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From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (15 articles)
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:47:01 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: F5AED450-4750-468B-817A-B54410504695**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines
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 (15 articles)
UPDATE: HAZMAT TEAMS LOCATE SOURCE GAS LEAK AT GURLEY CITY HALL
Tags: us_AL, public, release, injury, other_chemical
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD: WEST CATASTROPHE WAS PREVENTABLE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
WVA CHEMICAL SAFE LEVEL BASED ON 2 WEEKS EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
WV METRONEWS ? WATER CONTAMINATION AFFECTED MORE THAN 90,000
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
DANGEROUS CHEMICAL SPECIALISTS CALLED IN (FROM YOUR LOCAL GUARDIAN)
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
ABC NEWS (AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION)
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, solvent
**At_Symbol_Here**CENMAG WV WATER CRISIS, NATURAL FOOD FLAVORS
Tags: us_WV, public, discovery, response
3 TANKER TRUCKS CRASH IN CANTON TOWNSHIP, SPILLING FRACKING WATER, DIESEL FUEL
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, diesel
SMALL CHEMICAL LEAK REPORTED AT DUPONT CO. CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
RIGHT LANE OF I-40W NEAR NC/TN STATE LINE REMAINS CLOSED
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, chlorine
LAWSUITS OVER CHEMICAL SPILL MOVING FORWARD
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
MAN FINDS CHEMICAL BOMB WHILE MOWING LAWN -
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, bomb
FAIRFIELD SECRET DRUG LAB UNCOVERED BY FIREFIGHTERS ATTENDING HOUSE FIRE
Tags: Australia, public, fire, response, meth_lab
YEAR AFTER TEXAS PLANT BLAST, NO NEW SAFETY LAWS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, flammables
FIRE AT CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITY
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
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UPDATE: HAZMAT TEAMS LOCATE SOURCE GAS LEAK AT GURLEY CITY HALL
http://whnt.com/2014/04/22/hazmat-teams-on-scene-of-gas-leak-at-gurley-city-hall/
Tags: us_AL, public, release, injury, other_chemical
GURLEY, Ala. (WHNT) ? HAZMAT teams from Huntsville responded to the scene of a gas leak at Gurley City Hall Tuesday afternoon.
The mayor of Gurley said three people were transported to the hospital. A city clerk and police officer were among those transported. Tuesday night the mayor confirmed all three victims had been released from the hospital and are doing well.
It was discovered the leak began in the fire truck bay inside city hall from a gas line with a faulty seal. The building is being ventilated to make it safe for people to return.
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CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD: WEST CATASTROPHE WAS PREVENTABLE
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/chemical-safety-board-west-catastrophe-was-preventable/article_3fbba322-2b5c-52ba-b1f2-fed73556fa8f.html
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
The deadly explosion in West a year ago was the result of unsafe storage practices by West Fertilizer Co., but it exposed weak government oversight and a lack of local emergency preparedness, officials with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said at a meeting Tuesday in West.
About 200 people showed up at the West Community Center for the community meeting the CSB held to present preliminary findings from its yearlong investigation.
CSB officials said they hoped the disaster that killed 15 people on April 17, 2013, would lead to new regulations on storing ammonium nitrate, a statewide fire code for Texas and better planning for industrial disasters.
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WVA CHEMICAL SAFE LEVEL BASED ON 2 WEEKS EXPOSURE
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/22/4974985/wva-chemical-safe-level-based.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
CHARLESTON, W.Va. ? When federal officials decided what chemical levels West Virginians could safely consume in water tainted by a January spill, their standard assumed people would be exposed for two weeks, not 100-plus days.
Months later, Centers for Disease Control and Protection officials see no reason to adjust a chemical benchmark they quickly created off limited lab rat research. However, a local health official argues the CDC needs to account for ongoing chemical exposure, even if it's minimal.
Until Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin asked last week, CDC never revealed how long its safety mark assumed everyday contact with chemical-laden water. For months, the CDC said the level accounted for the "short-term," but hadn't conveyed a firm timeframe. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin told The Associated Press Monday he wasn't informed what "short-term" meant.
---------------------------------------------
WV METRONEWS ? WATER CONTAMINATION AFFECTED MORE THAN 90,000
http://wvmetronews.com/2014/04/22/health-official-chemical-spill-made-more-than-90000-sick-in-some-way/
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
CHARLESTON, W.Va. ? The health effects of the Jan. 9 Freedom Industries chemical spill on the Elk River appear more widespread than first indicated.
New estimates show between 92,000 and 108,000 residents experienced health effects from the spill of crude MCHM and PPH into the source water for West Virginia American Water Company?s Kanawha Valley water treatment plant.
Those estimates, released this week, come from the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and Dr. Andrew Whelton, a University of South Alabama environmental engineer who is now part of the West Virginia Testing Assessment Project (WV-TAP).
?We saw the two symptom peaks on Jan. 9 and one starting again on Jan. 13 that sort of coincided with the flushing that people were told to do,? said Dr. Rahul Gupta, the chief health officer for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.
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DANGEROUS CHEMICAL SPECIALISTS CALLED IN (FROM YOUR LOCAL GUARDIAN)
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/suttonnews/11165032.Fire_breaks_out_at_labaratory___dangerous_chemical_specialists_called_in/
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
Twenty firefighters are battling a fire at a laboratory in Mitcham.
Fire officers were called to the first floor of an industrial estate in Willow Lane at 7.18am to reports of a room in flames.
Four fire engines with specialist equipment to combat potentially dangerous chemicals are attending at the scene.
A 39-year-old man was treated for burns and taken to St George's Hospital as a priority, a London Ambulance spokesman said.
Paramedics also sent a hazardous area response team.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the fire was small and is under control.
---------------------------------------------
ABC NEWS (AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-23/chemical-blaze-forces-bundaberg-evacuation/5406538?section=qld
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, solvent
A primary school and more than 50 businesses and homes were evacuated in Bundaberg in southern Queensland after a large chemical fire destroyed a commercial building.
Police declared an emergency situation at the Bundaberg East Smash Repairs building shortly after 9:30am (AEST).
Firefighters were concerned about toxic smoke caused by paint thinners and chemicals.
Businesses and homes along Sheridan and Steptoe streets and the Bundaberg East Primary School were evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
**At_Symbol_Here**CENMAG WV WATER CRISIS, NATURAL FOOD FLAVORS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9SyxdVXKRc
Tags: us_WV, public, discovery, response
hemical & Engineering News is proud to present its new chemistry show, "Speaking of Chemistry". In this pilot episode, hosts Lauren K. Wolf and Carmen Drahl talk about must read stories from Chemical & Engineering News.
Full stories:
West Virginia Water Crisis: http://cenm.ag/watersupply">http://cenm.ag/watersupply
Syria's Chemical Weapons: http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i7/Mis">http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i7/Mis...
Natural and Artificial Food Flavorings: http://cenm.ag/naturals">http://cenm.ag/naturals
Micromotors Zoom through Cells: http://cenm.ag/mmtr">http://cenm.ag/mmtr
---------------------------------------------
3 TANKER TRUCKS CRASH IN CANTON TOWNSHIP, SPILLING FRACKING WATER, DIESEL FUEL
http://www.wtae.com/news/tanker-trucks-crash-in-canton-township/25579248
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, diesel
CANTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. ?Two fracking water tankers and a third, larger tanker truck were all involved in a crash Monday morning in Washington County, causing a hazmat situation that closed Henderson Avenue.
Canton Township Fire Chief Dave Gump estimated between 1,200 and 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel may have spilled into nearby Chartiers Creek.
A team from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has responded and is working in the creek. They placed booms in the creek to soak up the oil and were performing tests for high chlorides and radioactivity. They said they would also perform an oil analysis.
---------------------------------------------
SMALL CHEMICAL LEAK REPORTED AT DUPONT CO. CHEMICAL PLANT
http://wvgazette.com/article/20140421/GZ01/140429879/1101
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
BELLE -- The DuPont Co. Chemical plant in Belle had a small chemical leak late Monday afternoon, a 911 dispatcher said.
Employees reported a small leak of N-dimethylacetamide, also known as DMAC, according to a Kanawha County Metro 911 dispatcher. A chemical spill alarm went off at the plant just before 5 p.m, the dispatcher said.
The dispatcher said that the leak does not pose any danger to the public.
Kelley Gillenwater, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said officials believe more than a pound but not a ?large amount? of the chemical spilled. Officials are not sure the exact amount of the chemical spilled.
The spill has been stopped.
The chemical was contained within Dupont?s secondary containment system, she said.
---------------------------------------------
RIGHT LANE OF I-40W NEAR NC/TN STATE LINE REMAINS CLOSED
http://www.wbir.com/story/news/traffic/2014/04/21/i-40-shut-down-at-tnnc-line-by-overturned-tanker/7975979/
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, chlorine
I-40 westbound is shut down in North Carolina after a truck hauling a chlorine chemical overturned.
The accident was reported at 3:20 p.m. on Monday at mile marker 6 in North Carolina.
Crews hope to have the highway back open around 4 a.m.
According to Bill Miller of the Hawood County Emergency Management Agency, hazardous materials crews are assessing the damage and its impact on the environment now. The substance isn't flammable, but it could cause a fire if mixed with other things, like gas. The accident happened close to a creek that runs into the Pigeon River. They know some of the substance got into the creek, but aren't sure how much. There was also a small vapor cloud that they are working to determine is hazardous.
---------------------------------------------
LAWSUITS OVER CHEMICAL SPILL MOVING FORWARD
http://wvgazette.com/article/20140421/GZ01/140429894
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A federal judge in Charleston has partially consolidated more than 60 lawsuits filed against Freedom Industries and West Virginia American Water over the Jan. 9 chemical spill.
To avoid confusion and save time and money, U.S. District Court Judge John Copenhaver on Friday lumped together the plaintiffs? requests to move the cases back to state court. ?The risk of inconsistent adjudications, substantial expense to the parties, and inefficient use of court resources markedly increases here if the court declines consolidation at least to some extent,? Copenhaver wrote.
On Jan. 9, Crude MCHM, a coal-cleaning chemical, seeped from a tank at Freedom Industries on Barlow Drive and into the Elk River, contaminating the water supply of 300,000 West Virginians.
About a week after the leak, Freedom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which halted lawsuits filed against it.
Because of that and after it became clear Freedom was a dying company and wouldn?t have any money after it paid environmental remediation costs and attorneys fees, most plaintiffs dropped Freedom from their lawsuits.
---------------------------------------------
MAN FINDS CHEMICAL BOMB WHILE MOWING LAWN -
http://www.limaohio.com/news/home_top/1263258/Man-finds-chemical-bomb-while-mowing-lawn
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, bomb
BELLEVUE ? A Bellevue man found what appeared to be an unexploded chemical bomb while out mowing his lawn with his four-year-old son Saturday morning and another Bellevue man has been charged with making the device.
Jason Laub, of the 200 block of Northwest Street, told police he was mowing his lawn Saturday morning with his son when he noticed plastic bottle with a blue liquid in it. After getting off his mower to take a closer look, Laub said he noticed what appeared to be pieces of tinfoil inside. He told police he and his son walked away from the device and he called police because he thought it was a ?works bomb.?
The Bellevue Fire Department was called to the scene and Interim Chief Brian Sears checked the device out and said it didn?t appear to be under pressure. He noted that the cap of what appeared to be a plastic orange juice container was cracked. He stepped on the bottle to be sure. When he determined the device was not pressurized, a police officer poked a hole in it with his knife to release any pressure that might be building.
---------------------------------------------
FAIRFIELD SECRET DRUG LAB UNCOVERED BY FIREFIGHTERS ATTENDING HOUSE FIRE
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/fairfield-secret-drug-lab-uncovered-by-firefighters-attending-house-fire/story-fni0cx12-1226891807210
Tags: Australia, public, fire, response, meth_lab
A SECRET drug lab was discovered by firefighters after fire ripped through a home in Sydney?s southwest overnight.
Emergency services were called to a house on Cathcart St, Fairfield, following reports of a fire about 7.50pm.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews extinguished the blaze before locating a clandestine laboratory in part of the house.
---------------------------------------------
YEAR AFTER TEXAS PLANT BLAST, NO NEW SAFETY LAWS
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/year-texas-plant-blast-safety-laws-23417710
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, flammables
It has been a year since a fire caused a huge explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that killed 15 people, yet companies in the state can still store hazardous chemicals in flammable wooden containers in buildings without sprinklers and volunteer firefighters like those who rushed into that plant still aren't required to train how to fight such fires.
Despite investigations that have yielded new information about safety deficiencies at the plant in West and voluntary safety steps taken by the fertilizer industry, there hasn't been a single state or federal law passed since the explosion requiring change.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which is leading one of those investigations, will present its findings and recommendations at a meeting Tuesday in West, a city of 2,800 people about 70 miles south of Dallas.
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FIRE AT CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITY
http://www.crosbyherald.co.uk/news/crosby-breaking-news/2014/04/21/fire-at-chemical-storage-facility-68459-34512254/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Area manager Ian Dunkley, from West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, told BBC Breakfast: "W e were called out at approx two o'clock this morning to a large fire in a chemical recyling plant.
"Unfortunately, that's spread to an adjacent building that does commercial packaging.
"We've had approx 80 firefighters on scene.
"The initial crews were trying to protect surrounding properties and, in fact, we've saved three surrounding business which will be available to open tomorrow."
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