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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, May 18, 2018 at 7:01:07 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (18 articles)
MARYLAND COLLEGE EVACUATED BECAUSE OF HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_MD, education, release, response, propane
LITHIUM BATTERY DANGERS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP PREVENT THEM
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, batteries
CHEMICALS FOUND DUMPED OFF RAILROAD TRACKS IN WORCESTER
Tags: us_MA, transportation, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL ODOR FORCES EVACUATION OF RICHMOND ELEMENTARY
Tags: us_PA, education, release, response, chlorine, water_treatment
EPA MOVES TO UNDO OBAMA-ERA CHEMICAL DISASTER RULES
Tags: us_WA, industrial, discovery, environmental
MAJOR FIRE BREAKS OUT IN TBRL FOREST AREA
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, bomb
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL IN PALEO-DNA LAB CLEARS UNIVERSITY BUILDING
Tags: Canada, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
TOLLESON MAN SUFFERS ACCIDENTAL CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
DANGEROUS TRAIN CAR FIRE IN SAN LUIS OBISPO
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, toxics
FIRST E CIGARETTE US FATALITY REPORTED
Tags: us_FL, public, follow-up, death, batteries
CSB ESCAPES CHOPPING BLOCK IN HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
OSHA FINES CRANSTON COMPANY INVOLVED IN JAN. 29 CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_RI, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
STEELE COUNTY TIMES, DODGE COUNTY INDEPENDENT AND NEWS ENTERPRISE
Tags: us_MN, education, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
POLICE: METHUEN MAN INJURED WHILE TRYING TO BLOW UP AN OLD BUS
Tags: us_MA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
CHLORINE LEAK CONFINED TO BUILDING
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, chlorine
CARBON MONOXIDE LEAK EVACUATES SENIOR HOUSING COMPLEX
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide
REPORT: WELDING TORCH CAUSED 2017 EGLIN FIRE
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, acetylene, methylene_chloride
INVESTIGATORS CALL CHEMICAL FIRE AT SCHOOL AN ACCIDENT
Tags: us_TN, laboratory, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
---------------------------------------------
MARYLAND COLLEGE EVACUATED BECAUSE OF HAZMAT SITUATION
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/05/17/maryland-college-evacuated-hazmat/
Tags: us_MD, education, release, response, propane
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ‰?? The Montgomery College Rockville Campus was evacuated Thursday morning after a nearby propane tank began to leak.
Authorities say a 1000-gallon propane tank at Suburban Propane leaked after a valve was sheared off.
Nearby train and subway rail traffic were temporarily stopped, but have since reopened.
---------------------------------------------
LITHIUM BATTERY DANGERS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP PREVENT THEM
http://www.ktvu.com/news/lithium-battery-dangers-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-them
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, batteries
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The City of San Francisco and Recology, its recycling partner, are stepping up their outreach to every resident about the dangers of lithium batteries. On Friday, Recology showed what everybody should do with the powerful batteries that still pack a punch long after you dump them.
Recycling employees and the plants they work in are being put in serious danger by their own customers. Increasingly, they‰??re seeing more and more recycle center fires across the nation, some destroying the entire facility.
"In the last three years, there have been fires at recycling facilities in several cities," said Robert Reed of Recology.
When lithium batteries come in contact with other batteries or metal, they can spark, overheat, smoke, burst into flame or explode, even ones damaged or spent. Recology has had several bouts with fires on trucks or recycling plants.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICALS FOUND DUMPED OFF RAILROAD TRACKS IN WORCESTER
http://www.telegram.com/news/20180517/chemicals-found-dumped-off-railroad-tracks-in-worcester
Tags: us_MA, transportation, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
WORCESTER ‰?? Fire and police investigators are looking for the source of about two dozen containers of chemicals found Thursday next to the railroad tracks near West Boylston and Brooks streets.
The chemicals were found near the railroad tracks near Weasel Brook and the parking lot for Preferred Laboratory, 2 Brooks St.
Deputy Fire Chief Martin Dyer said police called firefighters to the area at 11:40 a.m. after the chemicals were found. With unknown chemicals in the containers, the state hazardous materials team and bomb squad were called in.
Deputy Chief Dyer said the source is most likely an amateur chemist who decided to dump the materials instead of properly disposing of them. He said efforts will be made to identify the chemicals and ensure they safe and stable. A chemical disposal professional will then be contacted to remove them.
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CHEMICAL ODOR FORCES EVACUATION OF RICHMOND ELEMENTARY
http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/chemical-odor-forces-evacuation-of-richmond-elementary
Tags: us_PA, education, release, response, chlorine, water_treatment
FLEETWOOD, PA ‰??
A strong chemical odor forced the evacuation Thursday of about 150 students from a school in the Fleetwood School District.
Superintendent Greg M. Miller said officials evacuated Richmond Elementary School around 9 a.m. when the smell of chlorine was detected in one part of the building. He said students and faculty were transported by bus to Fleetwood Middle School when it became clear the smell was not going away.
Miller said the smell was traced to the water treatment tank. Chemical specialists were called in to fix the problem, and fire crews remained on the scene as a precaution while they worked.
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EPA MOVES TO UNDO OBAMA-ERA CHEMICAL DISASTER RULES
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-chemicals/epa-moves-to-undo-obama-era-chemical-disaster-rules-idUKKCN1II31N
Tags: us_WA, industrial, discovery, environmental
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took steps on Thursday to roll back and delay Obama-era rules aimed at improving safety at chemical plants, which had come in response to a 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas that killed 15 people.
FILE PHOTO: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt testifies before a Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the proposed budget estimates and justification for FY2019 for the Environmental Protection Agency on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2018. REUTERS/Al Drago
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt introduced a proposal to rescind the measures, saying it would save the industry tens of millions of dollars a year and ‰??better address potential security risks.‰??
‰??The rule proposes to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, address the concerns of stakeholders and emergency responders on the ground, and save Americans roughly $88 million a year,‰?? Pruitt said in a statement.
The proposal would also delay some of the compliance dates of the Obama-era amendments and cancel certain provisions that address accident prevention.
It was the latest in a string of Trump administration proposals aimed at rolling back environmental regulations put in place by former Democratic President Barack Obama, which industry groups have said added to their regulatory burdens.
In January 2017, before Republican President Donald Trump took office, the EPA introduced several changes to companies‰?? risk management plans they submit to the agency, including requiring more analysis of safety technology, third-party audits and incident investigation analyses and stricter emergency preparedness requirements.
Last February, the EPA received a petition from a coalition of chemical and energy industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council and American Petroleum Institute, to delay and reconsider the Obama-era amendments.
---------------------------------------------
MAJOR FIRE BREAKS OUT IN TBRL FOREST AREA
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/major-fire-breaks-out-in-tbrl-forest-area/590561.html
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, bomb
A major fire broke out in the forest area of Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL), Ramgarh, near Panchkula.
The fire broke out around 4 pm and it was still on till the filing of the report.
Around eight fire brigade vehicles, including five from the Panchkula fire station, had been sent to the TBRL to douse the flames.
However, no loss of life was reported in the incident.
The Panchkula fire station claimed that they had received a call at 7:10 pm. The TBRL too has its own three fire tenders.
The fire is at distance from the residential area of the TBRL.
‰??There is no need to panic. Around 4 pm, we had tested a high-calibre warhead. It is of 200 kg. Its splinters spread to a large area. There were dry grass which caught fire. Within 15 minutes, the fire would be completely extinguished,‰?? said TBRL Director Dr Manjit Singh.
He said: ‰??The TBRL is fully capable to extinguish the fire. We have our own fire tenders. The civil administration did send five fire tenders but they were not used.‰??
The TBRL is a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory near Billa village in Panchkula. It is a testing facility and a high-risk area. Adjacent to the TBRL, there is an ITBP camp also.
---------------------------------------------
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL IN PALEO-DNA LAB CLEARS UNIVERSITY BUILDING
https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/hazardous-materials-spill-clears-university-building-926359
Tags: Canada, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
THUNDER BAY ‰?? A "small spill of a substance" at the Paleo-DNA lab forced the evacuation of a Lakehead University building.
Emergency services responded to the 1294 Balmoral Building just after noon on Wednesday after building staff called in a spill of hazardous materials.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue‰??s hazardous materials response unit is at the scene, which is located on the west side of Balmoral Street between Jasper and Lithium drives and is at the southern end of the university's campus..
‰??We have a robust hazmat response. Hazmat calls take a lot of staff. It‰??s very labour oriented and actually quite slow,‰?? fire chief John Hay said. ‰??We may be here for a little while until we get prepared to enter and get some intel on what‰??s going on in there.‰??
A university communications bulletin advised the incident involved a spill in the Paleo-DNA lab and the building would likely be shut down for the next few hours.
Staff have been evacuated from the building and most have been cleared from the site.
‰??We‰??re just doing our research to determine the product, product properties,‰?? Hay said. ‰??Staff here have said it is a hazardous material so we‰??re going to take an abundance of precaution and start dealing with it in with our policies.‰??
---------------------------------------------
TOLLESON MAN SUFFERS ACCIDENTAL CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2018/05/16/tolleson-man-suffers-accidental-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/617966002/
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
A man suffered accidental carbon-monoxide poisoning in his Tolleson home after a car was left running in the garage, Phoenix fire officials said.
The man was found unconscious in a home near 91st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road after a family member called the Fire Department, Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Larry Subervi said.
The family member came home to find the man unresponsive inside the house, Subervi said.
A Tolleson fire crew called for a hazardous-materials team after rescuing the man, Subervi said.
"Phoenix, Glendale, and Goodyear hazmat teams determined that there were high levels of carbon monoxide from a vehicle that had been left running in the garage," Subervi said.
---------------------------------------------
DANGEROUS TRAIN CAR FIRE IN SAN LUIS OBISPO
https://calcoastnews.com/2018/05/dangerous-train-car-fire-san-luis-obispo/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, toxics
Multiple rail cars caught fire on train tracks in San Luis Obispo early Wednesday morning, causing a blaze that burned for several hours and possibly released hazardous chemicals into the air. San Luis Obispo fire officials say they are not ruling out arson as the cause of the fire. [Cal Coast Times]
The train cars that caught fire were full of used railroad ties, according to the San Luis Obispo Fire Department. Railroad ties tend to be soaked in creosote, a toxic chemical.
At about 3 a.m., the fire broke out on train tracks near Orcutt Road and Laurel Lane. The blaze continued to burn after sunrise despite efforts by firefighters to extinguish it.
Fire officials said they did not expect the blaze to be extinguished until mid-morning. Witnesses said the fire created a strong stench in the area.
---------------------------------------------
FIRST E CIGARETTE US FATALITY REPORTED
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/first-us-death-exploding-e-cigarette
Tags: us_FL, public, follow-up, death, batteries
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Tragic news was released from Florida this week that a man who died on May 5, 2018, suffered a fatal injury from an e-cigarette explosion. The man died from a ‰??projectile wound to the head,‰?? and also suffered thermal burns on 80% of his body. Tallmadge D‰??Elia, who reportedly worked as a technical supervisor at CNBC in New Jersey, was only thirty-eight (38) years old.
This is the first reported U.S. death from a malfunctioning e-cigarette ‰?? and it is not surprising news. A U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) report, released in 2017 and covering the periods 2009-2016, attributed catastrophic injuries from e-cigarette explosions to a product design problem, i.e., using cylindrical lithium-ion batteries in cylindrical tubes. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of reported incidents resulted in acute injuries. The USFA found that battery failures generate increased pressure that ‰??shoots‰?? batteries out of the tubes like ‰??rockets.‰?? Per the autopsy report, it appears this is exactly what happened to Tallmadge D‰??Elia.
A few days after D‰??Elia‰??s tragic death, an eighteen (18) year old in Michigan suffered severe burns when e-cigarette batteries he was carrying in his pocket exploded. Spencer Boeske was quoted on NBC affiliate, WCNC, as saying, ‰??‰??I want everybody to know to just be cautious. Understand that it can happen to you too. I didn‰??t think it could happen to me.‰??
---------------------------------------------
CSB ESCAPES CHOPPING BLOCK IN HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/16995-csb-escapes-chopping-block-in-house-appropriations-bill
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Washington ‰?? The House Appropriations Committee is proposing a $1 million increase to the Chemical Safety Board‰??s fiscal year 2019 budget despite the Trump administration‰??s repeated attempts to eliminate the federal agency.
The committee‰??s Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill allocates $12 million to CSB, which has been on the chopping block in each of the current administration‰??s first two budget proposals.
‰??The Interior Subcommittee has made every effort to balance a host of competing needs and provided the Interior Department, EPA and other agencies under our jurisdiction with the resources necessary to carry out their mission,‰?? subcommittee chairman Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) said in a May 14 press release.
CSB, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, issued its inaugural Safety Spotlight publication Feb. 21 to highlight its recommendations to state governments after the Trump administration released its latest proposed budget on Feb. 12.
---------------------------------------------
OSHA FINES CRANSTON COMPANY INVOLVED IN JAN. 29 CHEMICAL FIRE
http://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/west-bay/osha-fines-cranston-company-involved-in-chemical-fire/1183040209
Tags: us_RI, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) ‰?? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, has handed down a fine to a Cranston company after an inspection showed the company violated several safety standards.
The inspection took place a day after a chemical fire broke out at the company. 20 firefighters ended up falling ill, and several went to the hospital.
Emergency crews responded to ProSys Finishing Technologies on Elmwood Avenue on Jan. 29, after an alarm went off.
When firefighters entered the building, the chemical fire started to melt their protective gear and boots.
The city later said it was working with state and federal organizations to identify all the chemicals stored in the building.
---------------------------------------------
STEELE COUNTY TIMES, DODGE COUNTY INDEPENDENT AND NEWS ENTERPRISE
http://www.bloomingprairieonline.com/news/hands-learning
Tags: us_MN, education, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
Triton‰??s third graders traded their usual classrooms last Friday for the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Kasson and Daley Dairy in rural Milton Township as part of Triton‰??s Rural Agriculture Safety Day. Totaling about 80 students, the group was split into two with one half touring the dairy farm while the other rotated between educational stations at the fairgrounds, switching places after a lunch together at the park in Mantorville.
The day‰??s events were organized by Triton‰??s agricultural educational instructor and FFA, Robert Ickler, and sponsored by CHS Rochester, Dodge County Farm Bureau, McMartin Electric, Dodge County Fair, and FFA officers from Region 8.
Originally organized by the Dodge County Farm Bureau, Ickler said he took over planning the event even while the Farm Bureau maintains a strong sponsor of the program.
Held at an area farm his first year, Ickler said they moved to the Dodge County Fairgrounds because it affords protection from the elements on cool and rainy days like last Friday.
Triton High School and FFA students helped at the fairgrounds, showing the younger students how to safely interact with animals, including a horse, cows, rabbits, goats, and sheep; tractor PTO safety and large implement safety; ATV, UTV, and construction equipment safety; household poison and chemical safety; and electrical safety.
....
Third graders learned about household chemical and poison safety from Jen Teske of CHS while Scott McMartin of McMartin Electric, based in Claremont, showed them how to interact with electricity.
---------------------------------------------
POLICE: METHUEN MAN INJURED WHILE TRYING TO BLOW UP AN OLD BUS
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2018/05/15/police-methuen-man-injured-while-trying-to-blow-up-an-old-bus
Tags: us_MA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
METHUEN, Mass. (AP) ‰?? A man has been injured by what police call a ‰??fireball‰?? while trying to blow up an old vehicle in Massachusetts.
NBC 10 Boston reports the explosion happened shortly after 5 p.m. when an unidentified man tried to blow up an old bus on his property in Methuen.
Police say a ‰??fireball‰?? erupted from the vehicle. A bomb squad and hazmat team searched the area for the man, and found him with burns to his face and head. He was transported to an area hospital. The severity of his injuries is unknown.
State police are investigating why the man tried to blow up the bus.
---------------------------------------------
CHLORINE LEAK CONFINED TO BUILDING
http://www.nugget.ca/2018/05/15/chlorine-leak-contained-to-building-stopped
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, chlorine
North Bay Fire personnel responded to a report of a chlorine leak at the sewage treatment plant on Memorial Drive at just after 9 am Monday.
Upon arrival, firefighters learned that internal sensors in the plant revealed that a small amount of chlorine was present and confined within the structure.
External monitoring revealed that there was no chlorine in the external atmosphere.
Fire personnel donned Level A protection HazMat suits, entered the structure and successfully isolated the chlorine to stop the leak.
---------------------------------------------
CARBON MONOXIDE LEAK EVACUATES SENIOR HOUSING COMPLEX
http://hudsonvalley.news12.com/story/38199277/carbon-monoxide-leak-evacuates-senior-housing-complex
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide
MONSEY -
A wing in a senior living complex in Monsey had to be evacuated Tuesday night after a carbon monoxide leak.
Fire officials say it happened just before 8 p.m. at the Fountainview Nursing Home on College Road.
Multiple fire departments and the Rockland County hazmat team arrived on the scene to inspect the damage and residents. No one had dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in their system.
Fire officials believe they have tracked the source of the leak to a super heater for the dish washing system and were working to restart the unit to make sure the problem is solved.
---------------------------------------------
REPORT: WELDING TORCH CAUSED 2017 EGLIN FIRE
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20180511/report-welding-torch-caused-2017-eglin-fire
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, acetylene, methylene_chloride
EGLIN AFB ‰?? An explosion and fire at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory on July 5, 2017, that released toxic methylene chloride started when an oxy-acetylene torch was used near coils containing the refrigerant chemical, according to a recently released Air Force report.
A Friday news release from the Air Force Materiel Command‰??s public affairs office announcing the availability of the report said a private subcontractor‰??s welder was using the torch to remove a corroded steel beam near the coils containing the chemical, commonly known as R-30.
‰??Although stable at room temperature and pressure, R-30 can rupture or explode when exposed to heat,‰?? the Materiel Command noted in its news release on the Air Force Ground Accident Investigation Board report.
Methylene chloride is a carcinogen.
According to a one-page executive summary of the report, the corroded beam was within 3 inches of the methylene chloride coils in an air-mixing facility at the laboratory. The summary notes that a number of other flammable materials, including insulation adhesives, sealants and coatings, were located within 5 to 10 feet of the oxy-acetylene torch worksite.
---------------------------------------------
INVESTIGATORS CALL CHEMICAL FIRE AT SCHOOL AN ACCIDENT
http://www.wkrn.com/top-news/investigators-call-chemical-fire-at-merrol-hyde-magnet-school-an-accident/1181517318
Tags: us_TN, laboratory, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - The chemical fire at Merrol Hyde Magnet School was an accident, according to the Hendersonville Fire Department.
Fire Chief Scotty Bush released the findings from the city fire marshal, saying what caused the fire was not the result of any criminal act.
Six days ago, a chemistry lab experiment went awry when someone mixed boric acid and alcohol. Something was used to ignite the mixture, causing a flash fire lasting 3 - 5 seconds.
The fire injured 17 students and a teacher, and forced the evacuation of the entire school.
More: Chemical reaction leads to second degree burns
In a news release Chief Bush declared the official cause of ignition unintentional:
As we all know, anytime we deal with chemicals in any setting, accidents occur whether at home, school, business, factory or any other setting. Our department will be meeting with [School Director] Dr. Del Phillips and his staff to review current policies and procedures.
Related: Chemistry safety experts warn schools to stop unsafe science demonstrations
What happened at Merrol Hyde Magnet School was not a surprise to chemical safety experts across the country. They have been warning schools about unsafe lab demonstrations for years.
There have been 32 similar incidents at school labs across the country over the last 20 years.
The American Chemical Society and the National Science Teachers Association are among several agencies telling schools that teachers need more training before they do chemical demonstrations in class, and they should use alternatives to alcohol- based flame tests or at least use safety equipment like fume hoods to safeguard students and teachers.
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