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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 23, 2016 at 7:34:55 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 (16 articles)
HAZMAT SCARE AT PROSPER HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, mercury
HAZMAT ACCIDENT REPORTED AT NEW DESIGN ROAD WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, injury, water_treatment
COLERAIN TWP. FIRE DEPARTMENT WORKS TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS FROM CANCER
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental
PARADISE PIZZA SHOP IN CHICOPEE CLOSED AFTER CLEANING CHEMICALS CAUSE HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide, cleaners
SMALL FIRE KNOCKED DOWN INSIDE MIT LAB IN CAMBRIDGE
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, fire, response
FOUR DIE IN EXPLOSION AT WORLD'S LARGEST MDI PRODUCER
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
NJ PROPOSES STRINGENT STANDARD TO CONTROL CANCER-CHEMICAL IN WATER
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
SOURCE OF AMMONIA LEAK TRACED TO RUPTURED VALVE, FIRE OFFICIAL SAYS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, ammonia
UPDATE: KEENE HIGH CLEARED AFTER HAZMAT INVESTIGATION, RADIOACTIVE CHEMICAL REMOVED
Tags: us_NH, laboratory, discovery, response, radiation
REFINING THE REFINERY: LAST YEAR‰??S EXXONMOBIL EXPLOSION COULD LEAD TO BIG CHANGES AT TORRANCE PLANT
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, gasoline
STATE CITES UH FOR WORKPLACE SAFETY VIOLATIONS STEMMING FROM LAB
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
TURNER: HFD MUST FIX PROBLEMS WITH CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
TRACES OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL PFOS FOUND UNDERGROUND AT EASTSIDE FIRE HEADQUARTERS
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
SMOKING LEAVES CHEMICAL TRACES ON DNA
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION THURSDAY AFTER 'CHEMICAL HAZE'
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
A LOOK AT THE EXPLOSIVES USED IN THE NEW YORK BOMBING
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, environmental, bomb
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SCARE AT PROSPER HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, mercury
There was a hazmat scare at Prosper High School Thursday afternoon.
Officials said a bottle of mercury broke open during a science class.
Hazardous materials crews arrived and quickly started the decontamination process in school restrooms for approximately 30 people.
"It was a good example of the Prosper School District working with Prosper Fire," said Prosper Fire Chief Ronnie Tucker. "Of course, we can learn things from it. We'll have a critique, but I'm very satisfied with the length of time."
Grand Prairie Teen Missing, May Be With Former Teacher
A cleaning crew will work on the classroom overnight, but Tucker said the school will be open Friday.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT ACCIDENT REPORTED AT NEW DESIGN ROAD WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, injury, water_treatment
Hazmat crews from Frederick County and Fort Detrick were dispatched to the county's New Design Road Water Treatment Plant after a driver was injured during a delivery of acid materials, said Chip Jewell, director of the Frederick County Division of Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services.
According to Jewell, crews responded around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday after a valve failed on a tanker truck filled with hazardous materials, spraying the driver with acid.
Responders included units from the Carroll Manor Fire Co., Upper Montgomery County Fire Co. and a unit from the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services.
Hazmat teams from both Frederick County and Fort Detrick were deployed, which is standard for incidents involving hazardous materials, Jewell said.
---------------------------------------------
COLERAIN TWP. FIRE DEPARTMENT WORKS TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS FROM CANCER
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental
COLERAIN TWP, Ohio -- When firefighters wade into burning buildings, they face more than the immediate risk of being seared by flames or injured by part of a collapsing structure -- they also expose themselves to invisible dangers that can take years to make themselves known.
Studies show that battling flames, smoke and soot every day can eventually wreak havoc on a firefighter‰??s health and increase the risk of developing cancer; researchers say that firefighters face the greatest risk of developing cancers related to the digestive, oral, urinary and respiratory systems.
"The majority of these cancers can be caused by the chemical mix that they‰??re exposed to in the air at the fire scene," said Erin Haynes, an environmental health professor at UC. "And then when they go back and put the fire out."
That‰??s why the Colerain Township Fire Department takes special measures to reduce the risk of exposure to cancer-causing contaminants for its firefighters.
---------------------------------------------
PARADISE PIZZA SHOP IN CHICOPEE CLOSED AFTER CLEANING CHEMICALS CAUSE HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide, cleaners
CHICOPEE ‰?? Paradise Pizza is closed and the building's three upstairs tenants have found temporary shelter elsewhere after a cleaning incident gone awry prompted a hazmat response on Exchange Street on Wednesday night.
Chicopee Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Crevier told MassLive the town's Board of Health will inspect 140 Exchange St. this morning to evaluate the space. It is not yet known when and whether the shop will reopen. The upstairs tenants ‰?? a couple and a small child ‰?? have not yet returned to their home above the store.
Around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Chicopee Fire Department responded to the location, finding a "chemical reaction" underway, producing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
Employees of the store had been cleaning grease-covered grates from inside a pizza oven ventilation pipe, using a caustic cleaner containing sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and sodium chloride, when the reaction started.
Things got out of hand quickly, Crevier said, and when he arrived in a fire engine with three other firefighters, he realized the situation was beyond his scope and called in a full Hazmat team.
---------------------------------------------
SMALL FIRE KNOCKED DOWN INSIDE MIT LAB IN CAMBRIDGE
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, fire, response
A small fire broke out in an MIT lab on the 100-block of Albany Street around 11:06 a.m. Thursday, according to the Cambridge Fire Department. Firefighters were able to knock it down within a half hour, and there were no reported injuries.
The fire was not chemical-related, according to Cambridge Assistant Fire Chief Gerry Mahoney. The lab was conducting an experiment that involved salts, and the fire itself was caused from the electrical wiring feeding the device being used. The fire was quickly contained and knocked down by 11:40 a.m., Mahoney said.
The area was closed to traffic for a short period of time while firefighters responded. The area has since been cleared.
---------------------------------------------
FOUR DIE IN EXPLOSION AT WORLD'S LARGEST MDI PRODUCER
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
China‰??s Wanhua Chemical Group Co. Ltd. announced that an explosion occurred on Sept 20 at its 600,000-metric-ton-per-annum MDI facility in Yantai, Shandong province, and caused four deaths and four injuries.
The publicly traded company said in a statement that the eight people were immediately sent to the hospital after the incident, which happened at 17:22 local time during a shutdown of the plant for regular maintenance.
On the same day, a report released by Greenpeace said 199 people died in accidents related to the production, storage and transportation of chemicals in China during the first eight months of this year. More than 400 were injured.
Explosions were the cause of two of five deaths, according to the report.
The Greenpeace report also highlighted that many chemical plants in China are located in densely populated areas and near important natural resources.
---------------------------------------------
NJ PROPOSES STRINGENT STANDARD TO CONTROL CANCER-CHEMICAL IN WATER
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
A New Jersey agency has proposed adopting what would be the most stringent standard in the nation to control levels of a cancer-causing chemical linked to an array of health problems and which is prevalent in drinking water systems across the state.
The chemical, commonly called PFOA or C8, has been used in the manufacture of stain-resistant carpets, waterproof clothing, non-stick cooking pans and other products that make life less messy. It has spread so far through the environment that it can be found everywhere from the fish in the Delaware River to polar bears in the Arctic.
It has also become the subject of thousands of lawsuits.
RELATED: Lawmakers seek answers on cancer-causing chemical in water
ALSO: Did you know tap water has many chemicals in it?
The state‰??s Drinking Water Quality Institute on Thursday proposed the new standard, which if adopted would require water utilities to treat water to reduce the amount of PFOA reaching taps.
‰??The institute is taking a pretty aggressive approach on PFOA,‰?? said Howard Woods Jr., a private consultant to water utilities and former water company executive. ‰??It‰??s a good idea. The institute is deliberate and not rash. The stuff is all over the place.‰??
Smaller water utilities, including some in North Jersey, have said the extra treatment would be a major financial hit.
---------------------------------------------
SOURCE OF AMMONIA LEAK TRACED TO RUPTURED VALVE, FIRE OFFICIAL SAYS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, ammonia
NORWALK ‰?? An ammonia leak at the Crystal Ice Company on Commerce Street shut down a large swath of central Norwalk on Wednesday afternoon as emergency personnel flooded the area, closing roadways in search of the leakage source.
The first call originated from the business directly behind and downwind of the Crystal Ice Company at 25 Commerce St., when workers there reported a very strong presence of the gas at approximately 3:45 p.m.
Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Shay said that excess pressure in the system caused a valve on the roof of the Crystal Ice Company to leak. There were no injuries reported.
Streets around the area were closed and Metro-North Railroad trains, which pass directly behind the Ice House on the Danbury line, were slowed down, Shay said. The plant was shut down for the day while repairs were being made.
The gas leak prompted a heavy response from police, fire and emergency medical personnel. A HAZMAT team was on the scene investigating, and responding units were advised to wear gas masks.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: KEENE HIGH CLEARED AFTER HAZMAT INVESTIGATION, RADIOACTIVE CHEMICAL REMOVED
Tags: us_NH, laboratory, discovery, response, radiation
KEENE ‰?? Keene High School has been cleared of any type of contamination following a potential hazmat incident involving Cesium-137, a radioactive chemical.
READ: UPDATE: Preliminary readings say no hazardous materials in Keene High School, officials say
The material of concern had been identified as Cesium-137, which is an instrument used solely for demonstration in science labs, Superintendent Robert H. Malay said in a press release.
Preliminary and secondary readings conducted by police and fire were within appropriate exposure limits. The material was removed as a precaution and to prevent any further recurrence.
Cesium-137 is a radioactive chemical, which can easily move and spread in nature due to it's high rate to dissolve in water. A 1970's experiment with Cesium-137 led to the deaths of the dogs in the experiment.
---------------------------------------------
REFINING THE REFINERY: LAST YEAR‰??S EXXONMOBIL EXPLOSION COULD LEAD TO BIG CHANGES AT TORRANCE PLANT
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, gasoline
Eighteen months after an explosion hit the oil refinery in Torrance, shockwaves are still being felt.
The blast energized Torrance residents, prompting families to organize into dedicated advocacy groups. Now, with regulators and politicians paying increasingly close attention, critical changes to the refining process at the facility ‰?? ExxonMobil at the time of the blast, now Torrance Refining Co. ‰?? may be on the horizon.
Drawing particular attention is the refinery‰??s use of modified hydrofluoric acid. While effective in the gasoline production process, hydrofluoric acid is also dangerous, and regulators examining the facility have indicated that the February 2015 incident could have been far worse had the explosion breached the acid storage area, threatening residents all across the South Bay.
On Monday, prior to a meeting of the regional agency tasked with enforcing federal and state air pollution rules, the South Coast Air Management District, residents spoke out regarding the fears that have become a regular part of their lives since the blast.
‰??Each night as I tuck my two- and three-year-old into bed, and wonder if this will be a bad emissions night,‰?? said Maureen Mauk, a Torrance resident and co-founder of Families Lobbying Against Refinery Exposures (FLARE), one of the activist groups to spring up in the wake of the explosion.
Elected officials and candidates from both parties made clear that they shared residents‰?? concerns about the use of the chemical.
---------------------------------------------
STATE CITES UH FOR WORKPLACE SAFETY VIOLATIONS STEMMING FROM LAB
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
It was back in March that an explosion seriously injured 29-year-old Thea Ekins Coward. The visiting researcher lost her arm.
The blast also caused a million dollars worth of damage.
Inspectors with the state's Occupational Health and Safety office have now cited the university for 15 violations. The fines total $115,500.
The violations classified as "serious" include failing to eliminate or reduce explosion hazards, as well as a failure to provide two exit routes from the lab.
It also noted the university did not conduct periodic in-house inspections and it lacked a written evacuation plan in the event of a chemical release.
The report also found UH failed to regularly review its Chemical Hygiene plan to protect its employees.
---------------------------------------------
TURNER: HFD MUST FIX PROBLEMS WITH CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Top officials with the city of Houston said the Fire Department needs a major shakeup on addressing hazardous materials.
A Houston Chronicle investigation reported Sunday the city doesn't know where most dangerous chemicals are, hasn't inspected more than three-quarters of the ones it does know about, and is still relying on paper records despite a sophisticated database.
CHEMICAL PROBLEM: Little effort made to find businesses skirting the rules
"To be quite candid, I agree with most of it," Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "It's a good roadmap for me to consider."
While city resources are tight, Turner said there's a number of things that can be done immediately.
He called for more inspections, for the department to put more data in the Digital Sandbox system, for firefighters and inspectors to start coordinating.
---------------------------------------------
TRACES OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL PFOS FOUND UNDERGROUND AT EASTSIDE FIRE HEADQUARTERS
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
ISSAQUAH, Wash. - While searching for the source of hazardous chemical contamination in the Lower Issaquah Aquifer, researchers discovered traces of the same chemical in soils behind Eastside Fire and Rescue's headquarters at 175 Newport Way Northwest.
Experts say more tests are needed to determine if the site is the possible source of the contamination or if the chemical plume can be traced to another location.
Perfluorooctane sulfonate, commonly called PFOS, has not been manufactured in the U.S. since 2000. It was commonly used in heavy-duty firefighting foam since the 1950s, especially at airports and military bases. Laboratory animals tested with PFOS suffered liver, thyroid, developmental and immune system damage.
According to a study released by Geosyntec Consultants, hired by the city of Issaquah to investigate the contamination, Eastside Fire and Rescue's headquarters training area "Is a potential source of PFOS to groundwater and should be investigated further."
---------------------------------------------
SMOKING LEAVES CHEMICAL TRACES ON DNA
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
(Reuters Health) - Tobacco smoke leaves its mark on DNA by changing a chemical code on the DNA molecule that can sometimes change gene activity, according to a new study.
Some of these molecular changes revert to their original state when a smoker quits, but others persist in the long term, the researchers found.
Experts have known for some time that smoking causes changes of the DNA molecule, but they are now learning more about how widespread the changes are, and what they may mean, said senior author Dr. Stephanie J. London, chief of the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
‰??We don‰??t really know whether it means ‰??damage‰?? to the DNA,‰?? London told Reuters Health. ‰??That requires more study, using data outside what we have here. What we‰??re saying is that it‰??s a change to your DNA that can have a downstream effect on what genes are expressed at what levels.‰??
---------------------------------------------
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION THURSDAY AFTER 'CHEMICAL HAZE'
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)
Fire crews have been called to Liverpool High School for reports of a ‰??chemical haze.‰??
Crews responded to the scene around 4:32 p.m., after most students had left for the day.
The haze was found in the science chemical storage room of the building.
No students or staff were in the room at the time the smoke alarm went off.
Moyers Corners Fire Department and the Syracuse City Fire Department, including SCFD HAZMAT team responded to the scene.
Crews were not able to determine what the chemical was.
LocalSYR.com will have updates as they become available.
Despite the reports, school will still be in session, the district tells us.
---------------------------------------------
A LOOK AT THE EXPLOSIVES USED IN THE NEW YORK BOMBING
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, environmental, bomb
Initial reports about a device used in Saturday‰??s bombing in New York City suggested the explosive could have been a commercially available material called Tannerite. Stories from the Associated Press and New York Times reported the claim, citing anonymous officials involved in the investigation of the attack that injured 29.
But, on the basis of the material‰??s properties, explosives experts and the makers of Tannerite doubt it alone could have caused the explosion. A subsequent report from the New York Times seemed to confirm these doubts, indicating that officials had detected the explosive hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) in devices related to the attack.
The suspected bomber, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was arrested after a shootout in New Jersey on Monday. He allegedly set off bombs in New Jersey and in New York on Saturday. According to news reports, anonymous officials identified Tannerite at the New York bomb site, and a second report linked HMTD to both bombings.
Tannerite, made and sold by Tannerite Sports, is used to produce exploding targets for long-range shooting practice. The targets explode when hit by a bullet, allowing shooters to hear and see that they‰??ve successfully made the shot. Occasionally, ‰??tannerite‰?? is used to describe similar products.
An exploding Tannerite target consists of an 8:1 ratio of oxidizer to catalyst, which come in separate containers and are mixed and shaken together prior to use. The Tannerite patent says that, in the optimal composition, the oxidizer contains 85% ammonium nitrate powder by weight, and 15% ammonium perchlorate. The catalyst is 90% explosive grade aluminum powder, 5% titanium sponge, and 5% zirconium hydride.
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