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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 (14 articles)
Date: Mon, 4 May 2015 06:55:12 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: ACFA4DE4-2DFC-4B64-9BC9-A5FECEE10463**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 4, 2015 at 6:54:48 AM
A membership benefit 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 (14 articles)
COSTA RICA ISSUES RED ALERT FOLLOWING AMMONIUM NITRATE CHEMICAL SPILL [BREAKING]
Tags: Costa_Rica, transportation, release, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
BROKEN STEAM PIPE CAUSES CHEMICAL SPILL SCARE ON NDSU CAMPUS
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, release, response, acids
SURVEILLANCE FINDS DOZENS OF W.VA. CHEMICAL STORAGE TANKS POSE THREAT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, discovery, environmental
LESSONS LEARNED DATABASE
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, release, response, radiation
BOTTLE OF VANADIUM TETRACHLORIDE FOUND SPILLED IN PSL CABINET
Tags: us_WA, laboratory, discovery, response, hydrochloric_acid, metals
MAUNA KEA TELESCOPE PROTESTS: SCIENTISTS NEED TO REFLECT ON HISTORY AND CULTURE.
Tags: us_HI, public, discovery, environmental
FIRE INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR CAUSE OF SOUTH COLUMBUS RECYCLING PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, waste
SIX NATIONS DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER CHEMICAL FIRE AT DUMP
Tags: Canada, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical, runoff, waste
COOPERATION DOUSES FIRE QUICKLY AT CALUMET
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, asphalt, petroleum
HASH OIL IS WEED‰??S NEXT BIG THING AND NO ONE KNOWS IF IT‰??S SAFE
Tags: public, discovery, response
GROUPS PUSH TO ADD PREGNANT WOMEN IN CHEMICAL REVIEWS
Tags: us_ME, public, discovery, environmental, plastics, toxics
CHEMICAL LEAK AT NJ MEDICAL FIRM SICKENS AT LEAST 10
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
KC FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT CALL AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Tags: us_MO, education, release, response, cleaners
VOLUNTEERS RESCUE ANOTHER OILED GOOSE FROM HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_NC, public, follow-up, environmental, cleaners
---------------------------------------------
COSTA RICA ISSUES RED ALERT FOLLOWING AMMONIUM NITRATE CHEMICAL SPILL [BREAKING]
Tags: Costa_Rica, transportation, release, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
UPDATE: As of Sunday afternoon, the Costa Rica chemical spill has been downgraded from a red to yellow alert, with authorities saying that swimmers may again enter the water, according to La NaciĚ3n.
Costa Rica‰??s government has issued a red alert after a large quantity of ammonium nitrate was leaked into a body of water near Puntarenas, according to a press release from the country‰??s national risk prevention and emergency aid commission (CNE).
Facing intense winds on Saturday, a barge carrying 180 tons of ammonium nitrate capsized in front of Puntarenas, which is one of Costa Rica‰??s largest settlements. The site of the spill is within the Gulf of Nicoya, which has caused the majority of the beaches where tourists and locals flock to be closed down for at least the next several days. Translated below from Spanish, the CNE cautioned that tests were still being performed, and therefore beachgoers should avoid the water until the reach and toxicity of the spill can be fully determined.
---------------------------------------------
BROKEN STEAM PIPE CAUSES CHEMICAL SPILL SCARE ON NDSU CAMPUS
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, release, response, acids
FARGO‰??What was thought to have been a dangerous chemical spill on the campus of North Dakota State University Sunday afternoon turned out to be a broken steam pipe.
Just after 1 p.m., firefighters and a hazardous materials crew responded to Ladd Hall for the reported spill. A graduate student found liquid on the floor of the chemistry lab in front of a cabinet used to store acids and a vapor cloud coming up from around the cabinet.
NDSU police evacuated the building and firefighters entering the lab found slightly acidic readings in a few areas, which they neutralized with sodium bicarbonate. Firefighters were unable to find a source of the vapor cloud that was still coming out of the cabinets, but determined a steam line passed through the wall directly behind them. The steam lines were shut down to Ladd Hall and the vapor cloud dissipated.
According to the Fargo Fire Department, those acidic readings were likely caused by residue from previous work in the lab.
---------------------------------------------
SURVEILLANCE FINDS DOZENS OF W.VA. CHEMICAL STORAGE TANKS POSE THREAT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, discovery, environmental
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- After a 2014 chemical spill polluted drinking water for more than 300,000 people in West Virginia, lawmakers there quickly mandated tighter surveillance of the state's chemical storage tanks.
The surveillance revealed that dozens of tanks that shouldn't have been in service still posed a potential threat to drinking water for more than 134,000 people downstream. Some were corroded, and a few were filled with hazardous chemicals.
Under pressure from industry, lawmakers have already exempted thousands of tanks from the law. Industry groups said the original law would stifle business.
Environmental and watchdog groups say the law is working, despite officials' urgency to scale it back. However, regulators say the problem tanks are now mostly drained, and owners are monitoring others until they're taken out of service for repairs.
---------------------------------------------
LESSONS LEARNED DATABASE
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, release, response, radiation
Discussion: On February 24, 2015, a Nuclear Engineering Division (NE) chemist was performing maintenance on a separation system in a hood posted as a Radiological Contamination Area. The liquid to be passed through the separation system was approximately 1.5 L of a strongly basic potassium molybdate/potassium hydroxide solution, spiked with ~180 degrees Tc-99. The chemist was wearing two pairs of gloves (nitrile inner/vinyl outer) to protect against the chemical and radiological hazards, as specified by work planning & control and radiological work documents. The system had been in use for approximately a year and a half, and similar maintenance had been performed about once per week without previous incident.
When the chemist removed a syringe controller from the system, a previously unknown sharp edge on an inside flange inflicted a less than 1 cm long superficial cut on the chemistń3 finger through two pairs of gloves. The chemist immediately stopped work and contacted Health Physics (HP) personnel, who responded in less than two minutes. The HP personnel called 911 and the chemist was treated. No radioactive contamination was detected in the wound.
Analysis: An examination of the work area and system identified the sharp edge. No other sharp edges were found on the other flanges.
---------------------------------------------
BOTTLE OF VANADIUM TETRACHLORIDE FOUND SPILLED IN PSL CABINET
Tags: us_WA, laboratory, discovery, response, hydrochloric_acid, metals
Discussion: After a report of green smoke coming from a non-vented chemical storage cabinet in Physical Sciences Laboratory 522A, responding firemen found a metal canister tipped over with a bottle of vanadium (IV) chloride broken inside. Hydrochloric acid fumes likely resulted as the chemical reacted with moisture absorbed by cellulose packing material inside the canister. Because the packing material appeared to have been stuffed inside the canister, the bottle could not be properly seated on the bottom, making the canister top-heavy. The original custodian left the Lab in 2012, transferring this container and about 70 other chemicals to a different researcher without proper notification.
Analysis: When the custodian left the Lab in 2012, he left behind a metal canister containing a partially used 100 gram bottle of vanadium (IV) chloride. The canister became top-heavy when the bottle of liquid was placed too high inside. The cabinet‰??s sliding doors were difficult to open and close, jostling the cabinet, causing it to shake and tipping over the bottle. When the bottle broke, the liquid leaked out, reacting with the moist packing material and creating the visible fumes. Two lighter bottles on the shelf above were also found tipped over, but without incident.
Recommended Actions: When chemical custodians leave the Lab, they are required to transfer unused or excess materials to another custodian. It is important to keep track of such materials and not allow them to be misplaced--especially if they pose potential hazards to staff members or PNNL.
---------------------------------------------
MAUNA KEA TELESCOPE PROTESTS: SCIENTISTS NEED TO REFLECT ON HISTORY AND CULTURE.
Tags: us_HI, public, discovery, environmental
massive debate has erupted about whether to build a giant new $1.5 billion telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea. Native Hawaiian protesters have blockaded the site, claiming that the 18-story‰??high structure is being built on one of their sacred spaces. The governor has temporarily halted construction.
Among astronomers, there is a great deal of confusion about how this conflict could have come about. There is confusion about why the mountain matters so much to people. There is confusion about why people could be so mad at science, which is after all for the benefit of humanity. As one astronomer put it to New Scientist, ‰??Astronomy is about as pure and as clean as you can get, so what's the big deal?‰??
There is much to say about the complexity of the situation and the importance of the site and what should be done, but that has been and is being said better by Hawaiians.
I‰??m a physicist turned writer who specializes in finding stories of how science has affected people‰??s lives. I‰??m disturbed that this conflict came as a surprise, and disturbed about what that says about the culture of science. I‰??m disturbed by how scientists see ourselves as separate from culture and history, unaffected by it, and not responsible for its ills, and I wonder what we can do about that.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR CAUSE OF SOUTH COLUMBUS RECYCLING PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, waste
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Fire investigators are zeroing in on the cause of a major industrial fire in South Columbus.
The blaze at Phoenix Recycling continued to burn Saturday after flames engulfed the plant Friday afternoon.
"All I could see was just the black smoke bellowing up into the sky,‰?? said witness Carolyn Page who lives close to the plant.
The massive fire required a massive response. 150 firefighters were initially called to the scene.
"This was one of the largest fires we've had during my career and certainly within the past ten years,‰?? said Columbus Battalion Chief Tom Delong.
Smoke continued to pour from the recycling plant Saturday as fire investigators tried to figure out what sparked the inferno.
"We have actually identified the area of origin of where it happened,‰?? said Columbus Battalion Chief Tracy Smith. ‰??They're looking at a few films and talking to some witnesses. We should have a cause over the next couple of days."
---------------------------------------------
SIX NATIONS DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER CHEMICAL FIRE AT DUMP
Tags: Canada, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical, runoff, waste
Officials at a First Nations reserve near Brantford, Ont., have declared a state of emergency amid fears that the chemical runoff from a dump fire could have long-lasting health and environmental consequences.
The state of emergency comes days after a chemical fire broke out near the household hazardous waste area of a dump at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve on Wednesday afternoon.
The initial fire produced heavy smoke, several explosions and flaming streams of chemical runoff, the Six Nations Council said in a statement on Friday. Fire crews extinguished the flames but remained on the scene in case they re-ignited.
"The chemical runoff has been contained for the moment, however the site still poses serious health and safety risks to those in the immediate vicinity," the council said.
The dump has been closed off and the problem area quarantined since Wednesday. A hazardous materials team has been called in to investigate, the council said.
Six Nations fire chief Matthew Miller says the fire is out but it could re-ignite, which would pose a challenge for his crew. "We're not equipped to deal with hazardous material response," Miller told CTV Kitchener on Saturday.
Six Nations of the Grand River chief Ava Hill declared the state of emergency on Friday. Federal and provincial authorities have been notified and are "corresponding" with the reserve to deal with the "unknown chemical mixture," the council said.
---------------------------------------------
COOPERATION DOUSES FIRE QUICKLY AT CALUMET
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, asphalt, petroleum
When a fire broke out Tuesday in an asphalt storage tank at the Calumet oil refinery in Superior, the facility‰??s emergency response team had the large stockpile of chemical agent needed to douse the flames ‰?? but no way to safely access the top of the 30-foot-high structure.
The Superior Fire Department had the ladders needed to reach the top of the tank, but not the expensive, specialized chemical agent called Purple-K.
Thanks to extensive training together, firefighters and Calumet employees were able to pool their resources quickly and seamlessly to extinguish the fire.
"Our firefighters, their team members at the refinery ‰?? they work together on a monthly basis," Superior Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Gordon said. "Our management staff and the upper management at the refinery ‰?? we work together on a regular basis."
Gordon described the public-private partnership as "revolutionary" compared to some other communities with refineries across the nation, and he said it‰??s an advantage to Superior residents and ensures the best possible response should there be an emergency at the refinery.
---------------------------------------------
HASH OIL IS WEED‰??S NEXT BIG THING AND NO ONE KNOWS IF IT‰??S SAFE
Tags: public, discovery, response
As the cowboy entrepreneurs who built the cannabis industry step out of the shadows, no one is quite sure which companies, practices, and products will survive the transition to legitimacy.
There is hardly any peer-reviewed research on cannabis, and absolutely nothing on BHO. Marijuana is undergoing an awkward transition between an illegal drug and a mainstream pharmaceutical product held accountable for quality and side effects. In the absence of trustworthy information, unbiased experts, and an effective regulatory scheme, stoners are left with self-appointed whistleblowers like 33-year-old Matt Rize, whose concern for public health conveniently coincides with his bottom line. Over the past few years, this frenetic and sarcastic know-it-all has become famous in marijuana circles as butane hash oil‰??s most vocal critic, the one person warning consumers about its potential risks ‰?? except for when it comes to the butane hash oil that he himself is now making.
---------------------------------------------
GROUPS PUSH TO ADD PREGNANT WOMEN IN CHEMICAL REVIEWS
Tags: us_ME, public, discovery, environmental, plastics, toxics
AUGUSTA ‰?? Frustrated by the LePage administration‰??s handling of a toxics law, environmental and public health groups are pushing to require that the state consider pregnant women when reviewing and regulating products containing potentially harmful chemicals.
Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials, however, warned that provisions of the bill would create a financial and administrative burden on the DEP, and add uncertainty for businesses.
Enacted in 2008, the Kid-Safe Products Act requires the state to identify chemicals linked to health problems in children, and gives regulators a means to ban the most dangerous ones from products sold in Maine. The law allows the state to consider health effects on pregnant women as well, but does not mandate it.
Maine was the first state to adopt a such a system, and four other states have followed suit.
To date, the DEP has designated five chemicals as ‰??priority chemicals,‰?? which requires manufacturers to report when they use those chemicals in children‰??s products. In the case of BPA, the department went a step further and banned the chemical ‰?? a type of plasticizing agent linked to cancer and childhood development problems ‰?? in reusable food and beverage containers as well as in baby food containers. The department has also recommended regulating phthalates, a type of plastics softener also found in shampoos and personal care products.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK AT NJ MEDICAL FIRM SICKENS AT LEAST 10
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
HAMMONTON ‰?? Authorities say a chemical leak at a medical company in southern New Jersey has left several workers feeling ill.
The refrigerant leak happened Wednesday at Home Solutions Infusion Therapy in Hammonton. The cause of the leak remains under investigation, though officials say it may have been caused by a malfunction in the building‰??s ventilation system.
Authorities say roughly 30 workers were assessed at the scene. Eight people were taken to hospitals for further evaluation, while two others were airlifted by medical chopper.
Worker Kim Valentine told The Press of Atlantic City that she smelled a chemical odor in the building before her throat became sore. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she said they stung.
Other employees said they were nauseated and had headaches.
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KC FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT CALL AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Tags: us_MO, education, release, response, cleaners
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ‰??Kansas City firefighters were called to an east side elementary school on a reported hazardous materials situation.
Fire crews were called to Crispus Attucks Elementary School at 24th Street and Prospect Avenue about 2:10 p.m. on a chemical smell.
A school district spokeswoman said a cafeteria worker mixed common cleaning chemicals, which created a smell in the cafeteria.
The school was evacuated for about an hour.
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VOLUNTEERS RESCUE ANOTHER OILED GOOSE FROM HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_NC, public, follow-up, environmental, cleaners
GREENSBORO, NC -- Volunteers with Piedmont Wildlife Rehab rescued another oiled goose on Thursday from the same
hazmat situation
in Greensboro last month.
More than a dozen geese are being treated at Carolina Waterfowl Rescue outside Charlotte after someone illegally dumped an oil-like substance into a retention pond off Bridford Parkway.
Volunteers are still trying to catch at least four other oil-covered geese.
The rescue is asking for the public's help to purchase bath towels and laundry detergent.
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Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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