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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Safety Culture in Academic Institutions Date: April 6, 2012 7:30:42 AM EDT Author: kauletta**At_Symbol_Here**NOTES.CC.SUNYSB.EDU |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 6, 2012 8:30:04 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (19 articles)
EAST HEMET: POT LAB BLAMED FOR HOUSE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, explosion, response, drugs, flammables
FLUOESCENT DYE TRIGGERS HAZMAT RESPONSE IN PALO ALTO
Tags: us_CA, public, release, environmental, dye
WCAX.COM LOCAL VERMONT NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS-
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, response, corrosives
VEOLIA REPORTS FIRE AT MENOMONEE FALLS HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, fire, environmental, corrosives, flammables, waste
METH CLEANUP COMPANIES A BOOMING BUSINESS
Tags: us_IN, public, follow-up, environmental, illegal, meth_lab
POSSIBLE EXPLOSION RISK CAUSES TULSA BOMB SQUAD TO EVACUATE AREA NEAR CHANDLER PARK
Tags: us_OK, public, follow-up, response, explosives, meth_lab, peroxide
PHILLIPSBURG UNITS CLEAN UP CHEMICAL SPILL ON RIVERSIDE WAY
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
CHEMICAL SPILL AT LYTTELTON PORT
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, environmental, corrosives
WESTPORT WORKERS PUT OUT FIRE, CLEAN UP SPILL -- PORT ANGELES PORT TOWNSEND SEQUIM FORKS JEFFERSON COUNTY CLALLAM COUNTY OLYMPIC PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, fire, response, resin
HILLSBOROUGH DEPUTIES CALL IN EPA AND OSHA AFTER INSPECTING SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, environmental, acetone, drugs
MAN CRITICALLY INJURED WHILE TESTING EQUIPMENT AT EL RENO PLANT
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical
DRUM CUTTING EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WA, industrial, explosion, injury, diesel
3 SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT K-STATE
Tags: us_KS, laboratory, release, injury, acids, cleaners
HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILL SHUTS DOWN I-10 NEAR SAN ANTONIO
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
PESTICIDE LEAK IN VIRGINIA
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, pesticides
TANKER CARRYING ACID OVERTURNS, EVACUATIONS ORDERED
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION OF BEND RESEARCH
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, fire, response, flammables
FOUR HURT IN CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_AL, industrial, fire, injury, mek
AMMONIA LEAK IN MICHIGAN
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, ammonia
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EAST HEMET: POT LAB BLAMED FOR HOUSE EXPLOSION
http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/hemet/hemet-headlines-index/20120405-east-hemet-pot-lab-blamed-for-house-explosion.ece
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, explosion, response, drugs, flammables
Authorities are searching for two men who fled a suburban East Hemet home Wednesday afternoon during an inferno caused by a marijuana lab explosion.
Riverside County sheriff's investigators determined burning marijuana chemicals set the blaze that destroyed a home at the corner of Acacia Avenue and Lake Street, in the unincorporated neighborhood of Little Lake.
The Sheriff's Department Special Investigations Bureau issued a statement Thursday that said two men were seen fleeing after several explosions were heard just before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Detectives believe the men were using a flammable substance to extract concentrated cannabis from marijuana plants in the garage. Evidence suggests a spark ignited the fumes, which caused an explosion and flames that consumed most of the home, according to the statement.
The fire also caused ammunition in the home to discharge and fire at the same time firefighters arrived.
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FLUOESCENT DYE TRIGGERS HAZMAT RESPONSE IN PALO ALTO
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_20338167/fluoescent-dye-triggers-hazmat-response-palo-alto
Tags: us_CA, public, release, environmental, dye
A fluorescent green dye found its way into a Palo Alto storm drain Thursday afternoon, triggering a hazardous materials response by firefighters.
The fire department received multiple calls beginning at 1:15 p.m. about a green sheen in a storm drain at the corner of Hanover Street and Page Mill Road, Battalion Chief Niles Broussard said.
The sheen was caused by uranine, a dye used to trace the flow of water. Contractors had been using the substance to diagnose a drainage problem at a nearby building, but it wasn't immediately clear how it ended up in the storm drain, Broussard said.
Firefighters contacted the city's Public Works Department and the California Department of Fish and Game about the 1,500-gallon spill. The substance ultimately did not pose a threat to human health or the environment, Broussard said.
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WCAX.COM LOCAL VERMONT NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS-
http://www.wcax.com/story/17346665/chemical-scare-in-south-burlington
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, response, corrosives
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. -
A chemical scare in South Burlington kept hazmat and fire crews busy for hours Thursday.
Police were called to a home on Swift Street after the tenants discovered a box of suspicious, liquid-filled jars hidden upstairs in their rental property. Hazmat crews removed less than two gallons of the mystery substance from the home. Officials tested the liquid on site and determined that the combination of chemicals was hazardous.
The state's hazmat chief says the chemicals may have been used by a previous tenant to make illicit drugs.
"And so the chemicals were, in fact, dangerous chemicals. They were flammable, toxic, corrosive and so our folks were able to identify them," Vt. Hazmat Chief Christopher Herrick said.
Officials say the chemicals do not pose a health risk to anyone in the area. But police are remaining on the scene until a hazardous waste company comes to remove them.
---------------------------------------------
VEOLIA REPORTS FIRE AT MENOMONEE FALLS HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2012/04/04/veolia-reports-small-fire-at-menomonee.html
Tags: us_WI, industrial, fire, environmental, corrosives, flammables, waste
Veolia Environmental Services Technical Solutions reported a small fire at its hazardous materials recycling facility in Menomonee Falls Wednesday morning.
A flammable and corrosive liquid ignited while a sample was being taken from a single drum container, facility manager Joe Baumann said.
The fire was contained to the individual drum and a small area around it. No other hazardous materials were involved, he said.
The fire and was fully extinguished about 15 minutes after it broke out, Baumann added.
No injuries were sustained as a result of this small fire, although an employee was evaluated at a local hospital and released.
---------------------------------------------
METH CLEANUP COMPANIES A BOOMING BUSINESS
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/usatoday/article/38927003?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs
Tags: us_IN, public, follow-up, environmental, illegal, meth_lab
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WTW) Ñ Inside a Crawfordsville rental property, the tenants liked to cook.
But what they were cooking got them busted, Indiana State Police say. In the kitchen, police found everything it took to make meth.
At the Days Inn in Anderson recently came a fiery explosion. Police say the same thing was cooking. But this time, it burst into flames.
Methamphetamine labs are more than just dangerous and illegal. They leave a mess -- an environmental hazard that, according to state law, must be cleaned up.
And it takes a special process, certification and inspectors who scour the property in full-gear Hazmat suits and respirators to do the dirty work.
Welcome to the world of meth lab cleanup companies, a growing and profitable business, especially in Indiana, where certain pockets of the state are hotbeds for labs.
The state, which ranks in the top five for meth production, has 22 companies certified by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to decontaminate properties.
---------------------------------------------
POSSIBLE EXPLOSION RISK CAUSES TULSA BOMB SQUAD TO EVACUATE AREA NEAR CHANDLER PARK
http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid 120405_11_A13_CUTLIN930153
Tags: us_OK, public, follow-up, response, explosives, meth_lab, peroxide
Several houses were evacuated about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after materials used to make methamphetamine and chemicals for making explosives were found in a house near Chandler Park, officials said.
The materials, found in a house near 22nd Street and 61st West Avenue, could have been volatile enough to explode and damage nearby homes, police said.
The Police Department's bomb squad began searching the house shortly after 11:30 a.m., Capt. Jonathan Brooks said.
"Six one-pot method (meth) labs were discovered along with lab equipment reminicent of labs used to make meth 10 to 15 years ago," Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Stan May said Wednesday night.
"Toulene, acetone, peroxide, alumium powder, and sodium hydroxide were just a few of the chemicals found at and removed from the residence," he said.
Don Morris Alexander, 41, was arrested on complaints of endeavoring to manufacture drugs and manufacturing or selling bombs or explosives, Tulsa Jail records show.
---------------------------------------------
PHILLIPSBURG UNITS CLEAN UP CHEMICAL SPILL ON RIVERSIDE WAY
http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2012/04/phillipsburg_units_clean_up_ch.html
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
PHILLIPSBURG - The Police Department and Fire Department responded to Riverside Way for a report of a white substance, later identified as aluminum trihydrate, that spilled on the roadway around noon on Wednesday, April 4, police said.
According to police, the county Hazmat team also responded and determined that it was a non-hazardous substance. The material had spilled from a truck from Sunswept Transport of Bel-Air, Maryland, police said.
According to police, the substance had been delivered to Gulbrandsen and residual substance had spilled on the ground. The residual substance was removed by personnel from Gulbrandsen under the direction of the Warren County Health Department.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL AT LYTTELTON PORT
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6701276/Chemical-spill-at-Lyttelton-Port
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, environmental, corrosives
A no-go zone has been set up at Lyttelton port after a major chemical spill from a container on-board a vessel.
Christchurch firefighters were called about 7.30am to help decontaminate the vessel berthed at Lyttelton Port.
The port said the fire brigade and harbour master were this afternoon co-coordinating the cleanup of the "class 8 hazardous substance" on the vessel.
However, they have not said what the substance was, nor named the vessel. The Ministry for the Environment defines a class 8 substance as "corrosive".
A statement from the port's operations manager Paul Monk said the container had now been removed was now in a washbay for further cleanup.
---------------------------------------------
WESTPORT WORKERS PUT OUT FIRE, CLEAN UP SPILL -- PORT ANGELES PORT TOWNSEND SEQUIM FORKS JEFFERSON COUNTY CLALLAM COUNTY OLYMPIC PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120405/NEWS/304059990/westport-workers-put-out-fire-clean-up-spill
Tags: us_WA, industrial, fire, response, resin
PORT ANGELES Ñ A Westport Shipyard building was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning because of a small chemical spill and fire.
Westport employees extinguished the fire and cleaned up the spill of chemicals used in making fiberglass at the shipyard at 337 Marine Drive, said Ken Dubuc, Port Angeles assistant fire chief and city fire marshal.
....At about 9:15 a.m., Westport employees noticed flames with smoke coming from a machine that mixes fiberglass resin with a catalyst, Fire Chief Dan -McKeen said in a statement.
An employee activated a fire alarm, initiating an evacuation of the building, and trained Westport responders extinguished the fire with portable fire extinguishers, he said.
---------------------------------------------
HILLSBOROUGH DEPUTIES CALL IN EPA AND OSHA AFTER INSPECTING SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/hillsborough-deputies-call-in-epa-and-osha-after-inspecting-synthetic/1223419
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, environmental, acetone, drugs
TAMPA Ñ An overwhelming chemical smell burned the eyes of inspectors Wednesday as they entered a warehouse to check on production of synthetic marijuana, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.
The inspectors had come to take samples of the substance being processed at 6308 Benjamin Road, Suite 712, north of Tampa International Airport.
The sample would be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to see if it contains any of the 29 compounds outlawed by the Legislature in its attempts to prevent the possession and sale of synthetic drugs.
But during the inspection, high levels of concentrated acetone caused investigators to call the state Fire Marshal, Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to evaluate the safety of the warehouse and its more than a dozen employees.
Specific combinations of chemicals make up the synthetic drugs that are banned in Florida. No arrests were made at the warehouse Wednesday while the case remains under investigation, said Larry McKinnon, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.
Deputies have been inspecting several local distribution centers, as well as local vendors, since Gov. Rick Scott signed the law on March 23 to expand the chemical compounds banned.
Unlike with other drugs, deputies can't perform on-site testing to determine if the compounds are illegal. And as the law changes to ban more chemical combinations, so do the manufacturer recipes to keep their businesses legal.
---------------------------------------------
MAN CRITICALLY INJURED WHILE TESTING EQUIPMENT AT EL RENO PLANT
http://www.news9.com/story/17326935/one-critically-injured-in-explosion-near-el-reno
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical
EL RENO, Oklahoma - An accident at the Weatherford International Yard near El Reno, where oil field equipment is made, critically injured a worker Tuesday night.
Crews responded to the call just after 9 p.m. at the company located at 901 Jensen Road near El Reno. It originally was thought to be an explosion, but the Canadian County Sheriff's Office now says there was no blast.
---------------------------------------------
DRUM CUTTING EXPLOSION
http://www.nwcn.com/home/?fId=146006125&fPath=/news/local&fDomain=10202
Tags: us_WA, industrial, explosion, injury, diesel
A farm worker was injured in an explosion in Forest Grove on Tuesday.
Crews were called to the area of Willamina Avenue & Reuter Lane. at around 2:15 p.m., where they found the man with leg injuries. He was being taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The victim was a former volunteer firefighter and he was using a torch to cut apart a metal drum, authorities said. The heat from the explosion was so intense, it melted some barn windows.
Investigators believe the metal drum contained diesel at one point. Though empty, it may have had enough fuel and vapors to create the explosion.
The blast also caused a small fire and burned some of the victim's clothing. Firefighters were able to quickly douse the flames.
The victim's name and condition have not been released.
---------------------------------------------
3 SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT K-STATE
http://www.kctv5.com/story/17313876/3-sent-to-hospital-after-chemical-incident-at-k-state
Tags: us_KS, laboratory, release, injury, acids, cleaners
MANHATTAN, KS (KCTV) -
Three student employees were taken to the hospital after an acid vapor incident at Kansas State's Weber Hall on Monday.
Firefighters and K-State's public safety team cleaned up an acid vapor in Weber Hall around 8:30 a.m. Monday.
University officials said an acid vapor was created after a student worker improperly mixed together two cleaning chemicals in the meats lab in Weber Hall.
Weber Hall houses the department of animal sciences and industry.
Officials said the mixture caused an acid vapor that irritates the eyes and mucus membrane of the lungs.
The student, along with two other students who walked through the room and another who smelled the mixture in an adjacent room, were all taken to the hospital for examination.
Crews evacuated Weber Hall to ventilate the building, and the building was approved for re-entry around 11:15 a.m.
---------------------------------------------
HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILL SHUTS DOWN I-10 NEAR SAN ANTONIO
http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Hydrochloric-acid-spill-shuts-down-I-10-near-San-Antonio-146107945.html
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
SAN ANTONIO -- Hazmat units responded to a hydrochloric acid leak in the northbound lanes of I-10 west near DeZavala Road late Tuesday afternoon.
The roadway was still closed Wednesday morning although it was originally suspected to reopen around 2 a.m. Traffic is being diverted to the access road and also to Huebner Road to Vance Jackson to DeZavala Road and back to I-10 west.
A spokesman for TxDOT said they are unsure how long it could take to clear the roadway, and that unsuspected setbacks have delayed the cleanup.
The spill occurred after an 18-wheeler hauling the acid was involved in a major accident near Woodstone.
The concern is that if the leak is not contained in time, that 3,000 gallons of the acid could eat the highway. That could be a costly consequence and a threat to public health.
---------------------------------------------
PESTICIDE LEAK IN VIRGINIA
http://www.nbc12.com/story/17330087/chemical-spill
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, pesticides
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA (WWBT) - Several streets in Colonial Heights were shut down Wednesday morning after the town's fire Marshal noticed an unknown chemical leaking from a drum.
The fire Marshal was driving to work when he saw the leak and called out the hazardous material team, according to the Colonial Heights Police Dept. The substance appears to be a pesticide used to kill fire ants.
---------------------------------------------
TANKER CARRYING ACID OVERTURNS, EVACUATIONS ORDERED
http://www.wyff4.com/news/north-carolina-news/Tanker-carrying-acid-overturns-evacuations-ordered/-/9695846/10192418/-/dih4tlz/-/index.html
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. - The Henderson County Sheriff's office says both directions of Interstate 26 in Henderson County are closed following an accident involving a tanker Tuesday night.
A Sheriffs dispatcher tells News 4 the tanker that was carrying sulfuric acid when it crashed and caught fire near East Flat Rock and mile marker 56.
Hazmat crews are on scene and working to secure the area, but that process could take hours.
Officials say the road may be open again by noon.
Evacuations were order for homes within a mile and half of the accident. The Western Carlolinas chapter of the Red Cross set up a shelter at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville. Red Cross officials say 2 people showed up to the shelter so it has been closed.
Drivers headed out on Interstate 26 in Henderson County are asked to use the following detour:
Westbound: Use Exit 59, and proceed onto US 176 West. Motorists with then take US 25 North and back onto I-26 West at exit 54.
Eastbound:Use Exit 54 onto US 25 South and proceed into South Carolina. Motorists will then take South Carolina Highway 11 East back onto I-26 East.
The Highway Patrol said the Green River bridge will need to be inspected for damage before it is reopened.
Continue to refresh this page for updates.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION OF BEND RESEARCH
http://www.ktvz.com/news/30829904/detail.html
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, fire, response, flammables
BEND, Ore. -- Bend Research employees were evacuated and fire crews were called in when a chemical drum with a carbon filter ignited Tuesday afternoon, but workers used a fire extinguisher to contain the blaze, fire officials said.
Firefighters responded to an alarm around 1:40 p.m. at the medical research firm at 63045 Corporate Place (off Empire Avenue), said Deputy Fire Marshal T.J. Johannsen.
Arriving crews found the building had been evacuated and workers were gathered away from the building on an adjoining parking lot, she said.
The fire began in a drum, about 55 gallons in size, located in a small room off the northwest corner of the building, easy to reach from an outside door, Johannsen said.
The filtering system of the drum uses activated carbon to filter various solutions, the fire official said. A highly flammable chemical was being processed by the system when the fire broke out, Johannsen explained.
Because the container malfunctioned, a pocket of concentrated air in the drum was able to reach an ignition source, she said.
The resulting fire was able to heat the drum, causing it to break down, but the blaze was contained in the area of origin, Johannsen said.
Workers used a fire extinguisher to slow the fire's progress, keeping it contained before firefighters arrived, wearing breathing apparatus as a precaution.
Johannsen said the quick actions of workers who activated emergency plans had the building evacuated in minutes.
"This is a good reminder for everyone to never ignore an alarm," Johannsen said in a news release. "Always take smoke and the alarms seriously. They may one day save your life."PrintEmail
Copyright 2012 KTVZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
---------------------------------------------
FOUR HURT IN CHEMICAL FIRE
http://www.timesdaily.com/stories/Four-hurt-in-chemical-fire,189131
Tags: us_AL, industrial, fire, injury, mek
A small chemical fire inside a Wise Alloys plant injured four people Tuesday afternoon.
Sandra Scarbrough, senior vice president for human resources at Wise Alloys, said the fire was in the coating line area of the plant.
"We had four people, who were contract workers and not Wise employees, doing routine maintenance in the coating line area," Scarbrough said. "All four were injured."
Emergency crews at the scene said three of the workers were taken to Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, where they were being treated for minor burns. A fourth worker was flown to UAB Hospital's burn center.
Officials said the man flown to UAB could have sustained inhalation injuries. Medical personnel at the scene said the man was talking and conscious before the flight to Birmingham.
The accident was reported at 1:54 p.m. to Colbert 911.
The Muscle Shoals Fire Department was called to Wise, along with Keller EMS and the Colbert Emergency Management Agency.
The Colbert County Hazmat unit was not called into action, officials said.
EMA officials said the fire involved the chemical MEK (methyl ethyl keytone), which is basically paint thinner.
"Apparently it was a quick flash fire that could have come from a spark that hit the chemical," Muscle Shoals Fire Marshal Donald Ray Coons said.
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AMMONIA LEAK IN MICHIGAN
http://www.wgvu.org/wgvunews/index.cfm?id=sdetail&sty=15901
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, ammonia
April 3, 2012 | AP Authorities say an ammonia leak forced the evacuation of a business in southwestern Michigan. The leak happened Tuesday morning inside a freezer at a Total Logistic Control facility near Holland. No injuries were reported. Authorities say the leak was contained to the freezer at the facility, which is used for cooling and distribution of fruit that's grown in the area.
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