Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 12, 2022 at 6:23:32 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 (17 articles)
EXPLODING CHEMICALS SET SHOPHOUSE ABLAZE IN CHIANG MAI
Tags: Thailand, industrial, explosion, response, ag_chems
GUJARAT: 4 WORKERS KILLED, 20 INJURED IN SURAT CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
FRANKLIN FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT AT LANTERN AT MORNING POINTE
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, cleaners
FIRE CHIEF ADDRESSES CHEMICAL SPILL INQUIRIES
Tags: us_AL, transportation, follow-up, environmental, metals, peroxide
CANNOCK CHEMICALS BLAZE: AGENCIES IN TALKS OVER FIRE CLOSE TO HOMES
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
RAILROADS BEGIN EMBARGOES ON HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE WORK STOPPAGE
Tags: transportation, discovery, environmental
FIREFIGHTERS CONTAIN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL
Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, flammables, waste
WAYNE TOWNSHIP FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_IN, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHARGING E-BIKES CAUSED CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN APARTMENT FIRE THAT LED TO 2 PEOPLE BEING RESCUED, FDNY FIRE MARSHALS CONFIRMS
Tags: us_NY, public, fire, response, batteries
KANAWHA COUNTY COMMISSION STEPS IN TO HELP RESIDENTS ON PAINT CREEK
Tags: us_WV, transportation, follow-up, response, other_chemical
EL SEGUNDO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER LINGERING EFFECTS OF MASSIVE SEWAGE SPILL
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, water_treatment
WEEKS AFTER TRIBAR CHROMIUM WASTE SPILL, MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD IMPEDED BY STAFF SHORTAGE: WATCHDOG
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
A LARGE AMOUNT OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS DISCOVERED IN SOUTH CENTRAL EL PASO
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, response, waste
ONE PERSON INJURED IN CROMWELL CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, injury, mercury
POOL CHEMICAL CREATES DANGEROUS GAS AT FOND DU LAC APARTMENT COMPLEX
Tags: us_WI, public, release, response, chlorine, pool_chemicals
EPA CONFIRMS FLUORINATED CONTAINERS LEACH PFAS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, fluorine
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EXPLODING CHEMICALS SET SHOPHOUSE ABLAZE IN CHIANG MAI
https://www.nationmultimedia.com/thailand/general/40019968
Tags: Thailand, industrial, explosion, response, ag_chems
A shophouse in Chiang Mai’s San Sai district went up in flames on Saturday evening when agricultural chemicals stored inside exploded.
Police said nobody was injured in the incident, which took place at around 8pm near a petrol station on the new Mae Jo Road in Nong Jom subdistrict.
Residents living nearby and petrol station staff said they heard a huge explosion, followed by several others before the building was engulfed by flames.
It took firefighters and 10 fire engines about an hour to get the blaze under control.
Police later cordoned off the area and said a thorough check will be conducted on Sunday.
Exploding chemicals set shophouse ablaze in Chiang Mai
Chaiphan That-inchan, 50, came forward to tell police that he had rented the building to store fertiliser chemicals distributed by his company, Speed Agrosci Co Ltd.
He added that the chemicals stored did not include potassium chlorate, which is banned because it can explode.
Chaiphan reckons the fire had been caused by a short-circuit but is waiting for investigators to determine the cause.
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GUJARAT: 4 WORKERS KILLED, 20 INJURED IN SURAT CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/gujarat-worker-killed-20-others-injured-three-missing-after-fire-in-surat-chemical-factory/articleshow/94127272.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
Four workers were killed and 20 others injured after a fire broke out in a chemical factory in Gujarat's Surat city, officials said on Sunday.
The blaze erupted around 10.30 pm on Saturday due to a blast in a chemical container and spread fast to other parts of the unit of Anupam Rasayan India Limited, located in Sachin Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) area, Surat in-charge Chief Fire Officer Basant Pareek said.
Officials of the Sachin GIDC police station earlier in the day said a worker was killed and three others were missing.
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FRANKLIN FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT AT LANTERN AT MORNING POINTE
https://www.williamsonherald.com/news/local_news/franklin-firefighters-respond-to-hazmat-incident-at-lantern-at-morning-pointe/article_368c3c14-258e-11ec-ad84-134e1eae30b0.html
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, cleaners
The Franklin Fire Department responded to a hazmat incident Monday morning at a local assisted living facility.
According to the FFD, two cleaning products that were mixed together by an employee at The Lantern at Morning Pointe at 1015 Generations Way resulted in the response. Firefighters were dispatched at 9:30 a.m. for a commercial fire alarm activation.
Franklin Fire Battalion Chief Joe Polenzani said the alarm was activated by a smoke detector in a resident’s room. Firefighters observed a haze in the room when they arrived, but upon investigation, determined it was caused by hazardous gas.
Polenzani said the hazardous gas was inadvertently created by an employee who mixed chlorine bleach and ammonia together in order to clean up fecal matter. Residents had already been evacuated to a safe area of the building due to the alarm when firefighters arrived.
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FIRE CHIEF ADDRESSES CHEMICAL SPILL INQUIRIES
https://times-journal.com/article_3bf2c426-30bd-11ed-9262-1fbc6dc31730.html
Tags: us_AL, transportation, follow-up, environmental, metals, peroxide
Rainsville Fire Chief Willimac Wright addressed some questions the public had regarding the chemical spill near the AL-75 and AL-35 intersection during Wednesday night's council meeting.
"There were a lot of questions about the delay in some of that," said Mayor Rodger Lingerfelt.
Wright said once they found out what they were dealing with and the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency was notified, then EMA began communicating with the trucking company to line up a spill clean-up.
"There was a delay with the chemical company. They had people come that didn't have the manpower, and they had people turn it down," he said. "We were eight to nine hours into the event before anybody arrived to start mitigating, offloading the chemical, and cleanup."
The company associated with the 18-wheeler deployed their hazmat teams out of Nashville and Atlanta,
Wright said the chemical spilled was peroxide acidic acid. It has a lot of hazards associated with it and can cause several health issues, including inhalation hazards, affixation, and flammability.
“It had a lot of chemical reactions to it, including metals and different things. We had 43,000 pounds of this stuff, most of it contained inside,” he said. “As we know, we had another leak the next day. The stuff off-gasses as it heats up or pressurizes.”
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CANNOCK CHEMICALS BLAZE: AGENCIES IN TALKS OVER FIRE CLOSE TO HOMES
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/environment/2022/09/10/agencies-hold-meeting-over-waste-transfer-plant-blaze/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A safety review and a fire investigation are under way after materials erupted into flames at Axil Integrated Services at Cannock Industrial Centre, in Walkmill Lane, Bridgtown, on Monday.
More than 40 firefighters tackled the blaze at its height as frightened residents fled their homes after being woken up by popping noises which rapidly escalated into explosions.
In a statement, Cannock Chase Council said: “Following Monday’s fire, a meeting has now been held involving Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, the Environment Agency, Walsall Housing Group and Cannock Chase Council with Axil Integrated Services as the owner of the chemical storage site.
“Responsibility for regulating the activities carried on at Axil’s site, as far as any implications for air or water pollution are concerned, rests with the Environment Agency, with the Health & Safety Executive taking responsibility for regulating and enforcing workplace health and safety standards.
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RAILROADS BEGIN EMBARGOES ON HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE WORK STOPPAGE
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/railroads-begin-embargoes-on-hazardous-materials-in-preparation-for-possible-work-stoppage/
Tags: transportation, discovery, environmental
Railroads have begun preparations to secure what they call “hazardous and security-sensitive materials” to make sure no such cargo is left on a train left unattended or unsecured in the event of a work stoppage, the Association of American Railroads, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific all said in news releases or messages to customers this evening (Friday, Sept. 9).
And they have indicated that other customers could begin to see service disruptions as early as this Tuesday, Sept. 13, as railroads prepare for a possible shutdown.
Ed Elkins, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Norfolk Southern, wrote in a Friday message to intermodal customers that railroads “have reached or are finalizing tentative agreements with 10 of the 12 unions involved in negotiations.” To date, five unions have announced tentative agreements [see “Two more unions reach tentative agreements …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 3, 2022].
“We asked the two holdout unions for a commitment not to strike so we could continue normal operations,” Elkins wrote, “but they have declined.”
That being the case, Elkins said, NS will begin embargoing certain types of shipments as of today, “which includes rail security-sensitive material and certain time-sensitive shipments outlined in the embargo.” Other customers, including bulk unit trains, intermodal, and automotive, will see a curtailment of service up to 72 hours before the end of the cooling-off period “to prepare for a safe and orderly stoppage should there be a strike.”
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FIREFIGHTERS CONTAIN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL
https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_7ee63df8-fa0f-5511-8522-2f5635c9273b.html
Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, flammables, waste
AUBURN — Emergency responders were able to contain a liquid leaking from a semi-trailer at the rest area of Interstate 69 just south of Auburn at 9:42 a.m. Friday morning, Auburn Fire Chief Mike VanZile said.
According to a news release, the driver stated he was hauling 55-gallon drums of a flammable hazardous waste liquid material.
Hazardous materials team members entered the trailer and discovered a 55-gallon drum leaking. Haz-mat team members had to remove approximately 20 drums to reach the leaking drum so that it could be contained in an overpack drum.
VanZile said no hazardous material leaked into the ground. It was all contained to a small area in the parking lot and inside the semi-trailer.
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WAYNE TOWNSHIP FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.wishtv.com/news/local-news/wayne-township-firefighters-respond-to-chemical-spill/
Tags: us_IN, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
WAYNE TOWNSHIP, Ind. (WISH) — The Wayne Township Fire Department received a call about a fire with a chemical spill early Friday morning.
It happened at the 8000 block of West 10th Street. According to a Twitter post from WTFD, no fire was found but crews investigated a mechanical malfunction in a mixing unit that produced smoke inside the building.
News 8 sent a crew to the scene. According to firefighters, they thought the fire was bigger than it ended up turning into.
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CHARGING E-BIKES CAUSED CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN APARTMENT FIRE THAT LED TO 2 PEOPLE BEING RESCUED, FDNY FIRE MARSHALS CONFIRMS
https://abc7ny.com/brooklyn-apartment-fire-e-bikes-lithium-ion-batteries/12215589/
Tags: us_NY, public, fire, response, batteries
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Charging lithium ion batteries on e-bikes are what sparked a fire at a Brooklyn apartment building, FDNY Fire Marshals confirmed.
The fire happened Saturday just before 10:30 a.m. at NYCHA's Albany Houses in the Crown Heights section.
Firefighters working on a report of people trapped in an apartment forced their way in and were met with dense smoke.
"Ten feet into the apartment, we saw two e-bikes on fire," firefighter Tyrell Frazier said.
Frazier proceeded to a back bedroom, where he found two people, an 18-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, who weren't able to get themselves out.
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KANAWHA COUNTY COMMISSION STEPS IN TO HELP RESIDENTS ON PAINT CREEK
https://wchstv.com/news/local/the-kanawha-county-commission-steps-in-to-help-residents-on-paint-creek
Tags: us_WV, transportation, follow-up, response, other_chemical
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Exactly two weeks after a tractor-trailer crashed on the West Virginia Turnpike and polluted nearby Paint Creek, those who use wells are still left reaching for bottled water and begging for answers.
"I'm just asking to take care of the human life that's up there now because our fish are gone right now," Paint Creek Watershed Association President Shay Couch said.
The Kanawha County Commission discussed the Paint Creek chemical spill at their monthly meeting Thursday and are now stepping in to get the 36 homes a resolution.
"Our plan here at the Kanawha County Commission is to bring litigation against whoever we need to in order to try to clean Paint Creek up and/or get help from our federal delegation in our state," Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said.
The health departments representing Fayette and Kanawha counties reported traveling to Paint Creek Thursday to collect water samples from the wells.
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EL SEGUNDO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER LINGERING EFFECTS OF MASSIVE SEWAGE SPILL
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/hyperion-sewage-spill-el-segundo-los-angeles-state-of-emergency-lawsuit
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, water_treatment
Officials in the city of El Segundo are raising alarms about lingering odor and air quality problems following a major sewage spill last year.
The El Segundo city council voted Thursday to declare a “state of emergency,” and to move forward with plans to sue the city of Los Angeles, which manages the Hyperion sewage treatment plant.
L.A.’s Hyperion facility is the largest wastewater treatment plant west of the Mississippi River. In July of 2021, it malfunctioned and discharged 17 million gallons of raw sewage.
Living With Rotten Egg Smell
Residents who live near the plant say they’re still smelling foul odors 14 months later.
“Sometimes it smells like rotten eggs,” said Corrie Zupo, who lives less than a mile from the plant. “Other times, it’s like a musty, chemical, burning smell.”
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WEEKS AFTER TRIBAR CHROMIUM WASTE SPILL, MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/09/weeks-after-tribar-chromium-waste-spill-many-questions-remain.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
WIXOM, MI — What exactly happened at Tribar Technologies on the weekend a plating tank operator released a near-environmental calamity?
What was the intent of the now-former Tribar employee who released hexavalent chromium to the sewer? Why did he quit a few days later? Why did he override alarms for hours?
Why were there no safeguards in place to prevent such a thing from happening?
“Why could he be able to turn the key and throw the switch by himself?” asked Daniel Brown, a watershed planner for the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) in Ann Arbor.
“Why should one guy be able to make that decision?”
Answers to those questions and more remain outstanding more than a month after the mishap at Tribar, a metro Detroit auto supplier where, on July 29, a plating tank filled with toxicants was dumped into the Wixom sewer system.
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CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD IMPEDED BY STAFF SHORTAGE: WATCHDOG
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/u-s-chemical-safety-agency-impeded-by-staff-shortage-watchdog-1.6062349
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
WASHINGTON - The federal agency that investigates chemical accidents is hindered by a lack of staffing, leadership disputes and a backlog of investigations that threaten its ability to protect people and the environment, according to a new report by a federal watchdog.
The report by the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general says the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is "challenged by vacancies in mission-critical positions and an inability to fully use the resources Congress allocated" to it.
Leadership disputes, shoddy internal reviews and reporting backlogs "are impeding the board's ability to accomplish its mission," Inspector General Sean O'Donnell said in a letter to the board's acting head.
'Donnell's report, released this week, comes after the board's former chairwoman resigned this summer amid criticism about extravagant spending, ongoing disputes with other board members and a backlog of investigations. The board completed one investigation in 2020, three in 2021 and three so far this year, the report said. At least 17 investigations are currently waiting to be closed.
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A LARGE AMOUNT OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS DISCOVERED IN SOUTH CENTRAL EL PASO
https://kvia.com/news/el-paso/2022/09/08/a-large-amount-of-hazardous-materials-discovered-in-south-central-el-paso/
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, response, waste
EL PASO, Texas -- A large amount of hazardous materials was discovered by The El Paso Fire Marshal’s Office at the 1100 block of East San Antonio Avenue Wednesday.
EPFD responded to the scene due to the risk the materials posed to the environment and public safety hazards.
It took over seven hours and 30 firefighters to safely move 760 gallons of acid and base solutions for proper disposal.
The City said it is working with the El Paso Fire Marshal’s Office to investigate the incident to determine if any further actions will be needed.
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ONE PERSON INJURED IN CROMWELL CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/one-person-injured-cromwell-chemical-spill
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, injury, mercury
Fire and Emergency NZ has confirmed a person was injured during a mercury spill incident in Cromwell yesterday.
A Fenz spokeswoman told the Otago Daily Times it did not provide any medical assistance during the mercury contamination incident.
"Any questions about injuries and medical treatment will need to be directed to the individual," the spokeswoman said.
Firefighters responded to reports of a potentially hazardous substance yesterday about 12.30pm.
Otago Area Assistant Commander Craig Geddes said yesterday volunteer crews from Cromwell set up a cordon and ventilated the residential property where the mercury was found.
A hazardous materials unit was being deployed from Dunedin today to assess the spillage and remove the contaminated material safely.
There was no risk to the public, Geddes said.
Fenz national hazardous substances advisor, Dr Trudy Geoghegan, said the main risk from a mercury spill was the vapour, but it can also be absorbed through the skin.
The circumstances of the spill is still under investigation.
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POOL CHEMICAL CREATES DANGEROUS GAS AT FOND DU LAC APARTMENT COMPLEX
https://www.wkow.com/news/pool-chemical-creates-dangerous-gas-at-fond-du-lac-apartment-complex/article_ebaa947c-2fc1-11ed-bf6b-ef5d9dbd0341.html
Tags: us_WI, public, release, response, chlorine, pool_chemicals
FOND DU LAC (WKOW) -- Workers at a Fond du Lac apartment had a scare Thursday, after pool chemicals combined to make a dangerous gas, according to Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue.
Around 1:20 p.m., fire crews were dispatched to Countryside Village Apartments on 836 Security Drive for a report of pool chemicals mixing to make a dangerous gas.
Upon arriving, crews were directed to the pool's mechanical room where they found a small amount of sulfuric acid and chlorine liquid mixed on the floor.
A contractor who was on site was working in the pool area when the chemical liquid pumps inadvertently began operating, causing the chemicals to be released from the plumbing system onto the floor.
The complex workers in the office building adjacent to the pool and its mechanical room noticed the smell of chlorine gas.
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EPA CONFIRMS FLUORINATED CONTAINERS LEACH PFAS
https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/EPA-confirms-fluorinated-containers-leach/100/web/2022/09
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, fluorine
Plastic containers made of fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are likely to leach per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into pesticides and other liquid products that are stored in them, results from the US Environmental Protection Agency suggest.
The data, released Sept. 8, show that the amount of PFAS that migrates into liquid products increases with storage time.
PFAS are a family of thousands of highly persistent synthetic chemicals that are widely used in society, from industrial applications to stain-resistance on clothing. Some are toxic, but the safety of many others has never been studied.
The EPA has been investigating the presence of PFAS in pesticides since late 2020, when the persistent molecules were detected in mosquito sprays applied aerially in many US states. In early 2021, the agency suggested that PFAS, formed when the containers were subjected to fluorine gas to make them sturdier, had migrated from the HDPE into the liquid pesticides.
In the latest study, the EPA examined the potential for three different brands of fluorinated HDPE containers to leach PFAS into water and methanol over time. The liquids served as surrogates for pesticides. The agency did not disclose the names of the container brands.
The EPA detected 8 out of 31 PFAS targeted in the analysis in both water and methanol stored in the fluorinated containers, indicating that PFAS migrated from the container walls into the liquids. The amount of PFAS varied by container brand, but in all cases increased gradually with storage time over 20 weeks. The agency detected higher levels of PFAS in methanol than in water.
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