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Table of Contents (21 articles)
CREWS CLEAN UP LARGE HOT TAR SPILL AT HUBBARD TRUCK STOP
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, petroleum
HAZMAT INCIDENT IN BOTHWELL FORCES EVACUATION OF THE LOCAL POOL
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid
INSIDE LOOK INTO THE LPD BOMB SQUAD, SAFETY IS FIRST PRIORTIY
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental
WEST LAKE LANDFILL: EPA PROPOSAL IS LATEST CHAPTER IN LONG, TROUBLED HISTORY
Tags: us_MO, industrial, follow-up, environmental, radiation, waste
COMPANY FAILED TO ADDRESS DEFICIENCIES PRIOR TO CHEMICAL FIRE, LETTER REVEALS
Tags: us_RI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
NEIGHBORS FRUSTRATED FIRE OFF AT BLADEN COUNTY GENX FORUM
Tags: us_NC, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
OSHA SAYS SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS EXPOSED WORKERS TO CHEMICAL
Tags: us_KS, industrial, discovery, response, other_chemical
WITNESS RECALLS TEXAS CITY DISASTER AND HOW IT SHAPED THINKING ON SAFETY " HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
FIREFIGHTERS PREVENTED "HORRENDOUS" FIRE IN SCARNING FROM REACHING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, explosion, response, ag_chems
3 IN HOSPITAL AFTER HIGH CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS IN BETHESDA HOME
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
LIFE SCIENCE BUILDINGS EVACUATED AFTER SMALL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
EXPLOSION LEADS TO HAZMAT INDICTMENTS FOR MONTANA TRUCK COMPANY: LAND LINE MAGAZINE
Tags: us_MT, transportation, follow-up, injury, methane
TRUCK LEAKS FUEL AT HELLYER COLLEGE
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, petroleum
SAFETY TEST ON GRENFELL INSULATION INACCURATELY DESCRIBED, SAYS MANUFACTURER
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, death, other_chemical
SELLAFIELD SAFETY FAILINGS
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, response, waste, explosives
WORST-HIT REACTOR AT FUKUSHIMA MAY BE EASIEST TO CLEAN UP
Tags: japan, industrial, release, radiation, follow-up
DERAILED TRAIN NEAR DOWNTOWN QUINCY SPILLS CHEMICAL, CLOSES ROAD FOR MOST OF DAY
Tags: us_fl, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
UPDATE: I-244, OKLAHOMA 11 RAMP REOPENED FOLLOWING OVERTURNED TRUCK, CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_ok, transportation, release, response, peroxides
WATER CONTAMINATED WITH BENZENE IN SANTA ROSA AREA RAVAGED BY WILDFIRE
Tags: us_ca, public, release, response, benzene
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE TOXIC SMOKE FROM RICHMOND SCRAP METAL FIRE
Tags: us_ca, fire, industrial, response, wastes
FIRE ENGULFS TAIWAN REFINERY
Tags: taiwan, industrial, explosion, response, petroleum
---------------------------------------------
CREWS CLEAN UP LARGE HOT TAR SPILL AT HUBBARD TRUCK STOP
http://wkbn.com/2018/02/01/crews-work-to-cleanup-large-hot-tar-spill-at-hubbard-truck-stop/
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, petroleum
HUBBARD, Ohio (WKBN) " Crews worked to contain and clean up a large hot tar spill following an accident in the parking lot of Love"s Travel Stop, just off of Interstate 80.
A minor accident happened about 6 a.m.Thursday morning and that is what caused the tanker, which was holding about 2,000 gallons of hot tar, to leak, according to a 911 dispatcher.
A HAZMAT crew was initially called. They determined that there was not a fuel leak and that the material was only tar, the dispatcher said.
Crews called for sand and dirt to help absorb a large amount of tar that spilled on the ground.
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HAZMAT INCIDENT IN BOTHWELL FORCES EVACUATION OF THE LOCAL POOL
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/hazmat-incident-in-bothwell-forces-evacuation-of-the-local-pool/news-story/b2f9c16b62181678ba3a371b125e3bfa
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid
A TOXIC chemical reaction that caused burns to a Central Highlands Council worker"s face could have been far worse, the Tasmania Fire Service says.
People were evacuated from the Bothwell pool about noon today after a council worker accidentally tipped hydrochloric acid into sodium chloride (chlorine) in a chemical shed, Midlands acting district officer Peter Tavasz said.
"It created like a chlorine gas that is toxic to humans," Mr Tavasz said.
"It caused a chemical burn to the worker"s face and he was treated and decontaminated there."
Fire crews spent the afternoon ventilating the shed and monitoring the air.
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INSIDE LOOK INTO THE LPD BOMB SQUAD, SAFETY IS FIRST PRIORTIY
http://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/kamc-news/inside-look-into-the-lpd-bomb-squad-safety-is-first-priortiy/949038545
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental
LUBBOCK, TX - Any time there's a bomb threat in our city, the Lubbock Police Bomb Squad is called in. The team is used in hazmat and SWAT situations as well. So they train hard to make sure they're ready for any situation that might come their way.
"The bomb tech business is not like the movies," said LPD Bomb Technician, Jarred Nolen. "I do not want to start cutting wires on stuff. That's just bad. If I'm in that situation, it's a bad day."
You might have seen the team at work before, either helping the SWAT team or handling their own business, like the bomb threats on Texas Tech's campus and at Happy State Bank.
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WEST LAKE LANDFILL: EPA PROPOSAL IS LATEST CHAPTER IN LONG, TROUBLED HISTORY
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/west-lake-landfill-epa-proposal-latest-chapter-long-troubled-history#stream/0
Tags: us_MO, industrial, follow-up, environmental, radiation, waste
The Environmental Protection Agency proposal to partially remove nuclear weapons waste from a northwest St. Louis County landfill marks a major shift in approach to a problem that"s plagued residents for decades.
Since 1990, federal officials have either passed the buck on remediating West Lake Landfill or proposed building a cap over the site, which does little to prevent the tons of radioactive waste from contaminating groundwater.
On Thursday, EPA head Scott Pruitt announced his "Excavation Plus" proposal to remove much of the waste, which is about 600 feet from an underground fire in the adjacent Bridgeton Landfill, and permanently cover the rest.
Here's a guide to our coverage.
Pruitt has publicly criticized previous presidential administrations for failing to decide on a remedy for West Lake Landfill. He"s repeatedly named the landfill in interviews with national news outlets as an example of governmental delay and ineptitude.
"It"s taken 28 years just to make a decision " not clean it up, not remediate it, just decide how we"re going to do it," Pruitt said about West Lake Landfill in a CBS News interview that aired Jan. 18. "That"s unacceptable."
In Thursday"s announcement, Pruitt said his response to West Lake is representative of his approach to the entire Superfund program.
Read more about the EPA proposal
"I am pleased to announce a proposed remedy that will strategically excavate and remove within five years all the radioactive material that poses a risk to public health," Pruitt said in a statement.
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COMPANY FAILED TO ADDRESS DEFICIENCIES PRIOR TO CHEMICAL FIRE, LETTER REVEALS
http://wpri.com/2018/02/01/company-failed-to-address-deficiencies-prior-to-chemical-fire-letter-reveals/
Tags: us_RI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) " The Cranston Fire Department back in June identified several deficiencies in a company"s operation that were unresolved by the time a chemical fire broke out on Monday.
A letter obtained by Eyewitness News shows ProSys Finishing Technologies fixed some of the issues, such as a fire alarm and a fire sprinkler system, but failed to address others.
According to the letter, the Elmwood Avenue facility lacked proper features for spill control and containment. In addition, ProSys " which distributes electro-plating solutions " was not in compliance with the proper storage of hazardous materials, lacking necessary documentation, labeling and protection for hazardous contents and operations. Some of the product containers also lacked adequate labeling.
When firefighters first arrived on scene Monday night, they ran right back out of the building after stepping in a puddle, according to Cranston Fire Chief William McKenna. Twelve firefighters and two EMT"s were transported to the hospital for evaluation after they were exposed to dangerous chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
NEIGHBORS FRUSTRATED FIRE OFF AT BLADEN COUNTY GENX FORUM
https://www.wwaytv3.com/2018/02/01/neighbors-frustrated-fire-off-at-bladen-county-genx-forum/
Tags: us_NC, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) " Neighbors gathered for a forum in Bladen County. State health and environmental experts provided what new info they could on GenX. People we talked to tell us they are still frustrated.
New test results are coming from what experts say. None of them talk about the affects of GenX though. That left many neighbors still concerned as they grow tired of having to live with the faucets turned off.
"We have to sit here and come to a meeting about them polluting our neighborhoods," yelled neighbor Kellie Hair who had had enough of experts talking and, in her opinion, brought no real answers.
Now Hair like many neighbors were glad agencies like the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health and Human Services brought neighbors together with experts to try and answer questions and concerns. Her main argument is asking why is Chemours not answering to the public. Most of everyone in the forum lived near the Chemours Fayetteville plant.
"Are we the guinea pigs," asked Levonne Daniels who recently moved to the area. "Are we the people that"s going to be the guinea pigs for Genx?"
---------------------------------------------
OSHA SAYS SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS EXPOSED WORKERS TO CHEMICAL
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2018-02-01/osha-says-spirit-aerosystems-exposed-workers-to-chemical
Tags: us_KS, industrial, discovery, response, other_chemical
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) " A federal safety agency says Spirit AeroSystems has exposed some employees to a known carcinogen.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration said Thursday it is proposing a $194,006 fine against the company.
The Wichita Eagle reports the agency says the company exposed employees to concentrations of hexavalent chromium at nearly two times the permissible levels.
Spirit AeroSystems said in an email Thursday that it doesn't believe employees were exposed to improper levels of the chemical. It says the allegations focus on one area on a third shift. It plans to ask OSHA to reduce the penalties and classifications of the citations.
OSHA says the company has taken sufficient steps to prevent more exposure, conduct monitoring and provided training for employees.
---------------------------------------------
WITNESS RECALLS TEXAS CITY DISASTER AND HOW IT SHAPED THINKING ON SAFETY " HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/02/01/264954/survivor-recalls-texas-city-disaster-and-how-it-shaped-thinking-on-safety/
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
In 1947, Texas City was the site of the deadliest industrial accident in American history. The incident changed safety regulations in the chemical industry forever.
The morning of April 16, a French ship anchored in the Port of Texas City caught fire. Eventually its cargo of more 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded. That set off a chain reaction of other fires and explosions on other ships, including the nearby Monsanto chemical plant.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS PREVENTED "HORRENDOUS" FIRE IN SCARNING FROM REACHING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
http://www.derehamtimes.co.uk/news/firefighters-prevented-fire-reaching-hazardous-materials-1-5376974
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, explosion, response, ag_chems
A major fire in a Norfolk village could have been a lot more severe had it not been for the efforts of the fire fighters who were able to rapidly get the flames under control.
The small village of Scarning was rocked by small explosions on Monday when a fire broke out in an agricultural building on Park Farm.
The building was packed with hazardous materials and one witness described the fire as "like a building full of fireworks".
A total of 60 firefighters fought back the sky high flames for almost two hours, while thick black smoke could be seen from more than a mile away.
They were faced with having to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible while also containing it to prevent it from spreading to nearby chemicals and gas canisters.
---------------------------------------------
3 IN HOSPITAL AFTER HIGH CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS IN BETHESDA HOME
https://patch.com/maryland/bethesda-chevychase/3-hospital-after-high-carbon-monoxide-levels-bethesda-home
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
(Updated at 1 p.m. Wednesday): BETHESDA, MD " Three Bethesda residents were transported to the hospital after high levels of carbon monoxide was detected in their home Wednesday morning.
Spokesperson Pete Piringer said crews responded to a medical emergency at the home in the 1000 block of Parkwood Dr. at about 10:30 a.m.
Hazmat crews immediately detected elevated carbon monoxide levels likely from the furnace/boiler in the basement area, Piringer told Patch. The water heater "seemed to be needing some adjustments as well," officials said.
A family member first called 911 and performed life-saving instruction in the home before first responders arrived, Piringer said. Responders then found three unconscious adults and rushed them to the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
LIFE SCIENCE BUILDINGS EVACUATED AFTER SMALL EXPLOSION
https://pittnews.com/article/127063/featured/small-explosion-life-science-lab-results-one-student-evacuation/
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Paramedics evaluated one student for eye irritation after a small explosion in a life science lab Wednesday afternoon led to a precautionary evacuation.
According to a statement from the University, the explosion occurred at about 2:45 p.m. in the Life Sciences Annex " a section of the Clapp, Langley and Crawford Hall complex. A flame hood designed to limit exposure to toxic materials contained the explosion. Only one student needed medical attention, the statement said.
The buildings were evacuated as a precaution and reopened at about 3:30 mostly reopened. The first floor of the annex is still closed for cleanup. At least four fire trucks and three hazmat vehicles from the Pittsburgh Fire Department were on scene.
Junior neuroscience major Heather Smith"s class in Langley Hall was just wrapping up when the fire alarm went off. She said she hadn"t heard or felt anything but knew an false alarm had gone off earlier in the day, so she assumed it was "just another faulty alarm or fire drill." But before she knew it, fire trucks, an ambulance and a hazmat crew had shown up.
"I feel like [with] Clapp, I kind of associate [it] with fire alarms, but they"ve always been minor or a drill, never anything of this magnitude," she said. "Everybody was like, "This isn"t another ordinary day at Clapp.""
Senior microbiology major Aisha Kanneh was in her microbiology seminar in Langley and said she didn"t hear any explosions prior to the fire alarm going off. She knew about the alarm from earlier in the day and assumed that it was "just another drill." She left her belongings in the classroom and filed out with the rest of her class.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION LEADS TO HAZMAT INDICTMENTS FOR MONTANA TRUCK COMPANY: LAND LINE MAGAZINE
http://www.landlinemag.com/story.aspx?storyid=71674#.WnMFxWZy4o8
Tags: us_MT, transportation, follow-up, injury, methane
The owner of a Montana trucking company has been indicted on 14 various federal charges, including eight hazardous material transport violations, for lying about insurance coverage for hazardous materials following an explosion that injured several people, according to federal court documents.
On Feb. 6, 2012, Donald Wood and his Baker, Mont.-based trucking company, Woody"s Trucking, entered into a miscellaneous work agreement with Durango, Colo.-based Saddle Butte Pipeline, which has a natural gas processing plant in North Dakota. Per the agreement, Woody"s Trucking agreed to transport hazardous natural gas condensate liquid to oil processing plants in Montana.
Three days later, Wood submitted a copy of the agreement to his insurance company to add Saddle Butte Pipeline as an additional insured party. However, Wood failed to disclose the fact that his trucking company would be transporting hazardous material.
Since 2004, Woody"s had obtained insurance from the same company, renewing every year. Wood did not indicate that his trucking company would be transporting hazardous material, thereby reducing the cost of his insurance.
In addition to misrepresenting his cargo to the insurance company, Woody"s also violated federal regulations requiring proper shipping papers and placards. Hazardous material shipping papers were falsified to prevent investigation.
---------------------------------------------
TRUCK LEAKS FUEL AT HELLYER COLLEGE
http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/5202551/truck-leaks-fuel-at-hellyer-college/
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, petroleum
Firefighters raced to Hellyer College on Thursday morning to deal with a truck with a burst fuel tank.
The food delivery truck started to leak fuel after it hit a bollard that split open its fuel tank.
Firefighters headed to the scene at 9.48am and worked to patch the tank and dam the flow of fuel.
EARLIER:
The Tasmania Fire Service is currently responding to a Hazmat incident on Mooreville Road at Shorewell.
TFS resources were mobilised at 9.48am with one heavy pumper on the scene at this stage.
---------------------------------------------
SAFETY TEST ON GRENFELL INSULATION INACCURATELY DESCRIBED, SAYS MANUFACTURER
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/safety-test-on-grenfell-insulation-inaccurately-described-says-manufacturer--54368
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, death, other_chemical
Celotex RS5000 insulation, made from polyisocyanurate (PIR), was used on Grenfell as part of the cladding and insulation system on the outside of the building.
Celotex has said this product passed official safety tests before being marketed for use on high rises in 2014.
But in a statement posted online yesterday the insulation company said there were "differences between the system as tested‰?| and the description of that system in the report of the test".
"These differences were carried through into our marketing of RS5000," it added.
At least 71 people died when flames ripped through Grenfell Tower in June last year. Police later said tests on the insulation material showed it "combusted soon after the tests started".
Celotex suspended supply of the product shortly after the fire, a suspension which remains in place.
---------------------------------------------
SELLAFIELD SAFETY FAILINGS
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/home/Sellafield-safety-failings-1ce03cb8-b0fb-4259-8aac-2f11bf7238d1-ds
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, response, waste, explosives
Sellafield has admitted that hazardous chemicals on its site were "out of sight, out of mind", which led to the bomb squad being called in to deal with them.
The firm has acknowledged that proper oversight wasn"t given to the management of materials in its labs.
However, a report has found there was no danger to public safety and no realistic prospect that the chemicals could"ve exploded.
Sellafield Limited has acknowledged a number of failings and identified a string of improvement measures it will now implement.
During a chemical audit in a laboratory last October, the chemical Tetrahydrafuran, which has been stored on the site for the last 25 years, was discovered. This led to bomb disposal experts being called in to carry out controlled explosions.
The materials, which would have been used in chemical processes in the past, have the potential to crystalise and become unstable if exposed to oxygen.
The company immediately launched an investigation to find out what happened, as well as making recommendations to stop it happening again.
Sellafield has today made its findings public, admitting priority was not given to the disposal of redundant chemicals, as they were "out of the conscious awareness of the majority of people" in the laboratory.
---------------------------------------------
WORST-HIT REACTOR AT FUKUSHIMA MAY BE EASIEST TO CLEAN UP
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/worst-hit-reactor-fukushima-may-014942584.html
Tags: japan, industrial, release, radiation, follow-up
OKUMA, Japan " High atop Fukushima's most damaged nuclear reactor, the final pieces of a jelly-roll shaped cover are being put in place to seal in highly radioactive dust.
Blown apart by a hydrogen explosion in 2011 after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, reactor Unit 3 is undergoing painstaking construction ahead of a milestone that is the first step toward dismantling the plant.
The operating floor " from where new fuel rods used to be lowered into the core " has been rebuilt and if all goes as planned, huge cranes will begin removing 566 sets of still-radioactive fuel rods from a storage pool just below it later this year.
It has taken seven years just to get this far, but now the real work of cleaning up the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant can begin.
"If you compare it with mountain climbing, we've only been preparing to climb. Now, we finally get to actually start climbing," said Daisuke Hirose, an official at the plant's decommissioning and decontamination unit.
---------------------------------------------
DERAILED TRAIN NEAR DOWNTOWN QUINCY SPILLS CHEMICAL, CLOSES ROAD FOR MOST OF DAY
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/01/30/derailed-train-near-downtown-quincy-spills-chemical-closes-road-most-day/1079821001/
Tags: us_fl, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
The seven-car CSX Transportation freight train destined for Waycross, Georgia, derailed just after 6 a.m. Two rail cars ruptured, leaking large amounts of a white, powdery substance.
There were "no injuries or environmental impacts" as a result of the derailment, a company spokeswoman said.
Quincy police officers and fire fighters on the scene initially advised onlookers the substance was hazardous and ordered them to stay 75-100 feet away from the rail cars. Gadsden County Sheriff's Office at the time misidentified the substance as acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, but CSX later said it was something else.
"Two of the rail cars spilled a small amount of adipic acid, which is a solid chemical commonly used in the production of gelatin food products," the company said. "While this product poses no safety risk to the public, CSX contractors on site are taking standard precautions as they work to clean up the area."
The Federal Railroad Administration will lead an investigation into the cause of the derailment. The agency was on scene by Tuesday afternoon.
PubChem, a National Institutes of Health chemistry database, describes adipic acid as a white crystalline solid that is insoluble in water.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: I-244, OKLAHOMA 11 RAMP REOPENED FOLLOWING OVERTURNED TRUCK, CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/update-i--reopened-following-overturned-semi-chemical-spill/article_cbdfbdc8-d568-5e67-b885-8e7b2c0fff55.html
Tags: us_ok, transportation, release, response, peroxides
A volatile chemical that leaked from an overturned tractor-trailer rig caused a Tulsa highway to close for a few hours and nearby businesses to be evacuated Tuesday.
The truck flipped onto its side while taking the eastbound ramp from Oklahoma 11 to Interstate 244 about 3:30 p.m., the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.
The crash caused the ramp and both directions of I-244 between U.S. 169 and Memorial Drive to be closed for the rest of the afternoon. Westbound traffic on I-244 was diverted off the highway at the Interstate 44 junction in east Tulsa.
OHP spokesman Dwight Durant said the truck was hauling organic peroxide and that some of the hazardous material was leaking onto the highway, prompting authorities to shut down all lanes as a safety precaution.
Tulsa Fire Department Capt. Stay May said the chemical could be "pretty volatile" in large amounts but noted that only a few gallons spilled from the truck. He said how severe the leak was inside the trailer wasn"t immediately clear. Troopers waited more than two hours for a remediation crew to arrive and open the trailer to better examine the spillage.
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WATER CONTAMINATED WITH BENZENE IN SANTA ROSA AREA RAVAGED BY WILDFIRE
http://cbslocal.com/2018/01/31/water-contaminated-benzene-santa-rosa-wildfire/
Tags: us_ca, public, release, response, benzene
SANTA ROSA (KPIX 5) " The city of Santa Rosa is urging people in parts of the Fountaingrove neighborhood, where half the homes burned down in the Tubbs Fire, not to drink the water.
Don"t even drink it after boiling it, city officials say.
The water supply is contaminated with benzene.
The city, experts and regulators can"t figure out how the benzene is getting into the supply, let alone how to fix it.
This is just the latest blow for some families recovering from the wine country wildfires.
The highly toxic chemical is found in the water in the Fountaingrove area and the city is stumped about the source.
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FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE TOXIC SMOKE FROM RICHMOND SCRAP METAL FIRE
http://abc7news.com/firefighters-battle-toxic-smoke-from-richmond-scrap-metal-fire/3009255/
Tags: us_ca, fire, industrial, response, wastes
RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) -- A large scrap metal fire in Richmond is sending a plume of toxic smoke across the East Bay.
Heavy equipment pulled piles of debris away from a toxic fire burning at Sims Metal Management in Richmond.
EMBED MORE NEWS VIDEOS
A shelter-in-place order has been issued as firefighters battle a large fire at a scrap metal facility Tuesday evening.
"This business takes in cars, they dismantle them, they sell the metal, so we have a heap of metal that's out there burning," said Deputy Fire Chief of the Richmond Fire Department, Emon Usher.
Usher says there are more than 40 firefighters on scene who have been trying to put out the 25-foot high pile of flaming metal since 5 p.m., but the firefighters can only get so close.
"We would be able to remove the piles of debris if the air quality nearest the fire was better, but because it was so bad and it was below 20 percent in oxygen, there's not a way anyone could survive in that area," Usher added.
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FIRE ENGULFS TAIWAN REFINERY
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/fire-engulfs-taiwan-refinery/
Tags: taiwan, industrial, explosion, response, petroleum
AN explosion at an oil refinery in Taiwan set off a fire yesterday that took hours to extinguish.
The National Fire Agency reports that no-one was injured in the blast or resulting fire at the refinery in Taoyuan City. The agency was called to the incident at 06:42 local time, and while it had the fire under control within the hour it took until 15:30 to put it out.
The refinery had been shut down for a month for maintenance. Refinery-owner CPC said the incident occurred as it restarted a hydrodesulfurisation plant. It suspects that a heating furnace tube had ruptured, triggering the fire which spread to cover an area measuring 50 m2.
Videos of the fire show the refinery is located close to residents, who reported to local press that the explosion rattled the windows in their homes. The New York Times reports that the mayor of Taoyuan called on the company to fulfil a promise made in 2003 to relocate the refinery to a less densely-populated area.
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