From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (9 articles)
Date: March 5, 2012 8:52:52 AM EST
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, March 5, 2012 8:52:36 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 (9 articles)

UPDATE: FUEL SPILL TIES UP TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 5 IN VALENCIA
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, petroleum

HAZMAT TEAMS CONTAIN LEAK AT DUPO RAIL YARD
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, hydrofluoric_acid

POLICE, FBI IN MERCURY PROBE
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, response, illegal, mercury

ABBOTSFORD POLICE RESPOND TO POSSIBLE CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

LORAIN COUNTY MAN, 50, IS ARRESTED FOR OFFICE EXPLOSION THAT INJURED HIM; POLICE SEARCH HOUSE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives, illegal

MERCURY SPILL AT HOSPITAL CAFETERIA
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, mercury

FUMES SPARK EMERGENCY EVACUATION
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

CLEANING CHEMICAL FUMES PROMPT SD HOTEL EVACUATION
Tags: us_SD, public, release, injury, cleaners

UPDATE: VICTIMS IN SEWAGE PLANT EXPLOSION 'CRITICAL'
Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, injury, methane


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UPDATE: FUEL SPILL TIES UP TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 5 IN VALENCIA
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/61112/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, petroleum

The southbound Interstate 5 at McBean Parkway was closed temporarily Sunday after a truck containing fuel overturned on the freeway, according to officials.

For an unsubstantiated reason, a 2000 Freightliner truck crashed into an embankment and overturned, coming to a rest on its left side at about 1 p.m. according to a statement for the California Highway Patrol. The highly pressurized liquid-petroleum-gas tank it was pulling released some of its contents in gas form.

California Highway Patrol officers, Los Angeles County firefighters and hazmat trucks responded to the crash, and closed Interstate 5 for 50 minutes, Officer Tatiana Sauquillo said.

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HAZMAT TEAMS CONTAIN LEAK AT DUPO RAIL YARD
http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/308050/3/Hazmat-teams-contain-leak-at-Dupo-rail-yard
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, hydrofluoric_acid

Dupo, IL (KSDK) --The St. Clair County hazmat team was called to a Dupo rail yard Sunday to clean up chemicals leaking from a Union Pacific rail car.

Crews thought they had stopped the leak on Saturday but it started up again overnight.

The car was leaking hydrogen fluoride, which can be dangerous if it's released in a cloud or comes in contact with the skin.

Dupo Mayor Ron Dell says there was no need to worry. But he is concerned about how long it took Union Pacific hazmat crews to notify Dupo police.

"There was about an hour and a half to two hour lapse before we found out about it," said mayor Dell. "We want to meet with the railroad to find out why we weren't notified originally."

The leak has been sealed. The chemicals were moved to another container.

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POLICE, FBI IN MERCURY PROBE
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Police-FBI-in-mercury-probe-3381305.php
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, response, illegal, mercury

ALBANY Ñ City police are treating the discovery of mercury in Albany Medical Center's cafeteria as a criminal matter, saying there is a possibility that the toxic metal was intentionally placed in the hospital's food.

The criminal investigation, which is being aided by State Police and the FBI, began Friday night, when a hospital employee found a tiny metal ball on her food tray that was tested and found to be mercury, said Officer James Miller, a city police spokesman.

The cafeteria was quickly closed as a hospital's hazmat team combed the room, where they found more minuscule balls of mercury in food containers and other portions of the cafeteria, Miller said.

Miller could not say how much mercury was found, but said the fact that the rare metal was found in the food is the reason why law enforcement is considering that the chemical was specifically placed there.

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ABBOTSFORD POLICE RESPOND TO POSSIBLE CHEMICAL LEAK
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Abbotsford+police+respond+possible+chemical+leak/6248921/story.html
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Abbotsford police and firefighters were called to the Fraser Valley Inn early this morning after staff reported a strong chemical smell in parts of the building.

The problem was a leak in the heating, air conditioning and ventilation unit, said acting Sgt. Kim Jones of the Abbotsford police. Fire officials stayed onsite until a refrigeration company had the leak repaired.

There were reports that two people were taken to hospital and two drove themselves to hospital, but Jones said she was not able to confirm those details.

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LORAIN COUNTY MAN, 50, IS ARRESTED FOR OFFICE EXPLOSION THAT INJURED HIM; POLICE SEARCH HOUSE
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/03/lorain_county_man_50_is_arrest.html
Tags: us_OH, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives, illegal

ELYRIA, Ohio -- A 50-year-old Lorain County man was jailed for arson on Saturday for an explosion that injured him in his Elyria office on Friday.
Police said Robert Shaw of LaGrange was mixing chemicals to build exploding targets for firearm target practice when one blew up around 9 a.m. in the office at Diamond Products on Prospect Avenue.
He was treated for burns on his face and arms and held overnight for observation at MetroHealth Medical Center before being arrested on suspicion of aggravated arson.
No one else was injured and damage was limited to the office, police said. Diamond Products, a tool-making business that does not work with explosives, was evacuated for several hours while Elyria police, the Elyria Fire Department, the Lorain County Bomb Squad and agents from the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms examined the scene.
Elyria police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub said a search of Shaw's pickup truck turned up more chemicals and an unspecified firearm. Other unidentified powders and liquids were found in his home on Whitney Road.
Shaw's wife and daughter were evacuated as a precaution, Eichenlaub said at a press conference with the FBI on Saturday afternoon.
Whitney Road remained closed at Ohio 301 while a search continued by local, county and federal authorities. The 52nd Civil Support Group of the Ohio National Guard, experts in explosives, set up their mobile lab at the rural house.
Shaw is licensed to carry a concealed weapon. He has no criminal background or known association with a terrorist group, Eichenlaub said.

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MERCURY SPILL AT HOSPITAL CAFETERIA
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Mercury-spill-at-hospital-cafeteria-3378667.php
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, mercury

ALBANY Ñ Police are investigating a mercury spill at the Albany Medical Center cafeteria, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The spill happened Friday afternoon, and police are investigating how mercury wound up in the hospital cafeteria in the first place.

Sue Ford, an Albany Medical Center spokeswoman, said it is unclear how or where in the cafeteria the mercury was discovered, but the hospital's trained Hazmat team responded immediately upon notification and is continuing to work with authorities to investigate.

The cafeteria will remain closed pending further investigation.

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

FUMES SPARK EMERGENCY EVACUATION
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21006840681872/
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Fire Recue and Hazmat crews responded to a building that caused two employees to feel ill.

Officials said employees were forced out of a uniform business after gas took over the building near Northwest 27th Avenue and 60th Street, Friday morning.

Crews treated two people on the scene, while Hazmat crews searched for the source of the gas.

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CLEANING CHEMICAL FUMES PROMPT SD HOTEL EVACUATION
http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15807&Itemid=57
Tags: us_SD, public, release, injury, cleaners

Fumes from cleaning chemicals that were accidently mixed together prompted the evacuation of a hotel on a Sioux Falls hospital complex.

Crews blocked off the street outside the Center Inn early Friday and vented the fumes out of the building on the Avera McKennan Hospital campus. The Center Inn is a hotel for patients' families.

One person suffered respiratory problems but recovered.

Fire Department Battalion Chief Travis Thom says a maintenance crew mixed bleach and acid in a laundry room.

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

UPDATE: VICTIMS IN SEWAGE PLANT EXPLOSION 'CRITICAL'
http://www.wkbn.com/mostpopular/story/Update-Victims-in-Sewage-Plant-Explosion-Critical/xu8rvpK9a022B3tLwaH93g.cspx
Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, injury, methane

Two maintenance workers injured in a Thursday afternoon explosion at the Struthers wastewater treatment plant were listed in "critical" condition as of Friday morning.

Kenny Stiver, a 20-year employee, and Gary Wilson, who was hired in 2006, were air lifted to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh following the explosion. Officials said Wilson had burns on more than 90 percent of his body.

The explosion, which Struthers Fire Chief Gary Mudryk said likely was caused by methane gas, happened around 2:30 p.m.

Fire crews from Struthers and Western Reserve Joint Fire District both responded to the call.

Mudryk said Wilson and Stiver were working in an older part of the facility adjacent to the dome at the plant. He said that section of the plant will remain closed until further notice, but the rest of the plant is still operating.

In 2011, the plant debuted a $5 million generator that converts methane gas into electricity and natural gas. Workers said that newer area of the plant is not where the explosion occurred.

The state fire marshal's office is investigating Thursday's incident, as well as OSHA. Officials are hoping to determine the cause by late next week. Insurance adjusters have been at the plant, trying to determine the extent of the damage.

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