Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, August 15, 2022 at 6:19:11 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 (11 articles)
HAZMAT FIRE BREAKS OUT IN CORPUS CHRISTI CAUSED BY A TRANSFORMER
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, response, oils
OIL SPILL IN ROUGE RIVER IN WAYNE SENDS OUT HAZMAT TEAM
Tags: us_MI, public, release, response, oils, petroleum, used_oil
FRIDGE FREEZE GAS LEAK IN WILLITON
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals
FIREFIGHTERS CALLED OUT TO HAZMAT INCIDENT IN OVERTON
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
POLAND DEPLOYS TROOPS AS DEAD FISH PILE UP ON RIVER BANK IN TOXIC DISASTER
Tags: Poland, public, release, response, mercury, waste
FIRE ENGINEERING: FIREFIGHTER TRAINING AND FIRE SERVICE NEWS, RESCUE
Tags: us_WY, transportation, release, response, diesel
CHEMICAL SPILL IN FLOYD COUNTY CREEK CAUSES WATER TO TURN BLUE
Tags: us_KY, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
FM 1314 JUST NORTH OF PORTER HEIGHTS WILL BE CLOSED THIS EVENING AS HAZMAT TEAMS CLEANUP NITRIC ACID LEAKING FROM 18 WHEELER
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, nitric_acid
HURON RIVER CHROMIUM SPILL MUCH SMALLER THAN FEARED, EGLE SAYS
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics, waste
HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL LEAK FROM TRAIN CAR SHUTS DOWN 215 FREEWAY, FORCES EVACUATIONS – ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, styrene
THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF TAR, DIESEL SPILL OUT OF FLIPPED TANKER IN PICKENS COUNTY – 95.5 WSB
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, diesel
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HAZMAT FIRE BREAKS OUT IN CORPUS CHRISTI CAUSED BY A TRANSFORMER
https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/corpus-christi-crews-face-hazmat-fire-this-morning/503-f6abe4c1-c00d-47f6-aee1-81c02ad1a24a
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, response, oils
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A fire near downtown Corpus Christi turned into a HAZMAT situation for first responding crews this morning.
The blaze started just after 11 a.m. on Lester St. near Antelope St. after a transformer caught on fire.
Firefighters were able to contain the flames in 20 minutes, but not before the fire caused an oil spill.
Crews with HAZMAT were called out to keep the oil from spilling into the city's storm drains.
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OIL SPILL IN ROUGE RIVER IN WAYNE SENDS OUT HAZMAT TEAM
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/08/14/rouge-river-oil-spill-wayne-hazmat/10326172002/
Tags: us_MI, public, release, response, oils, petroleum, used_oil
The Western Wayne Hazmat team is responding to an oil spill in the Rouge River in the city of Wayne on Sunday, state environmental officials said.
As of Sunday afternoon, a hazmat team was continuing cleanup after a 55-gallon drum with used oil overturned in the river, said Jeff Johnson, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
The location of the spill was reported at a business on the 36000 block of Michigan Ave. in Wayne.
The incident was first reported to state officials at 8:41 p.m. Saturday, when it appeared as an oil sheen in the river, Johnson said.
The local fire department was called and placed booms on the river and at the outfall of the property to try and contain the spill.
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FRIDGE FREEZE GAS LEAK IN WILLITON
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/20654516.fridge-freeze-gas-leak-williton/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals
FIRE crews were called to a 'hazardous materials' incident in a home in Williton yesterday lunchtime (Sunday, August 14).
Fire control received a report of a refrigerant gas leak from a fridge freeze a kitchen in the West Somerset village at 12.39pm.
The caller was advised to ventilate and evacuate the property as fire engine from Williton and Minehead attended, along with the environmental protection unit from South Molton.
Fire crews confirmed a leak of refrigerant gas from an American-style fridge freezer.
Firefighters checked the property with a gas detector using two breathing apparatus wearers and one hose reel jet as a precaution, but there were no readings.
They then left the incident in the hands of the occupant who was making arrangement to have the appliance removed.
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FIREFIGHTERS CALLED OUT TO HAZMAT INCIDENT IN OVERTON
https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/incident/firefighters-called-out-to-hazmat-incident-in-overton/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
Crews were called yesterday evening following a chemical reaction within a large container at a paper mill in Overton.
The 1000-litre tank had expanded due to the chemicals inside.
Overton, Whitchurch and Basingstoke firefighters along with specialist vehicles from Andover and Romsey, and a Hazmat officer, were called to the scene at 21:17 last night.
In consultation with national chemical experts, crews worked to protect the environment, ensuring there was no spillage, and that the temperature was monitored using a thermal imaging camera.
Stockbridge, Rushmoor, Winchester and Fleet firefighters attended to take over the incident, allowing the crews who arrived first and had been on scene for a number of hours, to return to station.
Overnight crews worked to cool the tank down to a safe temperature, before the incident was handed back to on-site teams.
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POLAND DEPLOYS TROOPS AS DEAD FISH PILE UP ON RIVER BANK IN TOXIC DISASTER
https://www.postguam.com/the_globe/world/poland-deploys-troops-as-dead-fish-pile-up-on-river-bank-in-toxic-disaster/article_7e0889ea-1b7d-11ed-9426-47ea4deea7e2.html
Tags: Poland, public, release, response, mercury, waste
Vast amounts of chemical waste were probably dumped into a river on the Polish-German border, Poland's prime minister said Friday, killing tons of fish and creating an ecological disaster that could take years to clean up.
Authorities said 150 Polish troops have been deployed to the 522-mile-long Oder River, which flows through Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic, to launch a cleanup operation. The chemical spill was likely intentional, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on a podcast Friday.
"It is likely that enormous amounts of chemical waste have been dumped into the Oder River, and this was done with full awareness of the risks and consequences," Morawiecki said. "We will not let this matter go, we will not rest until the guilty are severely punished."
German water samples from the region revealed elevated levels of mercury, according to local media, but authorities are still investigating the source of the spill. Scientists have speculated that there might be other causes for the mass fish deaths, including climate change. The Polish troops set up a barrier along the river to catch the dead fish, and warned local residents not to bathe in the water or eat fish caught in contaminated parts of the river.
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FIRE ENGINEERING: FIREFIGHTER TRAINING AND FIRE SERVICE NEWS, RESCUE
https://www.fireengineering.com/hazmat/pipeline-break-spills-45000-gallons-of-diesel-in-wy/#gref
Tags: us_WY, transportation, release, response, diesel
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A diesel pipeline in Wyoming owned by a company that’s being sued by federal prosecutors over previous spills in two other states cracked open and released more than 45,000 gallons (205,000 liters) of fuel, state regulators and a company representative disclosed Friday.
Cleanup work is ongoing from the spill that was discovered by the pipeline’s operator on July 27, said Joe Hunter, Emergency Response Coordinator with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. The fuel spilled into sandy soil on private ranchland near the small community of Sussex in eastern Wyoming and did not spread very far, he said.
Contaminated soil was being excavated and placed into a temporary staging area, and it will be spread onto a nearby dirt road where the fuel is expected to largely evaporate, Hunter said.
The line is operated by Bridger Pipeline, a subsidiary of Casper-based True companies, according to an accident report submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Response Center.
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CHEMICAL SPILL IN FLOYD COUNTY CREEK CAUSES WATER TO TURN BLUE
https://www.wdrb.com/news/chemical-spill-in-floyd-county-creek-causes-water-to-turn-blue/article_5cb3ddec-1b75-11ed-b1bd-bb99c7bf53ee.html
Tags: us_KY, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Floyd County Emergency Management was called to a New Albany creek that turned blue.
The agency posted on Facebook saying they were notified Friday of an unknown chemical spill in Fall Run Creek.
The Floyd County Health Department and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management also responded to the scene. The source of the spill was later found by New Albany Storm Water personnel and an environmental clean up company was called.
The clean up is now complete.
Floyd County Emergency Management says no aquatic life was affected by the spill. They haven't shared what he chemical was in the creek.
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FM 1314 JUST NORTH OF PORTER HEIGHTS WILL BE CLOSED THIS EVENING AS HAZMAT TEAMS CLEANUP NITRIC ACID LEAKING FROM 18 WHEELER
https://www.woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=73751
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, nitric_acid
PORTER HEIGHTS, TX -- This afternoon The Woodlands Fire Department Hazmat team responded as part of a multi-agency response to an 18 wheeler leaking nitric acid. The truck pulled over on FM 1314 just north of Porter Heights after passing motorist alerted him that he had liquid leaking from the back of the trailer. Porter Fire Department arrived and upgraded the incident to a Hazmat Alarm bringing TWFD, Montgomery County Hospital District, Caney Creek Fire & Rescue, Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office and Harris County Fire Marshal Hazmat to the scene. Hazmat personnel determined that the leak was coming from a large tote in the middle of the trailer. Crews had to wear chemical protective suits and be on breathing air as they operated in the near 100 degree temperatures. To access the leaking tote firefighters had to partially unload the truck using a fork lift, again all while in protective chemical suits. Crews were finally able to access the leaking tote late this !
afternoon and remove it and mitigate the leak. A private hazmat company will be taking over cleanup but FM 1314 will likely be closed well into the evening.
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HURON RIVER CHROMIUM SPILL MUCH SMALLER THAN FEARED, EGLE SAYS
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/08/huron-river-chromium-spill-much-smaller-than-feared-egle-says.html
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics, waste
WIXOM, MI — The Huron River dodged a bullet.
Less than 20 pounds of chromium are estimated to have reached the Huron River from the toxic chemical spill into the city of Wixom’s wastewater treatment plant by Tribar Technologies, according to a report from state regulators released on Friday, Aug. 12.
That’s significantly less than the 4,170 pounds initially reported to the city in the immediate wake of the Tribar incident, where a now-former employee which Tribar says was not authorized to be working at the time repeatedly overrode waste treatment alarms for hours the night a 15,000 gallon plating tank was emptied into the city sewer system.
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HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL LEAK FROM TRAIN CAR SHUTS DOWN 215 FREEWAY, FORCES EVACUATIONS – ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/08/12/hazardous-chemical-leak-from-rail-car-leads-to-170-evacuations-215-freeway-closure-near-perris/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, styrene
Time and traffic stood still Friday after a hazardous leak from a railcar tank Thursday night led to the evacuation of more than 170 homes and an untold number of businesses and kept the 215 Freeway near Perris closed in both directions all day.
It could take two to three days to eliminate the danger, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire officials said on Friday, and there remains the possibility of an explosion from the chemicals in the tanker. So no timetable on when life could get back to normal was offered at a late afternoon news conference.
“We want to keep everyone safe,” said California Highway Patrol Lt. Todd Kovaletz.
Cal Fire was called to the area of Oleander and Harvill avenues Thursday at just past 7:40 p.m. after several people saw a large plume of smoke that ended up covering a two-mile area over Perris, Cal Fire Division Chief John Crater said on Friday morning.
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Traffic on the northbound 215 Freeway is diverted off the freeway at the Ramona Expressway exit due to a hazmat incident near Perris on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A Hazmat team responded and found the leaking substance to be styrene, a highly flammable chemical that is used to make foam products for commercial purposes, Riverside County Fire Department Captain Oscar Torres said.
With the styrene still reacting in the rail car and gaining heat, officials evacuated homes and businesses within a half-mile radius, Crater said.
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THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF TAR, DIESEL SPILL OUT OF FLIPPED TANKER IN PICKENS COUNTY – 95.5 WSB
https://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/cherokee-county/thousands-gallons-tar-diesel-spill-out-flipped-tanker-cherokee-county/QO3VFMPOJ5G7LKXIPCUMP2Y5SU/
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, diesel
PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. — Thousands of gallons of tar and diesel and thousands of pounds of sand filled a Pickens County road on Wednesday morning.
Cherokee County hazardous materials teams were called out to assist with the spill in front of the historic Tate House on Hwy. 53.
When they arrived, a tanker-trailer had flipped and started spilling the hot tar it was carrying, as well as the diesel in its tank.
Pickens County Fire and Rescue crews were able to pull the driver out of the tanker before hazmat teams got there.
Crews were able to quickly stop the diesel leak before it contaminated anything other than the road.
The tar was flowing into a roadside culvert and a nearby pasture. By the time crews were able to stop it, officials estimate between 3,000 and 5,000 gallons of tar had spilled out. It’s unclear what damage was done to the culvert and pasture.
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