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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 (25 articles)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2016 06:39:27 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 78998B53-5A34-43E0-888D-0915CB0F4CE9**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, February 12, 2016 at 6:39:03 AM
A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__pinboard.in_u-3Adchas&d=BQIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=BNv8obojGqVsy80Z8ikvpu9-wjSDXgJOceRVk49eNZ0&s=bvdQhZa35BmA3gOai78_JXS4UkALFfcOVOQrEFRbtic&e=
Table of Contents (25 articles)
DEKALB COUNTY RESPONDS TO FIRE REPORTED IN ATWOOD HALL
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
BLAST SAMPLES FROM VELLORE COLLEGE ARE METEORITE PARTS, SAYS TRICHY LAB REPORT
Tags: India, education, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
EXPLOSION ON BASE UNDER INVESTIGATION -- UPDATE
Tags: us_MD, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
UTC MATH, ENGINEERING BUILDING EVACUATED FOR CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TN, laboratory, release, response, pyridine
EX-EXEC SENTENCED TO 1 MONTH IN WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
TWO CHARGED AFTER POLICE FIND MOBILE METH LAB NEAR USC CAMPUS
Tags: us_SC, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
CHEMICAL ODOR AT CLEMSON CANCELS CLASSES AT SIRRINE HALL
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
SACKVILLE FIRE LEAVES CANCER RESEARCHERS, SUPPORT GROUP HOMELESS
Tags: Canada, laboratory, fire, response, pharmaceutical
THE FAA"S LITHIUM BATTERY CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION CONCERN
Tags: transportation, discovery, environmental, batteries
MINOR FIRE BREAKS OUT AT PHARMA CITY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MOP CAUSES FIRE IN BASEMENT OF DETROIT LAKES HOUSE; MOTHER AND TWO CHILDREN ESCAPE UNHARMED
Tags: us_ND, public, fire, response, fire_extinguisher
INDIVIDUAL HOSPITALIZED AFTER MIXING CHEMICALS
Tags: us_AR, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, drugs
EMPLOYER FINED $70K FOR 'HAZARDOUS' WORKING CONDITIONS
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, discovery, environmental, flammables
NEONICOTINOIDS THREATEN WATER, ACTIVISTS CLAIM
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, pesticides
HOW LEAD ENDED UP IN FLINT"S TAP WATER
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE WEST, TEXAS EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate
RISE IN IMPROPERLY DECLARED HAZMAT CARGO HIGHLIGHTS SUPPLY CHAIN RISK
Tags: Germany, transportation, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
MYSTERIOUS CHEMICAL SPILL BRINGS HAZMAT CREW TO CHATHAM HOME...
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, pesticides
ETHANOL FUEL AND FIREFIGHTING FOAM
Tags: us_MA, transportation, discovery, response, ethanol, gasoline
FAIRBANKS OFFICIALS TO INVESTIGATE GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION AT FIRE TRAINING CENTER
Tags: us_AK, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
CHEMICAL REACTION AT PHOENIX PEST CONTROL COMPANY PROMPTS HAZMAT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, pesticides
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MAN ACCUSED OF SETTING GIRLFRIEND ON FIRE
Tags: us_CA, public, fire, response, gasoline
CHEMICAL FIRE SPARKS AT INTEL PLANT IN CHANDLER
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
TWO INJURED IN WINTON HASH-OIL LAB EXPLOSION, SHERIFF"S DEPARTMENT SAYS
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, butane, drugs
HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES CLOVERDALE ROAD
Tags: us_ID, transportation, release, response, ammonia
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DEKALB COUNTY RESPONDS TO FIRE REPORTED IN ATWOOD HALL
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Dekalb County Fire and Rescue responded to a report of a fire at Atwood Hall earlier tonight.
Fire Apparatus Operator Tad Landou from Dekalb County Fire and Rescue said that they found the small fire in one of the vent hood workspaces in a seventh floor chemistry lab.
The building had been evacuated upon their arrival. There were no reported injuries.
"Right now the fire is extinguished," Landou said. "The fire was limited to the vent hood workspace in the laboratory, and at this time, it is all under control."
After receiving a call regarding the fire, firetrucks were dispatched at 6:37 p.m., and Emory first responders arrived on site a few minutes later. Upon arrival, maintenance staff told Dekalb County Fire and Rescue that those working in the lab already vacated the building.
"[Dekalb County Fire and Rescue] is just working on finding what, if any, chemicals were involved, and if there is any hazard before we turn the building back over," Landou said.
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BLAST SAMPLES FROM VELLORE COLLEGE ARE METEORITE PARTS, SAYS TRICHY LAB REPORT
Tags: India, education, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Nearly a week after an unidentified object caused an explosion at a college in Tamil Nadu, leading to reports of space debris at the site, a lab in Trichy has concluded that samples recovered from the site are meteorite fragments.
According to a preliminary report by National College Instrumentation Facility (NCIF) in Trichy, a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) study on samples retrieved from the campus in Vellore where the blast occurred shows the "presence of carbonaceous chondrites".
"Carbonaceous denotes objects containing carbon or its compounds and chondrites refer to non-metallic meteorite parts containing mineral granules," K Anbarasu, a geologist who is also principal of the Trichy-based National College, told The Indian Express.
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EXPLOSION ON BASE UNDER INVESTIGATION -- UPDATE
Tags: us_MD, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
UPDATE - 12:33 p.m. - NAS Pax River Fire personnel took atmospheric samples inside of Building 2188 following this morning's incident from an over pressurized container. The area has been cleared for atmospheric samples and is being surface decontaminated.
The incident occurred in one room in the building and was caused by a chemical reaction within a small container in a locker where the doors were blown open. The two personnel who were in the room when the incident occurred were uninjured.
The incident is under investigation. Further details will be released as they become available.
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - An explosion happened around 10:50 a.m. today at Building 2188, an engineering facility on base. The incident was caused by an over pressurized container and contained to one room within the building. The building has been evacuated. All personnel have been accounted for.
The two personnel who were in the room are being treated on scene for possible injuries.
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UTC MATH, ENGINEERING BUILDING EVACUATED FOR CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TN, laboratory, release, response, pyridine
An accidental spill of a hazardous chemical in a lab Thursday morning shut down a UTC building for several hours while hazmat personnel worked to neutralize the problem.
Faculty and students evacuated the Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science building at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga shortly before noon after a quart of pyridine was spilled, Battalion Chief Rick Boatwright said.
Pyridine is highly flammable and can be an irritant to the skin and eyes, but fortunately, only two individuals had to be checked by paramedics and both declined to be transported to a hospital.
Boatwright said hazmat personnel were able to neutralize the chemical and an environmental cleanup company was called in to remove the substance and any trace of it in the lab.
The building also was ventilated while firefighters used gas monitoring devices to check for airborne contamination.
The lab remained sealed off for cleanup for several hours, but Chuck Cantrell, assistant vice chancellor of university relations, said the rest of the building would reopen at 5 p.m. Thursday.
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EX-EXEC SENTENCED TO 1 MONTH IN WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A former Freedom Industries executive was sentenced Thursday to one month in federal prison for a chemical spill that fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 West Virginians.
Dennis Farrell also was fined $20,000 in U.S. District Court.
"I'm truly sorry for what happened," Farrell said prior to sentencing on pollution violations. "My hope was, I wish I could go back with the knowledge I now have. I will never forget the lessons I have learned."
The January 2014 spill of a coal-cleaning agent into the Elk River in Charleston got into a water company's intake and prompted a tap-water ban in nine counties for up to 10 days. Residents immediately cleared store shelves of bottled water, and many restaurants were forced to close or cut back services temporarily.
Judge Thomas Johnston noted after environmental regulators intervened and plans were put in place for spill-prevention controls at a facility owned by Freedom in Nitro, about 14 miles west of Charleston, Farrell could have acted to ensure that similar precautions were taken at the Charleston facility.
But Johnston also noted that the misdemeanors Farrell admitted to were "those of careless omission."
Before imposing the sentence, the judge heard a lengthy statement read by a former resident, Maya Nye, who said the spill was "not a victimless crime."
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TWO CHARGED AFTER POLICE FIND MOBILE METH LAB NEAR USC CAMPUS
Tags: us_SC, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Two people were charged Wednesday after officers found a mobile meth lab in their vehicle during a traffic stop near the University of South Carolina campus in Columbia.
The Columbia Fire Hazmat Team responded to the scene at Heyward and Sumter streets Wednesday afternoon, as well as agents with Columbia Police, S.C. Law Enforcement Division and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Wes Hickman, USC spokesman.
A white car was towed from the scene. Hickman said the driver was charged with driving under suspension and operating an uninsured vehicle. The driver and passenger were each charged with manufacturing of methamphetamine.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL ODOR AT CLEMSON CANCELS CLASSES AT SIRRINE HALL
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
A chemical odor coming from a science laboratory in Sirrine Hall closed the building and cancelled classes, according to a Clemson University spokesperson.
The building was evacuated and closed for a time during the day Wednesday while the building was inspected and the source of the odor was found.
The chemical was found to be Dimethyl sulfoxide which was being heated in a controlled experiment which gave off an odor that was not deemed to be dangerous.
They say there no injuries and no health issues that have been reported and the building has been reopened.
---------------------------------------------
SACKVILLE FIRE LEAVES CANCER RESEARCHERS, SUPPORT GROUP HOMELESS
Tags: Canada, laboratory, fire, response, pharmaceutical
A pharmaceutical research company, Soricimed Biopharma Inc., could be back up and running within a couple of weeks, after fire destroyed its laboratory in Sackville Monday evening.
Paul Gunn, chief executive officer of the company, which conducts research on new cancer drugs, said he is relieved all his staff and the most critical research materials are safe.
"Knowing the people were safe was the first important thing," he said.
"After that, having the data, the intellectual property and the results. It's all stored offsite on a cloud-based storage system, so I knew everything we've done and have is still here," Gunn said, meaning 11 years of work didn't go up in smoke.
'There's definitely a heavy sense that we have lost our home.'
- Melody Petlock, Daybreak Centre
He met with his staff Wednesday morning to deal with the shock of the fire and to talk about finding a short term work space.
"The lab kind of works as a nerve centre and kind of co-ordinates a lot of the outside work that we do. But it's not so much the bricks and mortar of the lab that does that, but the people that are there who do that," said Gunn.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation Gunn said it seems to have started in the unit furthest from Soricimed in the three-unit building.
---------------------------------------------
THE FAA"S LITHIUM BATTERY CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION CONCERN
Tags: transportation, discovery, environmental, batteries
Lithium batteries can be found in a myriad of everyday items, from pacemakers, watches, digital clocks and cameras to hoverboards and automobiles. Higher in voltage than their alkaline counterparts, lithium batteries are well-known for their much longer life, a plus in terms of frequency of replacement.
On February 9, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an update entitled "FAA Urges Airlines to Assess Lithium Battery Risks." The update centered around the "potential risk of a catastrophic aircraft loss due to damage resulting from a lithium battery fire or explosion." The update and referenced Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) concern transporting lithium batteries as cargo in the cargo hold of commercial aircraft.
If lithium batteries are commonly used in consumer products, what"s so dangerous?
Because of the flammable chemical components contained in lithium-metal and lithium-ion batteries, even one battery experiencing an internal "short" has the potential to start a "thermal runaway," subsequently spreading to other batteries or cells in the package. An internal short can be caused by the battery being damaged during handling, a manufacturing contaminant, or extreme heat. In a setting in which lithium batteries are being transported as cargo, in bulk, there is certainly a potential for dangerous conditions.
The FAA Tech Center"s 2015 testing determined that a lithium battery fire"s unburned flammable gases have the potential to initiate a "Catastrophic explosion" that could not be prevented by current fire suppression systems in passenger airline Class C cargo compartments.
---------------------------------------------
MINOR FIRE BREAKS OUT AT PHARMA CITY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Summary: A minor fire broke out in Sri Vyjayanthi Labs Private Limited at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parawada on Wednesday morning. Fortunately, there were no injuries and casualties in the fire accident but some materials stored in a tank caught fire and were destroyed. This is the third fire in the last couple of months in the district related to pharma and chemical companies. Some of the materials, which were brought from outside were being unloaded into an empty tank, but the vapours caught fire. Joint Chief Inspector of Factories D. Chandrasekhara Varma said that it was a minor fire.
---------------------------------------------
MOP CAUSES FIRE IN BASEMENT OF DETROIT LAKES HOUSE; MOTHER AND TWO CHILDREN ESCAPE UNHARMED
Tags: us_ND, public, fire, response, fire_extinguisher
It appears a fiery mop is to blame for a fire that broke out at a Detroit Lakes house around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to Detroit Lakes Fire Chief Scott Flynn.
Detroit Lakes woman Rachel Gray and two of her children, including a 2- month-old baby, were home at the time but escaped without injury to a neighbor"s house.
"She smelled smoke, went downstairs, and there were flames taller than her," said neighbor Rebecca Talbert, whose husband is also a firefighter. "So she grabbed the baby and her 3-year-old and rushed over here to let me know."
Talbert says once they had the children and dogs safely in her house, they grabbed a fire extinguisher and went back over to the house, but smoke was thick, she said, so Talbert just grabbed the kids" coats by the door and left.
Emergency and fire crews were quickly on the scene, and according to Flynn, the culprit appeared to be a mop in the basement.
---------------------------------------------
INDIVIDUAL HOSPITALIZED AFTER MIXING CHEMICALS
Tags: us_AR, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, drugs
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - An individual was hospitalized on Tuesday evening after mixing chemicals, deputies say.
The Garland County Sheriff's Office was called to the 200 block of Nathan Terrace in Jessieville around 9 p.m. in response to a 24-year-old individual who had been mixing chemicals and became ill.
Deputies assessed the chemical situation and decided to call in the Hot Springs Fire Department hazardous materials team and the local drug task force.
The unnamed victim was taken to a local hospital for medical attention, and no other details about the victim's condition have been provided since.
The Garland County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the incident.
---------------------------------------------
EMPLOYER FINED $70K FOR 'HAZARDOUS' WORKING CONDITIONS
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, discovery, environmental, flammables
NEWARK " A city-based chemical manufacturer has been fined more than $70,000 for what what federal authorities are calling serious safety violations."
Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Adminisration issued 17 citations after a visit to Elan Chemical Company's headquarters on Doremus Avenue in August, the agency said in a news release.
Among the hazards they found were deficiencies in its equipment process safety information, written operating procedures, contractor safety and its inspection and testing of equipment.
Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA's Parsippany Area Office, said in a statement that Elan's haphazard use of ethyl chloride, a highly flammable liquefied gas, creates "a hazardous environment" for workers.
---------------------------------------------
NEONICOTINOIDS THREATEN WATER, ACTIVISTS CLAIM
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, pesticides
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is urging EPA to adopt more stringent thresholds to better protect U.S. waters and aquatic organisms from neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides under scrutiny for their potential to harm bees. In a Feb. 2 petition, the advocacy group warns that widespread contamination of waters with neonicotinoids threatens aquatic invertebrates, including crabs and insects. "This petition formally urges EPA to respond to this unrecognized threat to our waters, the toxic effects of which will harm entire food chains and ecosystems," says CFS attorney Peter T. Jenkins, the petition"s author. "Evidence of extensive and high-level neonicotinoid water contamination raises the alarm that we are approaching an ecological crisis," he says. Neonicotinoids are applied on more than 150 million acres of cropland annually, according to CFS. The group is urging EPA to stop classifying neonicotinoids as "reduced risk" pesticides and to require safety data fr!
om manufacturers before the pesticides are allowed on the market.
---------------------------------------------
HOW LEAD ENDED UP IN FLINT"S TAP WATER
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
When Virginia Tech researchers tested the water in LeeAnne Walters"s home in Flint, Mich., this past summer, one sample had lead levels that reached a staggering 13,200 parts per billion.
That"s almost 900 times as high as the 15-ppb regulatory limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. When lead levels exceed that threshold, water utilities must act to reduce concentrations of the toxic element.
"What was so scary about LeeAnne"s house was not one sample," says Marc A. Edwards, the Virginia Tech environmental engineer who led the team. "We took 30 samples over 20 minutes, and the average was over 2,000 ppb. And even after 20 minutes of flushing, it never got below 300 ppb."
In terms of sustained high levels of lead in a home, Edwards had seen nothing like it before. "It was in a league of its own."
Lead contamination is the most troubling in a series of water problems that have plagued Flint since the summer of 2014. All of them were caused by corrosion in the lead and iron pipes that distribute water to city residents. When the city began using the Flint River as its water source in April 2014, it didn"t adequately control the water"s ability to corrode those pipes. This led to high lead levels, rust-colored tap water, and possibly the growth of pathogenic microbes.
---------------------------------------------
A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE WEST, TEXAS EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate
Here at Chem.Info, we"ve extensively covered the disaster at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas. But in case you missed it: In April 2013, a fire at a fertilizer storage and distribution facility triggered a massive explosion that killed 15 people, injured around 260 and left overwhelming physical destruction in the community nearby.
But knowing the facts and actually seeing the damage are, of course, two different experiences " which is why this nicely produced video by the Chemical Safety Board, the federal agency charged with investigating chemical accidents, is worth a watch. Even if you"re familiar with the incident and with the CSB"s recent investigation, this video shows:
How the fire spread.
The wooden bins the chemicals were stored in (including ammonium nitrate, which was responsible for the blast).
The extensive damage to the community of West.
How volunteer firefighters responded to the incident and why so many were killed by the blast.
How poor regulations were both the underlying culprit of the problem and why they could prevent the disaster from happening again.
Hats off to the CSB for rendering a high-quality video to accompany their 260-page investigation and continuing to shed light on how to improve safety in the chemicals industry.
---------------------------------------------
RISE IN IMPROPERLY DECLARED HAZMAT CARGO HIGHLIGHTS SUPPLY CHAIN RISK
Tags: Germany, transportation, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Hapag-Lloyd says there was a 65 percent increase in improperly declared hazardous cargo it carried last year, the latest sign of how dangerous goods could disrupt supply chains through accidents such as those that took place recently in China and Brazil.
The announcement of the discovery of more than 4,300 cases of wrongly declared cargo was made possible by Hapag"s Watchdog IT system, which reviews cargo data and flags unusual or suspicious information and shipments for further inspection.
It is actually because of one of these aforementioned incidents, the explosion at the world"s tenth-busiest port of Tianjin in August, that Hapag saw such a steep increase in misdeclared cargo. Increased scrutiny of supply chains and shipments by ports in the wake of that explosion, which killed more than 170 people, was at least partly responsible for the uptick, according to Ken Rohlmann, head of the dangerous goods department at Hapag-Lloyd.
The other reason for the dramatic increase in Hapag-Lloyd"s number of misdeclared shipments is the acquisition of CSAV, which dramatically increased the number of shipments handled by Hapag.
---------------------------------------------
MYSTERIOUS CHEMICAL SPILL BRINGS HAZMAT CREW TO CHATHAM HOME...
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, pesticides
On Sunday, Feb. 7, the Chatham Police, fire department and emergency squad were dispatched to a hazardous materials spill on Clark Street, police said. After the homeowner spilled a pungent-smelling chemical onto the ground, he called poison control and explained the situation.
After reading off the ingredients inside the spilled bottle to poison control, the homeowner was told he may have Agent Orange in his home and to immediately call the fire department and a hazardous materials team.
Poison control made a big mistake, however, and the substance was later identified as Malathion, not Agent Orange. Malathion is an insecticide with low toxicity to humans.
As a precaution, the Morris County HAZMAT Team was dispatched to positively identify the substance and appropriately dispose of it, police said.
The chemical was left in the home from a previous homeowner.
There were no injuries associated with the incident.
---------------------------------------------
ETHANOL FUEL AND FIREFIGHTING FOAM
Tags: us_MA, transportation, discovery, response, ethanol, gasoline
Ethanol isn"t your granddaddy"s automotive fuel.
In a training video shown as part of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy"s Ethanol for First Responders program, a frustrated engine company desperately tries to extinguish a car fire. The more water hosed onto the vehicle, the more stubbornly the flames react. The car in the video burned for hours in real time, despite efforts by firefighters who hooked up a large-diameter hose and flowed enough water to fill an Olympic-sized pool.
Worcester, Mass. Fire Lt. Martin Dyer, a fire academy instructor, put it simply when discussing the dangers of ethanol: "Dilution may not be the solution." Consider this: 4,000 to 5,000 gallons of water are required to dilute 1,000 gallons of ethanol. "That ratio of one-to-four or one-to-five is humongous," Dyer said.
Obviously, the firefighters in the video were unaware of the dangers presented by the bio-fuel, which is essentially hillbilly moonshine concocted from corn, soy beans or other vegetable products and made undrinkable to humans by adding small quantities of gasoline.
Automobile service stations label their pumps with the type of fuel being dispensed. E-10 denotes 10 percent ethanol. It"s important to note that the percentage of ethanol per gallon is increasing nationwide. In some regions, motorists are burning E-85.
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FAIRBANKS OFFICIALS TO INVESTIGATE GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION AT FIRE TRAINING CENTER
Tags: us_AK, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
ANCHORAGE -
Fairbanks officials are investigating a possible chemical contamination of private water wells near the city"s Regional Fire Training Center, according to a press release issued Tuesday.
Officials were notified recently that concentrations of "perfluorinated compounds" had been found in the groundwater at the fire training center, city officials say. The concentrations were higher than advisory levels set by the EPA.
Perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, were present in an aqueous foam agent used by firefighters to extinguish fires until 2004. The foam was also used to put out petroleum fires during training exercises at the center, city officials say.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, scientists are unsure about the health effects associated with exposure to PFCs but the compounds can build up and remain in the human body for long periods of time.
Homes and buildings connected to the city"s municipal water system are not at risk of the contamination, according to Jackson Fox, planning and permitting manager with the city of Fairbanks.
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CHEMICAL REACTION AT PHOENIX PEST CONTROL COMPANY PROMPTS HAZMAT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, pesticides
PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) -
Crews from the Phoenix Fire Department were called to a hazardous materials incident at a pest control company in the area of 26th Avenue and Thomas Road on Monday.
Capt. Larry Subervi said firefighters responded to a fire at the business and found some pesticide product had mixed with water and caused a chemical reaction that produced a cloud of smoke.
One building was evacuated.
Hazardous materials crews were called to the scene and found that the chemical reaction was complete.
Subervi said there is no threat to the environment and the public was not exposed to the products involved.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MAN ACCUSED OF SETTING GIRLFRIEND ON FIRE
Tags: us_CA, public, fire, response, gasoline
Northern California man is accused of pouring gasoline on his girlfriend and setting her on fire during an argument, authorities said.
Late Thursday, El Dorado County Sheriff"s Deputies responded to reports of a woman screaming in the community of Cameron Park, about 30 miles east of Sacramento.
Sheriff's deputies found a woman with serious burns to her lower body, the department said in a statement. Curtis Menezes, the woman"s boyfriend, is accused of setting her on fire.
Menezes, 28, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a caustic chemical.
The woman was taken to an emergency room burn unit, deputies said.
"If the burns had been more severe, we would have arrested him for attempted murder," said Lt. Jim Byers, spokesman for the sheriff's department. "From the waist down, her legs were burned."
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CHEMICAL FIRE SPARKS AT INTEL PLANT IN CHANDLER
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHANDLER, AZ - The Intel plant in Chandler was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a chemical fire inside the facility.
Crews were called to the plant near Dobson and Ocotillo roads around 4:30 p.m.
Firefighters were able to control the fire and keep it from spreading.
There were no reported injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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TWO INJURED IN WINTON HASH-OIL LAB EXPLOSION, SHERIFF"S DEPARTMENT SAYS
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, butane, drugs
A man and woman from Winton suffered major burns Monday night when a marijuana-oil laboratory in their home exploded in flames, the Merced County Sheriff"s Department said.
Four children ages 3 to 13 were in the home but were not injured, Sgt. Ray Framstad said.
Seranto Martinez, 53, and Candelaria Martinez, 33, were flown to a Fresno hospital with second-degree burns on their hands and arms. They are expected to remain hospitalized for at least several days, deputies said.
Fire erupted about 8:06 p.m. inside the garage at 7040 Myrtle Ave. in Winton. Deputies said the man was using butane to extract oil from marijuana when fumes were ignited by a candle flame in the kitchen, causing an explosion that rocked the home and separated the walls from the ceiling.
Investigators, led by Sgt. Aaron Rosenburg, seized about 60 cans of butane and "several pounds" of marijuana buds and ground plants used to extract the oil.
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HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES CLOVERDALE ROAD
Tags: us_ID, transportation, release, response, ammonia
BOISE -- Police have reopened Cloverdale Road after an ammonia leak inside a truck at a FedEx facility shut down a section of the road Tuesday morning.
The road was closed shortly after 11 a.m. between Franklin Road and Executive Drive, according to Boise Fire Department spokeswoman Tammy Barry.
No one was injured, but the facility was evacuated after a worker at the facility noticed the smell of ammonia and checked the truck, where he found a small leak in the valve of an ammonia container.
A Boise HAZMAT team was called out.. The trailer with the containers has been isolated, while crews wait for a new container cap to arrive.
At about 3:30 p.m., Boise fire Tweeted that crews were monitoring the situation but there weren't any safety concerns. A part to fix the issue was on the way, and the fix was expected around 4:30 p.m.
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