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New York http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100119/NEWS/100 119664 Chemistry class explosion injures seven By Deborah Medenbach Posted: January 19, 2010 - 12:16 PM BOICEVILLE=97A chemistry class gone awry resulted in an explosion and HAZMAT teams being dispatched to the Onteora High School at 11 a.m. today on Route 28. School officials said a teacher was demonstrating interactions between potassium chlorate and food items when the unexpectedly strong reaction occured. Less than three grams of potassium chlorate were involved. The chemical is used the the manufacture of safety matches and explosives. Nearby classes reported hearing a sound like a loud door slam and the school's Quick Response Team responded immediately. Seven students and the teacher were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The teacher and two students were treated for minor cuts and burns. The remaining students were checked for minor injuries. Parents were contacted by school staff immediately and the school was on "modified lockdown" until the injured students and staff were transported out of the building. Schedules were adjusted for the rest of the day. Police determined that HAZMAT response was not needed for cleanup after the explosion, school officials said. === China http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5huZ4HkgZehVF15LSBt4AoJl WXkkQ Russia asks China about border chemical fire: report (AFP) - 1 day ago MOSCOW =97 Officials in Russia's far east have asked China for information about a fire at a chemicals plant in a Chinese city near the two countries' shared border, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. The regional branch of Russia's emergency situations ministry sent the query through diplomatic channels after learning from media reports about the fire in the city of Jilin, a ministry spokesman said. "After numerous requests, the far eastern regional centre (of the emergency ministry) sent a query to the Chinese general consulate in Khabarovsk on steps taken by China to deal with this fire," he told Russian news agencies. The fire on Saturday was reported to have destroyed over 700 square metres (7,500 square feet) of a chemicals plant in Jilin, a city in northwestern China along the Songhua river, the spokesman said. If the fire led to a chemical spill in the Songhua river, the slick would take 30 days to reach Khabarovsk, a Russian city of 600,000 near the Chinese border, said a Russian environmental official, Alexander Gavrilov. However there was no information about chemicals spilling into the river, Gavrilov was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS state news agency. In 2005 an explosion at a chemical factory in China's heavily industrialised northwest dumped 100 tonnes of toxic chemicals into the Songhua, a tributary of the Amur River, which forms part of the Russian-Chinese border. The spill, which caused a brief panic in Khabarovsk, spurred Beijing to announce plans to spend 1.2 billion dollars to clean up the Songhua. === Texas http://www.dailytoreador.com/news/agency-to-investigate-chemistry-explosio n-1.2139412 Agency to investigate chemistry explosion By Jon Vanderlaan Almost two weeks after a chemical explosion injured a Texas Tech graduate student, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board announced it would conduct an investigation into the causes of the explosion. Preston Brown, 29, still is in critical condition in the burn unit at University Medical Center as of press time Tuesday. Cory Chandler, a Tech spokesman, said the Jan. 7 explosion occurred when a mixture of three chemicals exploded at about 4 p.m. in Room 218 of the Chemistry building. Brown suffered severe injuries to his hands and face, Chandler said, although the injuries were not life threatening. Don Holmstrom, the investigations supervisor from the CSB, said the board is just beginning the investigation and will examine evidence, conduct interviews and gather information from the university during its investigation. One reason the board will be conducting an investigation, he said, is the CSB aims to address issues that are not regulated already. Taylor Eighmy, the Tech vice president for research, said the university looks forward to cooperating with the CSB investigation and also is in the midst of an internal investigation. =93We believe that we have a very good system in place,=94 he said, =93but you can always learn from these types of situations.=94 The internal investigation Tech is conducting is standard procedure, Eighmy said, although this type of situation is unprecedented. Daniel Horowitz, the director of public affairs with the CSB, said the board does not place fault in its investigations but gives recommendations for standards it believes should be in place around the country. In a news release, John Bresland, the chairman of the board, said the information gathered from this and other investigations will be used for a study on the subject. =93We see serious accidents in high school and university labs every year, including a tragic fatality a year ago at UCLA,=94 he said in the release. =93I believe it is time to begin examining these accidents to see if they can be prevented through the kind of rigorous safety management systems that we and others have advocated in industrial settings.=94 Although the board does not have evidence suggesting these types of accidents are on the rise, Holmstrom said another reason for the investigation is to gather information about whether a trend exists. =93We=92ll be looking at the frequency and number of accidents that occur in university labs,=94 he said. The board does not issue fines or any type of sanction, Holmstrom said, but it will keep the public informed about its activities and key findings, possibly hosting a public meeting. The investigation could take up to a year, he said, and may result in a full report about the board=92s findings. === United Kingdom http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/01/19/a-chem ical-spill-alert-was-sparked-last-night-by-a-leaky-fridge-at-a-university- 100252-25632866/ A chemical spill alert was sparked last night - by a leaky fridge at a university Jan 19 2010 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Echo A LEAKY fridge sparked a chemical alert at Liverpool University. Overnight cleaning and security staff suffering from streaming eyes and burning throats raised the alarm in the early hours of this morning. They had been working in the Jane Herdman laboratory, off Pembroke Place, on Liverpool University=92 campus. But the six-strong group was evacuated after a strong ammonia smell infiltrated the building. Fearing noxious ammonia had been spilt, the university declared an emergency prompting police, paramedics and firefighters to descend on the scene. Two firefighters wearing airtight suits and breathing gear were sent inside to find the source of the gas. They tracked it down to a fridge in an academic=92s office. Emergency crews were called at around 2.50am and left an hour and a half later. It is the second emergency on the campus in two months. Two students were injured in a lab explosion in December. === More states took in expired meds in 2009 By MIKE STARK The Associated Press Tuesday, January 19, 2010; 4:43 PM LAYTON, Utah -- A steel mailbox-sized bin in the lobby of a police department in northern Utah was full again, crammed with half-full prescription bottles, over-the-counter cold meds and even an odd topical cream from 1983. "It's anything and everything," Layton police evidence supervisor Holly Plotnick said as she and a co-worker transferred 28 pounds of medications into a garbage bag and readied it for the incinerator. The program is one of dozens around the country as communities ramp up efforts to clean out America's medicine cabinets by setting up drop-boxes or other disposal methods for people to dump their unused and expired prescription drugs. At least 20 states now have collection programs for unused medications, and several saw record hauls in 2009. Many of the programs were initially motivated by concerns about flushed pharmaceuticals reaching drinking water supplies. A 2008 Associated Press investigation found at least 46 million Americans are supplied with drinking water that has tested positive for traces of pharmaceuticals. The programs are also surging for another reason: prescription drug overdoses. Utah, for instance, saw a 500 percent jump in the number of deaths attributed to pain medications between 1999 and 2007. "A lot of the pharmaceuticals sold on the street or consumed by young people come out of home medicine cabinets," said Terry Keefe, chief of police in Layton, a city of 65,000. "This is one attempt to reduce the availability of these type of drugs." The police department's medication dropbox in Layton - one of 37 in police stations across Utah - took in 738 pounds in 2009. The box sometimes takes just days to fill up. The drugs are a concern because of their threat to the environment, too. Researchers also have found evidence that even extremely diluted concentrations of pharmaceutical residues can harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species in the wild. Advocates say the 90 or so take-back programs across the country are a good start but not well-funded enough to expand to a mass scale. Some are floating legislation to have pharmaceutical companies foot the bill, modeling the idea on similar state laws requiring electronics manufacturers to cover the costs of recycling TVs and computers. "The biggest barrier to the takebacks is funding," said Scott Cassel, director of the Boston-based Product Stewardship Institute, which works with governments and others on environmental issues. "None of these states or local governments really have the money to take an action that will fully resolve the environmental issues or reduce that impact." The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says regulatory agencies have already established ways to safely dispose of drugs in the household trash. The group has generally been dismissive of take-back programs, saying that collecting drugs in one place raises the risk that they might be stolen and misused. Forcing pharmaceutical manufacturers into a take-back program would likely drive up costs for patients, the group says. "These costs can be avoided if patients dispose of medicines in the household trash, which can be done in compliance with federal laws and is environmentally responsible," according to a statement from senior vice president Ken Johnson. The drop-off programs include a mail-in program in Maine that has collected 2,000 pounds since 2007, a six-county effort in Washington state involving pharmacies and clinics where 35,000 pounds have been collected over three years, and three collection stations in Palo Alto, Calif. The Palo Alto stations are rarely advertised, but more than 5,400 pounds were dropped off last year. "This is an issue that will not go away," said Len Kaye, who runs Maine's program and noted similar widespread take-back programs for tires and mercury thermometers. "There is no reason in the world we could not and should not do the same for unused pharmaceuticals." In Utah, where police station collection bins have netted some 5,000 pounds since 2007, it's clear residents have been hoarding medicines for years. "People literally come in with boxes and bags," says Leah Ann Lamb, who helps coordinate the state's programs. The oldest and strangest? A 1958 bottle with a label that only said "For achy legs." Strict rules governing certain substances, especially narcotics, can limit the type of drugs that can be included in the take-back programs. Pending legislation in Congress would change handling protocols for certain controlled substances. Some states, including Washington and Maine, will consider legislation to have pharmaceutical companies pay for the take-back programs. Advocates say that's the only way large-scale take-back programs can take hold. "We do know that there are significant amounts of meds that go unused and for most locations there is no safe and secure place to take them," said Cheri Grasso, who helps run King County's pharmaceuticals project in Seattle. === California U.S. EPA Takes Action Against Sacramento Food Distributor Following Chemical Waste Discharges Release date: 01/19/2010 Contact Information: Media Contact: Mary Simms, (415) 947-4270, simms.mary**At_Symbol_Here**epa.gov SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken action against Sacramento based Tony's Fine Foods in order to correct environmental violations and bring the company into compliance with federal law. Under the terms of a settlement Tony's Fine Foods has agreed to pay a $93,533 penalty. In October 2008, Tony=92s Fine Foods leaked approximately 360 gallons of anhydrous ammonia into the air from a pressure relief valve at its California Cold Logistics cold storage warehouse, located at 700 Jones Street, in Yuba City, Calif. The ammonia release resulted in the evacuation of four nearby schools and nearly 30 Yuba City residences. =93We=92re thankful no one was seriously hurt,=94 said Daniel Meer, assistant director for the Superfund program in EPA=92s Pacific Southwest region. =93Failing to provide critical information to the appropriate authorities can diminish the community's ability to respond during an emergency.=94 In January 2009, the facility again violated federal law by illegally discharging about 35 gallons of ammonia into a storm drain that discharges to Gilsizer Slough. The release was detected by residents several blocks away. When the fire department responded, the strong smell eventually led investigators to the California Cold Logistics facility. Dumping ammonia down a storm drain is prohibited under the federal Clean Water Act. =93The inadequate controls exercised by this facility resulted in unacceptable discharges of toxic pollutants to Gilsizer Slough, which flows to the Sutter Bypass and the Feather River," said Alexis Strauss, regional director of EPA's water division in San Francisco. In both instances, Tony's Fine Foods failed to immediately notify authorities following their chemical releases. EPA inspectors visited the facility following the first release and provided facility representatives information on release reporting requirements. The enforcement action addresses several violations of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act and the Clean Water Act. The proposed penalty under the Clean Water Act currently is available for public comment until January 21, 2010. Following EPA=92s involvement, the facility has achieved compliance with reporting requirements and completed operational improvements to prevent future discharges. Exposure to ammonia can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Lung damage and death may occur after exposure to very high concentrations of ammonia. For more information please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/superfund/emerprep.html The public notice is hosted online at: http://www.epa.gov/region09/enforcement/pubnotices/pubnotice-tony-fine-foo d.html === Tennessee http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20100119/CRIME/1190321 Clarksville teens cited in bottle bomb explosion along River Run BY CHRIS SMITH =95 AND TAVIA D. GREEN =95 JANUARY 19, 2010 A back yard prank Sunday night ended with an explosion that rocked the River Run Road neighborhood. At about 9:20 p.m., officers responded to a report of shots fired on the street, according to a news release from Clarksville Police spokesman Officer Jim Knoll. When officers arrived, they found that four two-liter plastic bottles had been filled with chemicals, sealed and thrown into a back yard. "The chemical mixture of the ingredients caused an explosive reaction, which rocked the neighborhood," Knoll said. Officer Scott Jackson investigated and found that Clay Elliot Purvis, 18, and three juveniles had set off the explosion as a prank on a friend. Purvis was cited and released for prohibited weapons and contributing to delinquency. The three juveniles =97 two 16 and one 17 =97 were cited for prohibited weapons and released to their parents. Gas Station Robbed On Wilma Rudolph
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