cuna made the remarks last Friday, April 16 during a virtual interagency meeting involving environmental, health and trade regulators, e-commerce executive, and chemical safety advocates. The topic of the meeting was the supposed unfitting use of online shopping platforms to sell regulated chemicals such as cyanide and mercury.

A presentation by the EcoWaste Coalition illustrated how third-party dealers are taking advantage of digital commerce to sell regulated chemicals in blatant disregard of existing regulatory controls.

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CHINA: EXPLOSION IN CHEMICAL FACTORY LEAVES 2 KILLED, 3 MISSING
https://menafn.com/1101933158/China-Explosion-in-chemical-factory-leaves-2-killed-3-missing&source=30
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

( MENAFN ) Early on Saturday, Apr. 17 an explosion that happened in a chemical factory in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province left two people killed and another three were reported missing.

The explosion took place in a workshop of Taiyuan Xing'an Chemical Plant at 8:36 a.m. Saturday, said the municipal administration's information office.

The reason behind the explosion is under probe.

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REMEMBERING THE WEST FERTILIZER PLANT EXPLOSION 8 YEARS LATER
https://6abc.com/8-years-after-west-fertilizer-plant-explosion-case-remains-unsolved/10522239/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate

WEST, Texas -- Eight years after a massive explosion leveled portions of a central Texas town, left 15 dead and injured hundreds, the investigation into who was responsible remains open.

On April 17, 2013, firefighters responded to a fire at the West Fertilizer Company, a storage and distribution facility in West, Texas, a town of approximately 2,900 north of Waco. While crews worked to contain the fire, the site exploded, leveling homes, businesses and other buildings, including a nearby school.

RELATED: Deadly 2013 West fertilizer plant fire was intentionally set, ATF says

Nearly three years after the blast, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the fire was intentionally set and offered a $50,000 reward in the case.

The fire caused ammonium nitrate to ignite, triggering the blast that registered as a 2.1 magnitude tremor that was detected on seismographs as far away as Hockley, 142 miles away.
Officials in West, Texas believe fire was set in 2013 plant explosion **At_Symbol_Here**abc13houston #abc13 pic.twitter.com/k7HvnYfnsy

‰?? Christine Dobbyn (**At_Symbol_Here**ChristineDobbyn) May 11, 2016


Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent Robert Elder said in 2016 that investigators came to the conclusion after ruling out other reasonable causes, but he didn't release specifics or a possible motive. Inspectors have previously said three possible scenarios caused the fire: faulty electrical wiring, a short circuit in a golf cart stored at the plant, or arson.

"We have eliminated all reasonable accidental and natural causes," Elder said during a news conference at the time. "This was a criminal act."

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

HYDERABAD: FIRE ACCIDENTS AT CHEMICAL COMPANY, SCRAP GODOWN
https://telanganatoday.com/hyderabad-fire-accidents-at-chemical-company-scrap-godown
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, waste

Hyderabad: A major fire broke out in a chemical company in Jeedimetla industrial area on Saturday morning. No casualties were reported.

According to the police, the fire spread to the plastic drums filled with chemicals which led to thick fire and smoke. The company workers, who noticed the flames, alerted the police and the fire department. Panic prevailed in the area for some time due to the chemical explosions.

Two fire engines were rushed to the spot and the flames were doused in about two hours and the worth of the property damaged is to be estimated.

In another incident, a minor fire broke in a scrap godown at the industrial areas in Mailardevpally on the city outskirts. None were hurt in the incident, as the warehouse was shut. Police suspect an electrical short circuit led to the fire mishap. Officials said around 1 am, local residents noticed the fire and thick smoke from the warehouse which is surrounded by residential colonies. A fire engine was rushed to the spot, but with the fire not dying out, another fire engine too joined in the firefighting.

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WORKER DIES IN CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
https://www.newagebd.net/article/135660/worker-dies-in-chemical-explosion
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

A construction worker died when a chemical drum exploded at Rajoir upazila in Madaripur on Sunday.
The deceased was Emon Munshi, 22.

Emon and his associates tried to open the mouth of an old chemical drum with an iron device, on the roof of the three-storey under construction building, causing a sudden explosion. Emon died on the spot at noon.
Two other workers, Enamul Munshi, 19, and Zahirul Islam, 29, were seriously injured. Officer-in charge of Madaripur Rajoir police station Anwar Hossain confirmed the news to UNB.

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2 DEAD, 2 CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE FOUND IN HOME
https://www.mainstreet-nashville.com/news/2-dead-2-critical-condition-after-high-levels-of-carbon-monoxide-found-in-home/article_ba665766-9ee5-11eb-8231-37f623328520.html
Tags: us_TN, public, release, death, carbon_monoxide

Nashville firefighters and EMS found two people dead and two others in critical condition after responding to reports of a possible death at a home Friday on Dickerson Pike.

Kendra Loney, spokesperson for the fire department, said crews were initially dispatched to the home in the 2700 block of Dickerson Pike "for reports of a possible DOA."

When crews arrived, they found multiple people who were unresponsive and a generator in the living area of the home. Hazmat teams were called to check for hazardous materials, Loney said.

A hazmat team detected high levels of carbon monoxide in the home, Loney said, and two of the adults found unresponsive were declared dead at the scene.

Two more, in critical condition, were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.

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2 HURT IN LARGE ACETATE PLANT FIRE AND OTHER CHEMICAL INDUSTRY NEWS
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/chemical/2-hurt-large-acetate-plant-fire-and-other-chemical-industry-news
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, fire, injury, ethyl_acetate

Two people were reportedly injured in a massive fire that broke out last week at the Purechem Pvt. Ltd. chemical plant at the Sundar Industrial Estate in Lahore, Pakistan. Several parts of the facility were destroyed during the incident. Dozens of firefighters worked for eight hours to douse the flames.

A report by Pakistani newspaper The Nation said millions of rupees worth of equipment and other items were destroyed. One image captured at the scene shows large portions of the plant were destroyed or heavily damaged.

Purechem manufactures ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, n-propyl acetate, and methyl acetate, according to information on its website.

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HOW TEXAS‰??S ZOMBIE OIL WELLS ARE CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER ZONE
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/15/texas-zombie-oil-wells-environmental-disaster-zone?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, petroleum

Thousands of abandoned oil wells dot the Permian Basin in west Texas and New Mexico, endangering humans and wildlife. With oil costs plummeting, they‰??re likely to proliferate. Who is going to cover the cleanup costs?

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

CLOTH FACE MASKS CONTAINING SILVER: EVALUATING THE STATUS
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.1c00005
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, titanium, silver

Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, demand for cloth face masks containing nanosilver has increased. Common product claims such as ‰??antiviral‰?? and ‰??antimicrobial‰?? can be attractive to buyers seeking to protect themselves from this respiratory disease, but it is important to note that filtration capabilities are the main factor to prevent virus transmission and that antimicrobial ability is a secondary protection factor. Silver has long been known to be antibacterial, and growing research supports additional antiviral properties. In this study, 40 masks claiming to contain silver were evaluated for substantiated antiviral and antimicrobial claims using methods available to the public. Criteria for determining the validity of substantiated claims included the use of patented technology, international certification for antimicrobial and/or antiviral textile by ISO or ASTM, EPA pesticide registration, and peer-reviewed literature. Our analysis showed that, of the!
40 masks, 21 had substantiated claims. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), two of the substantiated face masks (A and B) were examined for silver identification for further confirmation. Mask A uses silver and copper ions attached to zeolite particles; the zeolite particles discovered through SEM were approximately 90‰??200 nm in diameter. In mask B, particles of silver and titanium at the 250 nm size were found. In conclusion, these certifications or patents are not enough to determine credibility, and stricter regulations by federal agencies on product testing for manufacturers that make claims are necessary to ensure the efficacy of the product advertised, as well as a cloth face mask inhalation standard.

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FOLKESTONE AND HYTHE COUNCIL UNDER FIRE OVER CONTROVERSIAL HERBICIDE USED AT ROYAL MILITARY CANAL
https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/folkestone-and-hythe-council-under-fire-over-controversial-herbicide-used-at-royal-military-canal/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides

Folkestone and Hythe District Council is under fire for using a strong and controversial herbicide at the Royal Military Canal.

A new campaign group Wild About Prince's Parade has raised concerns that glyphosate, a strong herbicide, was being used to prevent the regrowth of trees felled along the Royal Military Canal in March.

Strong herbicides such as this carry fears that chemicals washed into the canal or absorbed into the soil could cause harm to the local flora and fauna.

The group aims to raise awareness of the species which are set to be displaced from their usual habitat once construction work for the Princes Parade leisure centre development begins. They have set up an interactive online group, where members pose for photographs at the canal wearing masks representing those animals they believe are at risk of "eviction".

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