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Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom
GoogleFriday, July 1, 2011 8:15:01 AM A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health
and Safety Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.orgAUGUSTA, Ga. --- Two people are in custody after
Richmond County deputies discovered a meth lab at the Knights Inn on Boy
Scout Rd.Deputies were called out to the scene around 11:15
p.m. Sunday night, after reports of a strong chemical smell coming from
room 237.We're told deputies knocked on the door and saw two
individuals looking out the window. When they did not unlock the door,
management came and opened it.That's when investigators
say a large cloud of smoke came out of the room.Drug
enforcement agents, fire and hazmat crews were then called to the
scene.-----------------------MULTIPLE
DEPARTMENTS RESPOND TO FIRE AT WICKLIFFE INDUSTRIAL SITE, http://news-herald.com/articles/2011/07/04/news/doc4e10f1b923
897446597174.txtBlvd., Wickliffe.Initial indications are the
fire may have been related to a highly flammable gas that is a byproduct
of the chemical process used at the plant, according to a Wickliffe
Division of Fire media release.According to Wickliffe fire
officials, multiple employees of the manufacturing plant called 911 at
5:41 p.m. Sunday to report a fire inside the plant.Mutual
aid at the scene was provided by Willowick, Willoughby, Euclid, Highland
Heights, Willoughby Hills and Mentor fire departments, while Eastlake
fire personnel manned Wickliffe=92s fire station during the incident.
Lake County Fire Investigation Unit is looking into the cause of the
fire.The fire was reported to be under control by 6:07
p.m., according to Wickliffe fire officials. The fire was contained to
one reactor in the plant and does not pose a hazard to the community,
according to the statement.-----------------------MERCURY
NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH, http://www.idahopress.com/n
ews/mercury-not-to-be-trifled-with/article_eaff7cd6-a468-11e0-bd79-001cc4c
002e0.html=93It=92s more than just a neat thing to play with in
your hand,=94 Caldwell Fire Chief Mark Wendelsdorf said. =93It=92s a
chemical, and when it gets out of its container and you=92re exposed to
it, it can create health problems.=94The Southwest Idaho Hazmat team, based in Caldwell,
gets more calls to respond to mercury spills than any other hazard,
Wendelsdorf said, or about six to 10 calls in the last
year.When household mercury
spills, often from broken thermometers or barometers, it can release
toxic vapors. And people without proper knowledge of how to clean
mercury spills can spread the toxic substance instead of removing
it.=93Just cover it with a
towel and call us or 911,=94 Wendelsdorf said about mercury spills. He
said mercury that spreads can cost thousands of dollars to
remove.-----------------------AMMONIA
LEAK AT CUTLER FRUIT PACKING PLANT, http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id
=8226677FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Ammonia leaked out of a fruit
packing plant in the Cutler-Orosi area Saturday morning. The Tulare
County Sheriff's Department says the ammonia had been leaking since
midnight at the Wileman Brothers and Elliott Plant on Ave. 400 and Road
128 in Cutler.A Hazmat team, fire crews, and Sheriff's Deputies were
at the scene Saturday morning. Road blocks were set up near the plant to
keep people away from the dangerous gas. Deputies say the plant was
empty when the leak was reported.Ammonia can irritate the
eyes, nose, and throat.So authorities are advising people in the area to
stay inside, close their doors and windows, and turn-off their air
conditioning.The cause of the leak is still under
investigation.-----------------------EDISON
STATE CHARLOTTE COUNTY CAMPUS REOPENS FOLLOWING HAZMAT SCARE, http://www.news-press.com/article/20110701/NE
WS0121/110701013/Edison-State-Charlotte-County-campus-reopens-following-ha
zmat-scare?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CHomeCharlotte
County Fire and Emergency Services responded today to an acid spill at
the Charlotte County campus of Edison State College.Fire
department spokeswoman Dee Hawkins said a bottle of hydrochloric acid
fell and broke while Edison State College staff were moving
cabinets.Edison staff evacuated the building as a precautionary
measure and called emergency crews.There were no reported
injuries during the incident, which occurred around 9:28
a.m.A health sciences building was evacuated as a hazmat
crew responded to clean up the spill.No
students were inside the room when the spill occurred.One class
that was supposed to be held in the building was moved, but no other
classes were impacted.The acid has been cleaned, and the building has been
reopened.-----------------------MAN FOUND
DEAD IN CAR AT GARVIN PLACE COULD BE LOUISVILLE'S FIRST CHEMICAL
SUICIDE, http://www.courier-journal.com/
article/20110701/NEWS01/307010084/All-clear-given-after-hazmat-situation-G
arvin-Place-man-found-dead-car?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CLocal%20Ne
wsLouisville officials believe they=92ve seen the city=92s
first case of chemical suicide after an incident in Old Louisville in
which a man was found dead in a car Friday afternoon.About
12:30 p.m., Louisville Metro Police officers were called to the 1100
block of Garvin Place on reports of a suspicious vehicle that seemed to
have an unresponsive man inside, said Officer Carey Klain, a department
spokeswoman.When officers approached the car, they found a note on
it that warned there were hazardous materials inside and urging people
to =93use caution.=94At that point, officers notified Louisville Fire
& Rescue to ask for a hazardous materials team to respond to the
scene.Because of the note, officials warned residents within
30 feet of the car to remain inside until firefighters could secure the
scene and make sure any risk was eliminated.It took
until about 2:30 p.m. for firefighters to safely enter the car. They
found a man, believed to be in his 30s, along with some household
chemicals inside the car.Firefighters were able to neutralize the chemicals,
said Capt. Sal Melendez, a fire spokesman.Homicide
detectives are investigating the case as a death
investigation.Klain said while this type of suicide has not been
seen in Louisville before, other law enforcement agencies across the
country have seen similar cases.Deputy Chief Jacob Oreshan
of the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control has been
tracking cases of chemical suicides nationally since 2008. Last year,
there were 36 chemical suicides logged, but since January Oreshan said
there have been at least 27, not counting Friday=92s in
Louisville.=93It=92s just gaining in popularity,=94 Oreshan said,
fueled in part by more information becoming available about the practice
via media reports and the Internet.-----------------------FIRE BREAKS OUT AT HEMLOCK
SEMICONDUCTOR, htt
p://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/story.aspx?id=636122HEMLOCK
-- A small fire broke out at Hemlock Semiconductor Friday morning,
releasing chemicals into the air and injuring one
person.Local residents say the siren went off at 6:15
a.m. Around 7:20 a.m. they received a call from 911, informing
them of an incident at the plant. About a half an hour later,
dispatchers reported that the danger had passed.Thomas
Township Fire Officials say there was a small chemical
release. The cloud went from the building and blew in the northwest
direction. The officials say the chemicals have moved
out of the area since, and are no longer dangerous.One
Hemlock Semiconductor employee is being treated for smoke
inhalation.The fire was caused by a chemical leak in the
building.Fire officials also say there was another, unrelated
incident at Dow Corning. Spokespeople are not yet releasing the
details concerning that incident yet.-----------------------FOUL SMELL CAUSES EVACUATION
OF CU-BOULDER ENGINEERING BUILDING, http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_18387842?source=most_emailedThe engineering building at the University of Colorado
was briefly evacuated Friday morning after a sulphur-based chemical
leaked out of a containment box, causing a foul smell in a
laboratory.The incident, which initially was described on police
radio traffic as a small explosion, was actually just a leak of a
non-hazardous chemical, said Brandon Boger, associate director of
environmental health and safety at CU.Some
researchers were doing an experiment involving a thiol-class chemical in
a containment box a little before 10 a.m. when they noticed a strong
smell of rotten eggs, Boger said.They followed standard
procedure in any chemical leak by pulling the fire
alarm.The building at 1111 Engineering Drive was briefly
evacuated.-----------------------MINOR
CHEMICAL SPILL CLEARS BROWN LAB AT PURDUE, http://www.jconline.com/article/20110702/NEWS09/110702004/Mino
r-chemical-spill-clears-Brown-Lab-Purdue?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7
CFRONTPAGE%7CpA minor chemical spill forced the evacuation of the
Brown Laboratory of Chemistry at Purdue early this
afternoon.Students working in a lab there heard a container
inside a refrigerator explode and pulled the fire alarm as they exited
the building, said Carol Shelby, director of environmental health and
public safety on campus.Crews from the Purdue fire department and the
Tippecanoe County Emergency Management Agency's hazardous materials unit
responded and were still investigating the spill as of 2 p.m. The
incident was reported around 12:30 p.m.Shelby
said there were no injuries reported. She said responders donned full
hazmat suits while investigating and clearing the scene just in case
there were additional chemical reactions.The
container explosion may have been caused by humidity, Shelby said, but
it seemed to be an isolated incident.