Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 9, 2011 8:17:28 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 REPORTED IN ROSEVILLE RAILYARD
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, ammonia

CHEMICAL FOUND IN CO LIMERICK SCHOOL MADE SAFE
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid, time-sensitive
CHEMICAL ALERT AT WASHINGTON BATTERY FACTORY (FROM THE NORTHERN ECHO)
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, batteries, waste

POOL CHEMICALS SICKEN 3 WIS. FIREFIGHTERS
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, chlorine

SHANGHAI FIRE EXTINGUISHED, NO CASUALTIES REPORTED
Tags: China, industrial, fire, response, unknown_che mical

EXPLOSIVE PETN USED IN DELHI HIGH COURT BLAST
Tags: India, public, explosion, response, bomb, follow-up

BOOBY TRAP DISRUPTS CLASSES IN STELLA MARIS ACADEMY OF DAVAO
Tags: Philippines, education, explosion, response, bomb

HASHISH-OIL OPERATION MAY HAVE CAUSED BLAZE
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, response, butane, illegal

CHARLO TTEOBSERVER.COM & THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, gasoline

MAN CAUGHT STEALING 255 GALLONS OF DIESEL
Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, response, diesel, illegal

AMMONIA SPILL FORCES EVACUATION OF ATLANTA WAREHOUSE
Tags : us_GA, industrial, release, environmental, ammonia

NEAR SPILL CLOSES TEXAS 105, WALDEN ROAD FOR HOURS
Tags: us_TX, transportation, discovery, response, hydrochloric_acid

STAFF FLEE FACTORY CHEMICAL SPILLAGE
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, injury, triethylamin e

FIRE MARSHAL: FLAMMABLE VAPORS CAUSED MIDDLETON PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MA, industrial, explosion, injury, adhesives, follow-up

YO UNGSTOWN NEWS, DRIVER SURVIVES CRASH, EXPLOSION ON I-80 IN HUBBARD
Tags: us_OH, transportation, explosion, response, propane

SCHOOL EVACUATED OVER HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, response, dinitrophenylhydrazine, time-sensitive


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AMMONIA LEAK REPORTED IN ROSEVILLE RAILYARD
http://roseville-ca.patch.com/ articles/ammonia-leak-reported-in-roseville-railyard
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, ammonia

A small anhydrous ammonia release was reported about 2 a.m. Thursday at the JR Davis Railyard in Roseville. The leak is not at a dangerous level, according to Roseville Fire, and firefighters are expected to have the leak stopped this morning.

The leak was reported by Union Pacific workers who smelled ammonia. Firefighters responded and determined that the release was caused by a faulty gasket and have the parts available to make the repair.

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CHEMICA L FOUND IN CO LIMERICK SCHOOL MADE SAFE
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0908/limerick.html
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid, time-sensitive

An army bomb disposal team has carried out a controlled explosion on a chemical substance found in the science lab of a Co Limerick school.
The army was called to St Enda's Community School on the Kilmallock Road after a quantity of picric acid was found during a routine audit of chemicals in the school.
Picric Acid is routinely used in laboratories but can become unstable and sensitive to heat and shock over time.

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CHEM ICAL ALERT AT WASHINGTON BATTERY FACTORY (FROM THE NORTHERN ECHO)
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.u k/news/local/tyneandwear/9241254.Chemical_alert_at_Washington_battery_facto ry/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, batteries, waste

FIREFIGHTERS were tackling a chemical alert at a North-East factory unit this afternoon.

Reports were received of the chemical release from Rayovac Micro Power Ltd, at Washington, shortly after 2pm.

Chemical fumes were said to be coming from a waste storage unit within the factory, which produces batteries for hearing aids, on Stephenson Industrial Estate.

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POOL CHEMICALS SICKEN 3 WIS. FIREFIGHTERS
http://www.firehouse.com/topic/strateg y-and-tactics/pool-chemicals-sicken-3-wis-firefighters
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, chlorine

Sept. 08--Six people, including three firefighters, were taken to the hospital Thursday after a pool pump malfunctioned at Gold's Gym in Hales Corners.
The Hales Corners Fire Department received a call shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday about a possible chemical spill or leak at the gym, 5321 S. 108th St. Investigation showed a pool pump had malfunctioned and stopped operating. Once it started to back up, it sent out more than its normal dose of chlorine and acid, and people who breathed the cocktail suffered respiratory symptoms, Fire Chief Mike Jankowski said.
"When you mix these together, you get an irritant in the air," he said. "They had difficulty breathing, sore throat, respiratory distress."
The gym was evacuated, and firefighters ventilated the room and monitored air quality.

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SHANGHAI FIRE EXTINGUISHED, NO CASUALTIES REPORTED
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/09/c_131123194.htm
Tags: China, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

SHANGHAI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Fire fighters extinguished the flames at a Shanghai chemical plant Friday morning, about 10 hours after the fire broke out, local authorities said.

No casualties were reported in the accident, Shanghai's fire prevention bureau said in a press release.

The fire broke out at about 11 p.m. at an alkene production facility in Shanghai Secco Petrochemical Co., Ltd., it said.

It said fire fighters worked overnight to prevent the flames from spreading to other facilities.

All visible flames were extinguished by 9 a.m.

No apparent harm was done to the local environment, according to the air quality evaluation report released by Shanghai's environmental protection bureau at the factory site Friday morning.

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EXPLOSIVE PETN USED IN DELHI HIGH COURT BLAST
http://www .rediff.com/news/report/explosive-petn-used-in-delhi-high-court-blast/2 0110907.htm
Tags: India, public, explosion, response, bomb, follow-up

reliminary investigations into the Delhi high court bomb blast have indicated that a nitrate-based explosive was used.


"A small crater has been created where the explosive was placed. Examination of the blast site indicates that a nitrate based explosive with traces of PETN or Pentaerythritol Trinitrate was used," said U K Bansal, special secretary home department. Bansal also added that PETN is an "explosive of choice".
Apparently, PETN is used for heart ailments to smoothen the blood flow. The chemical which was discovered by German forces in World War-I has become a favourite terror toy in the hands of organisations like Lashker-e-Tayiba, Hizbul Mujahideen [ Images ] and Al-Qaeda [ Images ] which have used it globally to cause mayhem.


However, traces of PETN in the explosive used has come as a huge surprise to forensic experts. "There are very few cases in the country where the use of PETN has been detected. This explosive is not very easily available," said a former director of forensic laboratory in Maharashtra [ Images ].

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BOOBY TRAP DISRUPTS CLASSES IN STELLA MARIS ACADEMY OF DAVAO
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2011/08/2 5/booby-trap-disrupts-classes-davao-school-175381
Tags: Philippines, education, explosion, response, bomb

DAVAO CITY -- Classes for both secondary and high school levels at a public school here were temporarily suspended after smoke came out of a boys' toilet inside the campus Thursday afternoon.

Farther north, a real bomb exploded inside a public school campus, although no one was hurt since it was too early for classes when the explosion happened.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

Inspector Jay Francia, of the special tactical platoon of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) special anti-terror ist unit (Satu), told reporters at the City Council on Thursday that they were called in on suspicion that an improvised explosive device (IED) was found at the ground floor of the Stella Maris Academy of Davao high school department around 1 p.m. Thursday.

Classes were suspended while the bomb squad scoured the school's vicinity.

The smoke was traced to a toilet bowl where a half-burned six-inch high mug was found.

Initial investigation indicated that the mug contained chemicals that could cause a burning of sorts when mixed with water. A meter-long yarn was also found in the toilet.

Francia said that apparently, the mug was set up to fall into the bowl when the door is opened.

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HASHISH-OIL OPERATION MAY HAVE CAUSED BLAZE
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/09/08/1814074/hashish-oil-operati on-may-have.html
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, response, butane, illegal

A hashish oil-making operation =E2=80=93 not a methamphetamine lab =E2=80=93 likely sparked a fire inside a Lakewood home that left one man burned Friday.

After the blaze was doused, police found bags containing several pounds of marijuana and the makings of a hashish oil operation, including tubing and butane, inside the home.

Hashish oil is a potent form of THC, the main active chemical in marijuana. A drop or two of the liquid on a cigarette gives the same effect as a single marijuana joint, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported.

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CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM & THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201 1/09/07/2585782/gas-spill-forces-evacuation.html
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, gasoline

No injuries were reported Wednesday morning after a gasoline spill at a convenience store in northern Gaston County.

Residents were evacuated from three houses near the store, on East Trade Street in Dallas. Gaston County authorities say a gasoline tanker was pumping fuel into the tanks at the Mini Mart, when the gas started leaking.

The driver discovered the leak a short time later, but about 100 gallons had spilled. The county's Hazmat team responded, but some nearby residents were forced from their homes for safety reasons.

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MAN CAUGHT STEALING 255 GALLONS OF DIESEL
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Man- Caught-Stealing-255-Gallons-of-Dieselpublic, discovery, response, diesel, illegal

Broward Sheriff's Office deputies have arrested a man who rigged his minivan to steal 255 gallons of diesel gas from a local gas station.

Xoenis Cristo Banos, 28, is charged with grand theft after he allegedly stole the gas through a trap door he installed underneath his minivan.

When BSO Fire Rescue and an Oakland Park HAZMAT crew responded to the scene and inspected the vehicle, they found the false floorboard and several hoses powered by two car batteries that fed a huge tank inside the minivan, BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. at the CITGO located at 999 E. Commercial Blvd. in Oakland Park.
The station's owner said he was going over computer records and noticed diesel fuel was missing.

"It's like a bomb," the owner said, noting how dangerous Banos' minivan was with that much diesel inside.

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AMMONIA SPILL FORCES EVACUATION OF ATLANTA WAREHOUSE
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/204645/3/Ammon ia-spill-forces-evacuation-of-Atlanta-warehouse
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, environmental, ammonia

ATLANTA -- An ammonia spill at an Atlanta warehouse shortly after midnight Thursday forced 40 employees to evacuate.

Fulton County fire crews and a hazmat team from Atlanta worked to contain the spill at the Americold Logistics warehouse at 1740 Westgate Parkway SW.

The location is listed as a training center for Americold, a cold storage company.

There were no injuries reported.

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NEAR SPILL CLOSES TEXAS 105, WALDEN ROAD FOR HOURS
http://www.yourhoustonnews.c om/courier/news/near-spill-closes-texas-walden-road-for-hours/article_9 140cb75-a3e8-55d3-9256-6521a4591bd4.html
Tags: us_TX, transportation, discovery, response, hydrochloric_acid

MONTGOMERY =E2=80=93 A potential chemical spill shut down Texas 105 West and Walden Road for several hours Wednesday before it was deemed safe to be reopened.
About 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, a truck hauling hydrochloric acid nearly spilled its load onto Texas 105, causing emergency crews to shut down the highway and Walden Road, Montgomery Fire Department Chief Brian Edwards said.
=E2=80 =9CHis load shifted and went through the trailer,=" Edwards said. "... There was no spill. We thought there was a spill.="
The truck was carrying 11 containers, roughly 150 gallons each, of hydrochloric acid, Edwards said.

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STAFF FLEE FACTORY CHEMICAL SPILLAGE
http://www.hazardexonthenet. net/article/44767/Staff-flee-factory-chemical-spillage.aspx?AreaID=2< BR>Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, injury, triethylamine

Staff at a factory in Cambridgeshire were recently forced to evacuate when a potentially lethal chemical spill injured two workers; triggering a massive response from emergency services.


Omega Foundry Machinery=E2=80=99s employees fled their building when a chemical, originally thought to be ammonia, oozed out of a broken pipe.

Cambri dgeshire Fire and Rescue mobilised its specialist hazardous materials (hazmat) crews from St. Neots as well as two other engines and a rescue vehicle, with about 20 firefighters on the scene.

Two workers were treated at the scene by paramedics for minor inhalation of fumes. The hazmat team initially believed that they were dealing with 50 litres of ammonia, but it was later confirmed to be about 10 litres and thought to be triethylamine.

Triethylamine is extremely flammable and readily forms explosive mixtures with air.

The hazmat team set up a decontamination area outside the factory which could be used to clean off anyone who went inside.

Firefighters in full protective clothing entered the building and used sand to soak-up the liquid to make the scene safe.

The Health and Safety Executive has said that it had not yet been informed of the incident.

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FIRE MARSHAL: FLAMMABLE VAPORS CAUSED MIDDLETON PLANT EXPLOSION
http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/09/fire-marshal-flammable -vapors-caused-middleton-plant-explosion/5OGVBKxoxaLGmPTWJaPXzI/index.html< BR>Tags: us_MA, industrial, explosion, injury, adhesives, follow-up

An explosion in March at the Bostik Inc. adhesive company in Middleton was caused when flammable vapors were ignited by an undetermined source, the state Department of Fire Services said today.

The March 13 explosion, which injured four workers, happened when a flammable liquid solvent was being added to a 4,000-gallon reaction vessel containing polyester resin solution, the office, which is headed by State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan, said in a statement.

The office said it had also issued three non-criminal notices of violation to the company and was recommending changes in laws and regulations to improve chemical process safety in the state.

The violations were for storing more flammable liquids than the company was licensed to store; failing to obtain a permit for a dust-producing grinding operation; and failing to obtain a permit for the storage of flammable liquids, the office said.
< BR>The company said in May that the explosion was caused by open valves that let flammable gas flood the building.

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YOUNGSTOWN NEWS, DRIVER SURVIVES CRASH, EXPLOSION ON I-80 IN HUBBARD
http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/sep/07/driver-survives-cra sh-explosion-i-80-hubbard/?nw
Tags: us_OH, transportation, explosion, response, propane

HUBBARD =E2=80=94 Robert E. Weirick of Academy Drive in Liberty Township was only about a mile from home when his semi pulling two trailers of freight smashed into a part of the Interstate 80 bridge over Mount Everett Road and produced a spectacular fireball this morning.

One of the trailers flipped over the bridge railing and landed in a fiery pile on the ground next to railroad tracks and Mount Everett Road.

The other trailer and the semi tractor remained part way on the bridge, with part of the trailer hanging over the edge in another fireball.

Weirick managed to escape the semi tractor and was found lying on the road at the western edge of the bridge, said John Clemente, Hubbard Township fire chief.

Firefighters from Hubbard Township and a half-dozen other departments put out the two fires after about 30 minutes, Clemente said.

Trumbull County HazMat Chief Don Waldron said the trailers were hauling a hazardous chemical called ethanolamine, petroleum oils and greases and containers of propane.

The propane tanks were exploding as Clemente arrived first on the scene, he said.

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SCHOOL EVACUATED OVER HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0907/kilmallock.html
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, response, dinitrophenylhydrazin e, time-sensitive

An Army Bomb Disposal Team has made safe an unstable chemical found at a secondary school in Co Limerick.
Col=C3=A1i ste Iosaef in Kilmallock was evacuated at around 11.30am following the discovery of a hazardous substance in the science laboratory during a routine audit of chemicals.
The bomb disposal team carried out a controlled explosion on the unstable chemical, Dinitrophenylhydrazine.
D initrophenylhydrazine is a chemical re-agent and is routinely used in laboratories but can crystallise and become unstable over time.

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