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New York State http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S1324686.shtml?cat=10112 Delmar blast investigation continues By: Abigail Bleck DELMAR - The condition of a Delmar teenager severely burned in a chemical explosion at his house on Saturday is stabilizing and improving. Bethlehem investigators now say the fire likely originated in a makeshift lab at 15-year-old Keenan Sanchez's home on Adams Place. Because Keenan is in the hospital with second-degree burns on 40 percent of his body, detectives haven't spoken to him yet. But investigators did spend the afternoon questioning his older brother -- an RPI student. Nothing is left of the home that once stood at 151 Adams Place. What wasn't destroyed by the three or four explosions Saturday, the fire department let burn to the ground for safety reasons because they didn't know what chemicals caused the blast and subsequent blaze in the first place. Debris taken from the wreckage is currently being tested at a forensic lab. "We're still trying to identify what chemicals and what the use of those chemicals was," Bethlehem Police Lt. Tom Heffernan said. Investigators won't say or don't yet know if Keenan -- a Bethlehem High School student -- was purposefully mixing the chemicals or if he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. "It was a surprise and shock to all of us. Keenan is a very good student. He's an athlete in our school," Bethlehem School Superintendent Dr. Michael Tebbano said. Federal agents involved in the case say this was a preventable disaster and that dangerous chemicals should not be a hobby. "These chemical compounds that kids can learn off the Internet combined in any quantity could cause a massive explosion," said Agent Michael LaCouture of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firefarms. The school district, family friends and co-workers of Keenan's mother have set up funds to help the family with medical bills and replacing the home. People interested in donating money to assist the family should send a check === Boston, MA http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/wellesley/2009/12/fumes_from_pool_chem icals_at_b.html?comments=all WELLESLEY Fumes from pool chemicals at Boston Sports club in Wellesley send four to hospital Four employees of the Boston Sports Club in Wellesley were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries today after pool chemicals were mixed improperly, causing noxious fumes that seeped into the building=92s HVAC system, according to the Wellesley Fire Department. One gallon of muriatic acid was mistakenly poured into approximately 50 gallons of chlorine, Fire Captain James Dennehy said. The mixture caused a chemical reaction that created toxic fumes, he said. The building was evacuated and a state hazmat team was called to the scene to aid in the clean-up. The facility was reopened later in the afternoon when the air tested negative for the chemicals, Dennehy said. WHDH-TV also quoted a sports club statement, which said in part: "Today, there was a chemical spill in the pool area at Boston Sports Clubs (BSC) in Wellesley. It was contained and no members were affected. The BSC staff worked quickly to evacuate the club for precautionary purposes. They are currently working with the local EPA, Board of Health, and Fire Department to investigate the cause and rectify the situation.'' === Missouri http://www.kctv5.com/news/22033404/detail.html Detergent Suicide Sends First Responders To Hospital Suicide Uses Toxic Chemicals In Locked Cars SUGAR CREEK, Mo. -- Four first responders on a suicide call went to the hospital after being exposed to the toxic chemicals a man used to kill himself Monday. The man used what is called detergent suicide, using hydrogen cyanide in a confined pickup truck. The chemical released toxic gases, which the four responders and a family member were exposed to. All five were just taken to the hospital as a precaution. Sugar Creek Fire Chief Herb Soule said detergent suicide attempts are on the rise. The trend started in Japan with hundreds of the suicides and four of the cases have been reported in the U.S. In many of the Japanese cases, many of those committing suicide have left notes on the car warning people of the toxic gases. No note was found on the Sugar Creek truck. "There's a question of how he ingest it," Soule said. "But the fact remains there were two containers in the car." Soule said he first learned of the trend two weeks earlier in a memo about the rising trend. The memo stated many use hydrogen sulfide, an easily found chemical. The Sugar Creek man used a less-accessible hydrogen cyanide. "Suicide's a tragic thing," Soule said. "If people endanger themselves, I guess we can't really stop them from doing that. But we sure don't want them endangering first responders and other people who are out there." Soule said other first responders should be on alert for similar problems. Soule said the Sugar Creek man had access to the cyanide because he worked in a lab, but some other toxic gases can be mixed up with household cleaners. === Utah http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14025449 8 taken to hospital after Ogden chemical spill By Bob Mims The Salt Lake Tribune Updated: 12/18/2009 05:39:12 PM MST A Friday morning chemical spill forced evacuation of a dietary supplements business in Ogden, and eight people were taken to local hospitals for treatment before being released. Deputy Fire Chief Chad Tucker says the spill happened about 7:15 a.m. at Pro Pac Laboratories, 3804 Airport Road. "They were cleaning equipment with a bleach solution that apparently came in contact with some product residue, producing ammonia fumes," he said. By 9:45 a.m., the area had been cleaned and cleared, and employees were returning for a scheduled company Christmas party, Tucker said. === Germany Eight students injured in laboratory chemical accident Eight students were injured in a chemical laboratory accident on Wednesday night at the University of Karlsruhe, police reported. A 22-year-old student at the Institute for Organic Chemistry there had been trying to neutralise a substance, but accidentally used the wrong material, police in the southwestern state of Baden-W=FCrttemberg said. The mistake created a poisonous mixture that was released into the laboratory where other students were also working. Eight people were transported to a nearby clinic after complaining of discomfort, and five remained hospitalised for observation. They reportedly suffered irritation of their mucous membranes. The teaching laboratory was fumigated and cleaned and can now be safely used by students again, police said. DDP/The Local (news**At_Symbol_Here**thelocal.de) === http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/126116661207/article s/fire-engineering/hazmat-survival_tips/2009/12/hazmat-survival_tips.html Hazmat Survival Tips: Learning from the Experience of Others Beyond the Rule of Thumb Survival Tip 47 By Steven De Lisi Besides learning from your own on-the-job experience, one of the best ways to discover how to safely manage emergency incidents is to learn from the experience of others. In this way, you can determine what worked, what didn=92t, and what steps to take when faced with similar circumstances. This type of learning is critical when dealing with incidents that involve hazardous materials because many of them are unique and may occur only once in your entire career. Remembering what someone else did years earlier, whether in your department or elsewhere, could offer valuable clues on what you should do and, more importantly, not do! This month=92s column presents various situations faced by first responders and questions posed to them; they were not sure of how to respond to some of these questions. Suggested answers appear at the end of the column. I like to tell my students that although the minimum passing score on the written exam for hazardous materials awareness and operations-level training is 70 percent, the passing score in the real world is nothing less than 100 percent. It=92s what you don=92t know that will kill you. (scenarios available at web site above)
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