From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2018 07:46:23 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 4D8C82CF-162B-499B-B1F4-6815251F9157**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, August 31, 2018 at 7:46:13 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 (11 articles)

PEPSI BOTTLING COMPANY IN NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA EVACUATED AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia

UPDATE: TRUCK WITH POOL CHEMICALS CRASHES, CAUSING HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, pool_chemicals

WATER RECLAMATION BUILDING'S ROOF COLLAPSES IN CHICAGO AFTER EXPLOSION; 10 INJURED
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

MERCURY LEAKS INSIDE U.S. POSTAL VEHICLE IN JAMES CITY CO. NEIGHBORHOOD
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, injury, mercury

LAWSUIT ALLEGES CHEMICAL COMPANIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR UNPRECEDENTED STORMS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental

HISTORIC TOXIC CHEMICAL BAN PASSES CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

OFFICIALS SAY CHEMICAL IN DITCH DID NOT REACH RIVER, NO PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARDS
Tags: us_ID, public, release, response, xylene

TOXIC CHEMICAL LEAKS FROM OLD EXTINGUISHER AT STATESVILLE GOODWILL
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, other_chemical, fire_extinguisher

MAFB REMOVING POSSIBLY DANGEROUS CHEMICAL AFTER CHOTEAU PUBLIC S
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, discovery, response, waste

HYDROGEN TANK GAS LEAK, FLASH-OVER FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATIONS IN EL CAJON
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, response, hydrogen

MELBOURNE FIRE BILLOWS TOXIC SMOKE
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, acetone


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PEPSI BOTTLING COMPANY IN NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA EVACUATED AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
https://6abc.com/pepsi-bottling-company-in-ne-philly-evacuated-after-ammonia-leak/4099484/
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Pepsi Bottling Group building in Northeast Philadelphia was evacuated early Thursday morning following an ammonia leak.

The Philadelphia Fire Department and hazmat crews responded to the scene at Roosevelt Boulevard and Comly Street.

They were able to secure the leak by 1:30 this morning.

There were no injuries were reported.

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UPDATE: TRUCK WITH POOL CHEMICALS CRASHES, CAUSING HAZMAT RESPONSE
https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Update-Truck-With-Pool-Chemicals-Crashes-13194116.php
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, pool_chemicals

A truck carrying pool chemicals overturned on southbound Interstate Highway 680 in unincorporated Pacheco this morning, causing a hazardous materials response when the chemicals spilled onto the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported at 8:06 a.m. on southbound Highway 680 at the junction with state Highway 4.

The truck driver was going faster than the slowing traffic ahead of him and swerved, struck two vehicles and then overturned and hit other vehicles, Six vehicles in all were involved in the crash, CHP Officer Brandon Correia said.

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WATER RECLAMATION BUILDING'S ROOF COLLAPSES IN CHICAGO AFTER EXPLOSION; 10 INJURED
https://abc7chicago.com/water-reclamation-buildings-roof-collapses-in-chicago-after-explosion;-at-least-8-injured/4099483/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Ten people were injured after the roof of a water reclamation district facility collapsed following an explosion on Chicago's Far South Side in the Riverdale neighborhood Thursday morning.

The explosion occurred at a sludge concentration building at the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant at 430 East 130th Street at around 11 a.m., a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District said.

The explosion caused the roof to collapse, caving in on itself.

"We're talking beams that run across, hundreds of thousands of pounds," said CFD Commissioner Jose Santiago.

Firefighters rushed to the plant, bringing in their special operations team for the rescue effort of the 10 workers who were inside the building during the explosion.

The Chicago Fire Department said all 10 people were injured and two of them had to be removed from the rubble. Fire officials said one person was pulled out after about 20 minutes.

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MERCURY LEAKS INSIDE U.S. POSTAL VEHICLE IN JAMES CITY CO. NEIGHBORHOOD
https://wtkr.com/2018/08/30/james-city-co-crews-working-hazmat-situation-after-substance-leaks-in-u-s-postal-vehicle/
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, injury, mercury

JAMES CITY CO., Va. - James City County emergency personnel responded to a hazmat situation in the 4600 block of Noland Boulevard in Lightfoot Thursday afternoon.

A call reporting an unknown substance that had apparently leaked from a container came in at 2:35 p.m.

Authorities say the substance spilled inside a U.S. Postal Service vehicle. The postal service employee received medical evaluation and required only minimal care.

There is no indication of any immediate concern at this time, according to emergency personnel.

A firefighter was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for heat-related problems. He is said to be in stable condition.

The James City County Fire and Police Departments, along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety also responded to the scene. The Department of Fire and Life Safety assisted in identifying the substance.

The Liberty Crossings neighborhood was blocked off for hours before residents were allowed back into their homes.

In a statement, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Postal Service said the spilled substance was identified as mercury and that the mail that was inside the vehicle will not be delivered until it has been deemed safe to do so:

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LAWSUIT ALLEGES CHEMICAL COMPANIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR UNPRECEDENTED STORMS
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/30/638936124/lawsuit-alleges-chemical-companies-should-prepare-for-unprecedented-storms
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental

Criminal charges against a chemical company that flooded during Hurricane Harvey are raising two big questions: When is pollution an accident? And when is it a crime?

During Hurricane Harvey last year, a chemical plant near Houston caught fire and burned for days. Now the company that owns the plant and two of its employees are facing criminal charges. As NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports, this case is raising big questions about who should be held responsible in the era of climate change.

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HISTORIC TOXIC CHEMICAL BAN PASSES CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE
https://yubanet.com/california/historic-toxic-chemical-ban-passes-california-legislature/
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

Sacramento, CA August 30, 2018 ‰?? The California Legislature passed a landmark bill last night that would protect the health of consumers, workers, families, firefighters, and our natural environment by prohibiting the sale of upholstered furniture, certain children‰??s products, and mattress foam that contain toxic flame retardants.

For decades, flame retardants have been needlessly used in everything from furniture to children‰??s products. These toxic chemicals ‰?? which have been linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, memory and learning problems, delayed mental and physical development, lower IQ, advanced puberty, hormone disruption and reduced fertility ‰?? migrate into household dust that is then ingested and inhaled by humans, pets and wildlife. As a result, they are now ubiquitous in households and workplaces and have steadily built up in the environment and human bodies.

Children are particularly vulnerable to these toxic chemicals because their brains and reproductive organs are still developing, and they come into greater contact with household dust than adults due to their frequent floor play and putting their hands to their mouths. Further, as flame retardants burn, the fire and smoke that firefighters are exposed to becomes more toxic ‰?? linked to disproportionately high levels of cancer among those whose job it is to protect us.

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OFFICIALS SAY CHEMICAL IN DITCH DID NOT REACH RIVER, NO PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARDS
https://www.argusobserver.com/breaking_news/officials-say-chemical-in-ditch-did-not-reach-river-no/article_2168d434-ac9a-11e8-869f-8b14bf268869.html
Tags: us_ID, public, release, response, xylene

PAYETTE COUNTY ‰?? State agencies, including the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will be following up on a chemical spill in a ditch near the Snake River outside of Fruitland. There is no concern for public safety at this time, however, as the chemical never reached the river or any other water source.

At about 9:50 a.m. today, Payette County Sheriff‰??s Office received a report of the possible hazardous material spill on Whitley near Glenway.

The caller, as well as the incident commander who responded to the scene both said a large amount of fish were killed in the event, confirmed Payette County Sheriff‰??s Lt. Andy Creech in a phone interview.

First responders on scene located a liquid substance that was later identified as Ortho-Xylene 98, according to a news release from the sheriff‰??s office. The chemical is commonly used by ditch companies as well as farmers to control moss and algae in ditches, according to Creech.

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TOXIC CHEMICAL LEAKS FROM OLD EXTINGUISHER AT STATESVILLE GOODWILL
https://www.statesville.com/news/toxic-chemical-leaks-from-old-extinguisher-at-statesville-goodwill/article_493ea350-abd0-11e8-a65a-0bda0d656f19.html
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, other_chemical, fire_extinguisher

Emergency workers removed contaminated material that leaked from an antique fire extinguisher Wednesday morning at Goodwill in Statesville.

The extinguisher likely contained carbon tetrachloride, according to the Statesville Fire Department. Firefighters responded to the store, 103 Northcross Lane, at around 10:30 a.m.

Initial reports indicated that the extinguisher leaked onto a table and the floor.

The Statesville Hazardous Materials team removed the contamination from the building, officials say. Iredell County Emergency Management worked with a hazardous materials remediation company to dispose of the extinguisher.

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MAFB REMOVING POSSIBLY DANGEROUS CHEMICAL AFTER CHOTEAU PUBLIC S
http://www.krtv.com/story/38990888/mafb-removing-possibly-dangerous-chemical-after-choteau-schools-are-evacuated
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, discovery, response, waste

A hazardous materials disposal unit from Malmstrom Air Force Base is at Choteau High School to remove a chemical from the science lab that may have the potential to be explosive under certain circumstances.

According to the Choteau Acantha, the Choteau Volunteer Fire Department and the Choteau ambulance crew were paged out to the high school at 7:26 p.m. to stand by as the hazardous materials unit retrieved the chemical from the building.

Junior High and High School Principal Wendi Hammond said Choteau Public Schools were dismissed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday after a contractor, working to remove outdated and unused chemicals from the high school chemistry and biology labs, found a chemical whose handwritten label could not be clearly read, but indicated a potentially dangerous substance.

The Acantha wrote that Hammond said the contractor brought the chemical to the attention of Superintendent Chuck Gameon and herself, and said that his company did not have the appropriate license to remove this chemical.

The contractor recommended two other services, one of which was the MAFB hazardous materials unit.

Hammond said the school administrators conferred with the contractor and with the Montana School Boards Association and determined that the safest option would be to evacuate staff and students from the school buildings until the MAFB hazardous materials unit could remove and dispose of the chemical.

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HYDROGEN TANK GAS LEAK, FLASH-OVER FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATIONS IN EL CAJON
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-truck-explosion-20180829-story.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, response, hydrogen

fireball of hydrogen gas erupted from a tank, damaging the tank truck and prompting evacuations at several businesses, schools and homes in El Cajon for a few hours Wednesday morning.

No one was injured, and the large tank, used to haul 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen, did not explode, authorities said.

The blast of gas did make a large, explosive noise, officials and one witness said.

However, because of the danger of a blast while gas vented from the tank, employees quickly evacuated from Veridiam, an industrial business where the truck parked and off-loaded the hydrogen, Heartland Fire and Rescue spokesman Mark Casey said.

The truck was backed up to an even larger tank at Veridiam.

About 150 students at Idea Center High School, Chaparral High School and Merit Academy were evacuated to the gymnasium at Grossmont High School to be reunited with their parents, Grossmont Union High School District spokeswoman Catherine Martin said.

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MELBOURNE FIRE BILLOWS TOXIC SMOKE
https://www.miragenews.com/melbourne-fire-billows-toxic-smoke/
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, acetone

Toxic black smoke is billowing across parts of west Melbourne as firefighters battle a massive factory fire.

The fire in West Footscray began early this morning and more than 80 firefighters were fighting the blaze.

Residents said they were hearing loud explosions.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) said 30 trucks and cherry picker aerial appliances were being used at the scene.

MFB acting deputy chief officer Ken Brown said the storage factory acontained acetone and a welding chemical, and explosions posed a risk to firefighters when they arrived.

‰??We had some 44-gallon drums explode and fly through the air.‰??

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