From: CHAS membership <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2022 07:25:33 -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
Friday, June 17, 2022 at 7:25:06 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)

ONE PERSON HURT AFTER A CHEMICAL LEAK WEDNESDAY
Tags: us_WA, public, release, injury, chlorine, pool_chemicals

POLICE: HAZMAT INCIDENT SENDS 3 TO HOSPITAL IN MONTGOMERY
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical

FLINT RIVER SPILL MAY BE LINKED TO LOCAL CHEMICAL COMPANY
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

AT LEAST 8 INJURED, 6 MISSING IN FACTORY EXPLOSION IN NW CHINA'S GANSU
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

CARCINOGEN LEVELS TEMPORARILY RAISED AFTER WALMART FIRE
Tags: us_IN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, benzene

CURTIS BAY RESIDENTS DECRY LACK OF ANSWERS ABOUT THE CAUSE OF BALTIMORE COAL SILO EXPLOSION AT CSX FACILITY ‰?? BALTIMORE SUN
Tags: us_MD, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum, waste

HAZMAT INCIDENT REPORTED AT LAB SPACE IN SEAPORT, FIRE OFFICIALS SAY
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

MULTIPLE PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT CHESTERFIELD POOL
Tags: us_VA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

COMPANY REACHES AGREEMENT IN LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 4 AT WAUKEGAN PLANT
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, paints

MAJOR SPILL REPORTED IN FLINT RIVER, HAZMAT CREWS PLACING BOOMS IN WATER
Tags: us_MI, public, release, response, petroleum

EPA: OMAHA CHEMICAL FIRE TESTING FOUND ‰??CONCERNING‰?? LEVELS OF LEAD, HEAVY METALS, VOLATILE COMPOUNDS
Tags: us_NE, public, follow-up, environmental, metals


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ONE PERSON HURT AFTER A CHEMICAL LEAK WEDNESDAY
https://knsiradio.com/2022/06/16/one-person-hurt-in-chemical-spill-wednesday/
Tags: us_WA, public, release, injury, chlorine, pool_chemicals

(KNSI) ‰?? One person is expected to be OK after exposure to a chlorine leak.

The St. Cloud Fire Department says they were called to the leak on the 1200 block of Washington Memorial Drive at about 8:30 Wednesday morning. They say a maintenance person was working with pool chemicals when they were exposed to fumes from a chemical reaction. Residents were evacuated for a short time while the hazmat team stopped the leak and cleaned up the spilled chemicals.

One person was taken by Mayo Ambulance for non-life-threatening injuries.

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POLICE: HAZMAT INCIDENT SENDS 3 TO HOSPITAL IN MONTGOMERY
https://connecticut.news12.com/police-hazmat-incident-sends-3-to-hospital-in-montgomery
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical

A hazmat incident sent three people to the hospital in the Village of Montgomery Thursday.
State police say it happened when ammonium sulfate was released into the air from a building on Factory Road.

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FLINT RIVER SPILL MAY BE LINKED TO LOCAL CHEMICAL COMPANY
https://www.michiganradio.org/environment-climate-change/2022-06-16/flint-river-spill-may-be-linked-to-local-chemical-company
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

Containment and cleanup efforts of an oily spill in the Flint River this week have already cost more than a million dollars.

Crews have recovered more than 1,600 gallons of the material discovered this week, and the work goes on.

An oily sheen was reported on the river just north of downtown Flint on Wednesday. Absorbent booms were put in place to contain the unidentified substance.

Investigators say Lockhart Chemical is the likely source of the spill.

The company produces rust prevention additives.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson says the spill has been traced to a pipe that runs beneath the facility.

‰??From the clean source to the end of the pipe, there‰??s some type of breach in there,‰?? said Swanson. ‰??Again, we‰??re talking decades of operations that have been on that particular site.‰??

The company is cooperating with the investigation, but has not accepted responsibility for the spill.

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AT LEAST 8 INJURED, 6 MISSING IN FACTORY EXPLOSION IN NW CHINA'S GANSU
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-06-17/At-least-8-injured-6-missing-after-explosion-in-NW-China-s-Gansu-1aVGyb5dNKg/index.html
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

At least eight people were injured, and six others were missing after an explosion at a chemical factory in the city of Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday.

The injured were taken to hospital. Rescuers are searching for the missing people.

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CARCINOGEN LEVELS TEMPORARILY RAISED AFTER WALMART FIRE
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/investigations/13-investigates/epa-report-plainfield-walmart-warehouse-fire-carcinogens-levels-temporarily-increased/531-174854cf-91f7-43f4-aee8-d0dfd732efd0
Tags: us_IN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, benzene

LAINFIELD, Ind ‰?? An EPA-commissioned report showed concerning levels of benzene and other chemicals in the air immediately after the Plainfield Walmart warehouse fire in March. However, the agency says the cancer-causing chemical levels decreased over time and does not expect the fire to result in long-term health problems for most residents.
‰??I would say it's not something to be worried about," said Sarah Commodore an associate professor at IU Bloomington‰??s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
Commodore says residents in the area should keep an eye on their health as a precaution, but "there's no need for fear."
The EPA said in a statement, "Concentrations detected are not expected to result in adverse health effects for short exposure durations, such as a fire lasting several days."
Three months after the fire, the mangled semi-trucks and burned husk of the building remain. However, the large plume of black smoke and the pieces of debris are gone.

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CURTIS BAY RESIDENTS DECRY LACK OF ANSWERS ABOUT THE CAUSE OF BALTIMORE COAL SILO EXPLOSION AT CSX FACILITY ‰?? BALTIMORE SUN
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-csx-coal-explosion-curtis-bay-20220615-o3ygw44civeobgi3z5lv3msdie-story.html
Tags: us_MD, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum, waste

Meleny Thomas was standing in the kitchen of her Curtis Bay home on a December morning when a violent blast of wind pushed her house off its foundation.

‰??It felt like somebody picked up the house and dropped it back down,‰?? Thomas told Baltimore City Councilmembers on Wednesday.

The blast on Dec. 30 came from an explosion in a coal silo at a CSX facility located 12 blocks from Thomas‰?? home. The force tore through the streets of the Curtis Bay community, shattering windows and scaring residents. No one was injured. Six months after the blast, there is still little information about what caused the explosion.

Thomas and her neighbors convened at a City Council hearing Wednesday to demand transparency from CSX, which is investigating the blast, and decried dangerous living conditions in Curtis Bay, an industrial area in South Baltimore that borders Anne Arundel County. Industrial companies that depend on access to the harbor are concentrated in Curtis Bay, such as a chemical plant, oil refinery, trash landfill and medical waste incinerator.

CSX has operated a coal terminal on the bank of Stonehouse Cove and Curtis Bay for 140 years. The majority of its domestic coal is used in two power plants that provide electricity for houses and buildings in the Baltimore metropolitan area, the company said in a statement. Coal is stored on the ground of the terminal and loaded into trains.

Despite city council members hosting a meeting on the topic of CSX‰??s investigation, a representative of the company did not attend. Cindy Schild, a spokesperson for CSX, declined to say why.

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HAZMAT INCIDENT REPORTED AT LAB SPACE IN SEAPORT, FIRE OFFICIALS SAY
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/06/15/metro/hazmat-incident-reported-lab-space-seaport-fire-officials-say/
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

A Level 2 hazmat incident was reported Wednesday at a lab space in the Seaport area, Boston fire officials said. No injuries were reported, officials said.

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MULTIPLE PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT CHESTERFIELD POOL
https://www.nbc12.com/2022/06/15/multiple-people-taken-hospital-after-chemical-incident-chesterfield-pool/
Tags: us_VA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - Multiple people were taken to the hospital on Wednesday morning after a chemical incident at a Chesterfield pool.

Four children and one adult were transported by ambulance, according to Chesterfield Fire Lt. Kenny Mitchell. Eleven people were taken to the hospital by their parents.

The incident happened on Pullman Lane, which is in the Harpers Mill neighborhood off Otterdale Road, before noon.

An HCA Healthcare official said nine patients were taken to Swift Creek RT, and six patients were taken to Chippenham. Some patients were discharged later Wednesday afternoon.

As a precaution, officials evaluated 25-35 people at the scene.

Chesterfield police, fire and EMS were initially called shortly after 11:15 a.m. for a report of a strong odor coming from the pool. Lt. Mitchell said those treated at the hospital complained of nausea and respiratory issues such as coughing.

All patients are expected to recover.

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COMPANY REACHES AGREEMENT IN LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 4 AT WAUKEGAN PLANT
https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/06/15/company-reaches-agreement-in-lawsuit-brought-by-attorney-general-for-explosion-that-killed-4-at-waukegan-plant/
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, paints

AB Specialty Silicones has agreed to stop producing certain products and pay a fine following a lawsuit by the attorney general‰??s office after an explosion at their Waukegan plant killed four employees in 2019.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released a video in April giving a detailed recreation of 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.

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MAJOR SPILL REPORTED IN FLINT RIVER, HAZMAT CREWS PLACING BOOMS IN WATER
https://www.abc12.com/news/local/major-spill-reported-in-flint-river-hazmat-crews-placing-booms-in-water/article_7486828a-ece5-11ec-aab6-6b89f586392c.html
Tags: us_MI, public, release, response, petroleum

FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Several emergency crews are working to contain a massive spill in the Flint River.

Authorities have not identified the substance involved, but they described it as oil based, black in color and with a petroleum odor to it. Crews were placing absorbent booms across the river in several locations to contain the spill.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said the spill was discovered around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday after someone called to report it to a state pollution hotline.

The spill appears to be emanating from the area of I-475 and James P. Cole Boulevard in Flint.

Jill Greenberg, a spokeswoman for the state agency, said authorities hadn't determined an exact amount that spilled Wednesday evening. But she said the spill likely involved thousands of gallons of the oily substance.

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EPA: OMAHA CHEMICAL FIRE TESTING FOUND ‰??CONCERNING‰?? LEVELS OF LEAD, HEAVY METALS, VOLATILE COMPOUNDS
https://www.wowt.com/2022/06/16/epa-omaha-chemical-fire-deposited-concerning-levels-lead-heavy-metals-volatile-compounds/
Tags: us_NE, public, follow-up, environmental, metals

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Environmental Protection Agency said some lead, heavy metals, and ‰??volatile organic compounds‰?? were found in samples collected days after a chemical fire that left an Omaha business smoldering on Memorial Day.

The EPA released its report Wednesday on the Nox-Crete fire, noting:

Wipe and ash/debris sample data collected were all below a level of concern.
Soil sample data at one location resulted in ‰??a lead concentration above a level of concern.‰?? However, ‰??EPA‰??s initial review of the data indicates the soil lead concentration found is consistent with previous sampling performed at the property.‰??
Samples of pooled water collected at and near the facility contained ‰??some detections above a level of concern for heavy metals and volatile organic compounds.‰?? The report did not say what those metals or compounds were.
On request of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, the EPA deployed personnel to determine whether any contamination occurred as a result of the explosive fire that erupted at Nox-Crete Inc. facility. Those crews collected samples around the area between June 1-3 in order to determine whether any dangerous substances had been released by the fire.

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