DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive

Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 8:11:03 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)

HAZMAT TEAM, POLICE RESPOND TO SANTA ANA RESIDENCE AFTER MERCURY FOUND: OFFICIALS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, mercury

AT LEAST 60 TREATED, INCLUDING CHILDREN, AFTER PLANE DUMPS FUEL ONTO LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS DURING EMERGENCY LANDING
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, other_chemical

FREEPORT HAZMAT SPILL FORCES RESIDENTS INTO THEIR HOMES
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

ONE KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSION IN SPAIN
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

INDUSTRY, ADVOCACY GROUPS SLAM PROPOSED CHEMICAL DISCLOSURE RULE
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental

'FOREVER CHEMICALS' FOUND IN FOAM FROM 2 TWIN CITIES CREEKS
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical, other_chemical

NSW BUSHFIRES: WATER CONTAMINATION FEARS FROM FIRE RETARDANT CHEMICALS
Tags: Australia, public, fire, environmental, other_chemical

NO MORE LEAKS: CHEMICAL UNIT AT DELAWARE MEMORIAL BRIDGE REOPENED AFTER A YEAR OF FINES, INSPECTIONS, REPAIRS
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ethylene_oxide

CHEMICAL LEAK AT DEUX-MONTAGNES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROMPTS VISIT FROM FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT NO EVACUATION
Tags: Canada, education, release, response, ethylene_glycol

BATTERY SPARKS FIRE AT WARRNAMBOOL WORKSHOP
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, batteries

TORRANCE REFINERY REACHES $125K SETTLEMENT FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid

E-LIQUIDS LINKED TO US DEATHS FORM DEADLY COMPOUND WHEN VAPED
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, injury, oils

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HAZMAT TEAM, POLICE RESPOND TO SANTA ANA RESIDENCE AFTER MERCURY FOUND: OFFICIALS
https://ktla.com/2020/01/14/hazmat-team-police-respond-to-santa-ana-residence-after-mercury-found-officials/
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, mercury

A hazardous materials team has responded to a residential area in Santa Ana on Tuesday morning to investigate illegally dumped mercury, fire officials said.

The incident was reported around 8:30 a.m. in the area of MacArthur Boulevard and Greenville Street, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

A hazmat team as well as personnel from the Santa Ana Police Department are at the scene investigating.

One bottle of the potentially harmful element was found at a womanâ??s residence, police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told KTLA. He said additional mercury was found at another house where the womanâ??s boyfriend or ex-boyfriend lives.

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AT LEAST 60 TREATED, INCLUDING CHILDREN, AFTER PLANE DUMPS FUEL ONTO LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS DURING EMERGENCY LANDING
http:​//sandhillsexpress.com/abc_national/at-least-60-treated-including-children-after-plane-dumps-fuel-onto-los-angeles-schools-during-emergency-landing-abcid36250397/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, other_chemical

(LOS ANGELES) â?? At least 60 people, including both children and adults, were being treated after an aircraft dumped fuel over several schools in the Los Angeles area as it prepared for an emergency landing, according to authorities.

The group was being evaluated by firefighters and paramedics after the incident Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. There were no transports to the hospital, authorities said, and no evacuation orders for the area. Authorities said Los Angeles County Fire had 44 total patients and Los Angeles City Fire had 16 patients.

Los Angeles ABC station KABC said the fuel dump had occurred near Cudahy and South Los Angeles elementary schools.

A third school â?? Jordan High School â?? was also affected by the dump, according to the Los Angeles School Police Department.

Delta Airlines said in a statement Tuesday that shortly after takeoff flight 89 from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai â?? carrying 149 passengers and 15 crew on board â?? experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return to the airport. The plane started intentionally dumping fuel over the ocean shortly after takeoff around 7,000 to 8,000 feet, according to a Delta spokesperson.

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FREEPORT HAZMAT SPILL FORCES RESIDENTS INTO THEIR HOMES
https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/freeport-hazmat-spill-forces-residents-into-their-homes/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) â?? Hazmat crews are called into action when a dangerous chemical is spilled at a stateline manufacturer.

Photo courtesy: City of Freeport Facebook
Freeport Fire crews were called to Modern Plating Corporation, 701 South Hancock Avenue, Tuesday evening.

Officials say 5,500 gallons of hydrochloric acid were spilled.

The plant was evacuated. Residents in the nearby Arcade neighborhood were told to stay inside, but have since been given the all clear.

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ONE KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY EXPLOSION IN SPAIN
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-catalonia-blast/one-dead-after-chemical-factory-explosion-in-spains-tarragona-idUKKBN1ZD2EZ?il=0
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

TARRAGONA, Spain (Reuters) - One person was killed, another was missing and six were injured in an explosion and fire at a chemical factory in northeastern Spain, local authorities said.

Black smoke billowed above the factory in Tarragona, following what rescue services called a â??chemical accidentâ??. However, authorities said there was no evidence of any â??toxic cloudâ??.

A spokesman for Cataloniaâ??s rescue services said the fire had been contained, adding that several of the injured had suffered burns.

The building in which one person died collapsed near the factory. This was due to a shockwave from the explosion, media including La Vanguardia and El Pais newspapers said.

â??We dispatched two medical units (to the collapsed building) which confirmed the death of one person and treated a second person with less severe injuries,â?? Cataloniaâ??s emergency medical service said in a tweet.

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INDUSTRY, ADVOCACY GROUPS SLAM PROPOSED CHEMICAL DISCLOSURE RULE
https:​//news.bloombergenvironment.com/safety/industry-advocacy-groups-slam-proposed-chemical-disclosure-rule
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental

Industry and environmental groups are calling the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Boardâ??s proposed chemical disclosure rule â??largely uselessâ?? after the comment period on the proposal closed Jan. 13.

The proposed rulemaking comes after several recent chemical releases and refinery explosions, which led a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in February to order the CSB to develop the rule by February 2020. It also follows a Ninth Circuit decision Dec. 9 giving the CSB authority to subpoena records from Exxon Mobil Corp. in relation to a refinery explosion in Torrance, Calif., in 2015....

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'FOREVER CHEMICALS' FOUND IN FOAM FROM 2 TWIN CITIES CREEKS
https:​//www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Forever-chemicals-found-in-foam-from-2-Twin-14975235.php
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical, other_chemical

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) â?? Minnesota pollution regulators have found foam containing potentially harmful â??forever chemicalsâ?? from two creeks in the eastern Twin Cities.

Elevated levels of the industrial compound known as PFAS turned up in naturally-occurring foam in Raleigh Creek in Oakdale and in Battle Creek in eastern St. Paul. Officials say there's no immediate health threat to the public. But they're warning people to avoid the contaminated foam and to take precautions if they or their pets come in contact with it.

Maplewood-based 3M made the chemicals â?? used in Scotchgard, fire retardants and nonstick cookware â?? starting in the 1950s and stopping in 2002.

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NSW BUSHFIRES: WATER CONTAMINATION FEARS FROM FIRE RETARDANT CHEMICALS
https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-bushfires-water-contamination-fears-from-fire-retardant-chemicals/85181492-015e-4575-b93f-f3d3f8b533ca
Tags: Australia, public, fire, environmental, other_chemical

There are fears water catchments across NSW could be contaminated with flame retardant chemicals used in the recent bushfire crisis.
Thousands of tonnes of the pink substance were dropped across fire-affected areas and experts warn that some of it may have mixed into the state's drinking water supply, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

There are fears water catchments across NSW could be contaminated with flame retardant chemicals used in the recent bushfire crisis. (AAP)
The retardant coats bushland and vegetation to prevent it igniting, and is used to slow the spread of fires.
The non-toxic substance is largely made up of fertiliser which could contain a harmful bacteria not suitable for consumption.
The chemical in the retardants could also pose a risk to aquatic life in the state's waterways.

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NO MORE LEAKS: CHEMICAL UNIT AT DELAWARE MEMORIAL BRIDGE REOPENED AFTER A YEAR OF FINES, INSPECTIONS, REPAIRS
https://www.inquirer.com/business/chemical-leak-delaware-memorial-bridge-croda-fines-inspection-reopens-20200113.html
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ethylene_oxide

U.K.-based Croda is again producing ethylene oxide at its Atlas Point plant next to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, where a Nov. 25, 2018, leak stopped holiday highway traffic and brought state and federal investigators in to demand improvements.

â??We have now restarted EO production operations,â?? Croda marketing director Cara Eaton said in an email Monday. Managers at the plant built the unit so they could make ethylene oxide on-site at the plant from common alcohol instead of shipping carloads of toxic, explosive ethylene oxide across the country from Texas.

The surfactants plant, which employs 250, kept running with out-of-state ethylene oxide while the unit was down. Some of those shipments will continue for now: â??We will be progressively increasing our capacity to full operation levels. We continue to receive and use ethylene oxide from other suppliers for the time being, as [the plantâ??s owners] have safely done for more than eight decades,â?? Eaton added.

Crodaâ??s investment, and the dangers that persuaded regulators and operators to temporarily shut the unit just two months after it opened, have been a test for local officialsâ?? determination to attract new investment that could keep the Delaware Riverâ??s aging petrochemical industries intact as a regional employer and taxpayer.

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CHEMICAL LEAK AT DEUX-MONTAGNES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROMPTS VISIT FROM FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT NO EVACUATION
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/chemical-leak-at-deux-montagnes-elementary-school-prompts-visit-from-fire-department-but-no-evacuation-1.4765903
Tags: Canada, education, release, response, ethylene_glycol

MONTREAL -- A chemical leaked out of a heating system at a Deux-Montagnes elementary school on Monday, prompting a visit from the fire department but not an evacuation.

The school, St-Jude elementary, said in a letter to parents, sent late in the day, that a noticeable odour appeared in the morning and persisted throughout the day. "Glycol" had leaked from the heating system inside a mechanical room that is restricted to students, a spokesperson told CTV News.

Ethylene glycol is commonly used as an antifreeze in some heating systems.

The fire department came immediately, according to the letter. They conducted air quality tests, checking for carbon monoxide, among other pollutants, and the school contacted Public Health Quebec.

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BATTERY SPARKS FIRE AT WARRNAMBOOL WORKSHOP
https://www.standard.net.au/story/6578960/battery-sparks-tool-shop-fire/?cs=72
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, batteries

A lithium line battery is believed to have sparked a blaze at a Warrnambool business on Monday night.

Warrnambool Fire Brigade senior station officer Michael Doreian said a security guard reported the fire at South West Tools and Industrial in Rooneys Road about 12.45am.

He said the fire started in the workshop at the rear of the property where tools were repaired.

Mr Doreian said firefighters initially used dry chemical fire extinguishers because there were a number of power tools that had lithium line batteries present.

"We were worried about the power tools with lithium line batteries because when they are involved with fire they can explode," he said.

Mr Doreian said firefighters put out the fire in about 30 minutes.

He said the cause was under investigation, but it's believed a battery was the cause.

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TORRANCE REFINERY REACHES $125K SETTLEMENT FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS
https://patch.com/california/redondobeach/torrance-refinery-reaches-125k-settlement-safety-violations
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid

TORRANCE, CA â?? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monday announced a settlement agreement with the Torrance Refining Co., which agreed to pay $125,000 in penalties for chemical safety and risk management violations.

The refinery has corrected the violations and will spend $219,000 to enhance chemical safety features, the EPA announced.

"It is critical for the refinery to maintain an up-to-date and accurate Risk Management Plan," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. "These actions ensure that facilities handling dangerous materials are minimizing potential impacts to the environment and the surrounding community."

According to the EPA, an inspection found that Torrance Refining violated the Clean Air Act's Chemical Accident Prevention Program due to inaccuracies in its Risk Management Plan, including failure to properly conduct a hazard assessment, properly document repairs on equipment and follow emergency operating procedures.

As part of the settlement, the Torrance Refinery has agreed to install a new automated water system to mitigate potential releases at its largest modified hydrofluoric acid tank, according to the federal agency.

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E-LIQUIDS LINKED TO US DEATHS FORM DEADLY COMPOUND WHEN VAPED
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/e-liquids-linked-to-us-deaths-form-deadly-compound-when-vaped/4011000.article
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, injury, oils

The recent outbreak of vaping-related deaths and illnesses in the US could be down to the pyrolysis, or thermal decomposition, of a vitamin E additive present in some unregulated vaping mixtures, according to researchers in Ireland. The team discovered the process can create an extremely reactive organic compound whose effects resemble those of a first world war chemical weapon.

The pyrolysis of phenyl acetate produces a highly toxic gas, so it occurred to me that vitamin E acetate was likely to have similar chemical reactivity

Since September 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded 57 deaths and over 2600 lung-injury cases related to vaping in the US in connection with unregulated vaping mixtures that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) oils. Recent research has found that vaping-related health impacts were being reported as long as seven years ago. The first preliminary reports into solving the mysterious vaping deaths and illnesses suggested that a build-up of lipids or oils in the lungs could be responsible.

Vitamin E acetate, which has a honey-like consistency, soon fell under suspicion as the chemical culprit because it was known to be used as a thickening or diluting agent in many THC and CBD formulations. Itâ??s considered non-toxic and used in vitamin supplements and skin creams, but inhaling it could cause health problems.

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