Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:36:45 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO AMMONIA LEAK AT EMPTY ST. PETERSBURG WAREHOUSE - ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, http://www.tampabay .com/news/publicsafety/hazmat-crews-respond-to-ammonia-leak-at-empty-st-pe tersburg-warehouse/1130843

ST. PETERSBURG =E2=80=94 Hazardous materials crews responded Thursday to an ammonia leak at an empty seafood warehouse that resulted in no injuries.

The incident began about 1:30 p.m. as firefighters with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue were doing a routine hazardous materials inspection at 333 16th Ave. S, said Lt. Joel Granata, a department spokesman. The building houses a processing facility for Key West Fresh and Frozen Seafood.

When they got there, the door was open and there was a strong odor of anhydrous ammonia, a toxic chemical that can cause breathing difficulties, Granata said. Hazardous materials firefighters began searching the building. They found a 14-gallon ammonia tank with about 5 gallons left in it and what appeared to be a small leak at the valve, Granata said. A total of 27 hazmat technicians from St. Petersburg, Largo, Pinellas Park, Palm Harbor and Seminole were involved.

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CHLORINE VAPORS CLOSE SLP HIGH SCHOOL'S POOL - WCCO.COM, http:// wcco.com/local/chlorine.pool.school.2.1986076.html

ST. LOUIS PARK (WCCO) =E2=80=95 
Four St. Louis Park High School students have been taken to a nearby hospital for observation after a problem with the ventilation at the school's pool, according to police. 

Police say just after 7 p.m. a generator failed, causing the system that vents chlorine vapors from the pool area to not work properly. St. Louis Park has had two power outages in the past few days, but none affecting the school. 

Responders in Hazmat suits from Hopkins are checking out the scene. School officials haven't decided yet if there will be classes Friday.

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THE FRIDAY FLYER, OCTOBER 29, 2010 - ARTICLE: MIXING CLEANING SOLUTIONS APPARENTLY LEADS TO FATALITY, http:// www.thefridayflyer.com/FF-2010-10-29/FFS-15705.htm

An incident occurred in the 30,000 block of Rim Rock Pl. that could have been the source of rumors a week ago. 
     On Wednesday evening, October 20, police and paramedics were called to a home where a man collapsed and died. A woman was taken away in an ambulance, and bystanders saw police, fire trucks, two Hazmat units and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), treating the area as they would a hazardous materials scene, leading some to believe there might have been a methamphetamine lab. Subsequent evidence seems to indicate this was not the case. 
     The incident is still under investigation, according to CLPD Cpl. Ole Williams; however, a neighbor, who is also a nurse, became involved in this incident soon after the victim was discovered and these were her observations: 
     The nurse heard a woman screaming in their cul-de-sac so she rushed to her assistance. The woman said she had found her boyfriend "unconscious=" inside. The nurse went in with her and immediately smelled strong fumes. She reported the fumes when she called 911. When the nurse and girlfriend attempted to turn over the victim to provide CPR, the nurse recognized he already was deceased. At that time, she also observed carpet-cleaning equipment and a large fan nearby.

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EXPLOSIVE BLAZE HITS GEORGIA RECYCLING CENTER | FIREHOUSE.COM, http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/explo sive-blaze-hits-georgia-recycling-center

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. --
Firefighters battled a blaze at a Norcross plastics recycling facility on Wednesday afternoon.
Channel 2's Manuel Bojorquez was on Northwoods Parkway, where crews were fighting the flames.
Workers alerted authorities about a fire that erupted outside the facility around 1:15 p.m., firefighters said.
They said some equipment caught fire and propane tanks exploded outside. Firefighters said they don't know what caused the fire.
The building was damaged, but all of the workers made it out safely, firefighters said.

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2 CHEMICAL DEPOTS FINED TK 700,000 | BANGLADESH | BDNEWS24.COM, http: //bdnews24.com/details.php?id=177429&amp;cid=2

Dhaka, Oct 28 (bdnews24.com) =E2=80=94 A mobile court has fined two warehouses in Old Dhaka for storing flammable chemicals, hours after an explosion in the same area. 

Mohammad Asad, owner of a warehouse at Bangshal, was fined Tk 400,000 on Thursday for storing flammable chemicals without a fire certificate. 

Locals said the area was covered with smoke after the explosion in the warehouse. 

They brought out a number processions immediately following the explosion demanding eviction of chemical warehouses from the area.

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NITRIC ACID LEAK IN OHIO, http://toledoblade.com/article/20101028/NEWS16/101029585/-1/NEWS01

WAUSEON =E2=80=94 Eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike were closed in Fulton County Thursday afternoon due to a leak of nitric acid from a box truck.

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MAN OVERCOME BY CHEMICAL FUMES - ABC NEWS (AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION), http:// www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/28/3050804.htm

A council worker in the mid-north has been taken to Port Augusta Hospital after being overcome by fumes at a farm near Wilmington.

Police say a farmer saw a man in a white utility emptying a drum on the side of a track near his farm on Wednesday.

The council worker went to investigate on Thursday but was overcome by what police said were toxic fumes and needed treatment by paramedics.

Fire crews with breathing masks were called in to remove a chemical from the area.

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FIRE IN CITY'S TWO CHEMICAL WAREHOUSES, http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?ne ws_id=116051&amp;date=2010-10-29

Chemical warehouse once again caused another fire incident in the city's densely populated Bangshal area Thursday, firefighters said.

Fire Brigade`s deputy director Abdur Rashid said the fire originated at about 11:55am from the ground floor of a three-storey building at 4/1 Gobinda Das Lane, burning down the chemical factory.

"Flammable chemicals were kept at the ground floor," he said, adding that chemical reaction is detected as a cause of the fire incident in the preliminary inspection. 

He, however, said no one was injured in the incident as their several units rushed to the spot and doused the blaze after half an hour of frantic efforts with the help of police and locals.

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LARGE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE SPILL IN HAMILTON OUTSKIRTS | NATIONAL NEWS, http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/large-chemical-spill-in-hamilton-3 864671

There has been a large chemical spill at a laboratory on the outskirts of Hamilton.

Five fire trucks, police and ambulance crews have been at Ecolab just off Vickery Street in the suburb of Bryant Park for about an hour trying to contain the spill.

Fire communications shift manager Steve Smith says a large quantity of hydrogen peroxide has been spilt.

The laboratory has been evacuated while a clean up takes place.

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EVERYONE OK AFTER STRANGE ODOR AT PRESCOTT CASINO SICKENS PEOPLE - THE PRESCOTT DAILY COURIER - PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionI D=1&amp;SubSectionID=1&amp;ArticleID=86774
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Prescott and Central Yavapai firefighters and their hazardous materials teams answered a 911 call Saturday from Bucky's Casino in Prescott after people became nauseous from a strange odor in the building, said Eric Kriwer, spokesman for the Prescott Fire Department.

No one at the scene needed treatment, Kriwer said.

People were evacuated from the casino and the firefighters and hazmat teams monitored the air on three floors to see what caused the odors, but they found no gas leaks or any other indication of what may have cause the odor, Kriwer said.

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FBI TO EXECUTE SEARCH AT WEST TOLEDO HOME : NEWS : TOLEDOONTHEMOVE.COM, http:/ /www.toledoonthemove.com/news/story.aspx?id=531870

TOLEDO, OHIO -- Federal officials from FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia have been called to Toledo after police officers found highly-toxic chemicals inside a West Toledo home Tuesday.

A HazMat situation shut down a portion of the Safety Building in downtown Toledo and sent several Toledo Police officers to the hospital after finding the chemicals, along with illegal controlled substances, inside the home of Thomas Wineinger.

Police say they responded to a call of domestic violence at the suspect's home, at 4716 Douglas Rd., Tuesday evening.  After transporting evidence from the scene to the Safety Building, two officers became exposed to an unknown chemical.  Nine officers were taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center as a precaution, according to a spokesperson from the fire department, and are doing fine.

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FIREFIGHTERS FIGHT CHEMICAL SPILLAGE - NEWS - ROUNDUP - ARTICLES - CUMNOCK CHRONICLE, http://www.cumnockchronicle.c om/news/roundup/articles/2010/10/27/406593-firefighters-fight-chemical-spi llage/

Fire Crews from Kilmarnock and Maybole tackledf a chemical spillage within an Intensive Care Ward within Ayr Hospital, Dalmellington Road at around 6.45pm on tuesday night
Upon arrival Firefighters assisted hospital staff in the immediate evacuation of patients to a safe area, and requested the attendance of Strathclyde Fire &amp; Rescues Technical Support Unit.
Firefighters wearing Chemical Protection Suits and Breathing Apparatus identified and sealed a leak of Ammonia which was released from a refridgeration unit within a compartment close to the ward. The refridgeration unit was removed from the premises and the ward was fully ventilated.
A total of eight hospital staff were taken to the Accident &amp; Emergency Department at the hospital, upon compaining of minor breathing difficulties and headaches.

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CLASSES CANCELED AT FORDSON HIGH BECAUSE OF POOL CHEMICAL INCIDENT | DETNEWS.COM | THE DETROIT NEWS, http: //www.detnews.com/article/20101027/SCHOOLS/10270387/1361/beta/Classes-canc eled-at-Fordson-High-because-of-pool-chemical-incident

Dearborn - One person was overcome with fumes this morning at Fordson High School after pool chemicals were improperly mixed, officials said. The resulting noxious fumes caused the evacuation of the school and the eventual dismissal of classes for the day.
According to Fire Chief Rich Miller, a preliminary investigation shows that pool chemicals were somehow improperly mixed or applied, which caused noxious fumes to infiltrate the school.
Miller said the school employee who accidentally applied the chemical was overcome by the vapors and was sent to a walk-in facility for treatment.
It is believed the chemicals involved were chlorine and muriatic acid, both of which are used to treat pool water. The city of Dearborn also asked for the Wayne County Hazardous Materials Team to respond to the incident.

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