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Georgia BLOOMBURG CHEMICAL SPILL SENDS SIX TO HOSPITAL By MARTI ALEXANDER Journal Editor A tanker truck hauling a turpentine-like substance left a mess in its path through Bloomburg Tuesday morning, according to Bloomburg Fire Chief Dakota Huddleston. The tanker=92s lid was left open, causing the chemical to spill onto Farm-to-Market 3129 and through the parking lot of Shell Mart where the truck pulled through, Huddleston said. This occurred around 10:48 a.m. After breathing the chemical, two Shell Mart employees and three customers were taken to the hospital where they were =93checked over=94 and released. Also taken to the hospital was a man who told officials he had come in contact with the chemical when the truck passed by him while he was checking his mail. No one was injured by coming in contact with the chemical. The truck driver was tracked down in Louisiana where information about his truck and his cargo was obtained. The trucking company will be held responsible for the cleanup, which lasted until late Tuesday night, Huddleston said. Eagle SWS from Tyler was in charge of the cleanup. === http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091211/NEWS01/91211007/UI-holds-for um-on-illnesses-linked-to-Chemistry-building December 11, 2009 UI holds forum on illnesses linked to Chemistry building B.A. Morelli Iowa City Press-Citizen A University of Iowa task force addressed concerns during a public forum on Friday about its findings in an investigation of a series of illnesses believed connected to conditions in the campus Chemistry Building. Some chemistry faculty and graduate students said they felt the report accused them of being at the root of respiratory and neurological symptoms even though the report indicates no causes for the symptoms could be found. =93One of reason we are so antagonistic is that you are accusing the same people who are feeling symptoms of causing the symptoms,=94 a graduate student who attend the forum held in the building but who declined to give her name. UI also held a separate forum on Friday in the Pomerantz Center to accommodate those that did not want to go into the chemistry building. UI has found alternative workspace either in or outside the building for some people experiencing symptoms, according to the report. =93We are here to try to make the environment as safe as possible for all individuals,=94 said Lar Fuortes, a professor of occupational and environmental health who served on the task force. =93People are reporting illness dating back two years... We cannot ignore these things.=94 The task force investigated building conditions based on reports from people dating from multiple years to present about symptoms being connected to extended time in the Chemistry Building. At least 11 people made the connection to the building, and additional occupants have or are reporting =93uneasiness,=94 particularly in the northeast wing of the second floor. The task force couldn=92t pinpoint the cause, but the report identified construction and lab practices =93that negatively affect indoor air quality and could contribute to health symptoms of building occupants and that should be improved,=94 according to the report. The building has been under renovation since 2004. However, the report also states that no substances in air concentrations were found at levels that would violate OSHA or professional safety standards, there were no clear connections between the building=92s physical conditions and the symptoms experienced, and no substances were detected at levels that would be suspected as having neurologic or toxic effects. Task force members reported finding open containers, spills and a graduate student that nearly died due to overexposure to ether. Amnon Kohen, a chemistry associate professor, spoke out at the meeting about the findings and questioned the credentials of the task force. The six-person task force began the investigation in April and filed a report in November. Between 40 and 50 specialists were interviewed as part of the investigation, said Barbara Eckstein, an associate provost who served as chairperson of the task force. Eckstein said a transition team will help implement recommendations from the report and conditions will be reassessed in six months. Lois Cox, UI ombudsperson who served on the task force, said at the forum that the intention of the report was not to assign blame but rather to fix the health problems. =93This is a perplexing problem. We don=92t know what is causing the symptoms. We are offering suggestions to fixing the problem. These are things that might help,=94 Cox said. === http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3708837 (Source: Shelbyville Daily Union)By Valorie Eversole, Shelbyville Daily Union, Ill. Dec. 12--Shelbyville Fire Department had to do a little detective work to find the source of a strong odor that wafted throughout Shelbyville and the surrounding rural area Saturday morning. According to Engineer Brent Fogleman, an odor was initially reported at approximately 8:45 a.m. and firefighters were dispatched to various areas of town in an effort to locate the source, checking substations and for any other signs of trouble. "A passerby reported a strong odor about two miles south of town and we began checking with some of the gas metering stations," Fogleman said. The search led the firefighters to a metering station approximately one mile east of Clarksburg on 800N where the ground was discolored from a chemical burn. Firefighters evacuated homes within a mile radius of the station and roads were blocked with the help of the Shelby County Sheriff's department and the Conservation police. No injuries were reported with the incident. "Natural gas does not have an odor," Fogleman said. "Ameren added a chemical to create an odor. In this case it was not a gas leak. The odor tank had popped off a valve which released the odor. The wind carried the odor toward Shelbyville. Fortunately there was no danger to anyone." Fogleman added that neither the fire department nor Natural Gas Pipeline of Americacould give a reason for the valve malfunction. The fire department cleared the call around noon Saturday.
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