Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, August 22, 2022 at 6:13:27 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (11 articles)
FORKED RIVER: LARGE HAZMAT SPILL
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
NOX-CRETE HOPES TO SOON BEGIN CLEANUP OF CHEMICAL FIRE AFTERMATH
Tags: us_NE, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CODE BROWN CALLED FOR NT HEALTH FACILITIES AFTER FIRE DESTROYS MEDICAL SUPPLIES WAREHOUSE IN BERRIMAH
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, gas_cylinders, oxygen
NO INJURIES REPORTED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT AURORA POOL
Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, hydrochloric_acid, pool_chemicals
CHEMICAL TANKER, CARGO SHIP CRASH NEAR SOUTHWESTERN JAPAN
Tags: Japan, transportation, release, response, petroleum
TWO-VEHICLE COLLISION INVOLVED NUCLEAR MATERIAL, SASKATOON POLICE SAY
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, radiation
FORT PAYNE AREAS EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_AL, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
LOCKHART CITED FOR FLINT RIVER SPILL. STATE SAYS OPERATIONS HAVE NOT IMPROVED
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental
CREWS KNOCK DOWN CHEMICAL FIRE AT MACE POLYMER AND ADDITIVES
Tags: us_MA, industrial, explosion, response, plastics, tear_gas
TECO GETS $500,000 FINE, PROBATION IN 2017 EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 5 IN TAMPA BAY
Tags: us_FL, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
US EPA AGAIN PROPOSES RISK MANAGEMENT RULE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
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FORKED RIVER: LARGE HAZMAT SPILL
https://ocscanner.news/2022/08/21/forked-river-large-hazmat-spill/
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
Emergency personnel are at the site of a large fuel spill resulting in a hazmat clean up at the intersection of Lacey Road and Mule Road. Avoid the area while the clean up is taking place. No additional information is available at this time.
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NOX-CRETE HOPES TO SOON BEGIN CLEANUP OF CHEMICAL FIRE AFTERMATH
https://www.wowt.com/2022/08/21/nox-crete-hopes-soon-begin-cleanup-chemical-fire-aftermath/
Tags: us_NE, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Nox-Crete, the scene of a massive warehouse fire three months ago, is hoping to begin cleanup this week.
A public relations firm hired by Nox-Crete says the company is waiting on a permit from the city to move forward.
Town officials believe cleaning should begin early this week.
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CODE BROWN CALLED FOR NT HEALTH FACILITIES AFTER FIRE DESTROYS MEDICAL SUPPLIES WAREHOUSE IN BERRIMAH
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-21/nt-berrimah-fire/101355120
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, gas_cylinders, oxygen
The Northern Territory government has issued an emergency "Code Brown" for its health services, after a massive fire caused an estimated $30 million in damage to a warehouse storing medical supplies for Royal Darwin Hospital and other health centres.
A Code Brown was declared as a result
The warehouse supplied the Royal Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine and Gove Hospitals
Emergency services were called to the large fire on College Road in the Darwin suburb of Berrimah at about 10:30am on Sunday, according to NT Chief Fire Officer Mark Spain.
"On arrival, the building was already engulfed in fire," he said.
"Fire crews did manage to get inside to contain that fire, but it got away from them at that point in time."
Mr Spain described the building as a "health storage facility" and that the "initial estimate" of the damage was $30 million.
The warehouse supplied the Royal Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine and Gove Hospitals. (ABC News: Mitchell Abram)
"At this stage, it's early, but you can image [there were] a lot of medical supplies in there, we know that there were oxygen cylinders in there.
"They exploded later on into the fire so we kept a safe distance.
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NO INJURIES REPORTED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT AURORA POOL
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/no-injuries-reported-in-hazmat-situation-at-aurora-pool/
Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, hydrochloric_acid, pool_chemicals
No one was injured during a hazardous materials situation Saturday evening at an aquatic center in west suburban Aurora.
Fire crews responded at 6:17 p.m. to the Phillips Park Family Aquatic Center, 828 Montgomery Rd. in Aurora, after an employee reported an unknown substance leaking from a small building next to the facility, according to a statement from the Aurora fire department. The situation was then upgraded to a Level II HazMat response and the Aurora Fire Department Hazardous Material Team responded to the scene.
It was determined that the leaking substance was hydrochloric acid, a chemical used to raise the pH of water in swimming pools, fire officials said. It was estimated that between 5 and 10 gallons of the chemical leaked from a 30-gallon poly tank.
The leak was caused by a 500-gallon poly tank that started to backfill after being refilled on Friday, fire officials said. It is not clear why the 500-gallon poly tank started to backfill with water from a pool water line, pushing the product into the 30 gallon poly tank and causing the spillage.
The HazMat team used sodium bicarbonate to neutralize the hydrochloric acid, making it safe for cleanup, fire officials said.
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CHEMICAL TANKER, CARGO SHIP CRASH NEAR SOUTHWESTERN JAPAN
https://www.wjbf.com/news/u-s-world-news/chemical-tanker-cargo-ship-crash-near-southwestern-japan/
Tags: Japan, transportation, release, response, petroleum
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese chemical tanker ship crashed into a cargo ship off the coast of southwestern Japan, the coast guard said Saturday.
No one was injured among the six Japanese crew members aboard the tanker Ryoshinmaru and 14 Chinese crew members aboard the Belize-registered cargo ship Xin Hai 99.
Early Saturday’s crash was under investigation and both ships were anchored in the area, about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) off the coast of Wakayama prefecture, according to a Kushimoto Coast Guard official.
Some oil leaked from the engine area of the cargo ship, which initially started to sink, but it was brought under control, the official said.
The tanker had left Kobe port to pick up chemicals from another Japanese port and did not have any chemicals on board at the time of the accident.
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TWO-VEHICLE COLLISION INVOLVED NUCLEAR MATERIAL, SASKATOON POLICE SAY
https://globalnews.ca/news/9072190/collision-nuclear-material-saskatoon/
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, radiation
Saskatoon Police Service and Saskatoon Fire Department were at the scene of a two-vehicle collision involving a hazardous, nuclear material Friday morning.
Police said the material was contained to the immediate area and there is no risk to members of the public.
No injuries have been reported.
Police and fire officials quickly contained the immediate area while hazmat crews confirmed there had been no leak of the material involved.
Significant traffic restrictions affecting all directions of travel at the intersection of 22nd Street West and Diefenbaker Drive were in effect.
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FORT PAYNE AREAS EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL SPILL
https://whnt.com/news/northeast-alabama/chemicals-from-rainsville-spill-causing-more-issues/
Tags: us_AL, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
RAINSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Chemicals from a spill in Rainsville on Thursday are causing more issues for residents in Fort Payne, according to local authorities.
Fort Payne Police Chief David Davis told a local company that the chemicals involved in a spill were brought to a facility in Fort Payne to be stored.
Southern Torch says that on Friday morning, a container holding those chemicals built up pressure, and gases were released. According to the company, the immediate area was shut down and two businesses were evacuated.
The Fort Payne Fire Department (FPFD) says they are at the facility to monitor the ongoing nature of the situation and will expand the evacuation perimeter if needed.
According to Southern Torch, the chemicals will be transported out of state.
FPFD said on social media that Gault Avenue S was open to traffic, but the areas of Chitwood Avenue SE from Lowe Street to 12th and 13th streets SE are closed.
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LOCKHART CITED FOR FLINT RIVER SPILL. STATE SAYS OPERATIONS HAVE NOT IMPROVED
https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2022/08/lockhart-cited-for-flint-river-spill-state-says-operations-have-not-improved.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental
FLINT, MI -- Lockhart Chemical, the company responsible for spilling thousands of gallons of an oil-based substance into the Flint River in June, has been cited for multiple violations of its operating permit by the state of Michigan.
“Lockhart continues to operate in a manner that results in discharges to the ground and surface waters of the state,” Cheri Meyer, a district supervisor with the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, said in a letter to Lockhart on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
“Since the June 15, 2022, discharge occurred, Lockhart has failed to improve its housekeeping and operating procedures to minimize spills and releases on-site, Meyer’s letter to Rejinder Minhas, president and chief operating officer of Lockhart, says.
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CREWS KNOCK DOWN CHEMICAL FIRE AT MACE POLYMER AND ADDITIVES
https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2022/08/19/mace-polymer-and-additives-fire-
Tags: us_MA, industrial, explosion, response, plastics, tear_gas
DUDLEY, Mass. - Crews were still working to wet down hot spots Friday morning after a fire broke out at Mace Polymer and Additives Thursday night.
No one was in the warehouse the time the fire broke out. Dudley Fire Chief Dean Kochanowski said the main building is a total loss and knocking down this fire was difficult because it came with several challenges.
Mace Polymers deals with harmful chemicals, so the site is considered a high hazard facility. When crews arrived on scene, flames were through the roof and chemical explosions were happening throughout building.
The warehouse sits at the top of a hill, which made getting trucks and water to the scene a lot harder than normal.
"This part of town does not have municipal water so it's very difficult," said Kochanowski. "We had a very difficult time getting water on the fire. We need large volumes of water to put this type of fire out. Everybody went home safe. It turned out pretty good considering."
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TECO GETS $500,000 FINE, PROBATION IN 2017 EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 5 IN TAMPA BAY
https://news.yahoo.com/teco-gets-500-000-fine-203300861.html
Tags: us_FL, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
A federal judge sentenced Tampa Electric Co. to a $500,000 fine and three years of probation for a 2017 explosion that killed five people at its Apollo Beach power plant.
The sentence from Judge Charlene Honeywell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, announced in a news release Friday from the Department of Justice, follows a plea agreement filed in the Tampa-based court in May in which TECO pleaded guilty to violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
The fine is the maximum allowed under law for a violation such as this, according to the release. TECO also must follow a safety compliance plan.
“Our office is proud to have partnered with DOJ’s Environmental Crimes Section, the FBI, and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General to shine a light on this willful violation of OSHA safety standards in order to deter such conduct and ensure that workers are protected in the future,” U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida said in the release.
In June 2017, TECO sent workers to clear a blockage of hardened slag — a molten coal by-product that drips from a furnace into a cooling tank underneath it.
TECO did not shut down the furnace when the blockage occurred and instead called in a contractor to clear it with high-pressure water while the system still was running. The slag gushed out from the tank and onto the workers.
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US EPA AGAIN PROPOSES RISK MANAGEMENT RULE
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/US-EPA-again-proposes-risk/100/web/2022/08
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
The US Environmental Protection Agency is again proposing revisions to its 30-year-old risk management program (RMP) for chemical facilities.
The proposed regulations would protect workers and vulnerable communities from chemical accidents, and especially people living near facilities that handle particularly dangerous chemicals and have high accident rates, the EPA said Aug. 19.
The agency finalized a similar regulation in the waning months of former president Barack Obama’s administration, but the rule was revoked under former president Donald J. Trump.
The new proposal would require RMP-covered facilities to develop procedures for informing the public about accidental releases of chemicals and require local responders to be notified of accidents and chemical releases. It calls for consideration of inherently safer processes and designs in RMP facilities as well as root cause analysis following an RMP-reportable incident. Additionally, third-party audits would be required following significant accidents at high-risk facilities.
Provisions would also require employee and community participation in oversight decisions, including incident investigations and compliance audits. Also, employees would be able to anonymously report RMP-related accidents or noncompliance issues.
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