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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Draft lab risk assessment video comments requested Date: Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 2:15:36 PM Author: "Stuart, Ralph" <Ralph.Stuart**At_Symbol_Here**KEENE.EDU> |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] PEPCON article from Chemical Safety headlines Date: Fri, 4 May 2018 08:08:05 -0400 Author: ILPI Support |
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Table of Contents (14 articles)
ITEM FOR PHARMACY DISPLAY BRINGS IN WARREN HAZMAT TEAM
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, ammonium_nitrate
MERIDIAN MAGNESIUM EXPLOSION FELT FOR MILES AROUND
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, magnesium
CHEMICAL FIRE AT LA PORTE PLANT EXTINGUISHED, NO INJURIES REPORTED ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, paints, pesticides, plastics
CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE BREAKS OUT NEAR LAFAYETTE, CLOSING I-10
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PEPCON EXPLOSIONS 30 YEARS LATER
Tags: us_NV, industrial, follow-up, environmental
CHEVRON TO PAY RICHMOND $5 MILLION TO SETTLE 2012 REFINERY FIRE LAWSUIT
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum
UM LAB STANDS BY POLICIES AFTER POTASSIUM CYANIDE GOES MISSING
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, cyanide
HAZMAT SPILL BRIEFLY CLOSES BUDD LAKE ROAD
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, ethanol
LANL PAUSED SOME PLUTONIUM WORK FOR SAFETY REVIEW
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, discovery, response, radiation
ABOUT 50 PEOPLE EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CHEMICALS IN TOILET LED TO EVACUATION AT SC HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_SC, education, release, injury, other_chemical
FIRE CHIEF: NORTH SIDE SPILL WAS OF 'GLYOXAL,' A HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL USED IN PACKAGING
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
‰??ODOR FADE‰?? LED TO EXPLOSION THAT SEVERELY BURNED NORTH TEXAS MAN
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, injury, methane, natural_gas
AFTER REFINERY EXPLOSION, DULUTH-SUPERIOR MAYORS CALL FOR SAFETY CHANGE ‰?? TWIN CITIES
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrofluoric_acid
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ITEM FOR PHARMACY DISPLAY BRINGS IN WARREN HAZMAT TEAM
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2018/05/03/item-pharmacy-display-warren-hazmat/579040002/
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, ammonium_nitrate
Police and fire crews are on the scene of a possible hazardous materials incident at a pharmacy in Warren.
Authorities blocked of roads around Sussex SavMor Pharmacy, on Van Dyke, just south of Nine Mile Road.
Sharell Allen, a pharmacy employee, said the Fire Department was called at 4 p.m. when a person brought a large jar of ammonium nitrate into the pharmacy.
Allen said the store has a display of old medicine jars and old remedies. The person had planned to donate the jar to the pharmacy for the display.
"A patient brought in a bottle of ammonium nitrate that was larger than normal," Allen said. "We called the Fire Department once we opened the package, and he didn't realize what would happen ... It was a large quantity ... larger than what we would have accepted."
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MERIDIAN MAGNESIUM EXPLOSION FELT FOR MILES AROUND
http://www.wlns.com/news/meridian-magnesium-explosion-felt-for-miles-around/1158170421
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, magnesium
We now know the massive fire and explosion at Meridian Magnesium in Eaton Rapids on Wednesday morning was felt as far as 30 miles away.
Seismology staff at MSU matched movement from a seismology station located in Perry, Michigan with social media reports of an explosion shortly after 2 a.m. and discovered there was a powerful disruption.
Daniel Burk, an engineer with the seismic laboratory at MSU says the explosion was impressive, but relatively small in terms of magnitude. He says the movement was not measured on a Richter scale, but was instead measured as a surface wave magnitude called MS, with a reading of 1.7.
Burk believes the time of day made a difference, in fact, he believes if it happened at 2 in the afternoon, normal daytime noise and traffic would have likely masked the blast.
Despite a very powerful blast, likely caused due to magnesium reacting to heat and fire, chemists at MSU do not believe there will be any hazardous outcomes regarding air, water, or land.
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CHEMICAL FIRE AT LA PORTE PLANT EXTINGUISHED, NO INJURIES REPORTED ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/local/2018/05/03/283229/chemical-fire-at-la-porte-plant-extinguished-no-injuries-reported/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, paints, pesticides, plastics
A fire broke out late Wednesday at a plastics fabrication plant in La Porte, according to police.
Police said there are no injuries. According to the company, Metton America, the fire was reported around 11:38 p.m. Wednesday in the 2700 block of Miller Cut Off Road.
The company said the tank contained a potentially irritating chemical used in paints, insecticides, and plastics.
No shelter in place was ordered for residents.
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CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE BREAKS OUT NEAR LAFAYETTE, CLOSING I-10
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2018/05/chemical_plant_fire_breaks_out.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
RAYNE, La. -- A fire has broken out at a Louisiana chemical plant, sending massive smoke plumes in the air and prompting an evacuation for a mile all around.
Louisiana State Police say no injuries have been reported from the fire at FlowChem Technologies in Rayne. There was no immediate report of what caused the fire at the specialty chemical complex, which provides products and services to the oil and gas industry.
Police say Interstate 10 was closed for a stretch between Lafayette and Crowley as a precaution, backing up traffic for miles as drivers sought to detour.
Authorities say those evacuating around the plant were asked to go to a local fire department until further notice.
FlowChem maintains two chemical blending facilities, one in Rayne and one in Texas.
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WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PEPCON EXPLOSIONS 30 YEARS LATER
https://www.ktnv.com/news/what-to-know-about-pepcon-explosions-30-years-later
Tags: us_NV, industrial, follow-up, environmental
Thirty years ago on May 4, 1988, the Las Vegas valley was rocked by three massive explosions. A fire that started inside a building at Pacific Engineering and Production Corporation (PEPCO) in Henderson resulted in 3 explosions.
Here is a quick list of interesting facts about the incident:
1. PEPCON produced ammonium perchlorate, which is a chemical found in solid rocket fuel.
2. Because of the Challenger explosion in January 1986, there was a large amount of ammonium pechlorate at the plant at the time.
3. It was the largest domestic, non-nuclear explosion in recorded history at that time, according to NASA.
4. The explosions coule be felt 10 miles away. The two biggest blasts measured 3.0 and 3.5 on the Richter scale at observatories in California and Colorado.
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CHEVRON TO PAY RICHMOND $5 MILLION TO SETTLE 2012 REFINERY FIRE LAWSUIT
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-to-pay-Richmond-5-million-to-settle-2012-12885937.php
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum
Chevron will pay Richmond $5 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the 2012 refinery fire that hospitalized thousands of Bay Area residents and prompted new state workplace safety laws.
Lawyers for the multinational energy corporation based in San Ramon already have signed the agreement, and the payment is expected to be made later this month, according to City Attorney Bruce Goodmiller. He said the settlement does not include an admission of fault by Chevron.
The Aug. 6, 2012, fire sparked when a leaky, corroded pipe ruptured in one of the refinery‰??s crude oil units, where petroleum is heated above 700 degrees Fahrenheit. More than 20 workers fled for their lives minutes before a vapor cloud over the site caught fire, according to the then-chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
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UM LAB STANDS BY POLICIES AFTER POTASSIUM CYANIDE GOES MISSING
http://nbcmontana.com/news/local/um-lab-stands-by-policies-after-potassium-cyanide-goes-missing
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, cyanide
MISSOULA, Mont. ‰?? It‰??s been almost two months since University of Montana police sounded the alert ‰?? someone took a vial of a lethal poison from a University of Montana research lab.
University of Montana Facebook post on missing potassium cyanide
Investigators pinpointed a six-block radius in Missoula from Orange Street to Hickory Street and Cregg Lane to South Sixth Street West as a possible area where the suspect could have dropped the vial of potassium cyanide.
When we walked the streets in early May residents we talked with had no idea what we were talking about.
If you‰??ve ever wondered just how deadly potassium cyanide is just check some simple headlines. Here are just a couple we found:
More poison found at home of deceased Merck chemist: Police
Deadly potassium cyanide leakage injures chemist at Prague lab
Chemsee.com explains it this way: a single tablespoon will kill 39 out of 43 people in two to six hours. That‰??s a 90-percent fatality rate.
The university couldn‰??t tell us how large the vial was or how much potassium cyanide it contained.
When we found out the vial was missing we went to the University of Montana to find out how secure any of its 100 labs are.
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HAZMAT SPILL BRIEFLY CLOSES BUDD LAKE ROAD
http://www.njherald.com/20180503/hazmat-spill-briefly-closes-budd-lake-road#
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, ethanol
MOUNT OLIVE -- Traffic was diverted briefly on Crease Road in the Budd Lake section of the township on Wednesday morning as crews worked to clean up a hazmat spill, police said.
Just after 9:30 a.m., police arrived at the scene and determined that the driver of an 18-wheeler vehicle was making a commercial delivery when the items located inside his trailer had shifted, forcing open the doors.
The load consisted of methyl alcohol that was being transported in large drums to an industrial facility in the International Trade Center, police said.
Police said 270 gallon totes fell from the truck and one of them cracked, and as a result, spilled about two gallons onto the ground.
Members of the Picatinny Arsenal and Morris County HAZMAT units arrived on scene to pump the methyl alcohol into an unused tote to remediate the incident, police said.
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LANL PAUSED SOME PLUTONIUM WORK FOR SAFETY REVIEW
https://www.abqjournal.com/1166396/lanl-paused-some-plutonium-work-for-safety-review.html
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, discovery, response, radiation
SANTA FE ‰?? A division of Los Alamos National Laboratory paused plutonium work in March after workers improperly placed a plutonium ‰??pit‰?? ‰?? the core of a nuclear weapon ‰?? in a glove box not authorized for that purpose and also placed fissile material samples into a pit hemishell, in two separate incidents.
The shutdown at the Pit Technologies Division in the lab‰??s plutonium facility was in response to the recent ‰??process deviations‰?? and provided time for managers to evaluate various safety issues, according to a report posted last week by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, an independent federal agency that provides oversight at the nation‰??s weapons labs.
While there has not been a criticality accident ‰?? where an uncontrolled nuclear reaction takes place ‰?? at LANL since the 1950s, the lab has faced criticism over criticality safety issues in recent years. When too much plutonium is put in close quarters, a reaction can take place and lead to bursts of radiation that can be deadly.
A lab spokesman provided a statement saying, ‰??The Laboratory‰??s criticality safety program continues to improve as evidenced by an increase in workers who are self-reporting process deviations and by a reduced rate of such deviation occurrences.
---------------------------------------------
ABOUT 50 PEOPLE EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/about-50-people-evacuated-following-chemical-spill
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Hazmat crews responded to a chemical spill in Northwest Austin on Wednesday.
The Austin Fire Department says the spill happened at 4100 Duval Rd. About 50 people were evacuated. AFD says it was a "very small amount of chemical used in medical process off gassed during disposal."
One person was being evaluated for exposure.
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CHEMICALS IN TOILET LED TO EVACUATION AT SC HIGH SCHOOL
https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/chemicals-in-toilet-led-to-evacuation-at-sc-high-school/101-548042226
Tags: us_SC, education, release, injury, other_chemical
Hazmat crews from the Columbia Fire Department responded to a situation at Ridge View High School Wednesday afternoon, according to Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins.
Officials say emergency crews responded after a custodian was overcome by fumes in one of the school bathrooms. While the situation was confined to a single restroom, officials say students were evacuated out of an abundance of caution.
Hazmat crews determined the fumes were caused by a chemical mixture placed in the toilet by custodial staff. Two employees were exposed to the fumes and one custodian was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
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FIRE CHIEF: NORTH SIDE SPILL WAS OF 'GLYOXAL,' A HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL USED IN PACKAGING
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/fire_chief_north_side_spill_was_of_glyoxal_a_hazardous_chemical_used_in_packagin.html
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A chemical spill that shut down an industrial section of Hiawatha Boulevard in Syracuse on Monday was due to an accident involving Glyoxal, a potentially hazardous chemical used in packaging, according to the Syracuse fire chief.
About 2,500 gallons of the chemical spilled out of a pipe due to a "mechanical failure" shortly after 5 p.m., Fire Chief Michael Monds said Tuesday. The street was closed between Hiawatha Place and Seventh North Street.
The spill was at Complete Packaging Solutions, which operates out of 935 Hiawatha Boulevard. Officials there did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
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‰??ODOR FADE‰?? LED TO EXPLOSION THAT SEVERELY BURNED NORTH TEXAS MAN
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2018/04/30/odor-fade-explosion-severely-burned-north-texas-man-family/
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, injury, methane, natural_gas
In a lawsuit, Pedroza‰??s family faults Atmos Energy for failing to warn him the odor in natural gas ‰??has a propensity to fade as a result of two different chemical reactions‰?? and can ‰??become undetectable to normal human olfactory senses.‰??
Natural gas is tasteless, invisible and odor-free, but federal law requires an odorant to be injected so that consumers can be alerted to leaks. For many, the odorant gives gas a rotten egg smell.
Texas became the first state to require adding the pungent odor following the March 18, 1937 schoolhouse explosion in New London, Texas. The blast ‰?? the worst school disaster in U.S. history ‰?? killed nearly 300 children and adults.
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AFTER REFINERY EXPLOSION, DULUTH-SUPERIOR MAYORS CALL FOR SAFETY CHANGE ‰?? TWIN CITIES
https://www.twincities.com/2018/05/01/after-refinery-explosion-duluth-superior-mayors-call-for-safety-change/
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrofluoric_acid
SUPERIOR, Wis. ‰?? Superior Mayor Jim Paine and Duluth Mayor Emily Larson are calling on the Husky Energy refinery in Superior to stop using hydrogen fluoride at the site after Thursday‰??s explosion and fire burned within 200 feet of the tank containing the dangerous chemical.
The move comes a day after Paine told Forum News Service that he needed more time to learn about hydrogen fluoride and the refinery process before taking a position on the issue.
In a news release Tuesday, Paine said he met with Rob Peabody, president and CEO of Husky Energy, and Chief Operating Officer Rob Symonds, and urged them to stop using hydrogen fluoride, citing concerns from the community.
The Husky Energy refinery in Superior, Wis. burns as seen in this aerial photo taken Thursday afternoon, April 26, 2018. (Bob King / Duluth News Tribune)
‰??I asked them to discontinue its use and convert to a safer chemical process and to report back to me on any and all cost and infrastructure challenges that might prevent them from doing so,‰?? Paine wrote.
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