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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (18 articles)
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 07:00:24 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 5FEAB57B-3B09-47C3-A69F-F1971C389FD6**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 19, 2014 at 7:00:10 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (18 articles)
UCONN CLASSES RESUME THURSDAY AFTER TWO CHEMICAL INCIDENTS FORCE EVACUATIONS ON STORRS CAMPUS
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, acetone, gas_cylinders
CHEMICAL DRUM PUNCTURE IN NORTHLAKE SENDS FOUR TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, acids
CHEMICAL ODOR FORCES EVACUATIONS AT HONOKA'A SCHOOLS
Tags: us_HI, education, release, response, other_chemical
VIDEO: FIVE HURT AS COVENTRY'S POOL MEADOW BUS STATION SEALED OFF IN CHEMICAL ALERT
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT CALL PROMPTS ROUND ROCK EVACUATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
BROKEN VALVE CAUSES WAREHOUSE AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
CREWS RESPOND TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LEAK BEHIND LOWE'S IN SOUTH BEND
Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
ARREST AFTER CHEMICAL SCARE
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
OFFICIALS: CHEMICAL OR GAS SENDS THREE PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
9 DECONTAMINATED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE AT WRENS HOME
Tags: us_GA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, pesticides
3 OSHA CITATIONS FILED AGAINST WINSTON-SALEM FIRE DEPARTMENT
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, response
CHEMICAL ACCIDENT AT UCONN SENDS 2 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, acetone
INVESTIGATOR: TEACHER IN LAB FIRE UNTRAINED IN METHANOL DANGER
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, follow-up, injury, methanol
WHAT NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY FIRE MEANS FOR TIMBER-FRAME CONSTRUCTION
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
MAN DIES SIX DAYS AFTER CHEMICAL BLAST
Tags: Germany, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
RICHLAND: MORE HANFORD WORKERS CHECKED FOR CHEMICAL VAPOR EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL LEAK DRAWS STATE FINE
Tags: us_NY, transportation, follow-up, environmental, thiols
LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS FOUND IN HOLLISTER HOME
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, bomb
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UCONN CLASSES RESUME THURSDAY AFTER TWO CHEMICAL INCIDENTS FORCE EVACUATIONS ON STORRS CAMPUS
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, acetone, gas_cylinders
UConn Classes will be back in session on Thursday after a leaking cylinder prompted evacuations on Wednesday.
The Torrey Life Sciences and Pharmacy/Biology buildings were evacuated.
Two students had to be taken to the hospital Wednesday for treatment and evaluation after a lab accident.
UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said the students mistakenly poured acetone into a receptacle that already contained a different chemical. The resulting chemical reaction caused irritation to their eyes, and both students followed procedure and went out of the lab to use the decontamination shower.
The UConn fire department arrived and sealed off the fourth floor of the ITE Building and two classrooms on the third floor. They transported the students to Windham Hospital where they were evaluated and released. Other students who had walked through the puddles of the decontamination shower had their footwear cleaned of any resulting residue.
Later in the day on Wednesday, UConn sent an alert to students that the Torrey Life Sciences Building and the Pharmacy/Biology Building at the Storrs campus were evacuated until further notice.
?The UConn Fire Department is working with a vendor to contain a leak in a helium cylinder,? according to UConn.
The two incidents appeared to be unrelated.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL DRUM PUNCTURE IN NORTHLAKE SENDS FOUR TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, acids
A punctured chemical drum in the Union Pacific rail yard Thursday led to four people going to local hospitals.
At 6:21 a.m., Sept 18, the Berkeley Fire Department got a call on their non-emergency line. While unloading a pallet with two 55-gallon barrels from a truck onto a warehouse dock, a forklift had punched a hole in it. They had leaking liquid.
Berkeley firefighters headed to the rail yard, which is located in Northlake, Berkeley and Bellwood. The warehouse was located about a quarter to a half mile south of 317 Lake St.
?There was a plume of acid smoke,? said interim Fire Chief Mike Dravo. ?Their employees were trying to turn over the drum to stop the leak.?
Dravo ordered everyone away and had firefighters put on hazardous materials gear. They put out a call to the divisional haz-mat team at 6:30 a.m. and other fire departments, including Northlake, Stone Park and Bellwood, showed up.
The company called the shipper, which put a chemist on the phone with firefighters. He told them the chemical leaking from the barrel is called methoxypropylamine.
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CHEMICAL ODOR FORCES EVACUATIONS AT HONOKA'A SCHOOLS
Tags: us_HI, education, release, response, other_chemical
HONOKA`A, Hawaii ?Honoka'a Elementary, Intermediate and High School were evacuated Thursday and were closed for the day as a precaution due to a chemical odor, according to Big Island police.
The Department of Education says students were sent home at around 10:45 a.m. According to HAZMAT investigators, the odor was traced to a nearby resident who was using a mix of chemicals to spray his yard.
School officials called fire crews at around 9 a.m. About 40 students and 10 adults from Honoka'a High & Intermediate school who reported feeling symptoms of nausea, dizziness and respiratory problems were sent to nearby medical centers for treatment. There were no reports of medical issues at Honoka'a Elementary, which is located across the street from the High & Intermediate school.
---------------------------------------------
VIDEO: FIVE HURT AS COVENTRY'S POOL MEADOW BUS STATION SEALED OFF IN CHEMICAL ALERT
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Five people have been injured after a suspected chemical leak at Pool Meadow Bus Station.
Fire, police and ambulance crews were called to the Fairfax Street station in Coventry city centre after reports of a strong chemical smell coming from the public toilets.
A man in his 60s was taken to hospital as a precaution and three others were treated for symptoms including sore throats and streaming eyes. The other affected person originally left the area, before being found and checked over.
The station was sealed off for about four hours and buses were diverted while the emergency services investigate.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CALL PROMPTS ROUND ROCK EVACUATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) ? A Businesses in Round Rock?s Double Creek was evacuated due to a gas leak. The Perflurosuccinoyl fluroide has been contained to inside the building. Nearby businesses, schools and day cares are being asked to remain inside.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, employees of Christianson Air Conditioning and Plumbing called 911 and reported they had difficulty breathing. Crews discovered the leak at Exfluor Research Corporation next door at 2350 Double Creek Drive. The Round Rock and Williamson County Hazardous Materials teams moved in to assess the situation. They?ve been monitoring the air around the building and at this point, officials do not believe the gas leak ever got outside of the building.
Officials say they offloaded the gas into a separate container but a gaseous cloud remained inside the building.
---------------------------------------------
BROKEN VALVE CAUSES WAREHOUSE AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
Emergency crews responding to a hazmat situation in Avon, Massachusetts, Thursday night, say an ammonia leak was caused by a broken valve, the town's fire department confirmed.
Avon Fire says it was a tier two hazmat situation; according to Mass.gov, a tier two hazmat situation is short term operation.
Police say crews responded to the warehouse building in the area of Murphy Street.
When officials arrived, they found a high concentration of ammonia inside the compressor room.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LEAK BEHIND LOWE'S IN SOUTH BEND
Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
A semi trailer behind Lowe's, 250 West Ireland Road, is leaking sodium hydroxide from a 275-gallon container that was inside the trailer of the truck.
That's according to an official with the South Bend Fire Department hazmat team.
Sodium hydroxide is mixed with detergents and can burn skin in concentrated form such as this.
The substance was found leaking out of the bottom of the trailer Wednesday afternoon and has been contained in the storm drain behind Lowe's.
A contractor is in the process of cleaning it up.
---------------------------------------------
ARREST AFTER CHEMICAL SCARE
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A woman was taken to hospital and a man arrested following a chemical scare in Richmond this afternoon.
A 45-year-old man was seen walking along Queen St with a plastic bottle with an unknown liquid in it shortly before 3:40pm, Richmond Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Ralph Lonsdale said.
As he was passing a "boutique" clothing store he threw some of the liquid on a rack of clothing.
"Some of the clothes started to melt, some of the clothes started to drip like as if they were under intense heat," Lonsdale said.
"It was no fire or anything, it was just all a chemical reaction."
He said it wasn't yet known what the chemical was.
The man involved has been arrested but no charges have been laid yet.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS: CHEMICAL OR GAS SENDS THREE PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
BALTIMORE ?Several people reported feeling ill at a building in northwest Baltimore.
Baltimore City hazardous materials crews were called just after 6 p.m. Wednesday to the 4200 block of Patterson Avenue, where a building was evacuated.
Fire officials said construction work was being done on the building and there was a release of some type of chemical or gas.
Three people were taken to the hospital. One person was said to have potentially life-threatening injuries.
---------------------------------------------
9 DECONTAMINATED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE AT WRENS HOME
Tags: us_GA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, pesticides
Nine people, including two police officers and a firefighter, went through decontamination protocols and were taken to Jefferson Hospital.
About 8:30 p.m. Monday, emergency workers responded to a call requesting assistance at a home on Airport Road in Wrens because of a strong odor from a chemical used earlier in the day.
?Initial response by Wrens Fire Department and Wrens Police Department revealed that an unknown chemical had been used as an insecticide earlier in the afternoon and that the odor was getting stronger,? said Jim Anderson, Jefferson County?s emergency management director.
?Initial responding officers reported a burning sensation to the throat and light dizziness at which time hazmat (hazardous materials) protocols were initiated for precautionary measures due to the chemical being unknown and an immediate evacuations of the residents was conducted.?
Six people, all adults, in addition to the three emergency responders, were decontaminated on site using large amounts of water; exterior clothing was removed and they were taken by ambulance to the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
3 OSHA CITATIONS FILED AGAINST WINSTON-SALEM FIRE DEPARTMENT
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, response
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ?State labor officials fined the Winston-Salem Fire Department Tuesday following citations for three OSHA violations.
The department was fined a total of $6,500 for two serious violations and one non-serious violation. The citations were corrected upon inspection, City of Winston-Salem officials said.
The citations include a firefighting turnout jacket with torn velcro, improper language in bloodborne pathogen training policy and lack of documentation for a relatively new hazardous chemical training system.
The damaged jacket has been taken out of service, and damage checks on firefighters' gear has been increased from monthly to daily, department officials said.
The city can appeal the citations within 15 days. In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, city officials said they have yet to decide whether to pay the fines or appeal.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL ACCIDENT AT UCONN SENDS 2 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, acetone
STORRS, Conn. (AP) ? A chemical accident at University of Connecticut sent two students to a hospital for evaluation and prompted the school to close a portion of one building for several hours.
Spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz says the students were working in the Information Technologies and Engineering building at about 11 a.m. when they accidently disposed of some chemicals including acetone into a container that already contained other chemicals. She says that caused a flash reaction and released fumes.
The students ran to a decontamination shower in the hallway, and were later transported to Windham Hospital. One suffered some eye irritation. Both were treated and released.
She says eight other students underwent decontamination on campus after walking through the puddles in the hallway.
---------------------------------------------
INVESTIGATOR: TEACHER IN LAB FIRE UNTRAINED IN METHANOL DANGER
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, follow-up, injury, methanol
DENVER (AP) ? A Denver teacher had no special training in the dangers of methanol before he conducted a demonstration in a school laboratory that resulted in a fire and injuries to three students, a federal investigator said Tuesday.
The teacher was not aware of methanol?s potential for flash fires, said Mark Wingard, an investigator with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which looks into chemical accidents.
Wingard said the teacher was demonstrating methanol?s burning properties, and when the flame did not rise as high as he expected, he added more methanol from a container holding four liters, or about a gallon.
Wingard said a 4-foot-long flame then erupted and struck one student in the chest, causing serious injuries.
The fire occurred Monday at the Science, Math and Arts Academy, a charter high school in southwestern Denver. School officials identified the teacher as Daniel Powell.
---------------------------------------------
WHAT NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY FIRE MEANS FOR TIMBER-FRAME CONSTRUCTION
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
When fire ripped through a new laboratory at the University of Nottingham last week, it brought back an uncomfortable debate for firms about the risks associated with timber-frame buildings under construction.
Fears about the construction method?s vulnerability to fire have been voiced for many years but the industry has taken steps to mitigate some of those worries.
As main contractor on the £20m Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry, Morgan Sindall had carried out tests on regulating fire spread in the structure, which was built from engineered timber beams and cross-laminated timber panels.
Fire investigation experts and insurance loss adjusters are investigating the blaze site.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is working with the university and its contractors to investigate the cause and recover as much of the site as is possible.
---------------------------------------------
MAN DIES SIX DAYS AFTER CHEMICAL BLAST
Tags: Germany, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
The massive explosion at Ritterhude last Tuesday night damaged around 40 homes, destroyed the chemical plant and injured four people.
The most serious injuries were sustained by a 60-year-old who worked for chemical company Organo Fluid.
He was found on the site by emergency services the morning after the blast and taken to hospital.
According to police he died overnight on Monday into Tuesday at a specialist clinic in Hanover.
---------------------------------------------
RICHLAND: MORE HANFORD WORKERS CHECKED FOR CHEMICAL VAPOR EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
RICHLAND ? Four Hanford workers were sent to the Hanford medical provider the morning of Sept. 15 after possible chemical vapors were smelled at Hanford?s SY Tank Farm.
Three of the workers had symptoms consistent with vapor exposure. They were cleared to return to work later in the day.
The fourth worker was sent to the medical provider as a precaution but declined an evaluation.
Although the symptoms were not made public, typical vapor exposure symptoms are dizziness, headaches and shortness of breath. Workers are concerned that vapor exposure could lead to long-term medical issues.
Two were inside the SY Tank Farm and two were nearby.
Access to the tank farm has been restricted until samples are analyzed, according to Washington River Protection Solutions.
The event brings the number of workers receiving medical evaluations for possible exposure to chemical vapors since spring to 47.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK DRAWS STATE FINE
Tags: us_NY, transportation, follow-up, environmental, thiols
A Houston-based energy company has been fined $5,000 by the state for allowing a pungent gas to escape last month from a gas pipeline terminal into surrounding Selkirk neighborhoods.
Enterprise Terminals & Storage LLC agreed to the fine in connection with a leak of mercaptan ? a chemical with a biting odor that is added to natural gas to help in leak detection ? that happened Aug. 13 to 14 at 68 Maple Ave., according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Numerous residents complained about the smell ? which is like rotten eggs ? and town police and firefighters, as well as the county Health Department, were summoned to investigate, according to DEC records. Officials received "dozens of calls reporting strong mercaptan odors in surrounding neighborhoods."
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LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS FOUND IN HOLLISTER HOME
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, bomb
The Hollister Police Department is investigating hazardous materials inside a home on the 2300 block of Glenview Drive.
The Monterey County bomb squad was called to the scene and a hazardous materials team is now being called to help.
Code enforcement says there are multiple laboratory chemicals inside the house.
About 20 homes have been evacuated and the Red Cross is headed to the area to work with those displaced.
According to police, officers responded to the home around 6:00 p.m. for a possible burglary. When they arrived, they found the hazardous materials inside.
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