Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 at 7:58:25 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 (12 articles)
TRANSFORMER FIRE ERUPTS AT TEXAS CITY CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_tx, industrial, fire, response, mineral_oil
FIRE INVESTIGATORS: NATURAL GAS LEAK CAUSED HOUSE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_mi, explosion, public, response, natural_gas
POTENTIAL CARCINOGEN IN MENTHOL E-CIGARETTES EXCEEDS SAFETY LEVELS, STUDY FINDS
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental, toxic
MEET THE GROUP PROVIDING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION TO THE US CONGRESS
Tags: us, industrial, discovery, environmental
FOLLY ROAD REOPENS ON JAMES ISLAND FOLLOWING BLEACH SPILL
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, bleach
COLUMBUS BOMB SQUAD, HAZMAT TEAMS INVESTIGATING HOMEMADE FIREWORKS AT NORTH COLUMBUS HOME
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, fireworks, illegal
FIRE FORCES HOBART CSIRO EVACUATION
Tags: Australia, laboratory, fire, response, batteries
GENETICS LABORATORY FIRE CAUSES MASSIVE CATTLE SEMEN EXPLOSION
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, gas_cylinders
FIRE AFTER GAS EXPLOSION AT RUSSIAN LABORATORY THAT HOUSES SMALLPOX AND EBOLA VIRUS
Tags: Russia, laboratory, explosion, injury, natural_gas
CHEMICAL LEAK SPAWNS HAZMAT EVACUATIONS IN CHANDLER
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, chlorine
INDUSTRY REPORT: SECRET CHEMICALS USED IN FRACKING
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, natural_gas
CYCLE PATH USERS ESCAPE INJURY AFTER WEST COAST CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, nitric_acid
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TRANSFORMER FIRE ERUPTS AT TEXAS CITY CHEMICAL PLANT
https://www.galvnews.com/news/police/free/article_f9062c0d-66aa-5edd-a893-9982775e853c.html
Tags: us_tx, industrial, fire, response, mineral_oil
The Texas City Fire Department on Tuesday responded to a fire at the Ashland chemical plant, the city's emergency management department said.
The department in a Facebook described the incident as a transformer fire. The plant is at the 4500 block of Attwater Avenue in Texas City.
There were no reported injuries and there are no threats to the community, according to the department.
The fire was contained quickly, said Tom Munoz, Texas City's emergency manager.
"It's nothing major, no injuries," Munoz said.
It's not clear what caused the fire, he said. The chemical plant's fire department was the first to respond and received extra help from the Texas City Fire Department.
The departments allowed some 4,000 gallons of mineral oil to burn off from the transformer plant, Munoz said. The oil is used as an insulator inside transformers. When mineral oil burns, it produces a dark smoke, which could be seen from roads near the plant on Tuesday.
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FIRE INVESTIGATORS: NATURAL GAS LEAK CAUSED HOUSE EXPLOSION
https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Fire-investigators-natural-gas-leak-caused-house-explosion-560603541.html
Tags: us_mi, explosion, public, response, natural_gas
DELHI TOWNSHIP, MI (WILX) -- Fire investigators say a natural gas leak caused a house explosion last week in Holt.
A fire investigator looks at the carnage of a house that exploded last week in Holt (source, WILX).
But they still don't know what caused the leak.
"Its just really scary you know? It is a very nice, quiet neighborhood," neighbor Robin Ostrowski told News 10. "We don't usually have police, fire and stuff down in here."
When firefighters showed up late Wednesday night, half the house was gone, which made it even harder to figure out what happened.
"Preliminarily, we're looking at the basement as where the gas leak started," Delhi Twp. Fire Chief Brian Ball said. "But again, because of the amount of destruction - we're trying to figure out exactly where was it? Was it the furnace, the water heater or what."
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POTENTIAL CARCINOGEN IN MENTHOL E-CIGARETTES EXCEEDS SAFETY LEVELS, STUDY FINDS
https://www.phillyvoice.com/vaping-e-cigarettes-menthol-mint-cancer-carcinogen/
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental, toxic
Apotential carcinogen found in menthol- and mint-flavored e-cigarettes exceeds levels considered safe, according to an analysis conducted by Duke Health.
The chemical – known as pulegone (and pronounced pju-leh-goan) – was banned as a food additive last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration due to its carcinogenic properties. The FDA does not regulate pulegone's presence in e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously found substantial amounts of pulegone in e-cigarettes.
MORE ON VAPING
A sixth person has died of a vaping-related lung illness
South Jersey teens sue Juul for deceptive marketing
Trump administration to ban flavored e-cigarettes
Pennsylvania has at least 17 vaping-related lung disease cases
Duke researchers compared that information to the FDA's pulegone exposure risk data, testing three brands of e-cigarettes, several brands of traditional cigarettes and one smokeless tobacco product.
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MEET THE GROUP PROVIDING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION TO THE US CONGRESS
https://cen.acs.org/policy/legislation-/Meet-group-providing-science-technology-information-to-the-US-Congress/97/i37
Tags: us, industrial, discovery, environmental
One of the main conclusions of the report is that every chemical company defines sustainability differently, Howard says. They share some goals, such as trying to reduce the toxicity of starting materials, end products, and waste products. But they don’t agree on things like energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, the physical footprint of a plant, or the renewability of feedstocks, she says. “Each company can decide for itself which factors it thinks are most important,” she says.
That variability leaves consumers wondering what “certified more sustainable” means on product labels. Until all stakeholders agree on what sustainability means and how to measure it, “there will be continuing uncertainty and inability for the end users to determine which things are more sustainable than others,” Howard says.
Although senators initially requested the sustainable chemistry report, it became the center of discussion at a subcommittee hearing of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in late July. The hearing focused on building support for the Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019 (H.R. 2051), legislation that would establish a coordinated effort across the US federal government to define sustainable chemistry and support R&D of sustainable chemistry processes. The GAO’s Persons testified at the hearing about technologies that make chemical manufacturing more sustainable and enhance US innovation and competitiveness.
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FOLLY ROAD REOPENS ON JAMES ISLAND FOLLOWING BLEACH SPILL
https://www.live5news.com/2019/09/17/emergency-crews-hazmat-responding-james-island-following-bleach-spill/
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, bleach
JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Both Folly and Camp Roads reopened on James Island early Tuesday morning following a bleach spill late Monday night.
Authorities say emergency crews and hazmat first responded to James Island following a spill involving highly concentrated bleach around 9 p.m. Monday.
A portion of both roads were still shut down early Tuesday morning until Camp and Folly Roads were reopened around 6 a.m. and the barrel moved out of the roadway.
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COLUMBUS BOMB SQUAD, HAZMAT TEAMS INVESTIGATING HOMEMADE FIREWORKS AT NORTH COLUMBUS HOME
https://www.10tv.com/article/columbus-bomb-squad-hazmat-teams-investigating-homemade-fireworks-north-columbus-home-2019
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, fireworks, illegal
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Division of Fire says a residence in north Columbus is being investigated where someone was making homemade fireworks.
The Columbus bomb squad and hazmat teams were dispatched to the residence in the 2000 block of North 4th Street around 6 p.m. Monday.
They received information when they got a tip from someone saying someone shot an illegal firework near the Columbus Police training academy and caused a vegetation fire.
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Columbus Fire tells 10TV that homes on both sides of the residence have been evacuated as a precaution.
Bomb squad and hazmat teams are currently investigating the materials inside the home to ensure they are safe.
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FIRE FORCES HOBART CSIRO EVACUATION
https://7news.com.au/news/bushfires/fire-forces-hobart-csiro-evacuation-c-457305
Tags: Australia, laboratory, fire, response, batteries
Staff have evacuated the CSIRO marine laboratory building in Hobart after a small fire in a plant room.
The blaze was sparked around 8.15am on Tuesday by a lithium battery in a cordless drill.
The bag of the drill caught fire near an air conditioning duct that spread smoke throughout the building.
Four firefighter crews are working to disperse the smoke, which was knee-high in the plant room when they arrived, to make it safe for staff to return.
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GENETICS LABORATORY FIRE CAUSES MASSIVE CATTLE SEMEN EXPLOSION
https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/fire-sparks-mass-explosion-of-semen-at-cattle-breeding-centre/news-story/a8db0d2f7bdaf29ca3c10c9bb0dc971b
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, gas_cylinders
Thousands of dollars worth of bull semen has been destroyed after a cattle building exploded in fire early this morning.
Emergency services were called to Yarram Herd Services in Gippsland, Victoria, at about 3am where 100 cryogenic cylinders containing cattle semen exploded in the blaze.
It took 10 fire crews more than two hours to contain the fire at the building, which is a cattle breeding service.
Yarram Herd Services’ committee vice-chairman Aaron Thomas said the loss would be a “huge blow” for farmers, with the cylinders worth between $500 and $1000 each.
“We’re coming into the artificial insemination (AI) season so there would have been substantial amounts of semen inside the tanks that we’ve lost which was owned by our local farmers, and it can range in value from $5 per straw to $95 per straw,” he told the ABC.
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FIRE AFTER GAS EXPLOSION AT RUSSIAN LABORATORY THAT HOUSES SMALLPOX AND EBOLA VIRUS
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12268425
Tags: Russia, laboratory, explosion, injury, natural_gas
A gas explosion has caused a fire at the State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology near the Russian city of Novosibirsk.
The facility, known as Vector, houses dangerous viruses ranging from smallpox to Ebola, Russian authorities have said.
The blast took place on the fifth-floor during repairs being made to a sanitary inspection room, Vector revealed on Monday. The site was developed during the 1970s to create biological weapons during the Soviet era, as well as means of protection against them. It is now one of Russia's main disease research centres.
Russian authorities have said that the room were the gas explosion occurred was not holding any hazardous substances and no structural damage was caused.
One worker at Vector has been hospitalised after suffered three-degree burns from the blast. The fire covered 30 square metres and has since been extinguished.
The smallpox virus survives in two places on Earth, at Vector and at another high-security laboratory at the US Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.
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CHEMICAL LEAK SPAWNS HAZMAT EVACUATIONS IN CHANDLER
https://www.azfamily.com/news/chemical-leak-spawns-hazmat-evacuations-in-chandler/article_90fbc8ba-d8b8-11e9-ae5a-abda55e40cdf.html
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, chlorine
CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) – A chemical leak forced employees of several Chandler businesses to evacuate their building Monday afternoon.
It happened in the area south of Elliot Road between Arizona Avenue and McQueen roads.
According to the Chandler Fire Department, a chemical used to purify swimming pool and spa water was leaking from a cracked container.
The container was holding 1,500 pounds of dichlor.
“Dichlor is 80 percent available chlorine and will off-gas,” according to AmericanPool.com. “This is a critical consideration when opening a container of dichlor.”
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INDUSTRY REPORT: SECRET CHEMICALS USED IN FRACKING
https://www.the-review.com/news/20190916/industry-report-secret-chemicals-used-in-fracking
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, natural_gas
From 2013 through 2018, secret chemicals were injected 10,992 times into 1,432 wells in Ohio.
Oil and natural gas drillers in Ohio have fracked more than 1,400 wells while keeping secret the identity of at least one chemical, and sometimes many more, involved in the process.
That’s according to an analysis of fracking-chemical disclosures by the Partnership for Policy Integrity and FracTracker Alliance.
Fracking involves using a high-pressure slurry of water, sand and chemicals to fracture underground rock formations and release oil and natural gas trapped inside. The practice is a key technique used on the horizontal wells drilled in Ohio’s Utica and Marcellus shales.
Ohio has required well operators since 2010 to report the chemicals they use in fracking to the state Department of Natural Resources and FracFocus, a registry maintained by the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Chemicals used during drilling also are reported to ODNR.
But operators don’t have to publicly identify chemicals they classify as trade secrets.
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CYCLE PATH USERS ESCAPE INJURY AFTER WEST COAST CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/west-coast/115820325/cycle-path-users-escape-injury-after-west-coast-chemical-spill
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, nitric_acid
A burst pipe at West Coast milk factory that released acid vapour near a Hokitika pathway appears not to have affected passers-by.
At about 1pm on Sunday, a chemical cleaning hose at the Westland Milk Products factory next to the Hokitika riverbank cycleway burst.
The burst pipe released steam, which for a time included dilute nitric acid, which dispersed across the nearby walking and cycleway.
The company's communications manager, Steve Attwood, said a person was stationed on the track to stop people walking through the vapour while the pipe was being shut down.
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