Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 6:38:46 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 (10 articles)
BROKEN MERCURY THERMOMETER AT STILLWATER ROAD CONDOS IN DEERFIELD
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
STEAM EXPLOSION AT PEABODY MUSEUM TRACED TO PIPE LEAK
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
AN E-BIKE CAUGHT FIRE IN A BALTIMORE APARTMENT GARAGE TUESDAY. HERE’S HOW TO SAFELY STORE AND CHARGE THEM. – BALTIMORE SUN
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, response, batteries
DIESEL SPILL PROMPTS ROAD CLOSURES ON SAN DARIO AVENUE
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
UP TO 23 PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER ACID LEAK AT ST. CATHARINES AUTO PLANT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
HAZMAT SPILL FORCES TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF PC MARC
Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, cleaners
HEAVY BLACK SMOKE FILLS AIR NEAR DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS AFTER FIRE BREAKS OUT IN SAUGET
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, zinc
BELMONT TOWN WORKERS REPORT HEALTH ISSUES AFTER CHEMICAL SPRAYING – NBC BOSTON
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical
CSB RESPONDS TO FATAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE EVENT AT BP REFINERY
Tags: us_OR, industrial, follow-up, death, hydrogen_sulfide, sulfur_dioxide
EPA PUNTS GLYPHOSATE DECISION
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, pesticides
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BROKEN MERCURY THERMOMETER AT STILLWATER ROAD CONDOS IN DEERFIELD
https://www.wwlp.com/news/massachusetts/state-urges-residents-to-replace-mercury-thermometers-after-spill-in-deerfield/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
DEERFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Hazmat team were called to Deerfield after a report of a broken mercury thermometer on Tuesday.
Greenfield prepared for fall tourism season
State Fire Marshal’s Office Spokesperson Jake Wark told 22News mercury is highly toxic to people and wildlife, so even a small spill requires specialized personnel and equipment. If you have a mercury thermometer, you are being asked to dispose of it properly by calling 866-9MERCURY (866-963-7287). They haven’t been allowed to be sold in Massachusetts for about 20 years.
Mercury is also found in fluorescent light bulbs, thermostats, button batteries, certain cleaners and more.
What to do if you have a Mercury Spill at Home
Call 9-1-1.
Don’t attempt to clean up the spill.
Do not vacuum!
Open windows.
Don’t touch any mercury with bare skin, get on clothing or step in it (you’ll drag it around).
Keep pets and children away.
The Hazmat team is called to mercury spills several times a year, this is the second one this week.
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STEAM EXPLOSION AT PEABODY MUSEUM TRACED TO PIPE LEAK
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2022/09/28/steam-explosion-at-peabody-museum-traced-to-pipe-leak/
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
A loud bang, rotten egg smell and clouds of steam that erupted from the Peabody Museum early Tuesday morning have been traced by fire officials to a pipe leak.
Yale Police received a fire alarm report from the Kline Geology Laboratory, just behind the museum, at 210 Whitney Avenue around 2:15 a.m. Steam was emanating from the area of the museum that is currently under construction.
“When officers arrived they heard a loud sound and observed a large amount of steam exiting the building in the construction area,” Yale Police Department Chief Anthony Campbell told the News.
Peabody is currently under a four-year renovation program, according to renovation manager Justin Pezzolesi. Pezzolesi did not respond to the News at time of publication.
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AN E-BIKE CAUGHT FIRE IN A BALTIMORE APARTMENT GARAGE TUESDAY. HERE’S HOW TO SAFELY STORE AND CHARGE THEM. – BALTIMORE SUN
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-e-bikes-electric-fire-garage-20220927-uykdroqa55evjabsbtfzqobs6m-story.html
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, response, batteries
Firefighters on Tuesday morning extinguished an electric bicycle fire in the garage of an apartment building in Federal Hill.
Engines responded about 6:25 a.m. to the 1100 block of Light Street for a report of an e-bike with its motor on fire, said Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson Blair Adams.
Crews extinguished the fire in minutes.
“While this incident was placed under control in such a short time,” Adams said. “Electric bikes have lithium ion batteries, and they must be stored and charged properly at all times.”
People should adhere the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations on how to properly store the e-bikes, she said.
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DIESEL SPILL PROMPTS ROAD CLOSURES ON SAN DARIO AVENUE
https://www.kgns.tv/2022/09/27/diesel-spill-prompts-road-closures-san-dario-avenue/
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
LAREDO, TX (KGNS) -A chemical spill on the streets is causing closures in central Laredo.
According to Laredo Police, a spill on the roadways has prompted the closure of San Dario Avenue and Baltimore Street.
Authorities say they have closed off the middle and inner lane near San Dario.
The spill is roughly two blocks.
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UP TO 23 PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER ACID LEAK AT ST. CATHARINES AUTO PLANT
https://globalnews.ca/news/9159039/hazadarous-materials-incident-niagara-health/
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
Up to 23 people were taken to hospital after an acid leak at an automotive plant in St. Catharines on Tuesday, though all were expected to be discharged before the end of the day.
St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper said the incident occurred at THK Rhythm Automotive, which is a manufacturing facility located on Louth Street, south of Fourth Avenue.
“Shortly after 9:00 this morning, a contractor was working at THK Rhythm Automotive,” Upper told Global News Radio AM 900 CHML.
“During their work, they accidentally bumped a valve which opened up and released approximately five litres of hydrochloric acid. That acid in liquid form transformed to a vapour cloud.”
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HAZMAT SPILL FORCES TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF PC MARC
https://www.kpcw.org/park-city/2022-09-26/hazmat-spill-forces-temporary-closure-of-pc-marc
Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, cleaners
The Park City Fire District (PCFD) responded to a hazmat spill at the PC MARC around 2 p.m. Monday.
PCFD said its hazmat team was able to get into the building and contain the toxic gas. It derived from a mix of industrial cleaners in a custodial closet.
PCFD said the facility was fully ventilated and cleared. A few employees were evaluated for minor respiratory symptoms.
A MARC employee said the recreational center was able to reopen around 3:30 p.m.
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HEAVY BLACK SMOKE FILLS AIR NEAR DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS AFTER FIRE BREAKS OUT IN SAUGET
https://www.kmov.com/2022/09/26/heavy-black-smoke-fills-air-near-downtown-st-louis/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, zinc
SAUGET, Ill. (KMOV) – Heavy black smoke could be seen for miles near downtown St. Louis after a fire broke out at the former site of Big River Zinc in Sauget, Illinois.
Hazmat crews are on the scene and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has been notified, St. Clair County EMA says.
It’s unknown if anyone has been injured. The site of Big River Zinc is vacant, authorities say.
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BELMONT TOWN WORKERS REPORT HEALTH ISSUES AFTER CHEMICAL SPRAYING – NBC BOSTON
https://www.nbcboston.com/investigations/small-town-secrets/something-isnt-right-after-improper-spraying-of-chemical-town-workers-report-health-problems/2845435/
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical
The NBC10 Investigators learned the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards conducted an investigation where they concluded the Town of Belmont created conditions that placed “employees at risk of work-related injury or illness” during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the copy of an inspection report we obtained.
In March of 2020, the Belmont Department of Health sent a letter to families and staff announcing they would soon start regularly disinfecting schools to combat the emerging threat of COVID-19.
According to the DLS report, the spraying would also happen in other municipal buildings and vehicles, including the fire and police departments.
Months after the spraying, the DLS report detailed how town employees started reporting respiratory problems and migraines. One first responder we spoke with even experienced a seizure.
"I was sitting at my desk and said, 'Something is not right.' I just don’t feel right," recalled Lizzie Kinch, a former Belmont firefighter.
As a frontline worker, Kinch said the town regularly disinfected anything firefighters came into contact with.
"They started spraying chemicals on the trucks, inside the trucks, on our gear," said Kinch. "Our living quarters got sprayed. Hallways got sprayed. Beds. They’d spray everything."
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CSB RESPONDS TO FATAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE EVENT AT BP REFINERY
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/oil-gas/csb-responds-fatal-accidental-release-event-bp-refinery
Tags: us_OR, industrial, follow-up, death, hydrogen_sulfide, sulfur_dioxide
Federal chemical safety watchdog The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced Monday that a team was sent to the BP Toledo Refinery in Oregon, OH to investigate an accidental release event at the BP Toledo Refinery in Oregon, OH on September 20 that fatally injured two people.
“The CSB team will be documenting the site, gathering evidence and initiating information requests as we begin our investigation into this tragic incident,” CSB Interim Executive Steve Owens said in a release.
An explosion and fire occurred during the incident, along with the release of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The property suffered significant damage.
BP identified the two deceased workers as company employees in a September 21 statement. The company safely shut down the refinery in the wake of the incident.
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EPA PUNTS GLYPHOSATE DECISION
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pesticides/EPA-punts-glyphosate-decision/100/web/2022/09
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, pesticides
The US Environmental Protection Agency is unable to meet a court-ordered deadline to assess the ecological risks of the herbicide glyphosate, the agency announced Sept. 23. Rather than fixing parts of its glyphosate assessment, as required by the court, the agency has decided to completely redo it.
Glyphosate products can remain on the market while the EPA does the assessment. The agency expects to complete it by 2026.
The EPA conducted human-health and ecological risk assessments for glyphosate under the administration of Donald J. Trump. In an interim decision published in early 2020, the agency concluded that glyphosate poses no risks to human health. The EPA allowed the widely-used herbicide to stay on the market with label changes to manage spray drift and herbicide resistance.
Environmental groups challenged the decision in March 2020. In June 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered the EPA to reevaluate the cancer risks of glyphosate, particularly for farmworkers. The court also ordered the agency to reassess the ecological risks of glyphosate, including its impact on endangered species, by Oct. 1.
The EPA is consulting with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine how best to manage the risks of glyphosate to endangered species. In late 2020, it declared that glyphosate is likely to adversely affect 93% of threatened and endangered species.
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