From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety Headlines From Google (11 articles)
Date: July 4, 2012 12:30:07 PM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <2CA0F765-F3B4-4085-822E-DD6A2B4030FA**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Wednesday, July 4, 2012 11:00:11 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 (11 articles)
CHEMICAL SPILL CAUSES MESS AND AGGRAVATION Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, environmental, corrosives
CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM & THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, ammonia
CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM & THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER Tags: us_NC, public, explosion, death, acetone
HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES PART OF MONTEREY HIGHWAY IN SOUTH SJ Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, petroleum
GAS UNDER CEMETERIES RAISES MONEY, MORAL QUESTIONS Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, natural_gas
FIRE AT COMMERCIAL COMPLEX IN ANAND; NO CASUALTIES Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
5NEWSONLINE.COM - FT. SMITH, FAYETTEVILLE, BENTONVILLE NEWS & WEATHER FROM KFSM AND KXNW TELEVISION Tags: us_OK, transportation, release, environmental, petroleum
JERUSALEM POST Tags: Israel, industrial, follow-up, response
HAZMAT OFFICIALS RESPOND TO POOL CHEMICAL EXPLOSION Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, pool_chemicals
Area Buckeye and Hoosier motorists had something in common Monday night, July 2 - aggravation. U.S. 50 at Lawrenceburg Road in Elizabethtown was completely shut down near the state line from about 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. after a drum containing a corrosive substance leaked nearly all of its 55 gallons off of a truck owned by Midwest Environmental Services, West Chester, said Whitewater Township Fire Chief Scott Schorsch.
The substance, called Sodium Mbt, 50 percent solution, is a corrosive chemical that can burn the respiratory system and cause eye and skin irritation, said Schorsch. Whitewater Township Fire Department, Miami Township Fire Department, Harrison Fire Department's HazMat Unit and Hamilton County Sheriff's department responded to the scene, which took about 4 1/2 hours to completely clean up.
Traffic was completely shut down in both directions for about 1 1/2 hours, said Schorsch.
The driver of an asphalt truck died Tuesday after losing control and hitting a tree in Liberty Township.
According to reports from the Warren Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash happened just after 10 a.m. Tuesday on Tibbetts-Wick Road about two-tenths of a mile west of state Route 11.
According to reports, David A. Johngrass, 33, of Lowellville, was driving west on Tibbetts-Wick Road in a 2011 Ford F-550 tanker truck that was hauling asphalt sealant. He was with one passenger, Samuel G. Inskeep, 21, also of Lowellville.
The truck traveled off the right side of the road, striking a mailbox, according to reports. Johngrass drove back onto the road and went left of center into oncoming traffic. He then swerved back to the right, avoiding the oncoming traffic, and again traveled off the right side of the road. The truck then overturned, coming to rest with the roof against a tree.
The sealant dumped from inside the tank onto the ground. Trumbull County Hazmat as well as the EPA were on scene to help with clean-up.
Johngrass was pronounced dead at the scene. Inskeep was taken to St.. Elizabeth Health Center, where he was listed in stable condition.
No injuries were reported Tuesday morning in an ammonia leak at a Charlotte ice company.
The leak was reported about 7 a.m. at Herrin Brothers Ice Company, in the 300 block of East 36th Street. The Hazmat team was called out, and police closed 36th Street between North Tryon and The Plaza for more than two hours.
Fire officials say it took a crew of 36 firefighters about 2 1/2 hours to bring the situation under control. They reported no injuries.
Herrin Ice has been in business for more than 80 years. Ammonia is commonly used as a refrigerant to help make ice.
Rowan County authorities said Tuesday that chemical vapors used for taxidermy led to a fatal explosion and fire at S&S Graham Archery on Friday evening.
Five people were in the building at the time of the fire. Sonya Graham, one of the co-owners of the archery and taxidermy business, was killed.
Authorities said employees had been using acetone when vapors reached the pilot light of a nearby gas water heater, Rowan authorities said Tuesday in a news release. The ignition of the vapors caused the explosion and subsequent fire, authorities said.
A store employee had previously told the Observer that employees were working to mount a boar just before the blast.
Investigators said Sonya Graham was cut off by the fire and unable to exit the building. She sought shelter in an adjacent bathroom, authorities said Tuesday.
The case was investigated by the Rowan County's Emergency Services and Sheriff's departments.
"The entire public safety community offers it's sincere condolences and our thoughts and prayers are with the Graham family during this time of tragic loss," Emergency Services Chief Frank Thomason and Rowan Sheriff Kevin Auten said in a joint statement.
The discovery of a hazardous substance in a storm drain Monday afternoon has led authorities to close off a section of Monterey Highway in South San Jose, according to the San Jose Fire Department. The discovery was made at around 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Monterey Highway and Daylight Way. Over a half a dozen area businesses were evacuated. People are being advised to avoid the area, a fire department spokesperson said. The source of the hazard is being investigated, but authorities said that it appeared to be a petroleum product that may have come from a nearby sewer line. A Santa Clara County hazmat team was on the scene along with over 20 firefighters. There is no word as to when the scene may be cleared and workers at the local businesses can return to work.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - New concern in natural gas-rich eastern Ohio has raised a tricky question: Are cemeteries a proper place for drilling?
It started at the 122-year-old Lowellville Cemetery, in rural Poland Township. Trustees there received a proposal this year to lease cemetery mineral rights for $140,000 plus a percentage of any royalties for any oil and gas. Similar offers soon followed at two other area cemeteries.
Opponents say cemeteries are hallowed ground that shouldn't be sullied by drilling activity they worry will be noisy, smelly and unsightly. Defenders say drilling is so deep that it doesn't disturb the cemetery and can generate needed revenue to enhance the roads and grounds.
Cemeteries join state parklands, playgrounds, churches and residential backyards among unusual places targeted in the region's shale drilling boom.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
VADODARA/ANANAD: A major fire broke out in a prominent commercial complex in milk city Anand on Monday morning.
Shree Ram Arcade complex on station road near Gopal Chowkdi was engulfed after the fire broke out in a chemical store in the complex.
Fire brigade officials could douse the fire only after two and a half hours.
"We had received the report about the fire at around 8 am. When we reached the spot smoke had started billowing into the sky from Atul Chemicals which supplies industrial and laboratory chemicals from the store. It seems it was either due to a short circuit or some chemical heating at the store," Anand fire brigade superintendent Kamlesh Brahmbhatt told TOI.
Store owner Minesh Patel insisted that he had kept only those chemicals that are supplied to laboratories of schools and colleges in his store.
However, sources suggest that the entire commercial complex has no fire safety facilities.
Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries in the fire as the incident had taken place early in the morning.
Courtesy: strayhornmarina.com Hazmat crews responded to a possible fuel leak into Lake Tenkiller after a boat and truck rolled into the lake Sunday evening. According to Sheriff Ron Lockhart with the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office, teams from the Vian and Muldrow Fire Departments spent several hours Sunday evening at Strayhorn Landing of Lake Tenkiller. Sheriff Lockhart said the truck was totally submerged when crews arrived. After removing the vehicle, authorities say both teams conducted a hazmat cleanup by using both boats with hazmat booms to skim the water for any fuel and oil that leaked into the water. Officials with Oklahoma Highway Patrol say no fuel was found in the lake to deem it hazardous. No one was injured in the accident. The Hazmat team is a new addition to Sequoyah County, Lockhart says the group just formed eight months ago. Divers, rescue boats, and swift water rescue personnel all responded to the call. This marks second hazmat incident at Lake Tenkiller in the last six weeks.
MK Dov Henin (Hadash), chairman of the Knesset's Joint Committee on Environment and Health, warned of the dangers that glitches in pipe systems can cause and called for firmer regulations in response to Monday's explosion in the South.
"Time and time again we see that the status quo in the field of hazardous materials in Israel is forfeiting the lives and health of citizens, workers and bystanders," Henin said. "Glitches in hazardous materials are not inevitable and we can prevent them but in order to do this, a true revolution in regulations of this field is required."
Such new regulations, Henin explained, should include high standards for hazardous material facilities as well as for all the transmission systems associated with the plants.
"I intend to convene the committee to discuss the accident that occurred and the lessons that need to be learned from it from corner to corner," Henin said.
GIRARD, Ohio - The wrong mix of pool chemicals caused a minor explosion in one Girard neighborhood on Sunday.
Hazmat was called out to a home on Lawrence Avenue.
Authorities on the scene would not say what the chemicals were, but there was a strong odor of chlorine in the air and it was so bad that firefighters had to wear masks to inspect the home.
One person was killed and ten were injured on Monday when a pipe of flowing hydrochloric acid exploded at a drilling installation near Ein Yahav in the Arava region of the South.
The injured were evacuated by helicopters and ambulances to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. One person was in critical condition, four in serious condition, and five others were lightly injured.
The content of this page reflects the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) only, not the American Chemical Society, ILPI, Safety Emporium, or any other party. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. Send questions/comments about the archive to secretary@dchas.org. The maintenance and hosting of the DCHAS-L archive is provided through the generous support of Safety Emporium.