Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, November 18, 2022 at 6:49:19 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 (11 articles)
SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS TRAILER FULL OF CHEMICALS STOLEN
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
FUEL SPILL CAUSES EVACUATION IN PA, 6,000 OF GALLONS COMBINED OF GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL TANKER TRUCK OVERTURNED
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, diesel, gasoline
EPA MOVES TO REGULATE METHYLENE CHLORIDE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, methylene_chloride
MARYLAND CONDO BUILDING EXPLODES, CATCHES FIRE; AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE INJURED – FOX13 NEWS MEMPHIS
Tags: us_MD, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT HOUSE EXPLODES, INJURING 2 PEOPLE – FOX13 NEWS MEMPHIS
Tags: us_IN, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
ANALYSIS FINDS CAUSE OF MAJOR LNG EXPORTER FACILITY FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, natural_gas
FOUR SUFFER BURN INJURIES DUE TO GLYCERINE LEAKAGE AT RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN WORLI
Tags: India, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
TOXICITY TESTS SOUGHT FOR PVA PLASTIC ON DETERGENT PODS
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, cleaners, water_treatment
HEFTY FINES AND PENALTIES FOR VIOLATORS OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL DISPOSAL LAWS, SAY SAUDI OFFICIALS
Tags: Saudi_Arabia, public, discovery, environmental, waste
THREE KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY BLAST AT GOWRIPATNAM- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, ethanol
CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL VAPE CHARGER
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, fire, response, batteries
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SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS TRAILER FULL OF CHEMICALS STOLEN
https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-fire-department-trailer-chemicals-stolen/41998346
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The Sacramento Fire Department said Thursday that one of its trailers full of hazardous chemicals from a deceased chemist was stolen.
The chemicals inside that trailer could be dangerous if inhaled, the fire department said.
Fire crews in late October went to a scheduled clean-up of a home in the 7500 block of 19th Street. Dozens of personnel in hazardous material — or hazmat — suits worked to identify, label, package and dispose of the chemicals. The chemicals were in that trailer temporarily until they were set to be properly disposed of.
The home belonged to a chemist who died earlier this summer, the fire department said. Their home was full of about 100 different chemicals, but they were all household products and materials that can be found at any store.
It is unknown when the trailer was stolen. The trailer is 12 feet long and white with a black top and silver reflective stripes down both sides. The letters "CRFTA" are printed on both sides of the trailer.
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FUEL SPILL CAUSES EVACUATION IN PA, 6,000 OF GALLONS COMBINED OF GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL TANKER TRUCK OVERTURNED
https://tanktransport.com/2022/11/fuel-spill-causes-evacuation-in-pa/
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, diesel, gasoline
undreds of Bethlehem, Pa., residents were evacuated from their homes today after 6,000 of gallons of fuel spilled out of an overturned tanker truck near Paul Avenue and West Union Boulevard on the city’s west side.
About 2:08 a.m., city police responded to the intersection, where a Dalton Delivery Service tanker truck carrying about 6,000 gallons combined of gasoline and diesel fuel overturned, according to a news release from police Capt. Nicholas P. Lechman.
About 2:08 a.m., city police responded to the intersection, where a Dalton Delivery Service tanker truck carrying about 6,000 gallons combined of gasoline and diesel fuel overturned, according to a news release from police Capt. Nicholas P. Lechman.
“We are in the process of determining what residences are safe to return to, and clean-up will continue throughout the day,” Lechman said. “The events leading up to the accident are still under investigation.”
West Union Boulevard remains closed between Pennsylvania and 16th avenues, as well as side streets in the area, he said. Drivers should expect delays and avoid the area if possible.
Colleen Connolly, northeast regional spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency’s emergency response team responded to the spill.
“We’re just assessing the environmental impacts at this point,” she said. Earlier in the morning, she reported some of the material reached Monocacy Creek. However, just after 10 a.m., she said sand berms below 14th Street had protected the creek.
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EPA MOVES TO REGULATE METHYLENE CHLORIDE
https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/EPA-moves-regulate-methylene-chloride/100/i41
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, methylene_chloride
The US Environmental Protection Agency is one step closer to regulating methylene chloride. The common solvent poses unreasonable risks to human health, the agency says in an assessment finalized Nov. 10.
The EPA identified risks for cancer, liver disease, and neurotoxicity. The agency found similar risks in June 2020, but it revisited that assessment to reflect policy changes made in July 2021. Those changes include not assuming workers wear personal protective equipment and determining the risks of the chemical overall rather than for each particular use.
Methylene chloride is found in consumer products like adhesives, sealants, degreasers, and cleaners. It is also used to make refrigerants. The chemical is one of the first 10 that the EPA is evaluating under amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act enacted in 2016.
The EPA is expected to propose a rule for minimizing the risks of methylene chloride within the next year. The rule could include banning or restricting certain uses and requiring warnings on products that contain methylene chloride.
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MARYLAND CONDO BUILDING EXPLODES, CATCHES FIRE; AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE INJURED – FOX13 NEWS MEMPHIS
https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/trending/maryland-condo-building-explodes-catches-fire-least-12-people-injured/FP5AQHHK6NA2JKVEMGLDM766KI/
Tags: us_MD, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — At least 12 people have been injured after a condominium in Gaithersburg, Maryland, exploded and caught fire Wednesday.
According to WBAL, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said that a fire and explosion were reported just before 9 a.m. at the Potomac Oaks condominium complex Wednesday. The fire became a second alarm after crews arrived to heavy flames at the scene.
Piringer said, according to WBAL, that 12 people were injured. 10 people were taken to the hospital. Two of the 10 were taken to a trauma center. The other eight were four adults and four children who had mild to moderate injuries. Two others were treated at the scene and were not taken to the hospital.
People had reported to investigators at the scene that they smelled gas Wednesday morning, but Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said, according to The Associated Press, that no one called 911 to report a gas leak before the explosion. The last gas-related call about one of the affected buildings happened at the end of September, Goldstein said.
The Montgomery County Council released a statement following the fire and explosion, saying that over 100 firefighters and first responders responded to the condominium complex.
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VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT HOUSE EXPLODES, INJURING 2 PEOPLE – FOX13 NEWS MEMPHIS
https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/trending/video-shows-moment-house-explodes-injuring-2-people/YIQ3CF33LFE5DKOCGCSPOTZKXE/
Tags: us_IN, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
PRINCETON, Ind. — Investigators said natural gas was to blame for an explosion that destroyed a house and sent two people to the hospital.
The explosion around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday blasted the roof off the structure. A video recorded by a doorbell camera from a home across the street was shared with WEHT and shows the explosion.
The Princeton Fire Territory shared photos of the destroyed home on its Facebook page, and said that two people were taken to a hospital with burns. Firefighters arriving on the scene “found debris scattered around the house with sections of the house that had collapsed,” as well as fire from the explosion.
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ANALYSIS FINDS CAUSE OF MAJOR LNG EXPORTER FACILITY FIRE
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/analysis-finds-cause-of-major-lng-exporter-facility-fire/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, natural_gas
A FIRE which resulted in the shutdown of major US LNG export facilities in June has been found to be due to isolation of cryogenic liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a piping segment without proper overpressure protection.
On 8 June, a fire broke out at Freeport LNG’s Quintana Island site on the Texas Gulf coast, prompting a shutdown and supply concerns. No fatalities or injuries were reported. Following the incident, Freeport said it expected partial operations to begin in September with full operations late in the year, but has since said that it anticipates phased restart to begin in early to mid-November with full capacity coming in March 2023. It is yet to announce a restart.
Freeport has already acted on recommendations to address root and contributing causes identified as part of an almost five-month long investigation by incident investigator IFO Group.
In its root cause failure analysis (RCFA), IFO concluded that the direct cause of the incident was isolation of a piping segment containing cryogenic LNG which lacked proper overpressure protection. Exposure to ambient conditions caused the LNG to warm and expand, resulting in a boiling liquid, expanding vapour explosion, or BLEVE, and rupture of the piping segment.
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FOUR SUFFER BURN INJURIES DUE TO GLYCERINE LEAKAGE AT RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN WORLI
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/four-suffer-burn-injuries-due-to-glycerine-leakage-at-research-institute-in-worli-101668626285220.html
Tags: India, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
After the incident, the injured were first admitted to the Jaslok hospital where they were provided first aid treatment and then all four patients were shifted to the National Burns centre in Airoli
Mumbai: Four staff members of Sasmira Institute of Design and Textile in Worli were injured in a chemical leakage during one of their routine experiments on Wednesday at around 1pm.
One of the staffers, 20-year-old Pratiksha Ghume, suffered maximum burns (72%) in the incident.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it was a level 1 glycerine leakage.
The injured were first rushed to the Jaslok Hospital and later, shifted to the National Burns Centre located at Airoli.
Other staffers, Shraddha Shinde, 27, and Prajyot Vade, 21, suffered 40% burns and sixty-year-old Rajiv Kulkarni suffered 19% burns and were all admitted to the ICU as per information provided by Dr Amol Mhatre from National Burns centre in Airoli.
A senior official from the Sasmira Institute said, “It is an unfortunate incident that happened with our staff. The incident occurred in the chemistry lab. The incident involved a small machine, which was in perfect working condition, we are trying to assess what went wrong in the lab. Our preliminary focus is to get the best treatment for those injured. All those injured are staff members of the institute. The incident happened around 1pm in the chemistry lab.”
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TOXICITY TESTS SOUGHT FOR PVA PLASTIC ON DETERGENT PODS
https://cen.acs.org/environment/Toxicity-tests-sought-PVA-plastic/100/i41
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, cleaners, water_treatment
cleaning products company and environmental activists are asking the US Environmental Protection Agency to require health and safety tests on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). This water-soluble plastic is widely used to encase pods containing concentrated laundry and dishwasher detergents.
They are also petitioning the EPA to remove PVA from the Safer Choice program’s list of chemicals that the agency considers safer for human health and the environment than ingredients with similar functional properties. The EPA should keep PVA off this list until after manufacturers complete health and safety testing under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the petition says.
The company filing the petition is Blueland, a cleaning products manufacturer that makes pressed-powder pods for home and personal-care products. Blueland’s products directly compete with PVA-based products. Joining Blueland is the nonprofit Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Citing a paper published in 2021, the petitioners say that although PVA dissolves in water, wastewater treatment doesn’t completely degrade the chemical. The material has significant potential to persist in waterways, oceans, and soils, they argue. Plus, PVA in aquatic ecosystems can mobilize toxics such as metals, pesticides, and flame retardants from sediments to waters, they say. One study found PVA particles, in addition to other types of microplastics, in human breast milk (Polymers, 2022, DOI: 10.3390/polym14132700)
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HEFTY FINES AND PENALTIES FOR VIOLATORS OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL DISPOSAL LAWS, SAY SAUDI OFFICIALS
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2200526/saudi-arabia
Tags: Saudi_Arabia, public, discovery, environmental, waste
Riyadh: The National Center for Environmental Compliance said those who illegally dispose of “hazardous materials in environmental surroundings” face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to SR30 million ($8 million), or both penalties.
The penalties are due to “the gravity of this violation and the resulting severe damage to the environment,” according to the center’s official spokesman, Abdullah Sayel Al-Mutairi.
According to Saudi Arabia’s environmental laws, hazardous waste is “waste that causes harm to the environment, its components, and human health, and retains dangerous or infectious properties, such as high toxicity, explosiveness, or interaction, and has no use unless it is treated in accordance with special requirements.”
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THREE KILLED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY BLAST AT GOWRIPATNAM- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2022/nov/16/three-killed-in-chemical-factory-blast-at-gowripatnam-2518727.html
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, ethanol
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: An explosion at a chemical factory at Gowripatnam in East Godavari district claimed lives of three workers on Tuesday.The deceased have been identified as Y Ratnababu, VV Satyanarayana and D Mahider. According to Kovvur DSP VSN Varma, the blast occurred at Vision Drugs factory in Devarapalli mandal at around 11.30 am.
“The blast happened in the production block in the factory when the three employees were trying to remove the ethonol, struck in the pipe, with an iron rod. A probe has been launched to enquire whether the explosion occurred due to leakage or labor work fault. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to Kovvur government hospital for postmortem,” said the DSP.
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CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL VAPE CHARGER
https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/incidents/i9246/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, fire, response, batteries
Firefighters were called to reports of a house fire in Maldon this afternoon (Tuesday 15 November).
When the first fire crews arrived, they reported the first floor of the house was full of smoke and a bedroom was engulfed in flames. The fire has also spread to the roof.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and extinguished the blaze.
Watch Manager Martin Cable, Maldon Fire Station, said:
"This fire has caused extensive damage to the house and the occupants will not be able to live there for some time - there is a lot of damage to repair.
"The fire started in the bedroom where a vape, which was plugged into a charger, was left on the bed unattended. The vape overheated and caught the bedding and mattress alight. The fire then spread around the bedroom.
"Incidents like this show how important it is to think about how you should charge your electrical items safely. We advise that you only use a reputable charger, and not a cheap alterntive which are often not tested or conform to safety standards. We also urge people not to leave any electrical items charging unattended and to place the items on a fire resistant surface, not a bed or sofa which are much more flammable."
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