Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 08:30:00 -0400
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Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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HAZMAT CREWS BUSY IN ELGIN, SOUTH ELGIN :: THE COURIER NEWS :: LOCAL NEWS, http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriern ews/news/2475388,Hazmat-elgin-algae_EL070710.article

Elgin-area emergency crews responded to reports of two separate potential hazardous material spills Wednesday, one prompting the temporary closure of Duncan Avenue and the Fox River Trail bike path north of the city.

Elgin spokeswoman Susan Olafson said authorities received a call around 12:45 p.m. that a 55-gallon steel drum was leaking an unknown fluid near Duncan Avenue a mile north of I-90.

The Kane County Office of Emergency Management and Elgin Fire Department were called to the scene, as well as crews from Carpentersville, East Dundee, South Elgin and Hanover Park.

It was unknown as of Wednesday evening what kind of material had leaked. East Dundee Fire Department officials said the spill was contained to the ground around the drum, and did not pose any danger to the public.

In a written release, East Dundee Fire Lt. Jason Parthun stated officials determined that no chemicals reached the nearby Fox River or any other adjacent waterway.

The drum was removed, he said, and the area was cleaned up by a chemical remediation company.

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HAZMAT RESPONSE TO GAS SMELL IN SOUTH HILL, http://blog.thenewstribune.com/cr ime/2010/07/07/what-was-that-hazmat-response-to-gas-smell-in-south-hill/

Graham firefighters and Central Pierce Fire &amp; Rescue HAZMAT technicians responded to an odor complaint in South Hill Wednesday night.

A caller around 8:25 p.m. reported a gas smell on the 8600 block of 165th Street Ct. E, according to scanner chatter. Responding crews traced the smell to a shed in the backyard of a residence, according to Battalion Chief Daniel Hannah. Liquid fertilizer had escaped from its container and mixed with other yard chemicals in the shed.

The HAZMAT team disposed of the chemicals. There were no injuries or property damages.

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HAZMAT SITUATION AT GAS STATION CLOSES 701; REOPENS | SCNOW, http://www2.scnow.com/scp/news/local/gr and_strand/article/hazmat_situation_outside_of_loris/215459/

CONWAY - Highway Patrol tells News13 a log truck left unattended rolled into a gas pump causing gas to spill at Gerald=92s Convenience Store on Highway 701. 
The road was closed for a few hours, but has since been reopened.
Hazmat crews were on scene to clean up the mess.

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CHEMICAL SPILL DANGER LEVEL UPGRADED, http://www.kidk.com/news/9 7995574.html

MADISON COUNTY - A potentially hazardous chemical spill near Archer has hazmat teams on alert.

Around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, police responded to a home on 2000 West. They were there on a complaint the owner had too many broken down cars on his property. They found something that may be much more dangerous.

"It's a very large area of 5-gallon buckets, different storage containers containing chemicals in different states of leeching out of buckets [that are] rusting," said Captain Travis Williams of the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

The homeowner, Max Spatig, says the chemicals are just ordinary household paints and primers, nothing hazardous about them.

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EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN DRUG LAB IN SYDNEY: POLICE, http://www.smh.com.au/national/explosives- found-in-drug-lab-in-sydney-police-20100708-101om.html

Neighbours are in shock after explosives were allegedly found in a police raid on an illegal drug laboratory in Sydney=92s north-west today.

Officers from the Middle Eastern crime squad stormed a house in Bidgee Road, Ryde, about 6am and arrested a 33-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman.

Explosive devices were removed from the house by the Bomb Squad and Hazmat crews were called in to dismantle the lab, police said.

Nearby residents have been evacuated and traffic has been diverted as the area is blocked off.

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BP, GOVERNMENTS DOWNPLAY PUBLIC HEALTH RISK FROM OIL AND DISPERSANTS, http://www.comm ondreams.org/headline/2010/07/07-4

PENSACOLA BEACH, Florida -- When Ryan Heffernan, a volunteer with Emerald Coastkeeper, noticed a bag of oily debris floating off in Santa Rosa Sound, she ran up to BP's HazMat-trained workers to ask if they would retrieve it.

"No, ma'am," one replied politely. "We can't go in the ocean. It's contaminated."

Ryan waded in and retrieved the bag. That was Wednesday, June 23, the first day visible oil hit Pensacola Beach. Ryan had been swimming off the beach the day before, as she said, "to get in my last swim before the oil hit." The trouble is that not all of the oil coming ashore is visible. Dispersed oil - tiny bubbles of oil encased in chemical dispersants - are in the water column. On Thursday Ryan was treated at a local doctor's office for skin rash on her legs.

Three days later on Pensacola Beach, I watched BP's HazMat-trained workers shovel surface oiled sand and oily debris into bags early in the morning. The workers followed the waterline like shorebirds, scurrying up the beach in front of breaking waves and moving back down with receding waters.

The late morning sun retired the workers to the shade of their tents and the job of "observing," while it brought out throngs of beach-goers -- children, parents, grandparents -- who happily plunged into the "contaminated" ocean without a second thought.

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AMMONIA ODOR FROM PET ACCUMULATIONS, http://www.nwlanews.com/i ndex.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=20669&a mp;Itemid=57

The toxic-levels of ammonia gas inside the mobile home owned and occupied by Betty Johnson is reportedly the result of animal urine and feces, according to a certified Hazmat technician and an investigator with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. 

The dwelling located at 1664 Fuller Rd. in Minden, which has been labeled a health hazard, has landed its owner in the hospital for ammonia inhalation. Her neighbors who own the land, Johnson=92s daughter and son-in-law have been charged with not having visible rabies tags on their dogs as mandated by law, and cruelty to animals.

Issues at Johnson=92s home stem back to approximately 11 p.m.  June 6, when Pafford EMTs were dispatched to the residence on a medical call.

=93I was directed to respond to a call, where an EMT had fallen out inside a residence due to ammonia,=94 Hazmat Technician Deputy Don Willis said while being questioned by the jury=92s legal counsel during a public hearing conducted by the Webster Parish Police Jury Tuesday. 

=93The ammonia gas at the home took my breath away,=94 Willis said. 

Willis added that after opening the back door of the home, he estimates 10 to 15 cats ran out.

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FIREMAN HURT IN SHED FIRE, http://news.scotsman.com/news/Fireman-hurt-in-shed-fire.6407328.jp

A FIREFIGHTER was airlifted to hospital yesterday after part of a shed collapsed on him as he tackled a chemical fire at a golf club.
He was one of 35 firefighters sent to the Gunsgreenhill course at Eyemouth, in the Borders, to deal with a blaze in the greenkeeper's shed.

The 44-year-old was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with a suspected broken leg then transferred to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.

Fire crews were called to the course at around 5.30am. Seven fire service vehicles were involved in tackling the fire at the shed, where chemicals were being stored. 

A Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "The firefighter was airlifted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. 

"At the moment the extent of his injuries is unclear, but we believe he has a broken leg."

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BLAZE AT BAYONNE CHEMICAL PLANT WAREHOUSE; NO INJURIES REPORTED | NJ.COM, http://www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2010/07/blaze_at_bayonn e_chemical_plan.html

Bayonne firefighters extinguished a blaze at a chemical plant warehouse on Bergen Point in Bayonne, fire officials said. 
Indianapolis-based Vertellus Specialties Inc., the owners of the plant at Avenue A and Gertrude Street, released a statement saying that the fire was reported at 2 a.m. this morning. 
Company officials say the Bayonne Fire Department fought the blaze after discussing what materials were being stored in the building.
The building was "primarily used" for storage of non-hazardous materials for disposal -- such as material from castor oil processing, company officials said. But a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said hazardous materials were stored in the warehouse, and sulfuric acid leaked from some of the containers that had been damaged in the fire. 
The Hudson County Health Department had at least one representative on site testing the air and found that no toxic smoke was released.

No injuries were reported and there is "no significant off-site impact" or significant interruption to production, company officials said.

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FIELDSBORO: FIRE AT PLANT RAISES CONCERNS, http://www.centraljersey.com/articles /2010/07/07/the_register_news/news/doc4c34d8a2cbc8a784049282.txt

FIELDSBORO =97 An industrial material caught fire at a local chemical plant last week, where hazardous substances have previously earned the site a spot on a watchdog group=92s list.

   The fire occurred July 1 at the Stepan Chemical Company plant on Fourth Street. Production superintendent Dan Callahan said a 55-gallon tub of about 200 pounds of solid sulfur was found smoldering just before 5 p.m.

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CHEMICAL MISHAP SHUTS DOWN WELLESLEY STREET, http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/wellesley/201 0/07/chemical_mishap_shuts_down_bro.html

A mishap on Brookside Avenue that saw two industrial chemicals mixed improperly led to a closed road and a visit from a HAZMAT team, Wellesley officials said today. The chemicals were not spilled, and police say there is no danger to the public.

At 7:18 a.m., two chemicals being used to reline piping were combined in a 55-gallon drum being stored in the back of a truck. The chemicals were allowed to remain too long, and began heating up and emitting vapors.

"As far as we know, the situation was unpleasant, but not dangerous," said Officer Marcia Cleary of the Wellesley Police Department. "The Fire Department responded to the incident and originally requested a Tier 1 HAZMAT response, which is standard procedure."

At 8:40, the fire department amended their request to include more HAZMAT responders.

"The drum was contained in the back of a truck, and it was difficult for us to get at it or see any weaknesses in the drum," said Captain Nat Brady of the Wellesley Fire Department, who was on the scene. "We felt it better to have a backup team in case something happened."

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PROPANE LEAK CLOSES ROUTE 104A , http://www.wcax .com/Global/story.asp?S=12762970

A propane leak in Georgia closed Route 104A Tuesday afternoon.

The road was shut down after the leak was discovered in a tank at a private home. Fire officials say the leak has been contained, but nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.

Officials said it could be some time before the road reopened.

"We're cooling the tank and the Vermont hazmat team is here and we're going to actually get closer to the tank and see if we can move it or mediate the leak in whatever way needed," Georgia Fire Chief Chris Gonyeau said.

Fire crews asked people to use Route 104 or Route 7 instead Tuesday, because they said Route 104A could be shut down for several hours.

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HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDING TO VAPOR CLOUD AT WATKINS MEMORIAL, http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20100706/COMMUNITIES01/1 00706008/1051/

ETNA TOWNSHIP -- Medics transported a janitor to an area hospital Tuesday after the janitor's floor cleaning supplies came in contact with another agent, creating a possible chemical reaction.

No other staff members or students were hurt in the incident at the high school, 8868 Watkins Road SW.

West Licking Joint Fire District received a call concerning a person feeling ill at around 9:50 a.m., fire Chief David Fulmer said.

When medics arrived at the scene, the janitor was having trouble breathing. Medics transported the janitor to an area hospital for precautionary reasons, Fulmer said.

Few other details were available early Tuesday, but Fulmer said the janitor was cleaning a floor in one of the school's hallways when the incident occurred. The janitor was using two regular cleaning products to mop the floor when the products "came in contact with an unknown (chemical), which caused the reaction," Fulmer said.

The Licking County Haz-Mat team responded to the high school, along with firefighters from West Licking. A Licking County Sheriff's Deputy closed the entrance to the high school on Watkins Road.

Other janitors, a handful of building administrators and some band students were inside the school when the incident happened. Firefighters evacuated them, in addition to students lifting weights in a nearby weight-lifting building. No other injuries were reported, Fulmer said.

Because of the extreme heat, the Haz-Mat team was proceeding slowly Tuesday. Team members donned heavy chemical-resistant suits before entering the high school to ascertain the cause of the chemical reaction. 

Afterward, Fulmer said they intended to treat the chemical or air out the building. 

Watkins Memorial likely will be closed for part of the early afternoon as the Haz-Mat team works, Fulmer said.

Earlier reports of Watkins Road closing as a result of the situation were in error.

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POLICE INVESTIGATE HAZMAT SITUATION AT NORTH PRECINCT, http:// www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12762519

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police investigated a potential hazmat situation at the North Police Precinct on Tuesday afternoon.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. at the precinct at 2231 26th Avenue North at Clarksville Pike. Fire Department's Hazmat team was called out after a woman came in to report that her soon to be ex-husband may have tampered with her car.

Police said she had removed the floor mats and the head rests and put them in the trunk.  She went inside the police precinct and got an officer. When they both went back to the car and opened the truck, they were hit with fumes that stung their eyes and throat.  That's when  hazmat crews were called in to investigate.

They tested the substance and determined it was not hazardous. Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron said it is believed that the substance may have been pepper spray.

A detective from the domestic violence squad is working this case to see if charges need to see if charges need to be filled against the woman's husband.

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2 WORKERS BADLY BURNED AT EVANSVILLE FACTORY , http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-workersburned,0,5613 04.story

EVANSVILLE, Ind. =97 Authorities say two workers were badly burned in a flash fire at an auto parts factory in Evansville. 

City Fire Department District Chief Dan Grimm says the workers at Guardian Automotive Trim were using a chemical to clean a paint booth Monday when a halogen light was knocked onto the floor and ignited the fumes. 

Grimm said the initial explosion was out quickly, but the workers' clothing caught on fire. The names of the man and woman weren't immediately released and they were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., for treatment of their burns.

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