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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 2, 2022 at 6:49:59 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 (12 articles)
POLICE RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP.
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
REPORT MEMORIALIZES WORKERS KILLED ON THE JOB IN ATTLEBORO AREA, STATE
Tags: us_MA, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
BP TO PAY MORE THAN $65,000 OVER 2020 JET FUEL SPILL IN ADELAIDE'S PORT RIVER
Tags: Australia, public, follow-up, environmental, jet_fuel, petroleum
HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO SUSQUEHANNA TWP AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
LAB TECHNICIAN BURNT IN HOSPITAL EXPLOSION DIES
Tags: Pakistan, laboratory, follow-up, death, gas_cylinders
FEDERAL AGENCY RELEASES VIDEO RECREATION OF HOW MASSIVE EXPLOSION OCCURRED AT WAUKEGAN PLANT THAT KILLED 4
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, death, paints
INDIA'S UPL APPLIES TO FLUSH TOXIC PESTICIDES INTO SOUTH AFRICAN SEA
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
A (FICTITIOUS) BODY WRAPPED IN AN ENIGMA AND ENCASED IN PHOSPHATE ROCK DUST
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
FOUR INJURED IN CYLINDER BLAST AT MULTAN HOSPITAL
Tags: Pakistan, laboratory, explosion, injury, gas_cylinders
ARE E-SCOOTERS AND SIMILAR DEVICES THE NEW MAJOR FIRE RISK?
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, environmental, batteries
3 KILLED, 9 WOUNDED IN FACTORY FIRE IN TURKEY'S ISTANBUL ‰?? THEPRINT
Tags: Turkey, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical
SCIENTISTS CALL FOR GLOBAL CAP ON PLASTIC PRODUCTION
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, plastics, waste
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POLICE RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP.
https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/police-respond-to-chemical-spill-in-south-whitehall-twp/article_59ec7762-c95f-11ec-899b-93b578403366.html
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - Police and first responders were called to a chemical plant in South Whitehall Township early Sunday morning after residents reported a strong smell.
Crews responded to the GEO Specialty Chemical plant on North Cedar Crest Boulevard around 5 a.m. after it smelled strongly like fabric softener, officials said.
Residents within a one-mile radius of the plant were ordered to shelter in place while a hazardous materials team worked with personnel from the chemical plant to identify and contain the spill, said officials.
Local Trending News
They determined that the chemicals were not dangerous, and the shelter-in-place order was lifted around 7 a.m.
Officials said cleanup was underway and there is no risk to the public, but people in the area may still notice an unusual smell for some time.
GEO manufactures a wide range of products, including chemicals for wastewater treatment, industrial lubricants and acrylic resins.
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REPORT MEMORIALIZES WORKERS KILLED ON THE JOB IN ATTLEBORO AREA, STATE
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/report-memorializes-workers-killed-on-the-job-in-attleboro-area-state/article_891abba5-3216-51e1-b1cb-6a39abce8d50.html
Tags: us_MA, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
ATTLEBORO -- A city factory worker killed in a flash chemical fire and a truck driver killed in a crash in Mansfield were among those memorialized in a report highlighting the increase in workplace injuries, illness and death.
The report by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, says 52 workers died on the job in 2021, up from 45 workers killed on the job in 2020.
Among them were Nathan Collito, 26, of Attleboro, and Albert Facada, 67, of Revere. They were listed in an in memoriam section of the report called ‰??Dying for Work in Massachusetts.‰??
An additional 10 firefighters died of work-related disease, according to the report.
Collito died Nov. 13, 2021, at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, two days after suffering second- and third-degree burns in a flash fire at Composite Modules Inc., 61 Union St.
---------------------------------------------
BP TO PAY MORE THAN $65,000 OVER 2020 JET FUEL SPILL IN ADELAIDE'S PORT RIVER
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-02/bp-to-pay-for-adelaide-port-river-jet-fuel-spill/101030010
Tags: Australia, public, follow-up, environmental, jet_fuel, petroleum
Petroleum giant BP will pay a $48,000 fine and other costs for spilling jet fuel into Adelaide's Port River in 2020.
Key points:
A hose failure caused fuel to spill at Largs Bay in February 2020
Residents reported health effects from the fumes to environmental authorities
The $65,000 includes a $48,000 civil penalty and legal costs
The UK-registered fuel company BP Shipping Limited has agreed to pay $65,319 to avoid prosecution by South Australia's Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The EPA said it received 16 complaints about the spill, with residents reporting health effects from the fumes.
BP's payment includes a $48,000 civil penalty and more than $17,000 in technical expenses.
The company will additionally pay almost $11,000 in legal costs, but the EPA conceded the fine had been reduced because of BP Shipping's "good compliance record".
The fuel spill happened on February 29, 2020, when BP vessel British Engineer was moored at Largs Bay, transferring A-1 jet fuel to the onshore terminal owned by Mobil.
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HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO SUSQUEHANNA TWP AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.abc27.com/news/top-stories/hazmat-crews-respond-to-susquehanna-twp-ammonia-leak/
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)‰?? Dauphin County hazmat crews responded to a Susquehanna Township warehouse after an ammonia leak.
The leak happened at Sysco Central Pennsylvania on Correy Road. Susquehanna Fire Department and Dauphin County Hazmat crews were called to the facility around 9 p.m. Saturday.
Susquehanna Township Director of Public Safety Robert Martin said they are not sure where or how the leak started.
Some employees were inside at the time but no one was hurt.
Martin said there is no danger to the public. He said people who are nearby may smell the ammonia but it is not dangerous. He advises people to keep their windows closed
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LAB TECHNICIAN BURNT IN HOSPITAL EXPLOSION DIES
https://dailytimes.com.pk/928577/lab-technician-burnt-in-hospital-explosion-dies/
Tags: Pakistan, laboratory, follow-up, death, gas_cylinders
A Laboratory technician who received flame burns at GovtShehbazShirf Hospital (GSSH) in a cylinder blast on Friday night died at Pak Italian Modern Burn centre on Saturday morning. The hospital sources told APP that Shakir (30) was 95 percent burnt when he was brought to health facility late Friday night. They informed he died of flame burns today morning adding that medically survival of such patients is impossible. Funeral prayer of the deceased was offered at Wahdat Colony after Magrib which was attended by relatives, friends, health deptt officials, doctors, paramedics and other colleagues.
An official source at GSSH said that Shakir caught fire first and later on a blast occurred which damaged the first floor of the hospital badly. Window panes, doors, and gates were shattered, the source said and added that debris fell on two parked cars which were totally damaged. The hospital faced a great loss, the source informed and added the lab technician was a nice chap.
MS, Dr Rao Amjad informed this news agency that the deceased was only staffer in the lab at night duty and had returned to duty after saying Isha prayer. He stated that normally he offers ‰??Taravi‰?? too but last night he did not. The MS noted that infrastructure was vandalized with windows, doors, gates, his office 8mm table mirror besides shattering of windows and gates of pharmacies and bank in front of the hospital. Replying a question, DrAmjad said that according to Bomb Disposal Squad, Civil defence and police officials conducting inquiry into the incident, apparently gases of Air Conditioners-two split units and a standing AC installed in the lab caused the blast. To another question, he replied that an inquiry committee constituted by DC Amir Karim met today where he briefed it about the explosion. He quoted Shakir as telling hospital colleagues during his statement that when he sat on his table after returning from prayers, he caught fire suddenly from AC side.
---------------------------------------------
FEDERAL AGENCY RELEASES VIDEO RECREATION OF HOW MASSIVE EXPLOSION OCCURRED AT WAUKEGAN PLANT THAT KILLED 4
https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/04/30/federal-agency-releases-video-recreation-of-how-massive-explosion-occurred-at-waukegan-plant-that-killed-4/
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, death, paints
Federal officials this week released a video recreation showing what exactly caused a massive explosion and fire at AB Specialty Silicones in Waukegan that killed four employees in 2019.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released the video on Thursday explaining the May 3, 2019, blast at an AB Specialty Silicones plant near Northwestern Avenue and Sunset Avenue in Waukegan.
AB Specialty Silicones manufactures silicone products used in a wide variety of applications, including personal care and roof coatings. The products are distributed worldwide.
The product EM-652, which is used as a waterproofing agent, was being made using a batch process the night of the explosion, the federal agency said.
---------------------------------------------
INDIA'S UPL APPLIES TO FLUSH TOXIC PESTICIDES INTO SOUTH AFRICAN SEA
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/indias-upl-applies-flush-toxic-pesticides-into-south-african-sea-2022-04-30/
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
JOHANNESBURG, April 30 (Reuters) - Indian agrochemicals manufacturer UPL Ltd (UPLL.NS) has applied for permission to flush water contaminated by a toxic pesticides spill in South Africa's city of Durban directly into the sea or the sewerage system, the company said on Saturday.
The municipal authorities have judged the pesticides -- which were being contained in a dam that overflowed during devastating floods that struck the eastern port city earlier this month -- as being "highly toxic to the environment".
Looters set fire to a UPL warehouse containing the pesticides during a wave of looting and arson in July last year. That caused a chemical spill which shut down beaches, released severe air pollution and killed marine wildlife. Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide were among the chemicals released into the dam.
UPL told Reuters in an emailed statement that the "toxicity testing of April 11 showed extremely low levels of marine toxicity, capable of being completely neutralised" by dilution.
---------------------------------------------
A (FICTITIOUS) BODY WRAPPED IN AN ENIGMA AND ENCASED IN PHOSPHATE ROCK DUST
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/fictitious-body-wrapped-enigma-encased/100/i15
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
Fans of mystery novels don‰??t expect their latest read to include a root-cause analysis of a chemical-related industrial accident. But author Fiona Erskine cleverly weaves one into a fictional tale that revolves around identifying a body entombed in hardened phosphate rock dust.
Erskine is a chemical engineer with 40 years of manufacturing experience. As she builds the story in her latest mystery, Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects, Erskine gleefully explains chemical reactions and industrial processes and introduces the chemists of yore who discovered or developed them.
The plot follows Detective Inspector Rose Irvine‰??s investigation into the death of the unknown person discovered inside a shuttered fertilizer factory in Scotland. The probe hinges on John Gibson, a longtime shift manager who recalls the plant, its operations, and those who once worked there in intimate detail.
---------------------------------------------
FOUR INJURED IN CYLINDER BLAST AT MULTAN HOSPITAL
https://www.dawn.com/news/1687424/four-injured-in-cylinder-blast-at-multan-hospital
Tags: Pakistan, laboratory, explosion, injury, gas_cylinders
MUZAFFARGARH: Four people were injured when a cylinder exploded in Multan‰??s Shehbaz Sharif Hospital on Friday evening.
A fire broke out in the laboratory soon after the blast which broke windows.
Deputy Commissioner Amir Karim Khan reached the hospital and supervised the rescue work. He said the nature of the incident and the extent of damage was being worked out. He said three technicians and a guard were injured in the incident.
Commissioner Dr Irshad Ahmed also visited the hospital and said the explosion had taken place in the laboratory on the first floor. Forensic teams joined the investigation launched by Health Secretary South Punjab Tanvir Iqbal Tabassum. He directed Additional Secretary Admin Qamar Zaman to probe the matter.
---------------------------------------------
ARE E-SCOOTERS AND SIMILAR DEVICES THE NEW MAJOR FIRE RISK?
https://www.ifsecglobal.com/fire-news/are-e-scooters-and-similar-devices-the-new-major-fire-risk/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, environmental, batteries
The Firechief team explains why there are increasing concerns over lithium battery fires from items such as e-scooters, and advises on what to use if an incident were to occur.
Historically, the focus on significant causes of fires and deaths in the domestic environment has shifted between the decades. In the 1970s and 80s, emphasis was on the presence of paraffin heaters, electric blankets and most significantly, foam filled furniture in the home, while in the 1990s it was the lack of smoke alarms for early warning and the 2000s it was white goods, particularly tumble dryers. A number of these well-publicised risk factors have had a key part to play in the development of contemporary fire safety legislation.
Today, the move towards reducing the impact on the environment whilst retaining mobility has seen a big increase in electrically powered transport, including personal modes of transport such as hoverboards, electric bikes and e-scooters.
However, the widespread adoption of these personal modes of transport has also been accompanied by a worrying increase in fires resulting in substantial property loss, injuries, and several deaths. With an estimated 200,000 scooters already in use in the UK and the number rapidly increasing, the risk of further fire related incidents also escalates.
Transport for London‰??s ban on private e-scooters, which prevents them from being taken onto the capital‰??s transport network, came into force at the end of 2021, following an incident in November which saw an e-scooter catch fire on a train stopped at an underground station.
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3 KILLED, 9 WOUNDED IN FACTORY FIRE IN TURKEY'S ISTANBUL ‰?? THEPRINT
https://theprint.in/world/3-killed-9-wounded-in-factory-fire-in-turkeys-istanbul/936544/
Tags: Turkey, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical
Istanbul [Turkey], April 29 (ANI/Xinhua): At least three people were killed and nine others were wounded on Friday in a fire that erupted at a factory in Turkey‰??s largest city Istanbul, local officials said.
The fire broke out at a chemical factory in the Tuzla district on the Asian side of the city for unknown reasons, the Istanbul Governor‰??s office said in a statement.
It noted that firefighter teams, ambulances, and rescue units were immediately dispatched to the scene, and the fire was brought under control.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENTISTS CALL FOR GLOBAL CAP ON PLASTIC PRODUCTION
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/scientists-call-for-global-cap-on-plastic-production/4015603.article
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, plastics, waste
Following the United Nations‰?? decision last month to adopt a global and legally-binding treaty by 2024 to end plastic pollution, and with governmental negotiations on the agreement slated to begin soon, an international group of scientific experts is arguing that such a treaty must cap production of new plastics from fresh feedstocks, and phase them out in the long-term.
‰??Even when applying all political and technological solutions available today, including substitution, improved recycling, waste management, and circularity, annual plastic emissions to the environment can only be cut by 79% over 20 years,‰?? the scientists from the UK, US, Canada, Germany, India, Norway, Sweden and Turkey wrote in a letter in Science magazine.
After 2040, they note, 17.3 million tons of plastic waste will continue to be released to the environment every year. ‰??To fully prevent plastic pollution, the path forward must include a phaseout of virgin plastic production by 2040,‰?? the experts conclude. One unrelated benefit, they say, is that this would increase the value of recycled plastics.
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