Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 6:22:41 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 (8 articles)
HAZMAT TEAM CALLED IN, OAKVILLE SCHOOL EVACUATED BECAUSE OF 'NOXIOUS SUBSTANCE'
Tags: Canada, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY LAB MANAGER CHARGED WITH STAGING HOAX MARK ZUCKERBERG ‘EXPLOSION’
Tags: us_MA, education, follow-up, environmental, bomb, illegal
EXPLOSION OCCURS IN CHEMICAL FACTORY IN UZBEKISTAN
Tags: Uzbekistan, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO LIMIT PFAS EXPOSURE FOR FIREFIGHTERS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO PORT OF VANCOUVER CANNERY AFTER HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL MIXTURE REPORTED
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, acids
23 STAFF MEMBERS DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER ACID LEAK AT THK FACILITY – THE BROCK PRESS
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
FRV TACKLES VIVA CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, kerosene
WELDING AT OIL TERMINAL CAUSED WORKER INJURIES, INVESTIGATORS SAY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, injury, flammables, petroleum
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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED IN, OAKVILLE SCHOOL EVACUATED BECAUSE OF 'NOXIOUS SUBSTANCE'
https://www.insauga.com/hazmat-team-called-in-oakville-school-evacuated-because-of-noxious-substance/
Tags: Canada, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
The incident occurred just as the school day was ending at Thomas A. Blakelock High School when students and teachers began complaining about irritated eyes with some indicating they had trouble breathing. It’s reported that one person, a teacher, was taken to hospital.
According to reports, initially the school was placed under lockdown but then students were ordered out of the building as a hazmat team was called in to investigate.
Located on Rebecca St., approximately 1,000 students attend Blakelock but sources say many of the students had already left for the day when the incident occurred.
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NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY LAB MANAGER CHARGED WITH STAGING HOAX MARK ZUCKERBERG ‘EXPLOSION’
https://news.yahoo.com/northeastern-university-lab-manager-charged-163823219.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADOUCm0HAqWU8k8AiMETNBs8hRC8aU2cq5I834jjuEyt_vw-ESK6W7B0EMDh1DseTahrL-RZLjD0r5hiU92Esxd8Lwu9T4Um-ySZl1MhXK9gVG1C2ILDPFwbwpHAiHqyz_381Wk3ModsFBRLg7qZOgyPfPNggu9nrK3IqQj0PbCU
Tags: us_MA, education, follow-up, environmental, bomb, illegal
A Northeastern university lab manager has been charged with staging a hoax ‘explosion’ that a threatening manifesto claimed was inspired by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Jason Duhaime is accused of staging the incident at the Boston university last month, in which he claimed that a package that arrived in the mail exploded and a letter inside it demanded that the lab stopped working on virtual reality and the Metaverse.
Federal prosecutors have now charged Mr Duhaime with conveying false information and hoaxes related to an explosive device and making materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements to an agency of the US government.
The suspect is the New Technology Manager and Director of the Immersive Media Lab at Northeastern, and the incident took place in the building it is housed in.
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EXPLOSION OCCURS IN CHEMICAL FACTORY IN UZBEKISTAN
http://www.uniindia.com/explosion-occurs-in-chemical-factory-in-uzbekistan/world/news/2835429.html
Tags: Uzbekistan, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Tashkent, Oct 4 (UNI) An explosion occurred Tuesday morning in a chemical factory in Chirchiq town, Tashkent region, Uzbekistan's Emergency Situations Ministry said.
The firefighters and emergency teams have arrived at the scene and the situation is under control, the official said.
No more details were given.
The incident took place in a workshop of a joint venture named Maxam Chirchiq, one of the largest chemical factories in Uzbekistan.
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WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO LIMIT PFAS EXPOSURE FOR FIREFIGHTERS
https://www.wect.com/2022/10/04/what-needs-be-done-limit-pfas-exposure-firefighters/
Tags: us_NC, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are not a new concept to firefighters because they have been an issue for many years. The bunker gear that they wear everyday is consumed with PFAS, which then absorbs into their skin.
When idle, bunker gear isn’t very harmful. But when heated, which may occur when battling a fire, the chemical activates and is then absorbed into the skin. Studies have shown that these chemicals may lead to cancer or other life-threatening diseases.
Globally, 75 percent of firefighters whose names appeared on the International Firefighters Association’s (IAFF) Memorial Wall between 2015-2020 died of cancer, according to the IAFF.
Firefighters know what they sign up for when it comes to risky situations, but PFAS shouldn’t be one of the problems by simply wearing their uniform.
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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO PORT OF VANCOUVER CANNERY AFTER HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL MIXTURE REPORTED
https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/oct/04/hazmat-team-called-to-port-of-vancouver-cannery-after-hazardous-chemical-mixture-reported/
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, acids
Medical personnel evaluated 12 employees who potentially inhaled a hazardous chemical mixture Tuesday morning at Northwest Packing Co. at the Port of Vancouver.
The Vancouver Fire Department responded at about 11 a.m. to the processing plant at 1701 W. 16th St. Members of the Hazardous Materials Team responded, along with three engines and a ladder truck, for a total of 17 fire department personnel, according to a news release.
The exposure was caused when two acids were accidentally combined into the same storage container, according to the fire department.
Twelve employees who were in the area were evacuated and evaluated by AMR personnel. All of the employees refused to be transported to local hospitals, the news release states.
The Vancouver fire HazMat Team entered the building wearing chemical suits to check on the chemicals and to shut down plant operations that could not continue without supervision, the department said.
Northwest Packing Co. is a fruit cannery facility.
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23 STAFF MEMBERS DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER ACID LEAK AT THK FACILITY – THE BROCK PRESS
https://brockpress.com/2022/10/03/23-staff-members-discharged-from-hospital-after-acid-leak-at-thk-facility/
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
A chemical spill at the THK Rhythm automotive facility sent 23 workers to the St. Catharines General Hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 27, with three workers having been directly exposed to hydrochloric acid.
According to St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper, a third-party contractor working at the facility accidentally hit a valve, opening it in the process. Approximately five litres of hydrochloric acid spilled out of the valve before it was quickly closed by staff members, and the hazardous chemical quickly vapourized within the room where the leak took place.
Upper explained emergency crews used a decontamination facility at THK before staff members were sent to the hospital for inspection. He assured community members that the vapour cloud was completely contained inside the facility, posing no threat to the public.
Three workers who suffered direct exposure to the acid leak were rushed to the hospital as CTAS 2 (Canadian Triage Acuity Scale) patients, said Bryce Brunarski, a spokesperson for Niagara EMS Operations. In a statement to Narcity, Brunarski added that “[the affected workers] were decontaminated by facility staff with support from our CBRNE paramedics and St Catharines fire.”
Alongside the three individuals who made contact with the acid, 20 more workers made their way to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Nine of these workers were brought to the hospital to evaluate the risk and severity of their potential injuries with minor exposure to the leak. 10 of the staff members, none of whom suffered symptoms but were still at potential risk, used the St. Catharines Transit bus system to get to the hospital. One more worker made it to the hospital alone.
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FRV TACKLES VIVA CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.bay939.com.au/news/local-news/136784-frv-tackles-viva-chemical-spill
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, kerosene
Fire crews have helped to contain a chemical leak at Viva Energy's Corio refinery.
The company sounded a "minor" alarm at about 3.20pm on Monday after the discovery of what it called a "small" kerosene spill.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) units attended the site and worked with the refinery's own teams to fix the issue.
The all-clear was given just after 5.30pm.
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WELDING AT OIL TERMINAL CAUSED WORKER INJURIES, INVESTIGATORS SAY
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Welding-oil-terminal-caused-worker/100/web/2022/10
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, injury, flammables, petroleum
Company and contractor errors led to a 2016 fire and explosion that injured seven workers at a Texas crude oil terminal, federal investigators say. These conclusions are in a final report on the incident at the Sunoco Nederland oil terminal that the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released Sept. 28.
The explosion occurred when L-Con Inc., a Sunoco contractor, was welding a pipe segment that held residual crude oil. The oil caught fire, over-pressurized the pipe, and blew out isolation devices installed at the pipe ends. This ejected burning oil and the isolation device remnants from both ends of the pipe and injured the workers, according to the report.
Both Sunoco and L-Con had developed procedures to provide employees with guidance on how to safely conduct hot work operations, the report says. But the CSB found that guidance was inadequate because regulations do not allow hot work on equipment containing flammable material.
Specifically, the investigation found that the pipe involved in the incident contained residual flammable crude oil which was not adequately cleaned or made inert.
CSB acting executive Steven Owens notes the board’s long history of investigating hot work incidents and that they are “well-understood events and avoidable.” He and lead investigator Lauren Johnson add that much information on ways to avoid hot work fires and explosions is available to chemical- and oil-related industries but is often not followed.
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