From: Ralph Stuart <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (18 articles)
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2021 06:24:44 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: E0C1EA3B-F85C-4F6B-AA75-FB3C73DA0615**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, October 4, 2021 at 6:24:29 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 (18 articles)

UPDATE EMERGENCY CREWS INVESTIGATING AMMONIA LEAK IN SUNBURY
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia

DEPTFORD, NEW JERSEY HAZMAT INCIDENT LEAVES 10 HOSPITALIZED
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, ammonia, bleach

MEGA CONTAINER SHIP INTERRUPTED VOYAGE IN HAZMAT EMERGENCY ‰?? MARITIME BULLETIN
Tags: Sri_Lanka, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

MAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER INHALING CHEMICAL FUMES ON MOTUNUI FARM
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

FIRE CREWS EXTINGUISH STUBBORN TESLA VEHICLE FIRE
Tags: us_MD, transportation, fire, response, batteries

HAZMAT TRAIN FIRE NEAR PALM DESERT CRITICALLY INJURES 2 PEOPLE
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, injury, batteries, gas_cylinders

TAINTED CASH SICKENS BANK EMPLOYEES IN OUTER EAST PORTLAND
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, irritant

SPILL IN AUGLAIZE RIVER PROMPTS EPA INVESTIGATION
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical, methanol

TOXIC FOAM DUMPED INTO ILLINOIS COAL MINE TO EXTINGUISH FIRE
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

MAN CRITICALLY INJURED AFTER TWO-VEHICLE CRASH ENDS IN CHEMICAL SPILL; PALM HARBOR INTERSECTION BLOCKED OFF
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid

TAMARAC CRIME UPDATE: CHEMICAL HAZMAT INCIDENT AT CAPORELLA AQUATIC CENTER
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid

WOODLAND CLASSROOM TERRARIUM CATCHES FIRE, LIMITED DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES
Tags: us_WA, education, fire, response, other_chemical

LARGE NATURAL GAS LINE BREAKS, WACO FIRE HAZMAT TEAM ON THE SCENE
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas

UPDATE: TRUCK LEAKING PROPANE CLEARED FROM ROAD IN LAKEWAY
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, propane

2 MEN HOSPITALIZED AFTER GETTING BURNED BY TOXIC MATERIAL AT DORAL WAREHOUSE ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, corrosives

SHEARER'S CHEMICAL LEAK HOSPITALIZES THREE, EVACUATES OTHERS
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

'MINOR' CHEMICAL SPILL AT SCSU DREW HAZMAT RESPONSE: CAMPUS PD
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL DISCOVERY PROMPTS CALLOUT TO POLICE STATION IN TIMARU
Tags: New_Zealand, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical


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UPDATE EMERGENCY CREWS INVESTIGATING AMMONIA LEAK IN SUNBURY
https://www.dailyitem.com/news/update-veterans-memorial-bridge-closed-for-hazardous-materials-investigation-in-sunbury/article_e97f85e4-23e3-11ec-90dc-7f55e2537ba3.html
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia

SUNBURY ‰?? Emergency personnel investigated an ammonia leak at the Weis Markets ice cream and dairy plant on South Second Street tonight, according to a company spokesman.

Weis Markets‰?? Dennis Curtin reported that a company hazardous materials team was at the plant.

‰??As a precaution we turned off our systems,‰?? Curtin said. ‰??We believe this is a minor incident and are investigating.‰??

Curtin said he received no reports of any illnesses or injuries. He said there was no staff at the ice cream plant because it doesn't run Saturday nights.

Sunbury Assistant Fire ChiefJay Long said the hazardous materials team was on the roof of the building trying to locate and isolate the leak.

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DEPTFORD, NEW JERSEY HAZMAT INCIDENT LEAVES 10 HOSPITALIZED
https://6abc.com/deptford-nj-new-jersey-gloucester-county/11075173/
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, ammonia, bleach

DEPTFORD, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Police are investigating an incident in Gloucester County that injured 10 people, some of them first responders.

Police say a man sealed all the windows and doors of his parents home, then filled the sinks and tubs with bleach and ammonia in an attempt to harm himself and his family.

Officers responded to the home in the 400 block of Dickinson Road in Deptford just after 10 p.m. Saturday for a report of an unconscious 21-year-old man.

Investigators say the man's father found him and called for help.

Arriving police and medics became short of breath and had to leave the home.

The man is now in the hospital in critical condition.

His parents, sister, her boyfriend and the first responders all had to be treated in the hospital.

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

MEGA CONTAINER SHIP INTERRUPTED VOYAGE IN HAZMAT EMERGENCY ‰?? MARITIME BULLETIN
https://www.maritimebulletin.net/2021/10/03/mega-container-ship-interrupted-voyage-in-hazmat-emergency/
Tags: Sri_Lanka, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

Container ship THALASSA PATRIS interrupted her voyage from Singapore to Suez on Sep 30 in Lacadive sea north of Maldives, and sailed to Colombo, after one or more containers containing hazmat material or liquid, started to leak. She arrived at Colombo on Oct 2 and was berthed, in order to remove damaged container or containers. ETA Suez was already delayed from scheduled Oct 5 to Oct 11. As of 1340 UTC Oct 3, the ship was still berthed at Colombo, removal operation probably complicated by container location on board, and as well probably, decontamination is required.
Container ship THALASSA PATRIS, IMO 9665607, dwt 152344, capacity 13800 TEU, built 2013, flag Liberia, manager ENESEL LTD.

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

MAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER INHALING CHEMICAL FUMES ON MOTUNUI FARM
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/126566027/man-taken-to-hospital-after-inhaling-chemical-fumes-on-motunui-farm
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

man was taken to hospital after inhaling a ‰??lung full of fumes‰?? on a property north of New Plymouth on Sunday morning.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand and St John Ambulance were called a farm north in Motunui around 8am.

New Plymouth senior station officer Keith Murphy said a man had been mixing chemicals when he got a ‰??lung full of fumes‰??.

The man became short of breath but remained conscious, Murphy said.

A St John Ambulance media spokeswoman said the man was transported to Taranaki Base Hospital in a moderate condition.

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

FIRE CREWS EXTINGUISH STUBBORN TESLA VEHICLE FIRE
https://patch.com/maryland/perryhall/bcofd-fire-crews-extinguish-stubborn-tesla-vehicle-fire
Tags: us_MD, transportation, fire, response, batteries

Fire and hazmat crews Thursday evening extinguished a stubborn vehicle fire involving a battery-powered Tesla.

Towson area fire crews responded at 7:50 p.m. to the intersection of Charles Street and Towsontown Boulevard for a motor vehicle crash involving leaking fluids. First-arriving crews found a single-vehicle crash involving a Tesla, with a small fire under the vehicle. The driver self-evacuated and was not injured.

The fire escalated to fully-involved within about five minutes. Firefighters initially used portable extinguishers, but a foam unit from BCoFD's hazmat unit was deployed, along with copious amounts of water, to cool the fire as it intensified due to damaged battery-powered cells. These batteries contain lithium; lithium ignites when exposed to oxygen.

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

HAZMAT TRAIN FIRE NEAR PALM DESERT CRITICALLY INJURES 2 PEOPLE
https://patch.com/california/palmdesert/hazmat-train-fire-near-palm-desert-critically-injures-2-people
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, injury, batteries, gas_cylinders

PALM DESERT, CA ‰?? Interstate 10 near Palm Desert was partially closed Friday as firefighters worked to contain a hazardous materials fire that broke out on a train and seriously injured two people.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department responded to the scene of the blaze at 12:33 p.m. near Dinah Shore Drive and Pacific Avenue and found a container on a train had caught fire.

At 3 p.m., the agency reported the container was carrying hazardous materials, including 25 pounds of lithium batteries, consumer drills, cell phones, 28 standard car batteries, 11 airbag deploy gas cylinders, and other toxic substances.

Two people were hospitalized with critical burn injuries, the agency said.

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

TAINTED CASH SICKENS BANK EMPLOYEES IN OUTER EAST PORTLAND
https://eastpdxnews.com/general-news-features/tainted-cash-sickens-bank-employees-in-outer-east-portland/
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, irritant

When workers in the Bank of America branch at 4000 SE 82nd Avenue of Roses started feeling a bit sick on Tuesday morning, September 28, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews were summoned to investigate. It was 10:25 a.m., shortly after the bank opened.
Out of an abundance of caution, PF&R routinely sends its Hazardous Materials Response Team (HazMat) to investigate any incident where people are suspected of being in contact with chemicals or other substances that might make people ill ‰?? but, typically, no hazards are located.
However, this time, the health threat was real.

....
As the incident unfolded, a total of nine PF&R units had gathered at the bank, including PF&R HazMat Unit 7 from the Mill Park Station.
‰??Portland Fire‰??s HazMat team responded to the location, and took all precautions,‰?? Foster said. ‰??The crews found that, when employees had opened a bag of money, they started feeling the irritation.

Wearing breathing apparatus, gloves, and a full turnout suit, this firefighter uses an electronic ‰??sniffer‰?? to detect chemicals on contaminated cash.

Firefighters prepare to enter the bank building to search for remaining chemical irritants.
‰??The HazMat team found that the money had trace amounts of a chemical irritant,‰?? Foster informed.
HazMat determined that the amount of chemical on the money and items that came in contact with it, was in small enough amounts that the bank could handle the cleanup by itself, Foster added. Just what that chemical irritant was ‰?? has not yet been disclosed.

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

SPILL IN AUGLAIZE RIVER PROMPTS EPA INVESTIGATION
https://www.crescent-news.com/news/local_news/spill-in-auglaize-river-prompts-epa-investigation/article_e9c21552-5ddd-51e9-b558-eb0ffea99b69.html
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical, methanol

A leak of an unknown substance into the Auglaize River in Defiance prompted a call to the EPA on Thursday evening.

According to a report from the Defiance Fire Department, at approximately 5:57 p.m. Thursday, Engine 222 responded to 736 Summit St. for a report of a ‰??white, foamy substance‰?? in the river.

Upon arrival firefighters were met by a local resident who pointed them to a creek where the substance was draining from a pipe. The crew placed a boom in the water in attempt to stop the flow into the river.

After stopping the flow, firefighters walked along the bank to determine the distance of the spillage. It was determined at that time to dispatch the Hazmat team and the EMA director, Julie Rittenhouse. The engine cleared the scene and returned to service. The crew then returned with a utility truck.

The Hazmat team placed a boom in the creek where it meets the river and samplings were taken. It was discovered that the substance was coming from a methanol processing business at 815 Greenler St. An employee at the company stated that 20-50 gallons of ‰??clean oil‰?? had entered the drain at the facility. Neither Charlie Weber, Noble Township Fire Chief who oversees Hazmat in Defiance, nor Chief Bill Wilkins, of the Defiance Fire Department could positively identify the oil. Wilkins did say that the product is from the facility.

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

TOXIC FOAM DUMPED INTO ILLINOIS COAL MINE TO EXTINGUISH FIRE
https://qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/toxic-foam-dumped-into-illinois-coal-mine-to-extinguish-fire/article_d66d534b-4d4b-58d5-9c01-fc2862dfb648.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

Operators of a southern Illinois coal mine dumped toxic foam deep underground in an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish a fire that idled production last month, according to documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

The type of foam used by St. Louis-based Foresight Energy is being phased out in Illinois and 11 other states under laws that for the first time restrict unregulated chemicals known as PFAS ‰?? shorthand for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

PFAS are a growing concern worldwide because they remain in the environment forever, linger in the blood of exposed people for years and trigger several health problems, including cancer, liver damage and decreased fertility.

One of Foresight‰??s lawyers told state officials the foam used at the Sugar Camp complex was biodegradable and would not harm fish or wildlife. But inspectors later determined the company had pumped more than 46,000 gallons of PFAS-laden foam into the mine, raising the possibility that nearby private wells and other sources of drinking water could be contaminated.

Company officials also hired contractors to drill boreholes into the mine without a permit, records show. One of the boreholes is close to a creek where testing this month by the Illinois Environmental Protection detected high levels of PFAS.

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

MAN CRITICALLY INJURED AFTER TWO-VEHICLE CRASH ENDS IN CHEMICAL SPILL; PALM HARBOR INTERSECTION BLOCKED OFF
https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/man-critically-injured-after-two-vehicle-crash-ends-in-chemical-spill-palm-harbor-intersection-blocked-off/
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (WFLA) ‰?? Hazmat crews responded to the scene of a chemical spill after a traffic incident Friday morning.

According to Palm Harbor Fire Rescue, two vehicles got into a wreck at the intersection of Belcher Road and Nebraska Avenue. One of the vehicles was the property of a pool company and spilled 50 gallons of chlorine and two gallons of muriatic acid onto the road, officials said.

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

TAMARAC CRIME UPDATE: CHEMICAL HAZMAT INCIDENT AT CAPORELLA AQUATIC CENTER
https://tamaractalk.com/tamarac-crime-chemical-hazmat-incident-26192
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid

On 09/25/2021, in the Caporella Aquatic Center‰??s pool area, an employee poured chlorine in a 50-gallon drum of muriatic acid, which caused a chemical reaction and produced gas. Tamarac Fire Rescue arrived and called for a Hazmat Crew. The City of Sunrise and Broward County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene. After investigating the drum, first-responders decided to call a company to remove the entire drum to dispose of it properly. They requested a deputy to block off the front entrance and not let anyone enter the area.

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

WOODLAND CLASSROOM TERRARIUM CATCHES FIRE, LIMITED DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES
https://tdn.com/news/local/education/woodland-classroom-terrarium-catches-fire-limited-damage-and-no-injuries/article_49e4d37a-cbb2-5acf-82b9-f78fee57505f.html
Tags: us_WA, education, fire, response, other_chemical

terrarium in a Woodland classroom caught on fire, but the "quick action" by staff and responders prevented injury and limited damage.

A Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue press release said units were dispatched at 5:30 a.m. Friday to North Fork Elementary School after a school staff member arrived for work and discovered smoke inside the school.

The staff member "acted quickly with a call to 9-1-1" and a fire crew arrived seven minutes later. The crew found light smoke in the building and traced it to a classroom that had heavy smoke.

"The E29 crew discovered a terrarium with smoldering wood chips inside. A heating pad had been placed too close to combustible materials under the terrarium and eventually caught fire," the press release said. "Fortunately, the snake inside the terrarium survived and damage was limited to the terrarium and surrounding materials."

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

LARGE NATURAL GAS LINE BREAKS, WACO FIRE HAZMAT TEAM ON THE SCENE
https://www.kcentv.com/article/traffic/large-natural-gas-line-breaks-waco/500-17d76f49-9920-4723-b5a3-7503d19cbaf9
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas

WACO, Texas ‰?? The Waco Fire Department and Hazmat unit were called out for a hazmat situation in the 2800 block of Gholson Road Thursday morning.
Waco Fire in a tweet said it has units and a hazmat team operating at a 2" natural gas line break.
Officials are asking for people to avoid the area until further notice.

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

UPDATE: TRUCK LEAKING PROPANE CLEARED FROM ROAD IN LAKEWAY
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/travis-county/truck-actively-leaking-propane-after-crash-in-lakeway-some-residents-told-to-evacuate/
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, propane

LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) ‰?? Police announced Thursday afternoon they‰??re lifting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders for some Lakeway residents after a truck crashed near their homes and leaked propane. The roadway was cleared and back open by 6:30 p.m.

TOP STORIES | Non-emergency calls should go to 311 starting Friday, APD chief says
Lake Travis firefighters said the truck began leaking after a crash happened on Flint Rock Road near Pawnee Pass South, which is west of FM 620 in Lakeway.

A reverse 911 call to residents in the area advised some on Golden Bear Drive to evacuate the area and others to shelter in place. A hazmat team was at the scene, as well.

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

2 MEN HOSPITALIZED AFTER GETTING BURNED BY TOXIC MATERIAL AT DORAL WAREHOUSE ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
https://wsvn.com/news/local/2-men-hospitalized-after-getting-burned-by-toxic-material-at-doral-warehouse/
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, corrosives

DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Two workers have been transported to the hospital after being burned at a warehouse in Doral.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to a call referencing a tank explosion at a warehouse along Northwest 33rd Street and 79th Avenue, just west of Miami International Airport, at around 11:20 a.m., Thursday.

Responding rescue personnel located two men who sustained burns from being sprayed by 40 gallons of alkali material that was on the ground.

The victims‰?? skin burned, and rescue crews treated them and rinsed their skin at the scene before transporting them to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

One victim was airlifted to the hospital and the other was transported by ground to JMH.

The two men were separated due to one of the victims having respiratory issues.

Hazmat crews have since responded to the scene to neutralize the toxic materials at the warehouse.

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

SHEARER'S CHEMICAL LEAK HOSPITALIZES THREE, EVACUATES OTHERS
https://www.hermistonherald.com/shearers-chemical-leak-hospitalizes-three-evacuates-others/article_18628e4d-abb5-53c6-ad00-5c5577571ae9.html
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

A chemical leak Tuesday night, Sept. 27, at Shearer‰??s Foods in Hermiston, resulted in three people going to the hospital.

Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 responded to the food processing faculty at 8:45 p.m. with three engines, two medics, a hazmat team and more. Division Chief Richard Cearns said around 20 to 25 employees were evacuated.

It is not entirely common to send out a hazmat team, Cearns said, but this was a case for it, as people reported a chemical smell in the warehouse.

The hazmat team triaged five possible patients. Ambulances rushed three to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermston, and two refused transport, according to Fire Chief Scott Stanton.

Cearns said his team found the cause of the leak and mitigated the problem, though he could not say the exact chemical released. Once the chemical release was stopped, and after affected employees were sent to the hospital, Shearer‰??s was allowed to open at 4 a.m. the following day, Cearns said.

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

'MINOR' CHEMICAL SPILL AT SCSU DREW HAZMAT RESPONSE: CAMPUS PD
https://patch.com/connecticut/newhaven/minor-chemical-spill-scsu-drew-hazmat-response-campus-pd
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical

NEW HAVEN, CT ‰?? It was a "minor chemical spill," police said, but drew a major response from New Haven fire, haz-mat, and other first responders Thursday afternoon at the Academic Science and Laboratory Building at Southern Connecticut State University.

According to SCSU Campus Police spokesperson Patrick Dilger, during a class, a student spilled a chemical she was working with that caused some redness to her left hand and arm. She was transported to the hospital as a precaution, Dilger said, but is expected to be "fine." He said the chemical was one that, in the event of a spill, only requires soap and water to clean it up.

To err on the side of caution, there was a full hazardous materials response to the scene.

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

CHEMICAL DISCOVERY PROMPTS CALLOUT TO POLICE STATION IN TIMARU
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/300420701/chemical-discovery-prompts-callout-to-police-station-in-timaru
Tags: New_Zealand, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

The Hazardous Materials Unit was called following the discovery of a chemical inside containers at the police station on Timaru‰??s North St.

A police spokesperson said containers of unknown chemicals were found at the station and Fire and Emergency NZ was called to attend as a precaution.

The chemical was treated and neutralised before being removed from the site for investigation.
Fire and Emergency assistant area commander Stephen Butler said a ‰??very small‰??‰?? amount of a ‰??generalised chemical‰??‰?? was found in a storage facility at the station and reported to emergency services at 11am on Friday.

When asked what the chemical was, he said it was ‰??a very small amount of a generalised chemical substance‰??‰??.

‰??Trucks from Timaru and Temuka attended as well as the Hazmat [hazardous materials] truck,‰??‰?? Butler said.

Firefighters treated and neutralised the chemical before removing it from the site for investigation.

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

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