Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 8:18:42 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 (9 articles)
GROUND FLARE ACTIVATED AFTER UNSCHEDULED CHEMICAL RELEASE AT NOVA CHEMICALS IN GEISMAR
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
SUNCOR REFINERY REPORTS ANOTHER MALFUNCTION, CHEMICAL RELEASE
Tags: us_CO, industrial, release, response, petroleum
ARKEMA CHEMICAL FIRE NEAR HOUSTON PROMPTS CRIMINAL CHARGES
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical, illegal
NEMA REVEALS THE CAUSE OF ABULE-ADO EXPLOSION
Tags: Nigeria, transportation, explosion, response, explosives, natural_gas
I SPENT A MONTH TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT CHEMICALS ARE STORED NEAR MY HOME. I STILL DON’T KNOW. – HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
OVERNIGHT ENERGY: MILITARY SEES SURGE IN SITES CONTAMINATED BY 'FOREVER CHEMICALS'
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
DEADLIER THAN FIRE: PROTECTING FIREFIGHTERS FROM CANCER RISKS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
MICROPLASTIC FIBERS LINKED TO RESPIRATORY, REPRODUCTIVE CHANGES IN FISH: EXPOSURE TO MICROPLASTICS CAUSES CELLULAR CHANGES IN FISH AND MAY DISRUPT ENDOCRINE SYSTEMS -- SCIENCEDAILY
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, discovery, environmental, plastics
EARLY WARNING SIGNALS IN CHEMICAL SYSTEM AKIN TO THOSE OF STOCK MARKETS AND ECOSYSTEMS
Tags: Netherlands, laboratory, discovery, environmental
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GROUND FLARE ACTIVATED AFTER UNSCHEDULED CHEMICAL RELEASE AT NOVA CHEMICALS IN GEISMAR
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_6fd11c1a-687f-11ea-9e2f-f7d7a0e2d72f.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
State environmental regulators are investigating an unscheduled chemical release Monday evening at the NOVA Chemicals Olefins plant in Ascension Parish, officials said.
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality officials and Ascension sheriff's deputies reported on Tuesday that they had received calls from the public Monday night about a possible plant fire somewhere in the parish's east bank industrial belt along the Mississippi River.
But DEQ officials said there was no fire but that NOVA Chemicals was routing the released chemicals to a ground flare. Those kinds of flares can create a large, low-level flame that lights up the nighttime horizon and low-hanging clouds.
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SUNCOR REFINERY REPORTS ANOTHER MALFUNCTION, CHEMICAL RELEASE
https://www.westword.com/news/suncor-refinery-reports-another-malfunction-chemical-release-11667679
Tags: us_CO, industrial, release, response, petroleum
The operator of a Commerce City oil refinery says it has shut down the facility after a malfunction that spewed a chemical byproduct into the surrounding community — the second such incident in recent months.
In a statement posted to social media, Suncor Energy said that the refinery, located just north of Denver city limits near the intersection of Brighton Boulevard and Interstate 270, experienced an "equipment malfunction" at around 5:40 p.m. today, March 17. The incident caused the release of catalyst, a clay-like substance used in the refining process.
"As a precautionary measure, we sounded a vapor release alarm and immediately initiated our response plan," the company's statement says. "The unit has been put in safe mode."
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ARKEMA CHEMICAL FIRE NEAR HOUSTON PROMPTS CRIMINAL CHARGES
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/814385670/is-failure-to-prepare-for-climate-change-a-crime
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical, illegal
That's the central question of an unprecedented lawsuit against a company whose chemical plant flooded during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Containers and trailers there caught fire, sending up a column of black smoke above the facility for days. Now Arkema (the company), an executive, and the local plant manager are facing criminal charges — recklessly emitting air pollution, and a third employee with assault.
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NEMA REVEALS THE CAUSE OF ABULE-ADO EXPLOSION
https://www.withinnigeria.com/2020/03/17/nema-reveals-the-cause-of-abule-ado-explosion/
Tags: Nigeria, transportation, explosion, response, explosives, natural_gas
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Monday, March 16 has revealed the cause of the gas explosion witnessed in Abule Ado community of Lagos State on Sunday, March 15, saying that it was caused by too much pressure on the pipeline.
This was revealed after the southwest coordinator of the agency, Ibrahim Farinloye debunked claim of the gas explosion being as a result of a bomb blast or Improvised Explosives Devices (IED).
Recall that the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had earlier stated that gas cylinders which were stacked in a gas processing plant located near the corporation’s system 2B Pipeline Right of Way caused the explosion after being hit by a truck.
While speaking on the incident, Farinloye told journalists that preliminary security analysis showed that an eight-tonne truck laden with core stone and parked on the pipeline, exerted too much pressure on it. Fuel which escaped from the pipeline after the pressure stayed on overnight, saturated the atmosphere, formed a whitish substance and exploded.
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I SPENT A MONTH TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT CHEMICALS ARE STORED NEAR MY HOME. I STILL DON’T KNOW. – HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2020/03/16/363840/i-spent-a-month-trying-to-find-out-what-chemicals-are-stored-near-my-home-i-still-dont-know/
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
Its been one year since the Intercontinental Terminals Co. storage facility in Deer Park caught fire, releasing toxic chemicals like benzene into the atmosphere for days. Kirk McDaniel is an intern with Houston Public Media, and a lifelong Deer Park resident. He had questions about the incident about which chemicals were stored at the facilities in the area. Answers weren’t easy to come by.
One year ago, on March 17, a fire broke out at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. petrochemical storage facility in Deer Park. Over the following week, people all across the region watched with bated breath as first responders worked to extinguish the blaze.
As a lifelong resident of Deer Park, chemical storage plants and refineries were ubiquitous to me. I remember as a kid doing shelter-in-place drills in school and always having a sense of preparedness in the event of an explosion or spill. Last March, all of my notions of safety were challenged by the lingering smoke plume and unanswered questions.
In July, months after recovery began, Harris County released a multi-agency assessment of the county’s ability to respond to emergency incidents. PENTA Consortium, a crisis management firm, was tasked with evaluating the county’s preparedness in responding to incidents like the ITC fire.
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OVERNIGHT ENERGY: MILITARY SEES SURGE IN SITES CONTAMINATED BY 'FOREVER CHEMICALS'
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/overnights/487905-military-sees-surge-in-sites-with-forever-chemical
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
QUITE AN INCREASE: The military now has at least 651 sites that have been contaminated with cancer-linked "forever chemicals," a more than 50 percent jump from its last tally.
The information was released Friday in a report from the Department of Defense (DOD), part of a task force designed to help the military remove a class of chemicals known as PFAS from the water supply near numerous military bases.
PFAS, used in a variety of household products as well as an "AFFF" fire fighting foam relied on by the military, has been deemed a forever chemical due to its persistence in both the environment and the human body. The military has been under increasing pressure to clean up its contaminated sites, previously estimated to be at 401 locations.
"This report also makes it clear that we are still learning the full extent of the impact on our communities. The identification of over 250 new sites where PFAS was potentially released is astonishing," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a statement.
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DEADLIER THAN FIRE: PROTECTING FIREFIGHTERS FROM CANCER RISKS
https://wlos.com/news/news-13-investigates/deadlier-than-fire-protecting-firefighters-from-cancer-risks
Tags: us_NC, industrial, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
The increased rates of cancer in the fire service have been a key topic for researchers and firefighters alike. In 2015, an IAFF study found particles of soot and smoke from structure fires could penetrate a firefighter’s turnout gear and could be contributing to the spike in cancer rates among firefighters.
As part of News 13’s Deadlier than Fire series, our investigative crew traveled to Raleigh and N.C. State, where there are half a dozen ongoing research projects aimed at providing better protections for firefighters. It’s exactly what one Buncombe County family believes could keep other families from the loss they’ve experienced.
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MICROPLASTIC FIBERS LINKED TO RESPIRATORY, REPRODUCTIVE CHANGES IN FISH: EXPOSURE TO MICROPLASTICS CAUSES CELLULAR CHANGES IN FISH AND MAY DISRUPT ENDOCRINE SYSTEMS -- SCIENCEDAILY
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200316173516.htm
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, discovery, environmental, plastics
Chronic exposure to microplastic fibers causes aneurysms, erosion of surface layers and other serious damage to fish gills, and increases egg production in female fish, a sign that chemicals in the fibers may be acting as endocrine disruptors, a new study by U.S. and Chinese scientists finds.
The minuscule fibers, which are made of polyester, polypropylene and other types of plastics, are shed or washed off of synthetic textiles used in clothing and other consumer and industrial products. Once shed, they enter wastewater and accumulate in oceans, rivers and lakes worldwide, accounting for more than 90% of microplastic pollution in some areas.
"Past field studies have shown that many fish eat large quantities of the fibers every day but have protective mechanisms within the gut that seem to be preventing damage," said David E. Hinton, Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality at Duke University. "But when you extend your study down to the tissue and cellular levels, as we did, harmful changes are observed."
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EARLY WARNING SIGNALS IN CHEMICAL SYSTEM AKIN TO THOSE OF STOCK MARKETS AND ECOSYSTEMS
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/early-warning-signals-in-chemical-system-akin-to-those-of-stock-markets-and-ecosystems/4011351.article
Tags: Netherlands, laboratory, discovery, environmental
By monitoring an oscillating chemical system, researchers have observed clear early warning signals given off when the system nears the tipping point before it collapses into steady state behaviour.
A phenomenon called critical slowing down indicates a system is nearing a boundary between relative stability and potentially less familiar behaviour. Characterised by an increase in the time taken for the system to recover after being perturbed, this type of signal occurs in numerous systems, including ecosystems, global climate, infectious outbreaks, financial markets and the onset of depression. Now researchers have observed these same signals in a chemical network too.
‘Our oscillating system has the smallest number of components necessary to produce oscillations in concentration over time,’ says Oliver Maguire, of Radboud University in the Netherlands who co-led the study. Their system, which was developed in a previous study, uses the enzyme trypsin and produces two possible behaviours depending on the temperature and flow rate: sustained oscillations in the trypsin concentration, or dampened oscillations that tend to a steady level of trypsin. Maguire and his colleagues temporarily raised the temperature of the system and measured how long it took to return to steady oscillations, in addition to monitoring the shape of the oscillation waves.
‘Our oscillating system has the smallest number of components necessary to produce oscillations in concentration over time,’ says Oliver Maguire, of Radboud University in the Netherlands who co-led the study. Their system, which was developed in a previous study, uses the enzyme trypsin and produces two possible behaviours depending on the temperature and flow rate: sustained oscillations in the trypsin concentration, or dampened oscillations that tend to a steady level of trypsin. Maguire and his colleagues temporarily raised the temperature of the system and measured how long it took to return to steady oscillations, in addition to monitoring the shape of the oscillation waves.
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