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From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (23 articles)
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 07:23:28 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
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Table of Contents (23 articles)
FLAMES AND SMOKE TEAR THROUGH THE HAVERHILL CHEMICALS PLANT IN S
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL HAZARD IN $2M BLAZE
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, acids
8 HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT SCHOOL
Tags: us_FL, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
T.B. SIMON POWER PLANT CATCHES FIRE AT MSU
Tags: us_MI, education, fire, response, unknown_chemical
TRACTOR FIRE BRINGS OUT HAZMAT TEAM
Tags: us_WI, transportation, fire, response, ammonia
CHEMICAL AGENCY BEGINS CLOSER LOOK AT MCHM TANK
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, response, cleaners
BACKYARD CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS EVACUATION IN CEDAR PARK
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, nitric_acid
TWO WORKERS HURT IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT
Tags: us_KY, industrial, explosion, injury, aluminum
FIREFIGHTERS, HAZMAT RESPOND TO RITE AID
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, ammonium_hydroxide
BUFFALO FIRE HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO ACID SPILL
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, acids
ACID IS SPILLED IN HILO; NO CONTAMINATION FOUND
Tags: us_HI, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
DOWNEY BOY, 4, INJURED IN DRY-ICE EXPLOSION AT PARAMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, injury, carbon_dioxide
NUS SUSPENDS LAB WORK FOR A DAY AFTER 2 FIRES
Tags: Singapore, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
UPDATE: SIERRA CHEMICAL HAD SAFETY VIOLATIONS PRIOR TO TODAY'S EXPLOSION
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL FIRM, NONE HURT
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CONGRESSMAN WANTS CHEMICAL LIST
Tags: us_IA, public, follow-up, response, ag_chems
FIRE STILL BURNS 2 DAYS AFTER EXPLOSION HEAVILY DAMAGES WESTERN WYOMING GAS PROCESSING PLANT
Tags: us_WY, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES INTO FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS NEAR MITCHELL AIRPORT
Tags: us_WI, industrial, explosion, response, propane
DEVELOPING: ONE FATALITY IN EXPLOSION AT SIERRA CHEMICAL, NO OTHERS INJURED
Tags: us_NV, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT TEAM, POLICE RESPOND TO SPILL IN CHEMISTRY BUILDING
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT EVENT AT POOL IN WACHESAW PLANTATION
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, chlorine
FEDERAL REPORT: REGULATORY CONFUSION CONTRIBUTED TO TEXAS CHEMICAL DISASTER
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
MAJOR FIRM TO DISCLOSE FRACKING CHEMICALS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
---------------------------------------------
FLAMES AND SMOKE TEAR THROUGH THE HAVERHILL CHEMICALS PLANT IN S
http://www.wowktv.com/story/25354625/flames-and-smoke-tear-through-the-haverhill-chemicals-plant-in-scioto-county-oh
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A fire broke out at the Haverhill Chemical Plant on Sunday, April 27 just after 8 p.m. according to dispatchers at Scioto County EMS.
In a statement released to the media by Haverhill Chemicals officials say at approximately 8:11 PM tonight, an isolated fire occurred at Haverhill Chemicals. The fire was put out by officials on site. And there were no off-site locations damaged by flames or smoke.
The Green Township and Porter Township Fire also responded but the fire was out. They have remained on stand-by just in case, according to the same statement.
The proper local, state and federal agencies were also notified according to Haverhill Chemicals Officials. These include the National Emergency Response Center, the Ohio Emergency Response Center and the Scioto County Emergency Management.
At this his time, the cause of the incident is still under investigation, according to the same statement release.
Earlier this month, a employee of Haverhill Chemicals was killed in a unrelated accident.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL HAZARD IN $2M BLAZE
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/23021812/chemical-hazard-in-2m-blaze/
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, acids
A fire caused $2 million damage to a Malaga factory overnight.
Firefighters were called to the Beringarra Avenue factory about 10.30pm.
It took 25 firefighters about an hour to get the fire under control.
A Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said firefighting efforts were hampered by dangerous goods.
He said sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid were stored on the site.
Damage was contained to a single factory unit.
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8 HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT SCHOOL
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/8-hospitalized-in-hazmat-situation-at-school-1.310204
Tags: us_FL, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Eight adults from T.R. Jackson Pre-K School in Milton were hospitalized this morning after encountering a suspected hazardous material inside one of the school buildings.
No children were injured, but the adults reported burning eyes and difficulty breathing, according to a news release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff?s Office.
Five of the adults were evaluated and released and the other three are still getting evaluated, according to Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick.
The adults were inside a small building known on-campus as the educational training center, preparing for upcoming progress monitoring when one reported trouble breathing, Wyrosdick said.
All eight of them visited the school's clinic before they were transported to two area hospitals, he said.
"We can't find a reason for their discomfort right now," Wyrosdick said.
He said they've eliminated the possibility of a gas leak and are waiting on Whiting Field to bring a special tool to search the building.
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T.B. SIMON POWER PLANT CATCHES FIRE AT MSU
http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/TB-Simon-Power-Plant-Catches-Fire-at-MSU-256821911.html?ref=911
Tags: us_MI, education, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Michigan State University Police are investigating a Saturday morning fire at the T.B. Simon Power Plant.
Police say compressor on the first floor caught fire around 5:30 a.m. That's according to a plant employee. The Office of Radiation Chemical and Biological Safety responded, along with the East Lansing Fire Department who extinguished the fire.
No one was injured and the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Stay with News 10 as we find out more.
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TRACTOR FIRE BRINGS OUT HAZMAT TEAM
http://www.news8000.com/news/tractor-fire-brings-out-hazmat-team/25679522
Tags: us_WI, transportation, fire, response, ammonia
FARMINGTON, Wis. (WKBT) -
The La Crosse Area Hazmat Team was called out to a tractor fire involving a dangerous chemical this afternoon.
A tractor pulling more than 500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia started on fire, in a field outside Farmington. The chemical can be highly toxic to people if it's ingested. First responders were able to put out the fire before it reached the ammonia tank.
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CHEMICAL AGENCY BEGINS CLOSER LOOK AT MCHM TANK
http://wvgazette.com/article/20140425/GZ01/140429433
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, response, cleaners
CHARLESTON, W.Va. ? Federal investigators this week began taking a much closer look at the Freedom Industries tank that leaked 10,000 gallons of the coal-cleaning chemical MCHM into the Elk River just upstream of the drinking water intake for 300,000 residents in Charleston and the surrounding counties.
On Thursday, contractors hired by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board cut a door into the side of the tank to allow a closer on-site inspection and so workers could remove portions of the tank for detailed examination in a laboratory. CSB officials hope to learn more about the condition of the tank and what caused the Jan. 9 leak.
?We?re anxious to get this material out and start the laboratory analysis,? said Johnnie Banks, the CSB?s lead investigator on the Freedom Industries leak.
CSB contractors were using a high-pressure water-sand cutting tool on the tank to avoid any of the sorts of safety problems the agency has found frequently occur when by so-called ?hot work? using cutting torches, Banks said.
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BACKYARD CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS EVACUATION IN CEDAR PARK
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/backyard-chemical-spill-prompts-evacuation-in-ceda/nfjFz/
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, nitric_acid
A chemical spill has shut down a street in Cedar Park and prompted the evacuation of several homes as emergency crews work to clean it up.
A homeowner on Blue Ridge Drive spilled concentrated nitric acid in the back yard of a home, causing four nearby homes to be evacuated, said Cedar Park Fire Chief James Mallinger. He wasn?t sure what the homeowner was using the acid for, but said the homeowner is a biologist and may have been using the acid for a test.
Nitric acid is highly toxic and corrosive. It can be used in fertilizers, wood working and rocket fuel and is found in TNT.
Mallinger said that a section of Blue Ridge Drive from Bryce Canyon Drive was shut down as a precaution because the backyard where the spill occurred was not fenced and it is recommended to stay 150 feet from a nitric acid spill.
---------------------------------------------
TWO WORKERS HURT IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT
http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/two-workers-hurt-in-industrial-accident/article_c3857f22-84f8-5bc9-8425-22c0e5941c08.html
Tags: us_KY, industrial, explosion, injury, aluminum
Molten aluminum burned the legs of two men about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products.
Both employees, David Lindsey and Robert Evans, who are operating technicians in the SB Building in the rear of the Kobe property, were wearing required personal protective equipment and fire retardant uniforms, corporate officer Greg Head said.
?The call came in that there was an explosion at Kobe Aluminum with two people injured,? Bowling Green Fire Department spokeswoman Marlee Boenig said.
When firefighters arrived at 525 Central Ave. in the industrial park, there was no fire, Boenig said. Instead, she described it as an industrial incident.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS, HAZMAT RESPOND TO RITE AID
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/25/3896007/firefighters-hazmat-respond-to.html
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, ammonium_hydroxide
Bottles of a chemical found behind the Rite Aid drugstore off G Street and Olive Avenue on Friday prompted a response from firefighters of the county hazardous materials team.
No injuries were reported during the incident, and emergency personnel determined the chemical was ammonium hydroxide, a compound found in commercial cleaning agents, according to Acting Battalion Chief Mark Walker.
Four one-gallon jugs of the chemical were placed in back of the building, Walker said.
Emergency personnel were called by an employee of a landscaping company about 8:40 a.m. Friday, said Merced Fire Operations Chief Don Long. Firefighters said one person who came across the bottles was medically checked and released.
Merced Fire Department and Cal Fire personnel initially were not able to identify what was inside the jugs, and one of the bottles was inside of a plastic bag. Members of the hazardous materials team put on protective suits and took a sample of the chemical to determine its makeup. Walker said none of the chemical had spilled.
---------------------------------------------
BUFFALO FIRE HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO ACID SPILL
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo/buffalo-fire-hazmat-team-responds-to-acid-spill-20140425
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, acids
The Buffalo Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team responded to an acid spill just after 11 a.m. Friday in the 1700 block of William Street near Gold Street.
Fire officials say an acid spill occurred inside Niagara Testing, a metallurgical testing plant at 1768 Williams St., where the occupants of the building had to be evacuated.
No injuries were reported.
---------------------------------------------
ACID IS SPILLED IN HILO; NO CONTAMINATION FOUND
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140425_Acid_is_spilled_in_Hilo_no_contamination_found.html?id=256800651
Tags: us_HI, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
About 250 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled from a container as it was being loaded onto a truck at BEI Hawaii in Hilo on Friday.
The spill occurred at 9:43 a.m. at the company's Kekuanaoa Street location.
No injuries were reported.
BEI Hawaii personnel used soda ash to neutralize the acid, some of which leaked into a roadway dry well.
HazMat personnel from the Hawaii County Fire Department monitored PH levels around the dry well and waterways leading to the Wailoa small boat ramp area.
---------------------------------------------
DOWNEY BOY, 4, INJURED IN DRY-ICE EXPLOSION AT PARAMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_25638371/downey-boy-4-injured-dry-ice-explosion-at
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, injury, carbon_dioxide
PARAMOUNT >> A 4-year-old Downey boy injured in a dry ice explosion in Paramount Thursday night has been treated and released, authorities said Friday.
Los Angeles County sheriff?s deputies from the Lakewood station responded to a call regarding a child injured by fireworks around 7:50 p.m. at Paramount High School ? West Campus in the 14700 block of Paramount Boulevard.
?The boy was discharged,? said Sgt. Joe Reveles, a department spokesman at the Lakewood station.
When deputies arrived they found the boy lying on the ground suffering minor injuries to his chest, according to information provided by the department. Deputies also found scattered pieces of a plastic bottle near the boy.
Deputies contacted the department?s Arson/Explosives detail detectives believing the boy was injured by a chemical explosion.
An investigation revealed that the boy, a Downey resident, was at the campus with his family for recreational soccer activities when he found and picked up a two-liter plastic bottle while playing.
---------------------------------------------
NUS SUSPENDS LAB WORK FOR A DAY AFTER 2 FIRES
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/nus-suspends-lab-work-day-after-2-fires-20140426
Tags: Singapore, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Several faculties at the National University of Singapore (NUS) were told to suspend laboratory activities yesterday in order to review safety after two fires at the university this month.
In an e-mail seen by The Straits Times, the engineering, science and medical faculties were asked to suspend all research activities from 8.30am to 6pm yesterday. They were told to reflect on how to improve safety in their labs instead.
The latest blaze broke out on Wednesday in a walkway at the engineering faculty at about 11.45pm. Nobody was hurt, and the fire was put out before firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived. The cause is being investigated.
The other fire, which was reported in the media, took place on April 4 in another part of the engineering faculty, and led to two people being warded.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: SIERRA CHEMICAL HAD SAFETY VIOLATIONS PRIOR TO TODAY'S EXPLOSION
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/04/25/fire-crews-scene-explosion-sparks-chemical-company/8149719/
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
3:27 p.m. update: Sierra Chemical Company released a statement this afternoon saying it is "deeply saddened to confirm a fatal accident has occurred at the company's" Sparks facility.
The statement said the incident occurred when the employee "was performing a test operation on a 550-gallon bulk (tote) package using compressed air when the tote burst."
All Sierra operations have been suspended while the investigation continues, a Sierra Chemical statement said.
Grief counseling is being provided to all employees, the statement said.
2 p.m. update: Sierra Chemical Company received three serious violations in December last year with all resolved following a settlement, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration data.
The serious violations are labeled as "handling materials," "guarding floor and wall openings and holes" and "general duty clause" violations.
Sierra Chemical has not returned phone calls for comment today.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL FIRM, NONE HURT
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Fire-breaks-out-at-chemical-firm-none-hurt/articleshow/34213914.cms
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHENNAI: A fire broke out at a chemical company in Nehru Nagar, Kottivakkam, off Old Mahabalipuram Road, on Friday. No casualties were reported.
A fire and rescue service officer said the fire broke out around 6.30pm at the company, located in Perungudi Industrial Estate.
Thirteen fire tenders and 70 personnel were pressed into service to douse the flames, which raged on for more than three hours. Firefighters were forced to used foam to put out the blaze. Power supply in the locality was cut as a precautionary measure.
---------------------------------------------
CONGRESSMAN WANTS CHEMICAL LIST
http://kimt.com/2014/04/25/congressman-wants-chemical-list/
Tags: us_IA, public, follow-up, response, ag_chems
MASON CITY, Iowa ? More than two months have passed since a chemical fire forced a North Iowa town to evacuate.
Now, an Iowa Congressman wants to make sure an incident like that doesn?t happen again.
The fire broke out in Northwood on February 20th at Northwood Ag products.
They were storing fertilizer at the time.
That has Representative Bruce Braley asking for a list.
It would include Iowa facilities that have turned in emergency and hazardous chemical forms or tier 2 forms.
He wants to use that information to make sure the public, local governments and law enforcement are all in the loop.
That?s something another congressman agrees with as well.
?Because in an experience like this it makes you want to make sure you can minimize the risk of future populations and in order to do that you have to know where these facilities are,? said U.S. Representative Bruce Braley.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE STILL BURNS 2 DAYS AFTER EXPLOSION HEAVILY DAMAGES WESTERN WYOMING GAS PROCESSING PLANT
http://projects.registerguard.com/apf/sci/wy-wyoming-plant-explosion/
Tags: us_WY, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
OPAL, Wyo. ? A fire continues to burn two days after an explosion at a gas processing plant near the western Wyoming town of Opal (oh-PAL').
Officials have shut off gas to the plant but continued to wait Friday for remaining gas to burn off.
Nobody was hurt in Wednesday's blast and ensuing fire at the Williams Energy facility. The explosion prompted officials to evacuate the 95 or so residents of nearby Opal.
Local officials allowed residents to return home beginning Thursday.
Lincoln County spokesman Stephen Malik said Friday emergency officials continue to watch for any dangers to nearby residents.
The gas plant processed almost a billion cubic feet of gas per day. The gas went by pipeline to the West Coast and as far east as Ohio.
---------------------------------------------
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES INTO FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS NEAR MITCHELL AIRPORT
http://wnflam.com/news/articles/2014/apr/25/investigation-continues-into-fire-and-explosions-near-mitchell-airport/
Tags: us_WI, industrial, explosion, response, propane
MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) - Milwaukee fire and police officials are trying to determine what triggered a blaze and a series of explosions at an auto salvage yard near Mitchell Airport.
Firefighters were first told that a gas leak occurred at Roz Auto Salvage, about two miles southwest of the state's largest airport.
No one was hurt, as workers managed to escape a burning structure where engine motors and transmissions were stored. The building's roof collapsed.
Nearby residents were evacuated for three hours. The airport's operations were not affected.
It took almost an hour and a half to get the fire under control. Milwaukee assistant fire chief Dan Lipski said heat from the fire ignited several cars in the parking lot and caused their tires to explode.
The early word was that seven propane tanks outside the building blew up. Lipski said the sounds of the blasts might have been caused by portable propane tanks, or vehicle gas tanks and tires.
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DEVELOPING: ONE FATALITY IN EXPLOSION AT SIERRA CHEMICAL, NO OTHERS INJURED
http://www.mynews4.com/mostpopular/story/DEVELOPING-One-fatality-in-explosion-at-Sierra/JHnsIqbjkESTwlYWyCPK0g.cspx
Tags: us_NV, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
SPARKS, Nev. (MyNews4.com & KRNV) -- News 4 has learned more details about the explosion that occurred at Sierra Chemical Co. on 2302 Larkin Cir. in Sparks this morning.
According to an official release from the Sparks Police Department, SPD officers responded to Sierra Chemical upon report of an industrial accident at approximately 8:09 a.m. Upon arrival, officers found a tank containing compressed air had exploded. There were no chemicals or fire involved in the explosion, and no other persons were injured. There is no danger to the public as a result of this accident and there is no foul play suspected.
One person, an employee of Sierra Chemical, has died as a result of the explosion. The name of the deceased employee will not be released at this time and there are no further details.
Sparks Police and OSHA are currently investigating this as an industrial accident.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM, POLICE RESPOND TO SPILL IN CHEMISTRY BUILDING
http://www.redandblack.com/cops/hazmat-team-police-respond-to-spill-in-chemistry-building/article_5540e172-cc14-11e3-a173-0017a43b2370.html
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
University of Georgia and local safety departments responded to a call about a chemical spill in the Chemistry Building Thursday evening at approximately 6:10 p.m., an Athens-Clarke County official said. Later that night they found no one was hurt and the building was safe.
?We received a call, it was an unidentified chemical, we responded. We did the reconnaissance to determine what the chemical was,? said Roger Evans, battalion chief of ACC Fire & Emergency Services.
Both Athens-Clarke County Fire & Emergency Services and the UGA police responded to the scene Thursday, and Evans said fire department officials identified the spill as an alcohol-based substance.
?It was just an accident with a very small spill,? he said. ?We identified the product. It was basically an alcohol-type product with no threat to the environment or to personal safety. The product is contained and now we?ve stabilized the incident.?
Evans said upon arriving at the scene, UGAPD evacuated the building, and it is now safe for students to enter.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT EVENT AT POOL IN WACHESAW PLANTATION
http://www.thestate.com/2014/04/24/3407333/firefighters-respond-to-hazmat.html
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, chlorine
Firefighters with Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire Rescue responded to a HAZMAT situation about 5 p.m. Thursday, according to authorities.
Specific details about the incident were not immediately available including information about any injuries, but firefighters said it involves chlorine at the pool on Riverwood Road in Wachesaw Plantation.
Firefighters were still at the scene at 6:15 p.m. The Georgetown County Sheriff?s Office was not dispatched to the scene, said Lt. T.L. Staub.
---------------------------------------------
FEDERAL REPORT: REGULATORY CONFUSION CONTRIBUTED TO TEXAS CHEMICAL DISASTER
http://www.govexec.com/management/2014/04/federal-report-regulatory-confusion-contributed-texas-chemical-disaster/83167/?oref=dropdown
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
Before violently exploding and killing 14 people last April, a Texas fertilizer plant first fell through multiple regulatory loopholes -- some real and some likely imagined, a federal advisory panel says.
In a release of some preliminary findings from its investigation into the incident this week, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board noted that under federal law, companies must report the use of chemicals that the Environmental Protection Agency considers to be "extremely hazardous substances."
Ammonium nitrate, the substance believed to have caused the deadly 2013 blast, along with some other industrial explosions in recent years, is not on the EPA list, however, the board noted. The board is an independent federal body that investigates chemical incidents and advises regulatory agencies.
The West, Texas, facility did give notice of its use of ammonium nitrate -- under a separate requirement by the same federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act to report the use of those substances deemed "hazardous chemicals" by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
But state officials, who are responsible for enforcing the law in Texas, determined -- incorrectly, according to EPA guidelines -- that the facility was exempt from the statute's requisite emergency-planning requirements, the board says.
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MAJOR FIRM TO DISCLOSE FRACKING CHEMICALS
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2014/04/24/fracking-fluid-disclosure/8117133/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
In a major shift quietly announced Thursday, a leading hydraulic fracturing supplier said it would begin disclosing all of the chemicals used in so-called fracking without regard to trade secrets.
Houston-based Baker Hughes said it "believes it is possible to disclose 100% of the chemical ingredients we use in hydraulic fracturing fluids without compromising our formulations ? a balance that increases public trust while encouraging commercial innovation."
The declaration, first reported by EnergyWire, contained one potentially big hedge: The company said it would provide "complete lists" of products and chemicals only "(w)here accepted by our customers and relevant governmental authorities."
The shift comes a month after a U.S. Energy Department task force recommended changes to improve transparency at FracFocus, where companies can voluntarily report the chemicals they use. The Energy Department's March report found that hat 84% of the wells registered on FracFocus invoked a trade secret exemption for at least one chemical.
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