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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 (15 articles)
Date: Mon, 29 May 2017 09:25:25 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 05656AB0-33BB-4C8B-BC0B-9308769AC026**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 29, 2017 at 9:25:14 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 (15 articles)
ENJOY THE SUN ‰?? BUT WATCH OUT FOR SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Tags: us_wa, public, fire, response, flammables
SWIM SCHOOL SCARE: FOUR IN HOSPITAL AFTER INCIDENT
Tags: australia, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
HTTP://WWW.CBC.CA/NEWS/CANADA/NOVA-SCOTIA/CFCS-CARBON-DIOXIDE-FOUND-IN-DEEP-OCEAN-RESEARCH-SCIENCE-CELTIC-EXPLORER-1.4134457
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
VARTHUR LAKE: AFTER HEAVY RAIN, CHEMICAL 'SNOWFALL' IN BENGALURU
Tags: india, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANTS ACCUSED OF POLLUTING THE AIR UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
Tags: china, public, discovery, illegal, release, toxics
A SACRAMENTO STATE CHEMICAL SPILL HAS LAB TECHS QUESTIONING THEIR WORKPLACE SAFETY
Tags: us_ca, laboratory, release, follow-up, solvents
ENVIRONMENTAL RULES UNDER ATTACK
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental
WALMART STORE IN COVENTRY EVACUATED OVER SMALL FIRE
Tags: us_RI, public, fire, response, chlorine
OFFICIALS: CHEMICAL LEAK FROM TANKER TRUCK SHUTS DOWN MD. ROADWAY
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, response, ferric_chloride, water_treatment
CHEMICAL ACCIDENT: 1 DEAD, 4 CRITICAL
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical
NBC-2.COM WBBH NEWS FOR FORT MYERS, CAPE CORAL & NAPLES, FLORIDA
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, toxics
CHEMICAL LEAK FORCES TEMPORARY EVACUATION AT SPORTS BARN NORTH
Tags: us_TN, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
SCHOOLBOY CAMERON DICKSON NOW STABLE AFTER BONFIRE CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: Ireland, public, release, injury, toxics, waste
STREETS NEAR NMSU BLOCKED OFF AS HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE CHEMICAL SMELL
Tags: us_NM, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT, FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL FROM TRACTOR-TRAILER IN DAVIDSON CO.
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
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ENJOY THE SUN ‰?? BUT WATCH OUT FOR SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Tags: us_wa, public, fire, response, flammables
As if Western Washington residents unaccustomed to sunshine and hot weather didn‰??t have enough to deal with ‰?? sunglasses? sunscreen? water bottle? ‰?? add another hazard to the list: spontaneous combustion.
Seattle Fire investigators say a Saturday blaze that displaced seven people from a three-story complex on Phinney Ridge was sparked by compost, soil and vegetation in a flower pot.
While oily or solvent-soaked rags are the usual culprits in fires that start on their own, organic matter like compost and beauty bark can also smolder spontaneously, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Kellie Randall said in an email.
And dry, hot weather elevates the risk for spontaneous combustion fires of all types, she added.
No one was injured in the Phinney Ridge fire, which was reported shortly before 7 p.m. But residents of the multifamily structure were at least temporarily driven out and total damage was estimated at $60,000.
Spontaneous combustion occurs when a material generates enough heat through chemical or biological reactions to reach its ignition temperature, without being exposed to an external source of heat or fire.
Fires that spark spontaneously in organic material, like grass clippings, compost and mulch are usually initiated by heat from microbial processes, like decomposition, says a 2008 article in the journal BioCycle. But as the heat builds, the microbes are killed and chemical processes, like oxidation take over. Moisture can accelerate the process.
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SWIM SCHOOL SCARE: FOUR IN HOSPITAL AFTER INCIDENT
Tags: australia, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
FOUR people have been following an incident at a pool involving hazardous materials at Boambee.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said paramedics were called to a pool on Middle Boambee Rd and assisted three children and 10 adults.
Three children and an adult were taken to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital with minor injuries.
Paramedics were called to Swimcare about 9.15am.
Kate Miller from Swimcare, who was hospitalised, said all had since been released.
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HTTP://WWW.CBC.CA/NEWS/CANADA/NOVA-SCOTIA/CFCS-CARBON-DIOXIDE-FOUND-IN-DEEP-OCEAN-RESEARCH-SCIENCE-CELTIC-EXPLORER-1.4134457
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
Human-made chemicals are penetrating deeper into the North Atlantic, a new study has found.
Remember CFCs? Production of the ozone-depleting chemicals was largely phased out globally in 1994.
But almost 25 years later, researchers are finding them in increasing amounts in the deeper, "older" parts of the ocean.
Scientists from six countries crossed the North Atlantic from St. John's to Galway, Ireland, over the past month aboard the research vessel Celtic Explorer.
The researchers were studying the presence of human-made chemicals as well as temperature, salinity, acidity and nutrient and carbon dioxide levels. The expedition is part of an international effort to periodically monitor physical, chemical and biological changes in the oceans.
The scientists took water samples from at least 24 different depths, including the sea floor, every 30 nautical miles of the roughly 3,100-kilometre journey. The deepest point of measurement was about 4,500 metres.
---------------------------------------------
VARTHUR LAKE: AFTER HEAVY RAIN, CHEMICAL 'SNOWFALL' IN BENGALURU
Tags: india, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
BENGALURU: Pre-monsoon showers provided much-needed respite to Bengalureans in what was a harsh summer. However, rain has only added to the problems of those living in the vicinity of the city's lakes. The heavy showers that lashed the city in the past week have resulted in Varthur Lake foaming again. With toxic foam spilling over to the Whitefield Main Road, commuters had a tough time negotiating traffic on Saturday and Sunday.
Pravir B, a member of the citizen group Whitefield Rising, said that the wired mesh erected on the boundary of the lake that runs along Whitefield Main Road, had kept foam from entering the streets till the rain aggravated the condition. "We noticed froth on the road on Saturday morning. There's a mesh on one side of the road, where foam has not escaped. But, the heavy winds resulted in foam getting blown from the other side of the lake and entering the road, disrupting traffic. In fact, the foam is entering helmets, and coming in contact with the skin," he added.
The unbearable stench emanating from the lake has only added to the woes of commuters and residents. "The froth has also reached a hospital and a mall nearby," said residents.
---------------------------------------------
CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANTS ACCUSED OF POLLUTING THE AIR UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
Tags: china, public, discovery, illegal, release, toxics
Hebei province, home to many of China‰??s most polluted cities, has promised to close down companies that are poisoning the environment, but after years of protests villagers living in the shadows of the Guantao chemical park remain sceptical.
Alhough festooned with banners calling for the construction of ‰??beautiful villages‰?? and the ‰??upgrade‰?? of Hebei‰??s highly-polluting heavy industries, the sprawling complex of chemical plants shadowing the villages of Nansitou and East Luzhuang often operates unchallenged by environmental regulators, residents say.
Air pollution getting worse in north China even as government tries to crack down
They say local authorities turn a blind eye to factories that pollute air, water and land. In particular, they claim that the plants do a lot of their dirtiest work at night when inspectors are rarely seen.
‰??They just don‰??t come,‰?? said a resident who would not give their full name. Near his home was a patch of burned undergrowth, the result of a vehicle carrying hazardous chemicals catching fire earlier this year, sending plumes of pungent smoke through the streets. ‰??I gave them a call but none of them came,‰?? he said. ‰??We can‰??t stand the smell and there‰??s suddenly smoke everywhere.‰??
Provincial and municipal environmental authorities did not respond to requests for comment, but an inspector who only gave their surname Liu, who is responsible for monitoring Guantao Park, told Reuters by telephone that the facilities were under 24-hour surveillance.
---------------------------------------------
A SACRAMENTO STATE CHEMICAL SPILL HAS LAB TECHS QUESTIONING THEIR WORKPLACE SAFETY
Tags: us_ca, laboratory, release, follow-up, solvents
A chemical spill at Sacramento State last year has led to questions about whether the university is putting its lab workers at risk from exposure to hazardous substances.
Some lab employees say they work in areas so poorly ventilated that acidic fumes corrode metal and rubber, and two workers claim that exposure to these substances and others may have led to their inability to have children.
‰??Our whole stockroom is rusting and rubber bands last only about two weeks before they pulverize, and that is the norm for us,‰?? said lab manager Barbara Coulombe, 49. ‰??If something needs to be protected, like our respirators, we keep them in plastic bags and put them in Tupperware.‰??
The California State University Employees Union, which represents the lab technicians, has filed multiple grievances questioning the safety of employees working in the chemistry stockrooms and the protocols for dealing with hazardous materials throughout the campus.
The university argues there is no reason to believe the employees are endangered, pointing to a UCLA study of air quality in Sacramento State chemistry stockrooms.
‰??There is no evidence of an ongoing hazard based on their measurements on acid or organic vapors,‰?? said Steve Leland, CSU Sacramento director of environmental health and safety. ‰??We are looking at the ventilation to bring it up to best practices. ‰?| There is no reason for me to think the room is unsafe to occupy.‰??
The recent trouble began just over a year ago. On May 11, 2016, lab technicians were called to an advanced chemistry class to clean up a spill. They say they were told the chemicals were acetone, a solvent used in nail polish remover, and ethyl acetate, another solvent used to decaffeinate coffee.
They wore lab coats, nitrile gloves, safety glasses and half-face respirators to clean up the spill.
In actuality, they say, the spilled chemical was a more dangerous solvent called dimethylformamide or DMF.
One of the chemistry lab technicians, Michelle Watterson, said she and her colleagues would have called the county‰??s hazardous materials team to clean it up instead if they had known it was DMF.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article152861839.html#storylink=cpy">http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article152861839.html#storylink=cpy
---------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL RULES UNDER ATTACK
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental
In keeping with his campaign promise to reduce regulatory burdens, U.S. President Donald J. Trump ordered federal agencies in late February to ferret out regulations that can be ‰??repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome.‰?? Trump‰??s order requires federal agencies to identify rules that, at a minimum, ‰??eliminate jobs or inhibit job creation; are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; or impose costs that exceed benefits.‰??
The Environmental Protection Agency is one of the biggest targets of the Trump Administration‰??s regulatory reform effort. During a series of public meetings in April and May, the agency was flooded with suggestions from state and local governments, consumers, environmental organizations, industry, and other stakeholders regarding which rules to cut and which ones to keep. In general, environmental groups stressed the need for more, not less, regulation to protect public health and boost confidence in the safety of household chemicals and pesticides. Consultants and representatives from industry trade groups, on the other hand, picked through details of their least favorite regulations, urging EPA to ax or delay specific parts.
Here are some of the most controversial chemical-related regulations that could be the target of potential reform. EPA has already taken action since the public meetings to delay some of the rules.
Pesticide priorities
Nanomaterial data reporting
Formaldehyde emissions from wood composites
Asbestos in schools, chlorine production
Lead-based paint removal
---------------------------------------------
WALMART STORE IN COVENTRY EVACUATED OVER SMALL FIRE
Tags: us_RI, public, fire, response, chlorine
COVENTRY, R.I. (WJAR) ‰?? A small fire broke out Friday morning at a Walmart store at the Centre of New England in Coventry.
The fire was reported at about 7 a.m. It started in the pool chemical aisle, as a bottle of liquid chlorine leaked down and into an electrical outlet.
Pool filters then caught fire, with an employee dousing flames with a fire extinguisher.
Employees were allowed back in the store a few hours later.
The store later reopened.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS: CHEMICAL LEAK FROM TANKER TRUCK SHUTS DOWN MD. ROADWAY
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, response, ferric_chloride, water_treatment
RINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (ABC7) ‰?? Route 197 in Prince George's County was shut down Saturday afternoon at Muirkirk Road after a chemical leak from a tanker truck, according to officials.
A hazmat team arrived on the scene shortly after the spill. A nearby shopping center was also evacuated as a precaution.
Officials say 3000 gallons of ferric chloride, a chemical used in water treatment plants, had leaked out.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL ACCIDENT: 1 DEAD, 4 CRITICAL
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical
AHMEDABAD: In a chemical reaction that occurred while making colour in Aarvee Denims located near Ranipur on Sarkhej-Narol Highway, one worker, Navghan Sanev, hailing from Orissa, died, while four others were rushed to LG hospital in a critical condition.
Police said the victims had been affected by the smoke which emitted while making colour.
The LG hospital officials said that all four patients have been shifted to intensive care unit. "We suspect that the patients have been affected as they might have inhaled some chemical fumes," said an official from the hospital.
Vatva police station sub-inspector K S Patel said they have registered a case of accidental death at present and are probing whether there was any negligence on the part of the factory management.
---------------------------------------------
NBC-2.COM WBBH NEWS FOR FORT MYERS, CAPE CORAL & NAPLES, FLORIDA
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, toxics
FORT MYERS, Fla. -
Fire crews are on scene of a "significant spill" of a highly toxic chemical at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers.
The hospital is on US-41 about a mile south of the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
A hospital employee spilled a cup and a half of a liquid substance in a negative pressure room on the second floor, which means all the vapors were contained to that room.
Interim Fire Chief Vincent Dicristofalo says a hazmat team of eight members are working to clean the area of vapors to avoid issues with staff or patients.
The employee was treated for eye irritation in the emergency room.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK FORCES TEMPORARY EVACUATION AT SPORTS BARN NORTH
Tags: us_TN, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a hazmat incident at Sports Barn North Friday morning.
The incident happened around 6:37 a.m. on Hamil Rd.
Battalion Chief Carlos Hampton said an employee was working with pool chemicals, when some of them leaked out of a container. An employee breathed in the vapors and became ill.
Officials say the manager learned of the accident and notified the police.
Several fire companies responded to the scene, including a hazmat team, and the building was evacuated as a precaution.
Assistant Chief Danny Hague said the leak was very small and the cleanup was accomplished quickly.
---------------------------------------------
SCHOOLBOY CAMERON DICKSON NOW STABLE AFTER BONFIRE CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: Ireland, public, release, injury, toxics, waste
A NINE year-old Belfast boy who was left critically ill after coming into contact with toxic chemicals left at a bonfire site is now in a stable condition in hospital.
Cameron Dickson was playing with friends on waste ground near the Shankill Road on Wednesday when they came across several abandoned drums of chemicals.
It is understood someone opened one of the containers and the schoolboy inhaled some of the liquid.
A family friend later spotted his symptoms and he was admitted into intensive care at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children on Wednesday evening. At the time his condition was described as critical.
Cameron's parents released a picture of their son in hospital to warn others of the dangers.
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STREETS NEAR NMSU BLOCKED OFF AS HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE CHEMICAL SMELL
Tags: us_NM, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
LAS CRUCES, N.M. ‰?? Some streets near New Mexico State University are closed as hazmat crews investigate reports of a chemical smell in the area.
A spokesperson for the Las Cruces Police Department said the chemical smell came from a hotel near Triviz Drive and University Avenue.
Police are blocking traffic at Triviz and University and at Triviz and Wisconsin.
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HAZMAT, FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL FROM TRACTOR-TRAILER IN DAVIDSON CO.
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. ‰??
Hazmat crews and firefighters from several local fire departments responded to a chemical spill on the I-85 NB ramp to US-64 in Davidson County, near Lexington Friday night.
Troopers say the driver of a tractor-trailer was headed north on I-85 from Charlotte when due to traffic patterns, he suddenly applied the brakes. As the driver continued northbound, he noticed vapors coming from the back of his truck. Troopers say he pulled off of I-85 NB and onto the ramp to US-64.
Authorities say one of six drums carrying sodium hydroxide, a corrosive industrial chemical, had toppled over and started leaking. Approximately 55 gallons spilled onto the ramp.
The driver suffered a minor burn after coming into contact with the chemical. Holly Grove Fire Department spokesperson Zach Smith said the driver was treated at the scene and is expected to be all right.
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