Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 8:15:01 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 (16 articles)

AMMONIA LEAK FORCES LOCAL PEPSI PLANT'S EVACUATION
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

FERTILIZER SPILL HAMPERS MORNING COMMUTE FOR MOTORISTS IN CANTON.
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ag_chems

FOUL ODOR, SICK RESIDENTS PROMPT APARTMENT EVACUATION
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

OLYMPIC TOODL AND MACHINE COMPANY EMPLOYEES BURNED IN ASTON FIRE
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, injury, magnesium

OFFICIALS DETERMINE CAUSE OF CROTON HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_NY, public, release, environmental, unknown_chemical, follow-up

3 TREATED IN PEACHTREE CITY HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, injury, adhesives

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CAUSES OF HAZMAT TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, 
follow-up

DABNEY HALL EVACUATED DUE TO SUSPECTED GAS LEAK
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

20 EMPLOYEES EVACUATED AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, response, ammonia

CANTON: U.S. ROUTE 30 REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT SPILL
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ag_chems

CHEMICAL LEAK SHUTS DOWN I-10 FOR HOURS
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL SPILL IN CROWLEY
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

TYSON WORKERS SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN SPRINGDALE
Tags: us_AR, industrial, release, injury, chlorine

NARROW ESCAPE FOR TWO AS WALL COLLAPSES IN COLLEGE
Tags: India, laboratory, release, response, water

BOSTON COLLEGE STUDENT INJURED IN LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical, followup

RESEARCH LINKS CARBON NANOTUBES TO LUNG CANCER RISK
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, carbon_nanotunes

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AMMONIA LEAK FORCES LOCAL PEPSI PLANT'S EVACUATION

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/196015/40/Ammonia-leak-forces-local-Pe
psi-plants-evacuation
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

ATLANTA -- A building at a Pepsi-Cola plant in northwest Atlanta has 
been declared safe, hours after an ammonia leak shut down the facility.

Atlanta Fire Department officials said a safety alarm first alerted 
workers of the problem Monday night at the plant on Chattahoochee Avenue 
near Marietta Boulevard.

The entire plant was evacuated while hazmat crews checked out the 
facility. At least four workers were treated for exposure to ammonia, 
which firefighters said is used in the plant's air conditioning system. 
Two of the workers were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

---------------------------------------------

FERTILIZER SPILL HAMPERS MORNING COMMUTE FOR MOTORISTS IN CANTON.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/traffic/traffic_news/fertilizer-spill-hampers-
morning-commute-for-motorists-in-canton
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ag_chems

CANTON, Ohio - A crash that occurred Monday evening in Canton slowed 
Tuesday's morning commuters in the area.

The accident, involving a truck carrying fertilizer, happened just after 
6 p.m. along Route 30, near Harrison Avenue, according to Canton police. 

Hazmat crews were called to the scene because of concerns with the 
fertilizer chemicals, and Route 30 was initially shut down in both 
directions, police said.

---------------------------------------------

FOUL ODOR, SICK RESIDENTS PROMPT APARTMENT EVACUATION
http://www.whiotv.com/news/28391638/detail.html
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

DAYTON, Ohio -- A large apartment building was evacuated early Wednesday 
morning after residents began to smell an odd odor.
Authorities said they were worried that it was natural gas or a meth 
lab.
The evacuation forced the residents out of their apartments for hours in 
the 12-unit complex. Officials said the residents started to feel sick, 
with their eyes watering and trouble breathing.
Other residents of the Blackwood Apartments reported terrible odors, 
trouble breathing, coughing and sneezing. Firefighters arrived and said 
they smelled a foreign odor that was causing the irritation.
Not knowing if it was gas or a chemical, firefighters called hazmat and 
evacuated the entire building.
District Fire Chief Vince Wiley said, =93There were able to get a hit in 
several different areas of the building, but unfortunately they could 
not identify the chemicals.=94
Firefighters said because of the unknowns, they shut off the gas service 
to the building and called in narcotics investigators.

---------------------------------------------

OLYMPIC TOODL AND MACHINE COMPANY EMPLOYEES BURNED IN ASTON FIRE

http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2011/06/28/media_town_talk/news/d
oc4e0a57f363cc3080537249.txt
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, injury, magnesium

Four people were injured in a chemical explosion and fire last Thursday 
afternoon at the Olympic Tool and Machine Company on Bridgewater Road in 
Aston.

One of the four reportedly suffered severe burns. All four were 
transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center by ambulance. The 
conditions of the other three victims were unavailable.

Since water cannot be used on a magnesium fire, Boeing fire crews 
manning chemical extinguishers responded to the scene. Fire companies 
from across the area also responded, with Green Ridge Fire Company being 
the command company.

According to the company=92s website, about 50 people work in the 
facility. All employees working at the time were evacuated.

The fire was first reported as an explosion around 2:15p.m. and was 
placed under control around 4p.m.

1
See Full Story

---------------------------------------------

OFFICIALS DETERMINE CAUSE OF CROTON HAZMAT SITUATION

http://ossining.patch.com/articles/officials-determine-cause-of-croton-haz
mat-situation
Tags: us_NY, public, release, environmental, unknown_chemical, follow-up

Officials have determined what kind of chemicals caused a Hazmat 
situation in Croton on June 24. Investigators say typical household 
chemical, spilling into a flooded basement at 61 Young Ave., are to 
blame. The incident caused a portion of the avenue to be shut down in 
until 3:30 p.m.

The Fire Department arrived at the home at 12:15 p.m. They were called 
to the house because of flooding. When firefighters went down into the 
home's basement, their equipment started to indicate that there were 
explosive gas levels in the home. Firefighters later discovered that 
there was an unidentified household chemical in the home's two-foot-high 
basement floodwaters.

---------------------------------------------

3 TREATED IN PEACHTREE CITY HAZMAT SITUATION

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/local_news/peachtree-city-hazmat-situ
ation-20110627-es
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, injury, adhesives

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - Three people were hospitalized with breathing 
problems on Monday after a hazmat situation in Peachtree City. Officials 
say more than 90 workers had to be evacuated from Avery Dennison 
Manufacturing Company on Highway 74.

The situation began around 1:30 p.m. when employees reported an odor 
similar to natural gas. Firefighters in white hazmat suits were called 
in, and authorities say they conducted extensive tests inside the 
building to make sure it was safe.

Three people=97a woman and two men=97were taken to the hospital with 
lightheadedness and breathing problems. They were still receiving 
treatment on Monday evening, but they are expected to be okay.

Authorities say adhesive backing for labels is manufactured there, but 
they found nothing dangerous or hazardous in the air. Workers were 
allowed back in after crews gave the all-clear before 5 p.m.

---------------------------------------------

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CAUSES OF HAZMAT TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS
http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=26618
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, 
follow-up

OTTAWA - Over half of nearly 20,000 hazmat related transport accidents 
in Canada are a result of "human" error, according to Dangerous Goods 
Accident Information System obtained by Canadian Press.

That's reportedly three times more than "equipment," the runner-up 
factor, CP reports after obtaining the database under the Access to 
Information Act.

The leading causes of accidents, which include other transport mode 
other than highway vehicles were: Improperly loading, unloading and 
handling dangerous cargo, drivers losing control of their vehicles, and 
carelessness and negligence.

---------------------------------------------

DABNEY HALL EVACUATED DUE TO SUSPECTED GAS LEAK

http://www.technicianonline.com/news/dabney-hall-evacuated-due-to-suspecte
d-gas-leak-1.2602610
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

Occupants of Dabney Hall, home of the chemistry department and research 
labs, reported a suspicious odor Monday evening, which led the Raleigh 
Fire Department and hazmat team to examine the building.
According to fire department Battalion Chief David Whitley, the hazmat 
team arrived at 7:15 p.m. after a student pulled the fire alarm. The 
firefighters performed a hazmat response, reviewing known hazardous 
chemicals, such as cyanide and ammonia, in Dabney Hall and dispatched an 
initial recon team to monitor chemicals in the building. EMT paramedics 
were on standby to treat possible cases of chemical exposure, but no one 
was affected.
An hour after the initial call, Whitley said all monitor reports were 
negative and there were no confirmed releases of any chemicals in the 
building or its surroundings.
Students and faculty were evacuated from the building and the Campus 
Police closed off Yarbrough Drive--forcing many to wait for the line of 
more than a dozen trucks to clear a path to their vehicles.

---------------------------------------------

20 EMPLOYEES EVACUATED AFTER AMMONIA LEAK

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/localnews/headlines/Employees_evacuated_i
n_Haz-mat_incident_124596614.html
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, response, ammonia

DORAVILLE =97 Twenty employees were evacuated from a Doraville business 
and a neighborhood was locked down due to an anhydrous ammonia leak 
Sunday night, officials said.

The hazmat incident was reported at 8:15 p.m. by an employee of Nordic 
Cold Storage in the 4300 block of Pleasantdale Road. 

Gwinnett fire crews found an extensive vapor cloud showing from the roof 
of the large one-story commercial building on arrival and assisted with 
the evacuation.

Hazmat technicians from Gwinnett and DeKalb agencies entered the 
building and quickly located and isolated a leaking valve, said Gwinnett 
County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Eric Eberly.

---------------------------------------------

CANTON: U.S. ROUTE 30 REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT SPILL

http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/195591/6/Canton-Hazmat-spill-closes-US-Ro
ute-30
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ag_chems

CANTON -- U.S. Route 30 is back open after being closed for much of 
Monday night, into Tuesday morning for cleanup of an accident involving 
a hazardous material spill.

Stark County hazmat crews were on the scene throughout the night 
cleaning up urea nitrate, which is a chemical used in fertilizer.

Urea nitrate is highly explosive.

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL LEAK SHUTS DOWN I-10 FOR HOURS

http://www.wafb.com/story/14986483/traffic-alert-lanes-blocked-i-10-e-at-w
ashington
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
Traffic officials closed the right and center lanes of Interstate 10 due 
to a tractor trailer leaking a hazardous material Monday night.

According to the Department of Transportation and Development, I-10 East 
at Washington Street was blocked around 9:30 p.m. The roadway was 
completely reopened around midnight.

The Washington exit ramp was also blocked. Several entrances were closed 
while the poisonous substance was being cleaned up.

The Baton Rouge Police Department said the Baton Rouge Fire Department 
Hazmat team advised that if the substance was inhaled, it was not 
dangerous to the public. 

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL SPILL IN CROWLEY
http://www.klfy.com/story/14985446/chemical-spill-in-crowley
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

Fire officials were on the scene of a chemical spill in Crowley near the 
Rice Palace on Cherokee Drive.

Restaurant workers said there were multiple fire trucks on the scene.

State Police arrived on the scene, and discovered there were regulated 
and non regulated chemicals inside the truck, including blended 
chemicals; some more hazardous than others.

Officials told Eyewitness News that some of the chemicals in the spill 
could have posed a risk, but the State Police Emergency Services arrived 
and contained the area, cleaning it up before any harm was done.

No word yet on what chemicals were involved in the spill, watch 
Eyewitness News at 10:00pm for the latest in this developing story. 

---------------------------------------------

TYSON WORKERS SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN SPRINGDALE

http://www.ky3.com/news/kfsm-chemical-leak-at-tyson-plant-in-springdale-20
110627,0,3909179.story
Tags: us_AR, industrial, release, injury, chlorine

Springdale, Ark. - Tyson Food, Inc., officials say 173 workers from the 
Berry St. plant are being treated after accidental exposure to chlorine 
gas Monday morning. Hospitals in Benton County and Washington County say 
dozens of people had to be kept overnight for observation.

According to Gary Mickelson with Tyson, the chlorine gas came from an 
'accidental mixture' around 9:15 a.m. A hazmat team was called and about 
300 workers were evacuated from a section of the plant called =93the 
chiller.=94 Mickelson says many plant employees began to have difficulty 
breathing and a burning sensation in theirlungs.

Five hospitals in Northwest Arkansas are still treating and admitting 
plant workers for respiratory problems and burning sensations in their 
nose, throats and eyes. According to a statement from company official 
Gary Mickelson, "45 Tyson team members have been admitted while the 
remainder have either been released or are still awaiting examination."

---------------------------------------------

NARROW ESCAPE FOR TWO AS WALL COLLAPSES IN COLLEGE

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Narrow-escape-for-two-as-wa
ll-collapses-in-college/articleshow/9018736.cms
Tags: India, laboratory, release, response, water

NAGPUR: An ex-student of Sindhu College and his sister had a lucky 
escape after a wall collapsed seconds after they moved away from the 
spot. Sunil Tiwari had gone for his younger sister's admission at Sindhu 
College at Kaka Tilokchand Marg, Pachpaoli. 

The incident happened on Monday morning after Tiwari had parked his 
bike. The siblings had walked barely a few steps away when a wall on the 
first floor of the chemistry lab building collapsed.

"The cracking sound alerted us and we turned back to see an eight-feet 
piece of wall falling on a car and my bike," said Sunil. "We were 
shocked. If it had happened a few seconds earlier we would have been 
buried under the debris," he added. 

Sunil said that though his bike was not damaged much, the car belonging 
to a lecturer was completely damaged. He said that despite taking high 
fees from students, the college management is not providing basic 
facilities to students. 

He said the wall collapse could have injured many students, since this 
is the place where students queued up to buy prospectus. "Fortunately, 
today the counter was closed," Sunil said. 

Principal B Nag said it was just an accident and college authorities 
were not responsible for it. "The chemistry lab building is old and 
since the water tank is on the same floor, the place was moist and hence 
the wall collapsed partly," he said. He denied Sunil's allegations, 
claiming that the wall collapsed over the parking lot.

---------------------------------------------

BOSTON COLLEGE STUDENT INJURED IN LAB EXPLOSION

http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2011/06/boston-college-student-injured-
in-lab-explosion/
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical, followup

A Boston College graduate student reportedly suffered minor injuries 
Saturday morning when whatever she was working on blew up. Key points 
culled from news reports over the weekend, plus ChemBark:

---------------------------------------------

RESEARCH LINKS CARBON NANOTUBES TO LUNG CANCER RISK

http://wvuhealthcare.com/(X(1)S(fxdrost4iytdy45basvzwu4j))/newsreleases/ne
ws-details.aspx?ID=1801&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, carbon_nanotunes

Research links carbon nanotubes to lung cancer risk
Two studies take different approaches; show similar results

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Two recent studies =97 both taking different 
scientific paths =97 have each linked a popular new manmade material 
with the development of cancerous cells. 

The research projects were conducted by scientists at West Virginia 
University and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH). 

Carbon nanotubes, first created about 20 years ago, are tiny, fibrous 
materials 50,000 times thinner than a human hair with walls a single 
molecule thick. They are strong and long-lasting. Their physical and 
chemical properties have excited researchers and engineers, who are 
working around the world to discover new applications in 
supercapacitors, batteries, the automotive and aerospace industries, 
electronics, pharmaceutics, bio-engineering, medical devices and 
biomedicine.

However, the rush to exploit this new material has created a concern 
among scientists that widespread manufacturing and distribution of 
nanotubes may expose both workers and consumers to unknown risks.

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