Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Monday, May 30, 2011 8:15:01 AM

   A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
   Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
   All article summaries and tags are archived at 
http://pinboard.in/u:dchas

Table of Contents (18 articles)

CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

NEW DETAILS IN DEADLY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

TOXIC SPILL AT TERALBA YARD
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, mercury

FIRE AT FULLER BRUSH FACTORY CAUSES LITTLE DAMAGE
Tags: us_KS, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

NBC-2.COM WBBH NEWS FOR FORT MYERS, CAPE CORAL & NAPLES, FLORIDA
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane

KERSHAW DEPUTIES RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL FOLLOWING A METH LAB BUST 
AND A DEAD BODY
Tags: us_SC, public, release, death, meth_lab

DEAD MAN FOUND IN CAR WITH POISON GAS IN WATERTOWN A SUICIDE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, suicide

HUDSON CHEMICAL EXPLOSION CLOSES U.S. 321, FORCES EVACUATION
Tags: us_NC, industrial, explosion, response, paints

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL PLANT IN EASTERN CHINA KILLS 3 PEOPLE, INJURES 8
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

THE CANADIAN PRESS: 3 ROYAL CANADIAN MINT WORKERS REPORTED OK AFTER 
BREATHING CHEMICAL FUMES
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, water_treatment

7 HURT IN 'GAS EXPLOSION' IN BUILDING
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, injury

BIOTECH, PHARMACEUTICAL, FACULTY, POSTDOC JOBS ON SCIENCE CAREERS
Tags: laboratory, explosion, death, editorial, follow-up

HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO ARLINGTON HEIGHTS AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO B
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, pool_chemicals

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATION
Tags: us_MO, public, release, environmental, hydrochloric_acid

WORKERS OVERCOME WITH GAS AT WAREHOUSE ON LINDEN AVENUE
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

KFOX-14 INVESTIGATES POTENTIALLY DEADLY DANGERS OF NAPHTHA PRODUCTS
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, death, naphtha

TWO MEN SENTENCED IN EAST BETHEL METH LAB CASE
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab

5 HURT IN BLAST AT GALLATIN METAL POWDERS PLANT
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, injury, dust, metals

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS

http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/5669578-418/chemical-plant-fire-forces
-evacuations.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

GRUNDY COUNTY e_SEmD A fire at a chemical plant forced over 100 nearby 
residences to be evacuated Sunday.

Streets, rivers and railroads were also shut down for nearly six hours.

The blaze started around 1:30 p.m. at Lyondell Basell, 8805 Tabler Road, 
near Morris.

=93A polyethane tank lost power (from the fire) and wasn=92t generating 
the steam needed to cool the tank,=94 Sheriff Terry Marketti said. =93The 
pressure kept rising which caused concern it might explode.=94

Sheriff=92s police made reverse-911 calls to residents of the Dresden 
Acres neighborhood and other houses in the area before deputies and 
firefighters went door to door advising residents to leave. 
Non-essential personnel from other plants in the area, such as Aux Sable 
Liquid Products, were also removed.

The Morris Fire Department quickly classified the incident a =93box 
alarm=94 to request assistance from many mutual aid departments.

An incident command center was set up in the parking lot of Jewel in 
Minooka. The Illinois River was closed to boating traffic, trains were 
stopped and state police assisted in shutting down Route 6.

No injuries were reported during the incident. The roads and other means 
of transportation were reopened around 7:30 p.m., Marketti said.

---------------------------------------------

NEW DETAILS IN DEADLY EXPLOSION
http://www.ktbs.com/news/28066506/detail.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

The investigation continues in Red River Parish after one person was 
killed and another wounded when a gas well exploded Saturday night. It 
happened at TGGT Holding on Yearwood Road just off Highway one.
47-year-old Michael Tartt was killed and a second man wounded. 
Authorities say he's been released from the hospital.
Louisiana hazmat was called in to secure the scene. OSHA now takes over 
the investigation into what caused the explosion. The plant is shut down 
until the investigation wraps up.

---------------------------------------------

TOXIC SPILL AT TERALBA YARD

http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/toxic-spill-at-teralba
-yard/2179094.aspx
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, mercury

HAZARDOUS materials experts have closed a Teralba scrap metal yard after 
a drum containing mercury was spilled this morning.
No one is affected by the spill of the highly toxic substance.

A small amount spilled onto the clothing and boots of a worker.

It is understood the mercury may have been spread around the site by 
trucks soon after it was spilled, about 11.30am.

The area has been isolated and specialist HAZMAT firefighters are 
working to clean up the contaminated area.

---------------------------------------------

FIRE AT FULLER BRUSH FACTORY CAUSES LITTLE DAMAGE

http://www.ksn.com/content/news/bureaus/story/Fire-at-Fuller-Brush-Factory
-causes-little-damage/hLAu5bqGSUeQ1TgQE19MRQ.cspx
Tags: us_KS, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

GREAT BEND, KS (KSN)--A fire at the Fuller Brush factory in Great Bend 
Friday evening caused $5,000 in damage.
Fire officials were called to the plant just before 10 p.m. where they 
found a fire in a chemical room.  
Several plastic buckets containing floor wax stripper were burning on.  
A sprinkler system above the assembly line did a good job in keeping the 
fire contained to the area.  
The plant was evacuated, but employees were able to return a few hours 
later after the smoke had been removed from the building. No injuries 
were reported.

---------------------------------------------

NBC-2.COM WBBH NEWS FOR FORT MYERS, CAPE CORAL & NAPLES, FLORIDA

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/14745133/2011/05/28/gas-leak-prompts-cape-hazma
t-investigation
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane

CAPE CORAL -
A family in Cape Coral made a startling discovery while the prepared for 
a barbeque on Saturday afternoon.

Shortly before 4:00 p.m. neighbors on SE 33rd Terrace in Cape Coral 
heard what they say sounded like a sprinkler system and saw gas vapors 
on their neighbor's property.

They quickly called 9-1-1 and the HAZMAT team from the Cape Coral Fire 
Department isolated a 1,000 gallon undergound propane tank.

Six homes were evacuated and the streets were sealed off for about an 
hour as the HAZMAT team, gas and electrical companies worked to shut off 
the leak and disperse the propane using water.

"You'll still smell it a little bit lingering but it's jsut the residue 
from it hanging around. But the propane lays low and the quality's good 
right now," says CCFD Battalion Chief John Scimeca.

Crews performed air quality checks before, during, and after the cleanup 
to ensure safety.

No one was injured.

---------------------------------------------

KERSHAW DEPUTIES RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL FOLLOWING A METH LAB BUST 
AND A DEAD BODY
http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=623527
Tags: us_SC, public, release, death, meth_lab

KERSHAW COUNTY (WACH) -- Kershaw County Investigators worked a series of 
incidents Saturday afternoon.

According to Sheriff Jim Matthews dispatch received a call about a 
domestic situation shortly before 1pm. When deputies arrived at 1995 
Highway 601 South in Lugoff they found a woman who they say was shot and 
killed.

As authorities searched the mobile home they discovered it was an active 
meth lab and that one of the bedrooms was being used as a marijuana 
grow.

At that time Sheriff Matthews says David Tyler was taken into custody 
for manufacturing methamphetamine and cultivation of marijuana.

In the meantime based on information provided by a phone call to 
dispatch authorities, arrested Greg Smith who authorities say is 
believed to be the shooting suspect.

Sheriff Matthews says shortly after the meth lab discovery one deputy 
started throwing up and was rushed to Kershaw Health.

The Sheriff says at least six deputies were sent to Kershaw Health for 
treatment due to toxic fumes inhaled from the meth lab.

Sheriff Matthews says while in jail Tyler went into cardiac arrest and 
died.

---------------------------------------------

DEAD MAN FOUND IN CAR WITH POISON GAS IN WATERTOWN A SUICIDE

http://www.wickedlocal.com/watertown/breaking/x556412128/Dead-man-found-in
-car-with-poison-gas-in-Watertown#axzz1NjndlitV
Tags: us_MA, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, suicide

A dead man was found in a car containing poisonous gas on Arsenal Street 
in Watertown, according to police. No one else has been reported injured 
at the scene but police, fire and Hazmat officials are on scene for a 
Level 3 Hazmat situation.

According to Watertown police, the death is a suicide. It "does not 
appear to be suspicious," according to a spokeswoman from the Middlesex 
District Attorney's office.

According to police reports, a couple walking their dog along the bike 
path near 500 Arsenal St. at about 5:50 p.m. noticed a gray Honda Accord 
in a parking lot. The car reportedly had two notes on the window -- one 
saying "Poison H2S gas" and one saying "One breath kills, notify 
Hazmat."

Police officers and firefighters responded to the scene and notified the 
state hazmat team, according to reports. They reportedly discovered a 
deceased man in the car. The man's identity has not been released.

---------------------------------------------

HUDSON CHEMICAL EXPLOSION CLOSES U.S. 321, FORCES EVACUATION

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2011/may/28/5/hudson-chemical-explosion
-closes-us-321-forces-eva-ar-1074394/
Tags: us_NC, industrial, explosion, response, paints

It=92s not yet clear what caused the explosion and fire at Chemical 
Coatings at about 3 p.m. Saturday.

=93As far as we know, the plant was closed,=94 said B.J. Fore of the 
Caldwell County Sheriff=92s Office. =93We don=92t have any reports of 
anyone injured and we haven=92t gotten any complaints from anyone about 
illnesses caused by the fumes.=94

Emergency crews are working to control the fire and determine if it=92s 
safe for the estimated 750 people evacuated from a one-mile radius 
around the plant to return to their homes, Fore said.

By 6 p.m., firefighters had the fire under control but were still on the 
scene battling hot spots at 8 p.m.

=93An investigation has not started yet, because we have to make sure 
the scene is safe,=94 Fore said.

---------------------------------------------

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL PLANT IN EASTERN CHINA KILLS 3 PEOPLE, INJURES 8
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/122788924.html
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

BEIJING, China - Authorities say a blast at a chemical plant in eastern 
China has killed three people and injured eight others.
The government of Zibo city in Shandong province said in a statement 
Sunday that police were investigating the cause of the explosion at a 
chemical plant owned by Shandong Baoyuan Chemical Co. Ltd.
The statement says the Saturday night blast killed two people at the 
site while a third person died later at a hospital. Eight other people 
who suffered slight injuries were being treated at a hospital.
Industrial accidents are common in China due to lax regulations and 
safety controls.

---------------------------------------------

THE CANADIAN PRESS: 3 ROYAL CANADIAN MINT WORKERS REPORTED OK AFTER 
BREATHING CHEMICAL FUMES

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hGgxoZZA6y0AT
h6lceORPHUd3VZg?docId=6977939
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, water_treatment

3 Royal Canadian Mint workers reported OK after breathing chemical fumes
(The Canadian Press) - 22 hours ago
OTTAWA =97 The Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa says three workers are OK 
after inhaling some chemical fumes at the facility this morning.
The mint says it appears chemical vapours were released from the waste 
water treatment system at the refinery.
Spokesman Alex Reeves says the three workers who were exposed to the 
fumes were taken to hospital to be checked out.
He says all three men have since been released and the cause of the 
incident is under investigation.
Meanwhile, normal production is continuing at the mint in all 
non-affected areas, including public tours.
The workers =97 aged 51, 58 and 35 =97 were not identified.
But Reeves confirmed reports that two of the men rescued their co-worker 
by pulling him away from the fumes.
Along with producing Canada's coins, the mint also produces and markets 
bullion and related refinery products.
Marc Messier of the Ottawa fire department said earlier there was no 
danger to the public because the fumes were contained.
A hazardous materials team determined there was no need to evacuate the 
building, and the area where the fumes were released was isolated and 
ventilated.

---------------------------------------------

7 HURT IN 'GAS EXPLOSION' IN BUILDING
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=187596
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, injury

At least seven people were injured in an explosion at the city's Mirpur 
yesterday evening.

Police suspect that the explosion occurred due to a gas leakage.

Of the seven, three people-- Atiqullah, 38, his nephew Forkan Ahmed, 23, 
and Kaiser Uddin, 41-- suffered 30 percent burns. They were admitted to 
the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Atiqullah said the explosion took place on the first floor of a 
four-storey building at Mirpur-2 when they switched on the lights of a 
room that has been closed for a while.

On that small section of the floor was a beauty parlour which was closed 
three months ago. Two months ago Atiqullah rented the section to use it 
as an office of the Samannay Officers' Bahumukhi Samabai Samiti but the 
office did not open that time.

Yesterday, when they switched on the lights, the explosion occurred and 
soon fire engulfed the area. The three managed to come out with burn 
injuries. The next flat that housed a small garment factory was heavily 
damaged by the explosion.

Parts of bricks and window panes of the building injured four 
construction workers who were at an adjacent building.

"The explosion caused an earthquake-like situation around the building," 
said neighbour Mamtaj Begum. The shaking lasted for around 10 seconds 
damaging windows and furniture of two floors of the building.

---------------------------------------------

BIOTECH, PHARMACEUTICAL, FACULTY, POSTDOC JOBS ON SCIENCE CAREERS

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/artic
les/2011_05_06/caredit.a1100041
Tags: laboratory, explosion, death, editorial, follow-up

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", the heartbreaking anthem of the 
1960s antiwar movement, has a plaintive refrain that repeatedly asks, 
=93When will they ever learn?=94 Pete Seeger=92s dirge laments the 
needless waste of young lives in warfare. The question, however, applies 
to other needless young deaths that result from the blindness, 
carelessness, or arrogance of powerful elders -- including fatalities 
that take place at American academic research facilities.

These thoughts arise in part because this week marks the second 
anniversary of the citations and fines levied by the California Division 
of Occupational Safety and Health against the University of California, 
Los Angeles, (UCLA) for =93serious=94 safety violations in the January 
2009 death by fire of 23-year-old technician Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji. 
One year after the fire, in January 2010, graduate student Preston 
Brown, 29, was critically injured in an explosion in the lab of Louisa 
J. Hope-Weeks at Texas Tech University (TTU) in Lubbock.

---------------------------------------------

HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO ARLINGTON HEIGHTS AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO B

http://www.fox19.com/story/14733574/hazmat-crews-on-scene-after-car-runs-i
nto-pool-business
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, pool_chemicals

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, OH (FOX19) -
HazMat crews have given the all-clear after a chemical spill in 
Arlington Heights. A car crashed into a pool and patio business on 
Elliot Drive around 1 p.m.

Sun Spot Pool and Patio houses chemicals for swimming pools in a storage 
area. The driver of a black Chevy ran into that storage area.

The business is near Interstate 75, but traffic on the interstate was 
not being affected.

---------------------------------------------

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATION
http://stjoechannel.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=203717
Tags: us_MO, public, release, environmental, hydrochloric_acid

A hazardous material spill forced the evacuation of parts of southern 
Buchanan County Thursday night.

Emergency management officials ordered residents living in a 
quarter-mile radius of Highway 45 and Highway 59 to evacuate.

Hazmat crews out of Olathe and Burlington Northern worked to clean up a 
hydrochloric acid spill in the area.

Officials say the acid was leaking out of a tank being carried by a 
northbound train. The spill was spotted by a crew on a passing 
southbound train.

---------------------------------------------

WORKERS OVERCOME WITH GAS AT WAREHOUSE ON LINDEN AVENUE

http://blog.nj.com/hudsonhssports/2011/05/workers_overcome_with_gas_at_w.h
tml
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Six or more workers were overcome with gas at a warehouse in the Simms 
Metal Management complex tonight on Linden Avenue according to Jersey 
City Fire Director Armando Roman.

It is unclear at this time how many workers came into contact with the 
gas.  A hazmat team was dispatched to the site to determine the source 
of the gas.

According to Jersey City Medical Center spokesman Mark Rabson, 
ambulances and a paramedic unit were dispatched to the scene to assist 
with decontamination and medical triage.

---------------------------------------------

KFOX-14 INVESTIGATES POTENTIALLY DEADLY DANGERS OF NAPHTHA PRODUCTS
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/28040517/detail.html
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, death, naphtha

EL PASO, Texas -- Just hours after 73-year-old Maria Villalobos died in 
a Central El Paso house fire, fire leaders told KFOX-14 this is not the 
first warning that firefighters and concerned family issued to the woman 
about using flammable products to clean and treat her floors.
Wednesday morning, Villalobos was treating her wood floors with Naphtha, 
a highly-flammable, fast drying solvent. Somehow, the chemical caught 
fire, also igniting Villalobos' clothing. She died several hours later 
in a sedated coma at a Lubbock burn unit.
Fire leaders said several years ago, they responded to a medical call 
involving Villalobos. While responding, fire leaders said family members 
urged firefighters to talk to Villalobos about the danger of using 
flammable products. However, fire leaders said Villalobos continued to 
use the products as part of a yearly cleaning routine.

---------------------------------------------

TWO MEN SENTENCED IN EAST BETHEL METH LAB CASE

http://abcnewspapers.com/2011/05/27/two-men-sentenced-in-east-bethel-meth-
lab-case/
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab

Two men were sentenced May 18 on felony drug possession pleas stemming 
from a meth lab case in East Bethel.
...
According to the criminal complaint, an informant tipped a detective 
with the Anoka Hennepin Drug Task Force that Nordstrom was manufacturing 
meth in his East Bethel home. A search warrant was obtained and the 
Anoka County SWAT Team went to the home around 7:45 p.m. March 7.

When the SWAT Team went into the home, they were overwhelmed by an odor 
that came from the production of meth, so they removed Brekke and 
Nordstrom and called the East Bethel Fire Department to ventilate the 
home.

According to the complaint, Nordstrom told police that Brekke had been 
staying with him for four days and during that time, they attempted to 
cook meth using chicken food, toluene and lithium batteries.

---------------------------------------------

5 HURT IN BLAST AT GALLATIN METAL POWDERS PLANT

http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/5-hurt-in-blast-at-Gallatin-meta
l-powders-plant-1398782.php
Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, injury, dust, metals

GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) =97 Three workers have been critically burned in an 
explosion at a Middle Tennessee chemical plant, and federal 
investigators are on their way to the scene.

The Friday morning accident that injured five total is the third this 
year at the Hoeganaes (HAY'-gan-eez) Corp. plant where a January flash 
fire killed a worker. The Gallatin facility makes metal powders and the 
two previous accidents occurred after flammable dust accumulated in the 
air and combusted.

The plant already was under investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety 
Board. An investigator criticized the company two weeks ago for not 
adequately addressing the danger posed by the dust.

---------------------------------------------

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post