Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, November 19, 2018 at 8:07:58 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 (4 articles)
EXPLOSION AT WESTERN IDAHO WASTE SITE INJURES 3, LEAVES 1 MISSING
Tags: us_ID, industrial, explosion, injury, waste
CHEMICAL LEAK AT BOSTON HOTEL PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE – BOSTON NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
CHEMICAL SPILL FROM CALUMET REFINERY ON SOUTH SIDE REACHES SAN ANTONIO RIVER
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, naphtha
KANSAS OFFICIALS WARN: READ LABELS AND DO NOT MIX HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
Tags: us_KS, public, discovery, environmental, cleaners
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EXPLOSION AT WESTERN IDAHO WASTE SITE INJURES 3, LEAVES 1 MISSING
https://www.postregister.com/news/local/explosion-at-western-idaho-waste-site-injures-leaves-missing/article_7a99cfe5-1fe3-5147-99d8-5f97bf763a6f.html
Tags: us_ID, industrial, explosion, injury, waste
BOISE — An explosion Saturday at a hazardous waste site in southwestern Idaho heavily damaged a building, injured three workers and left one man missing, officials said.
The company US Ecology said 15 employees were working at the time of the explosion, which occurred in a building at the facility about 50 miles south of Boise.
"Most of the skin has been blown out, and much of the metal has been bent," Simon Bell, the company's vice president of operations and chief operating officer, said of the building. "It would have been a large explosion based on the damage to the building."
There's no threat to the public, and emergency crews, including a hazardous materials team, were at the site, Owyhee County spokeswoman Angela Barkell said. The facility is about 10 miles east of the small town of Grand View, and about a mile from a highway.
"No immediate threat has been identified, and no evacuations have taken place," Barkell said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
Bell said employees were doing routine work at the time of the blast, but he didn't want to speculate on the cause.
"Since we had an explosion there was something out of the ordinary, and we will be fiercely focused on understanding what that is," he said.
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CHEMICAL LEAK AT BOSTON HOTEL PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE – BOSTON NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
https://whdh.com/news/chemical-leak-at-boston-hotel-prompts-hazmat-response/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
BOSTON (WHDH) - A hazardous materials team was called to a hotel in East Boston on Friday morning due to a chemical leak, officials said.
Crews responding to Embassy Suites at 207 Porter St. for a Level 2 hazmat incident found Hydrogen Peroxide leaking on a penthouse roof, according to the Boston Fire Department.
The ninth and tenth floors of the hotel were evacuated while officials assessed the situation.
The incident has since been contained and guests have been allowed back into their rooms.
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CHEMICAL SPILL FROM CALUMET REFINERY ON SOUTH SIDE REACHES SAN ANTONIO RIVER
https://therivardreport.com/chemical-spill-calumet-refinery-south-side-reaches-san-antonio-river/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, naphtha
Cleanup from a South Side refinery’s chemical spill into the San Antonio River is complete after authorities managed to contain and soak up the chemical, according to people involved in the spill response efforts.
On Thursday morning, approximately 50 gallons of naphtha reached the San Antonio River after leaking from a valve at the Calumet Specialty Products refinery at 7811 S. Presa St., according to a notice from the City’s Office of Emergency Management shared on Twitter by City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran (D3).
The spill left a chemical sheen on the water’s surface and smelled like “really strong gasoline," said Amanda Nasto, an environmental investigations specialist with the San Antonio River Authority who was involved in the cleanup.
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KANSAS OFFICIALS WARN: READ LABELS AND DO NOT MIX HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Kansas-officials-warn-read-labels-and-do-not-mix-household-chemicals-500699181.html
Tags: us_KS, public, discovery, environmental, cleaners
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management launched a chemical safety outreach campaign on social media for November. They want to educate people about the safety of household chemicals.
Safety advocates warn to be especially careful with chlorine bleach. Mixing it with ammonia or acid results in a chemical reaction that creates a toxic gas.
The effects of that gas could include irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. But with higher levels of exposure, you risk chest pain, difficulty breathing, vomiting, pneumonia, and even death.
If you’re cleaning in an enclosed space like a bathroom, it won’t take long for that toxic gas to overwhelm you.
Here’s the take away message: read the label before you use a cleaning product and don’t mix household chemicals.
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