Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 6:20:45 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)
HOW HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CASES LIKE RECENT APARTMENT RAID
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, environmental, illegal, clandestine_lab
TESLA MEGAPACK FIRE CLOSES HIGHWAY 1 IN MOSS LANDING
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, batteries
FIRE IN HOUSE USED AS CHEMICAL FACTORY, LABOURER DIES
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, ag_chems, illegal
JURY AWARDS $363M VERDICT IN STERIGENICS TRIAL OVER TOXIC GAS EMISSIONS – NBC CHICAGO
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, injury, ethylene_oxide
STUDENTS AND STAFF CONCERNED OVER HAZMAT INCIDENTS – ANNENBERG MEDIA
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, flammables
HAZMAT SITUATION CLEARED AT USC
Tags: us_CA, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
NYC FIRE THAT KILLED 8-YEAR-OLD GIRL BLAMED ON SCOOTER BATTERY
Tags: us_NY, public, fire, death, batteries
FORT PLAIN SUES MAKERS OF FIREFIGHTING FOAMS ALLEGEDLY CONTAMINATING GROUNDWATER WELLS – THE DAILY GAZETTE
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
STATE CRACKS DOWN ON FLINT COMPANY AFTER FLINT RIVER SPILL
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, water_treatment
INFORMATION IS EXPERIMENTAL: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF STUDENTS’ CHEMICAL INFORMATION LITERACY IN A PROBLEM-BASED BEGINNER LABORATORY
Tags: Germany, education, discovery, environmental
RELIABLE CALORIMETRIC METHOD TO STUDY THE INCOMPATIBILITIES BETWEEN HYDRAZINE HYDRATE AND METALLIC IMPURITIES
Tags: China, laboratory, discovery, environmental, hydrazine
---------------------------------------------
HOW HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CASES LIKE RECENT APARTMENT RAID
https://www.news10.com/news/how-hazmat-responds-to-cases-like-recent-apt-raid/
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, environmental, illegal, clandestine_lab
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (News10) — Residents of a Schenectady apartment complex are now back in their homes after being evacuated on due to a suspected drug lab in one of the apartments. Schenectady Fire Chief Don Mareno shares how his HAZMAT team responds to situations like the one at the Netherlands Village apartment complex.
“There’s a lot that goes into your response because you don’t know what you’re dealing with,” said Mareno. As the chief he also oversees the city’s HAZMAT team which was one of several first responders on scene on Monday after they were called due to suspected drug lab. The intense situation began when deputies were serving an eviction notice and entered the apartment with the help of a maintenance worker. A search of the apartment revealed what the sheriff’s office is calling “laboratory equipment”. The sheriff says testing is being conducted to determine if any illegal drugs were detected.
It’s unclear if the apartment was being used as a drug lab, but things like meth labs have been the cause of explosions and fires in other communities across the country. And any hazardous situation is a serious concern for Mareno. “That was the number one concern when we got there. Did we have a perimeter set? Was it a wide enough perimeter? And what are the potential hazards and trying to plan for all the ‘what if’s’,” he added.
---------------------------------------------
TESLA MEGAPACK FIRE CLOSES HIGHWAY 1 IN MOSS LANDING
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/highway-1-closed-at-moss-landing-due-to-fire/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, batteries
MOSS LANDING, Calif. (KRON) – A hazardous materials incident prompted a shelter-in-place advisory for parts of Moss Landing and caused traffic to gridlock along Highway 1 for several hours on Tuesday.
The incident began at 1:30 a.m. when a Tesla Megapack caught fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation energy storage facility, according to Caltrans and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.
Richard Stedman, an air pollution control officer for MBARD, said lithium ion battery fires can emit toxic constituents such as hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid.
A shelter-in-place advisory for nearby residents was issued by the North County Fire Department and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. “Please shut your windows and turn off your ventilation systems. In the event of changing weather patterns, impacted areas may change,” county officials wrote on Twitter.
PG&E told KRON4 that around 1:30 a.m., the utility “became aware of a fire in one Tesla Megapack at its Elkhorn Battery Storage facility in Monterey County.” The fire was isolated to a single battery pack at the facility and was contained by firefighters.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE IN HOUSE USED AS CHEMICAL FACTORY, LABOURER DIES
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/fire-in-house-used-as-chemical-factory-labourer-dies-101663701630991.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, ag_chems, illegal
LUCKNOW A labourer died after a fire broke out in a house that was being used as an illegal chemical factory near Bhagat Singh Engineering College on Mohaan road in Lucknow late on Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as Sushil, 40, a resident of Unnao. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital, said officials.
District magistrate SP Gangwar said Sushil had agricultural land in Unnao and his dependents would be provided ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh under the farmers’ insurance scheme.
“As soon as the fire broke out, eight fire tenders reached the spot to douse the flames and the situation was brought under control,” said Dhadhibal Tiwari, Para police station in-charge.
The DM directed officials to register an FIR against the factory operator, Pankaj Dixit, for illegally operating the factory in the residential area. He also asked the sub-divisional magistrate, Sadar, to file a case in the district magistrate court on behalf of the deceased’s wife under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.
---------------------------------------------
JURY AWARDS $363M VERDICT IN STERIGENICS TRIAL OVER TOXIC GAS EMISSIONS – NBC CHICAGO
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/jury-returns-363m-verdict-against-sterigenics-in-trial-over-toxic-gas-emissions/2943682/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, injury, ethylene_oxide
A Cook County jury on Monday ruled that Sterigenics and two other companies should pay $363 million in damages for exposing a woman and thousands of other Willowbrook residents to dangerous levels of cancer-causing ethylene oxide gas.
After a five-week trial, the jury began deliberations Friday following closing arguments and reconvened Monday morning.
The medical tool sterilization company Sterigenics was accused of releasing the toxic gas from its Willowbrook plant from 1985 to 2019, causing cancer in a woman who lived nearby.
The verdict exceeded the $346 million that lawyers for plaintiff Sue Kamuda asked for in closing arguments Thursday against Sterigenics, parent company Sotera Health and its corporate predecessor Griffith Foods.
Kamuda is among more than 700 other people who have sued Sterigenics since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published research in 2018 that showed people living near the plant got cancer at rates nine times above the national average.
Sterigenics’s Willowbrook plant was temporarily shut down by the state in 2019 after authorities detected ethylene oxide nearby. Facing public pressure, Sterigenics closed the plant permanently.
The outcome of this case will likely affect the rulings in the other cases.
---------------------------------------------
STUDENTS AND STAFF CONCERNED OVER HAZMAT INCIDENTS – ANNENBERG MEDIA
https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2022/09/19/students-and-staff-concerned-over-hazmat-incidents/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, flammables
Students enrolled in TrojanAlert were left unsettled after receiving two notifications from USC’s Department of Public Safety Sunday night and Monday morning regarding separate hazardous material spills that occurred at Seaver Science Center and Allan Hancock Foundation.
These incidents leave students concerned about the DPS notification system, specifically the lack of comprehensive and follow up information made available to them.
The first notification came after Seaver Science Center was evacuated Sunday at around 5:30 p.m. due to a pungent odor emitted from an unidentified fluid that had covered nearly 40 square-feet of the first floor laboratory, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Brian Humphrey.
The notification was sent Sunday evening by DPS via text, email and Twitter. It warned students to stay away from 920 Bloom Walk until further notice, but emphasized that no immediate danger was present.
DPS sent a follow up notification at about 8 p.m., revealing that university operations had returned to normal. However, by 6 a.m., a new HAZMAT incident at the Allan Hancock Building elicited a similar notification to students. No information was provided other than a warning to stay away from the area.
“If I am getting an alert like that... I would want more information,” said Diya Thapliyal, a junior computer science and engineering major. “I would love to know how it was resolved, maybe even just a short description as to what occurred. It just makes it easier for me as a student to know what to do in that type of situation, even if it is unlikely that I will encounter it.”
The evacuation notification was the only notice Dornsife Payroll Services staff Zulma Orellana received upon arriving to campus at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning.
“Whether it’s flammable or dangerous, it’s kind of scary knowing that it had happened so recently,” said Orellana.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SITUATION CLEARED AT USC
https://www.foxla.com/news/hazmat-situation-underway-at-usc
Tags: us_CA, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
LOS ANGELES - A hazardous material situation earlier reported on the University of Southern California campus Monday morning has ended and the area deemed safe, authorities said.
The incident was reported inside the Allan Hancock Foundation building at 3616 Trousdale Parkway in University Park.
Authorities said all university operations have returned to normal.
No further details on the hazmat situation were immediately available.
---------------------------------------------
NYC FIRE THAT KILLED 8-YEAR-OLD GIRL BLAMED ON SCOOTER BATTERY
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/another-fatal-house-fire-blamed-on-a-scooter-battery
Tags: us_NY, public, fire, death, batteries
NEW YORK - The fire that swept through a multifamily home in Queens on Saturday morning, killing an 8-year-old girl, was caused by a faulty battery for an electric scooter, according to the FDNY.
The fire broke out on the third floor of the house on 130th Street in College Point at around 7:35 a.m., authorities said.
New York City firefighters found Stephanie Villa Torres, 8, unconscious and unresponsive. She pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Queens. Her father and brother were treated for burns and smoke inhalation, officials said.
Fire marshals determined that the fire was accidental and was caused by a "lithium-ion battery from an e-mobility device."
Authorities have blamed at least 130 fires from lithium batteries so far this year. In the last two years, fires started by batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters have killed at least nine people and hurt dozens and dozens more.
---------------------------------------------
FORT PLAIN SUES MAKERS OF FIREFIGHTING FOAMS ALLEGEDLY CONTAMINATING GROUNDWATER WELLS – THE DAILY GAZETTE
https://dailygazette.com/2022/09/19/fort-plain-sues-makers-of-firefighting-foams-allegedly-contaminating-groundwater-wells/
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
FORT PLAIN — The village of Fort Plain is suing the makers and distributors of firefighting foams containing hazardous chemicals that are allegedly responsible for contaminating a pair of local groundwater wells.
Napoli Shkolnik law firm filed the suit on behalf of the village in state Supreme Court in Montgomery County last month. In total, 23 companies are named as defendants, including 3M, DuPont, Kidde-Fenwal and Tyco Fire Products.
The suit stems from the discovery of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) exceeding state standards in water samples taken from the village groundwater wells on Lincoln Street in December 2020.
---------------------------------------------
STATE CRACKS DOWN ON FLINT COMPANY AFTER FLINT RIVER SPILL
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/State-cracks-down-on-Flint-company-after-Flint-17452783.php
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, water_treatment
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — State regulators on Monday ordered a Flint chemical company to truck wastewater to a water treatment plant, weeks after it was blamed for an oily discharge in the Flint River.
The 11-page order describes disputes between Lockhart Chemical and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The state said the company has a “long-running history” of failing to comply with environmental laws.
“This company was given multiple opportunities to fix the problems at their facility and they refused. Now they must face the consequences,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
Lockhart didn't return a message seeking comment.
The state said breaches in the system have resulted in wastewater leaks, which enter Flint’s storm sewers and discharge pollution to the Flint River. The company has underground tunnels and an open trench.
---------------------------------------------
INFORMATION IS EXPERIMENTAL: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF STUDENTS’ CHEMICAL INFORMATION LITERACY IN A PROBLEM-BASED BEGINNER LABORATORY
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00305
Tags: Germany, education, discovery, environmental
The focus in teaching and research is shifting from a traditional perspective of information literacy (IL) as a specific set of general, mostly text-based skills to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex aspects that constitute IL as an ongoing, context-specific process. However, there is a need for further insight into the social and contextual dimension of the information process. The inherent connection between problem-based learning (PBL) and IL holds great potential for a better understanding of students’ information experience. The aim of this study was to describe the contextual and social aspects of the information process students engage in during a PBL beginner’s lab and how this practical experience can be utilized for teaching. To this end, a wide range of qualitative data were collected over the course of three cohorts, including interviews, on-site audio recordings, and documents. Results suggest that students first evaluate the information they !
retrieve in terms of experimental safety, feasibility, and usefulness in planning the experimental procedure. Then, the experiment provides the crucial information about whether the previously acquired information was useful for solving the problem. The experiment is at the center of the student information process in a PBL lab. In this work, we discuss how to organize IL instruction from the student perspective and thus place the experiment at the center of IL instruction in a PBL lab. The results of this work contribute to an expanded understanding of IL that is useful for teaching and research in chemistry education.
---------------------------------------------
RELIABLE CALORIMETRIC METHOD TO STUDY THE INCOMPATIBILITIES BETWEEN HYDRAZINE HYDRATE AND METALLIC IMPURITIES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.oprd.2c00236
Tags: China, laboratory, discovery, environmental, hydrazine
The gold-plated crucibles used in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests on hydrazine hydrate (HH) had a significant influence on the test results during a thermal risk assessment for a process to be scaled up in a pilot plant. The crucibles from four different suppliers delivered completely different test results. The subsequent Calvet calorimetry C80 test using a glass-lined Hastelloy cell could produce highly reliable thermal stability data of HH. Using the C80 test method, it was proved that high-purity gold could significantly impact the thermal stability of HH. It also effectively distinguished different impacts of metallic impurities, such as stainless steel (SS) 316 L, rust, and Hastelloy C-276 (HC276) on the thermal stability of HH.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter @acsdchas