Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 6:38:03 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 (7 articles)
LOS ALAMOS LAB EXPLOSION WORRIES RESIDENTS
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, explosion, environmental, unknown_chemical
PROPANE EXPLOSION FELT NEARLY 15 MILES AWAY; HOMEOWNER IN HOSPITAL, OFFICIALS SAY
Tags: us_SC, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
ICHCA RE-EVALUATES AMMONIUM NITRATE ADVICE, POST-BEIRUT EXPLOSION
Tags: Australia, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
TANKER CARRYING GASOLINE CRASHES ON RAMP TO GET ONTO I-270
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, injury, diesel, gasoline
THIRD PERSON DIES IN FIREWORKS WAREHOUSE FIRE
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, death, fireworks
NAVY REFUSES TO PUBLICLY RELEASE VIDEO OF LATEST RED HILL SPILL
Tags: us_HI, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
US ORDERS CHEMICALS REMOVED AT VIRGIN ISLANDS OIL REFINERY
Tags: us_VI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonia, butane, hydrogen_sulfide, petroleum, propane
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LOS ALAMOS LAB EXPLOSION WORRIES RESIDENTS
http://www.riograndesun.com/news/los-alamos-lab-explosion-worries-residents/article_67f1e2fc-75cb-11ed-bd42-1f29673cd8af.html
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, explosion, environmental, unknown_chemical
An explosion conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory last week alarmed residents across the Española Valley, some of who called law enforcement to report the blast, officials said.
The explosion happened around 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 30, according to the Los Alamos County Police Department.
The agency “received numerous calls about a loud explosion” and confirmed the laboratory “conducted a routine detonation,” police said in a Facebook post.
According to a laboratory spokesperson, the facility “conducted a high explosive shot as part of a training exercise.”
The sound from the shot, helped along by atmospheric conditions and wind direction, carried toward Los Alamos neighborhoods—and beyond.
“All operational parameters for the exercise were within specified limits,” the spokesperson said.
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PROPANE EXPLOSION FELT NEARLY 15 MILES AWAY; HOMEOWNER IN HOSPITAL, OFFICIALS SAY
https://www.kplctv.com/2022/12/06/propane-explosion-felt-nearly-15-miles-away-homeowner-hospital-officials-say/
Tags: us_SC, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
SMOAKS, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) - A homeowner in South Carolina has been taken to a hospital for burns after an explosion at his house.
WCSC reports first responders were called to a house fire in Colleton County on Monday around 8 p.m.
Colleton County Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief David Greene said a person was in the home at the time of the explosion and was working on a gas line before it exploded.
The man was taken to the hospital with stable vital signs.
Authorities said the explosion was felt nearly 15 miles away and left a large debris field that closed roads in the area.
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ICHCA RE-EVALUATES AMMONIUM NITRATE ADVICE, POST-BEIRUT EXPLOSION
https://theloadstar.com/ichca-re-evaluates-ammonium-nitrate-advice-post-beirut-explosion/
Tags: Australia, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
The international Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) has issued new guidelines on the safe handling of ammonium nitrate, the combustible substance that exploded in the port of Beirut in August 2020.
The carriage and storage of ammonium nitrate is an ongoing issue, with the requirement to understand the properties of the various types of the chemical available and used.
ICHCA CEO Richard Steele told The Loadstar: “The latest guidance from ICHCA is about mitigating risk in the event of an emergency aboard ship, it’s about clarifying and re-emphasising how ammonium nitrate should be handled.”
Ammonium nitrate under normal circumstances is considered benign, but under some conditions that changes, and it is important to understand what those conditions are and to avoid them, warns Mr Steele, adding that storing ammonium nitrate away from heat sources is critical.
It is clear that labelling of chemicals with the potential for catastrophic consequences requires clarity.
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TANKER CARRYING GASOLINE CRASHES ON RAMP TO GET ONTO I-270
https://www.10tv.com/article/traffic/tanker-carrying-gasoline-flips-crashes-ramp-from-roberts-road-to-i-270/530-7eb282b7-523a-45ef-a8b1-a2b1e312eebb
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, injury, diesel, gasoline
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A tanker carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel flipped over on a ramp from Roberts Road to Interstate 270 north near Hilliard Monday night.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. and the ramp to get onto I-270 north from Roberts Road are shut down.
Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Steven Martin said the tanker is leaking gas and diesel. The driver of the tanker was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
A hazmat crew has been been called to the scene to help with the incident.
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THIRD PERSON DIES IN FIREWORKS WAREHOUSE FIRE
https://www.kplctv.com/2022/12/05/third-person-dies-fireworks-warehouse-fire/
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, death, fireworks
ORLANDO, Fla. (WESH) – A third person has died from a a fireworks warehouse fire.
The company that owns the warehouse that caught fire with workers trapped inside is responding to the tragedy.
Orange County Sheriff’s office said Landon Bourland was 24 years old.
The family’s spokesperson said he died at the hospital Friday with loved ones by his side.
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NAVY REFUSES TO PUBLICLY RELEASE VIDEO OF LATEST RED HILL SPILL
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/12/05/breaking-news/navy-refuses-to-publicly-release-video-of-latest-red-hill-spill/
Tags: us_HI, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
The Navy today said it would release video footage of last week’s spill of toxic fire suppressant chemicals at Red Hill to federal and state environmental regulators, but not the public claiming that doing so could impede its investigation into the latest accident at its massive underground fuel facility.
The Navy’s decision to withhold the footage from the public was immediately panned by the Hawaii Sierra Club, which called it “outrageous.”
“The Navy continues to talk about transparency while hiding evidence of its repeated contamination of our environment,” said David Kimo Frankel, an attorney for the environmental group.
For months, since last year’s Red Hill fuel spill that contaminated the Navy’s drinking water system, the Navy has vowed transparency as it has sought to repair its relationship with local leaders and the community. But the latest environmental screw-up is again straining relationships, including with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, which expressed frustration last week that it had not been immediately informed of the spill.
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US ORDERS CHEMICALS REMOVED AT VIRGIN ISLANDS OIL REFINERY
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-orders-chemicals-removed-virgin-islands-oil-refinery-94505018
Tags: us_VI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonia, butane, hydrogen_sulfide, petroleum, propane
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday ordered the owners of an oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands to remove thousands of pounds of chemicals from the site, warning that its pipes and valves are severely corroded and in disrepair.
The EPA estimates that more than 40,000 pounds (18,000 kilograms) of anhydrous ammonia and more than 37,000 pounds (16,000 kilograms) of liquefied petroleum gas are stored at the refinery in St. Croix. It also ordered the removal of hydrogen sulfide.
The order comes after the EPA inspected the refinery in September and found serious deficiencies that could lead to a fire or chemical release, including piping and valves on LPG units that are severely corroded and in disrepair. Last month, the EPA announced the oil refinery could not resume operations without obtaining a clean air permit.
The refinery was forced to pause operations in May 2021 following an EPA emergency order, with the agency noting that the facility is located near marginalized communities where people have been sickened and schools forced to close.
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