Date:         Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:11:54 -0400
Reply-To:     DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
Sender:       DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From:         List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject:      Chemical Safety headlines from Google
Links to details available at 
Spill makes for 
slippery Burlington streets
Police 
say a spill left several Burlington streets extremely slippery-- so 
slippery that one road was blocked off for a time.
The 
substance is a mineral-based oil that is non-toxic. Officials say it 
splashed out of a tanker truck that was hauling it. The oil came from a 
transformer by the Burlington Waterfront. It was pumped out when the 
transformer was moved. Apparently there was a problem with the cap on 
the truck and the substance spilled out as the truck drove through the 
city.
The substance left the areas where it spilled so 
slippery, that authorities compared it to black ice. They urged drivers 
to use extreme caution.
The Department of Public Works and fire crews have now 
cleaned up much of the spill and police say most roads are back to 
normal. 
The truck 
is owned by a private hauler who was contracted to move the substance. 
Under Vermont law, the hauler will likely have to pay for the cost of 
the cleanup.
us_ny: Dairy co-op employees evacuated due to toxic 
gas
LOWVILLE =97
Lowville firefighters spent three hours today cleaning 
up a toxic chemical spill inside the Lowville Producers Dairy 
Cooperative store, located at 7396 Utica Blvd., First Assistant Fire 
Chief Tim Bush said.
Earlier reports from people in the area incorrectly 
identified the location as the Lewis County Dairy Corporation, which 
also is located in Lowville.
Bush said the incident occurred at about 12:40 p.m. 
when chemicals were knocked off a shelf in a storage room at the store. 
Those chemicals, which included chlorine and ammonia, combined to form a 
toxic gas.
Bush could not say exactly what the gas released was, 
but chlorine and ammonia alone are capable of forming chlorine gas, 
which causes severe damage to the respiratory system and was used as a 
weapon during World War I.
Both chemicals are found in common household products 
such as bleach and window cleaners.
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