From: Ralph Stuart <rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**ME.COM>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (24 articles)
Date: April 13, 2012 8:05:14 AM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <52617EF5-3222-4A0A-A21E-31CCC57C84E6**At_Symbol_Here**me.com>

Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 13, 2012 8:01:57 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 (24 articles)

TORONTO NEWS: POLICE BOMB UNIT REMOVES EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL FROM BACKYARD AT FORMER HOME OF ÔG20 GEEK' BYRON SONNE
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, response, explosives

3 CHILDREN HOSPITALIZED AFTER VAPOR LEAK AT GYM
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid

CLOGGED TOILET CREATES HAZMAT INCIDENT IN BRICK
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, bleach, sulfuric_acid

ONTARIO POLICE, FIRE PREPARE TO DETONATE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

UNIVERSITY AVERTS HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_VA, education, discovery, response, waste

CREWS MONITOR POTENTIAL HAZMAT SITUATION IN GEISMAR
Tags: us_LA, transportation, discovery, response, other_chemical

CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT SCENE IN IOW
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, bleach

CHEMICAL REACTION AT FAIRFIELD FACTORY FORCES EVACUATION
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, chlorine, metals

GM EMPLOYEE INJURED IN BATTERY LAB EXPLOSION EXPECTED TO STAY IN HOSPITAL ANOTHER DAY
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, batteries

WBTV 3 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS, AND TRAFFIC FOR CHARLOTTE, NC
Tags: us_NC, industrial, explosion, injury, paints

STUDENT INJURED IN MINOR CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT MILILANI HIGH
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, explosion, injury, methanol

DEADLY MIX EASY TO FIND ONLINE
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, follow-up, death, sodium_azide, suicide

JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES AGAINST DONALD HAUGEN
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, follow-up, response

NEW PROTOCOL FOR DEALING WITH METH SUSPECTS WHO'VE BEEN ARRESTED
Tags: us_OH, public, release, injury, meth_lab

CHLORINE SPILL AT NEWBURGH FREE ACADEMY
Tags: us_NY, education, release, injury, pool_chemicals

TORONTO NEWS: SECOND MERCURY SPILL DISCOVERED IN PICKERING
Tags: Canada, education, release, response, mercury

METH TRASH FOUND ALONG ROAD POSES CLEANUP DILEMMA FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES LACKING TRAINING
Tags: us_IN, public, discovery, environmental, meth_lab, waste

ARRAIGNMENT DELAYED AGAIN IN FATAL UCLA LAB FIRE
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death

HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL REACTION IN CARLSBAD
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN KATHWADA
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, solvent

TWO BOUNTIFUL HIGH STUDENTS ARRESTED AFTER HOMEMADE BOMBS EXPLODE
Tags: us_UT, education, explosion, response, bomb, hydrochloric_acid

STUDENT HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION ON UC CAMPUS
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, explosion, injury, toxics

METH LAB FOUND IN WALMART IN BOAZ ALABAMA
Tags: us_AL, public, discovery, response, meth_lab

PROTOTYPE BATTERY BLAMED IN EXPLOSION AT GM'S TECH CENTER
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, explosion, injury, batteries


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

TORONTO NEWS: POLICE BOMB UNIT REMOVES EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL FROM BACKYARD AT FORMER HOME OF ÔG20 GEEK' BYRON SONNE
http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/1156595--forest-hill-homes-evacuated-after-suspicious-package-found
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, response, explosives

Police have removed what they say is explosive material from the backyard of the former Forest Hill home of Byron Sonne, the so-called "G20 geek," nearly two years after his arrest for allegedly possessing explosives.

Closing arguments in Sonne's trial ended Monday and it is unclear what effect, if any, this new evidence will have in the case, or if the Crown can lay new charges.

Toronto police, including members of the Explosive Disposal Unit, firefighters and ambulance were called early Wednesday to a Forest Hill home near Bathurst St. and Eglinton Ave., the house Sonne once shared with his now estranged wife. She still lives there, according to neighbours.

Toronto police investigator Tam Bui said investigators went to the home to follow up on evidence that came out in Sonne's trial.

The trial heard that during an online chat May 29, 2010, Sonne talked about a "storage magazine'' buried in the shady part of the backyard of the home, "sealed and hidden'' and containing potassium chlorate.

Potassium chlorate can be used to make both explosives and propellants for rockets, his trial heard.

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

3 CHILDREN HOSPITALIZED AFTER VAPOR LEAK AT GYM
http://www.ksat.com/news/3-children-hospitalized-after-vapor-leak-at-gym/-/478452/10685926/-/3uckj3z/-/
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid

SAN ANTONIO -
Three children were sent to the hospital following a hydrochloric acid vapor leak at a Northwest Side fitness club Thursday evening.

Hazmat crews were called the Spectrum Fitness Club in the 11700 block of Bandera Road after the children and three other teens began complaining of burning eyes, coughing and throat irritation in the pool area.

Fire officials say the vapor leak was caused by an apparent malfunction with a pump attached to a container with the hydrochloric acid.

The three children were taken to the hospital for treatment. The teens were treated at the scene.

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

CLOGGED TOILET CREATES HAZMAT INCIDENT IN BRICK
http://www.app.com/article/20120412/NJNEWS/304120104/Clogged-toilet-creates-Hazmat-incident-Brick?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, bleach, sulfuric_acid

BRICK Ñ Emergency crews responded Thursday morning to a Reedy Drive home for a report of a house that had become filled with fumes.

The culprit: a clogged commode.

The resident of the home, 74-year-old Robert Byrne, had poured bleach into a stopped-up toilet in his upstairs bathroom the previous night, according to Capt. John E. Rein Jr. of the township police. Noticing Thursday morning that the bleach didn't do the trick, Byrne dumped sulfuric acid into the toilet.

The chemical mixture set off an alarming reaction, causing a foam buildup and fumes to fill the home, Rein said. The fumes caused Byrne breathing difficulties and he was sent to Ocean Medical Center in town for treatment. His dog, too, was affected by the exposure and was turned over to a relative, Rein said.

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

ONTARIO POLICE, FIRE PREPARE TO DETONATE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_20382726/ontario-police-fire-prepare-detonate-hazardous-materials
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

Ontario fire and police departments have responded to a hazardous material call at a business complex in the 200 block of Milliken Avenue.
About 30 personnel from Ontario police and fire, hazmat and San Bernardino County hazardous material team are on scene and have evacuated the business. No injuries have been reported.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m. fire officials said they would be detonating the control material in the next half hour. While the explosion will cause a loud noise, officials said there was no danger to the surrounding areas.

Ontario fire officials are still trying to determine the composition of the materials, said Jacob Green with Ontario Fire Department.

Green said fire officials also still don't have details about the materials used by the business.

Businesses in the area reported receiving automated messages from the Fire Department informing them of the activity.

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

UNIVERSITY AVERTS HAZMAT SITUATION
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2012/04/14/breaking-university-averts-hazmat-situation/
Tags: us_VA, education, discovery, response, waste

he Charlottesville Fire and Rescue HAZMAT squad responded to a potential HAZMAT situation Thursday afternoon at 3:20 p.m. on McCormick Road outside the University Chapel, before declaring the scene all clear about an hour later.

University spokesperson Carol Wood said a student placed an emergency call after he discovered an abandoned biohazard bag on a University Transit Service bus and thought it might contain contaminants or other dangerous materials.

"We were thinking there might be a potential HAZMAT situation," she said. "They have since determined it was just a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in the bag."

Charlottesville Police Chief Charles Werner said the use of the biohazard bag was "inappropriate," but said it ultimately posed no risk to health. "It was just because of the nature of the biohazard bag which made [the situation a cause] of concern," he said.

Werner said the HAZMAT team gave the bag to University Environmental Health and Safety, which disposed of the contents.

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

CREWS MONITOR POTENTIAL HAZMAT SITUATION IN GEISMAR
http://www.wafb.com/story/17401274/crews-monitor-potential-hazmat-in-geismar
Tags: us_LA, transportation, discovery, response, other_chemical

GEISMAR, LA (WAFB) -

Hazardous materials teams from the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Department and Louisiana State Police are monitoring a potential situation at Trimac Transportation on Highway 30 in Geismar.

Chief Deputy Tony Bacala with the Ascension Sheriff's Office says the hazmat crews have been staged on the trucking service property since Wednesday. Bacala says a tanker truck carrying acrylic acid is registering "too hot." If the acid gets to a certain high temperature, there is potential for an explosion.

Trimac spokesman Neil Voorhees says crews are waiting for the acrylic acid to stabilize, at which time they will introduce an inhibitor. Voorhees says some equipment and a limited number employees are still working at the facility.

Bacala also says there is no immediate danger, and that he does not anticipate a problem. He says the hazmat crews are there as a precaution, and will likely be there for another 24 hours

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

CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT SCENE IN IOW
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/crews-respond-to-hazmat-scene-in-iow
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, bleach

SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY) - Isle of Wight emergency crews responded to a HAZMAT situation in the 1400 block of South Church Street in Smithfield on April 12.

Chief Chase with IOW Emergency Management says a container of bleach vented off because of too much pressure in a 55-gallon drum barrel. Employees smelled a strong aroma of bleach in the air.

EMS and fire crews were notified and occupants were removed from the building.

Chase says there were no injuries and no fire hazard, but crews monitored the situation until the HAZMAT team arrived to remove the container.

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

CHEMICAL REACTION AT FAIRFIELD FACTORY FORCES EVACUATION
http://www.ctpost.com/policereports/article/Gas-leak-forces-evacuation-3477382.php
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, chlorine, metals

FAIRFIELD -- A chlorine-based chemical was released from a Commerce Drive metal-processing business Thursday morning, triggering a hazmat response by emergency services, forcing the building to be evacuated and shutting down several nearby roads.

There were a few tense moments immediately after fumes were first reported to be wafting from the building at 10:35 a.m. at 515 Commerce Drive. Anticipating the fumes could be toxic, fire officials took precautions and ordered people out of the area.

But less than an hour later, Deputy Fire Chief Art Reid said the fumes from processing the chemical, gallium trichloride, were not considered toxic because of the small amounts released.

The incident took place at 5NPlus, a custom manufacturer of metals previously known as Metalspecialties, at 515 Commerce Drive.

"There was an over-pressurization of this chemical, and when this situation occurs it releases the excess into the atmosphere. It is an intentional process and last done last year," Reid said. "They are working at this time to cut it off and hope to have that done within an hour."

Roger Ngassan, general manager at 5NPlus, said as soon as the alarm sounded, employees left the building, as called for in the company's safety plan. It worked, he said, "perfectly."

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

GM EMPLOYEE INJURED IN BATTERY LAB EXPLOSION EXPECTED TO STAY IN HOSPITAL ANOTHER DAY
http://www.freep.com/article/20120412/BUSINESS0101/120412027/1205/business01/GM-employee-injured-battery-lab-explosion-expected-stay-hospital-another-day
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, batteries

General Motors employee who was seriously injured in a battery lab explosion Wednesday is expected to stay in the hospital for another day, a spokesman said this morning.

The unidentified man was taken to a St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit after chemical gases ignited during battery tests Wednesday morning at the GM Technical Center in Warren.

GM spokesman Alan Adler confirmed that the injured man would stay at the hospital today but did not have any more details.

The battery lab sustained "significant" structural damage and equipment was also damaged in the blast, a fire department official said.

GM said the Alternative Energy Center, where the explosion occurred, would be open today - except for the battery lab and nearby offices.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the explosion involved batteries manufactured by A123 Systems for the forthcoming electric version of the Chevrolet Spark.

GM declined to confirm the source of the battery that was involved in the incident.

A123 has come under scrutiny after reporting manufacturing defects in batteries delivered to electric vehicle start-up Fisker Automotive.

But GM has said researchers put batteries through rigorous stress tests - and analysts said accidents weren't altogether uncommon in the early days of a new technology.

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

WBTV 3 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS, AND TRAFFIC FOR CHARLOTTE, NC
http://www.wbtv.com/story/17396532/explosion-reporter-at-caldwell-county-finishing-plant
Tags: us_NC, industrial, explosion, injury, paints

HUDSON, NC (WBTV) - At least person was injured in a furniture finishing plant explosion Thursday afternoon.

The incident was reported just before 3 p.m. at the RPM Chemical Coatings plant on U.S. 321 in Hudson, according to emergency officials.
....
Hudson Fire Chief Tommy Courtner said the fire happened at 2:29 p.m. and firefighters had it under control in about 30 minutes.

The fire started when a worker was mixing chemicals in the paint and coating tank when there was a flash.

All 250 people working in the plant were evacuated as a precaution, Courtner said.

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

STUDENT INJURED IN MINOR CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT MILILANI HIGH
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/147246395.html
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, explosion, injury, methanol

16-year-old boy was taken to Straub Clinic and Hospital just before noon today following a minor explosion in a Mililani High School chemistry classroom.

A teacher was conducting an experiment with methanal when a chemical flash explosion happened in the boy's face, an Emergency Medical Service spokesman said. Paramedics took the boy to the hospital in serious condition. The incident occurred at 11:35 a.m.

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

DEADLY MIX EASY TO FIND ONLINE
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220411deadly_mix_easy_to_find_online_suspected_in_student_suicide/
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, follow-up, death, sodium_azide, suicide

The toxic chemical that authorities say a Boston University doctoral student may have ingested when she apparently committed suicide at her South End flat is cheap and available with just a few clicks of a mouse, according to a toxicologist who says sodium azide is in the "same class" as the cyanide suicide concoctions that have sparked similar haz-mat responses in recent years.

"It's easy to obtain," said Roger W. Giese, a professor of chemistry and biomedical science at Northeastern University. The chemical is used as a preservative in laboratories but could also be purchased online, he said. "It's inexpensive, it's water soluble. It's salt, like sodium chloride. ... And it doesn't take very much" to be lethal.

BU officials said they're probing whether the 25-year-old woman, a third-year student in the medical school's pharmacology program, had ingested a chemical from one of their laboratories. The woman on Monday night was taken to Boston Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Police said they found what appeared to be a suicide note and a relative told them she suffered from depression.

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

JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES AGAINST DONALD HAUGEN
http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2012/apr/12/judge-dismisses-charges-against-donald-haugen/
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, follow-up, response

KALAMAZOO (WKZO) -- A judge has dismissed two charges against a Texas Township man who used his residential property on O Ave. to store thousands of containers of lab wastes in 500 steel drums. The Judge felt the charges, releasing a hazardous chemical, were inappropriate.

Some of the waste was toxic, some of it was caustic and some of it was radioactive. The Judge ruled that no case was made that the neighbors were in any danger because of the chemicals.

A fire believed to be sparked by a chemical reaction exposed the situation to authorities in 2008.

It's not known if prosecutors will file new charges, but it's a possibility.

The EPA and DEQ thought the situation was dangerous enough in 2008 to initiate an emergency remedial cleanup and extensive testing of the groundwater.

It also sparked a great deal of concern from neighbors, fearful that their water wells might be contaminated by the wastes.

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

NEW PROTOCOL FOR DEALING WITH METH SUSPECTS WHO'VE BEEN ARRESTED
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/5177676
Tags: us_OH, public, release, injury, meth_lab

WOOSTER -- After two deputies became sick after a January meth lab bust in Orrville, law enforcement officers now handle suspects differently.

Medway Drug Enforcement Agency and five area law enforcement agencies participated in a raid on a large-scale methamphetamine lab operating at 861 McGill St., Orrville.

A couple of deputies who were transporting the suspects started suffering from headaches, and they became a little nauseated, Medway Director Dave Smith said. He believes they were overcome by fumes coming off of the clothing of the suspects, he added.

The chemicals used to make methamphetamines are extremely dangerous, said Rittman Sgt. Robert Shows, who was involved in the January bust (he was not among those who were overcome by fumes). "Everything in it is flammable, carcinogenic or explosive," he said.

So, the new policy requires the suspects to be stripped out of their clothes and placed in jumpsuits.

"It keeps our transporting officers safer," Sheriff Thomas G. Maurer said.

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

CHLORINE SPILL AT NEWBURGH FREE ACADEMY
http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/580178/chlorine-spill-at-newburgh-free-academy/
Tags: us_NY, education, release, injury, pool_chemicals

NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- Hazmat crews cleaned up a large chlorine spill at a school in Newburgh at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Fire officials said workers were changing a pump for the swimming pool at Newburgh Free Academy when a valve broke. About 150 gallons of chlorine spilled into the building.

Hazmat crews from Orange County and West Point were called in to help remove the liquid. Normally, the school would have been filled with kids, but the schedule prevented that.

"Fortunately no kids in the school, this week was spring break, so it really reduced the size of the problem here today," said Newburgh Fire Chief Michael Vatter.

Three of the maintenance workers were taken to the hospital for evaluation for chlorine inhalation.

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

TORONTO NEWS: SECOND MERCURY SPILL DISCOVERED IN PICKERING
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1159694--second-mercury-spill-discovered-in-pickering
Tags: Canada, education, release, response, mercury

or the second time this week, Hazmat teams in Pickering have removed mercury that was discovered in areas where children play.

On Wednesday morning, a mercury "spill" - from a cracked vial - was found in a Dumpster on the property of Holy Redeemer Catholic elementary school on Liverpool Rd. in Pickering, said Sgt. Nancy van Rooy of Durham Regional Police. Mercury was also found on a utility pole on nearby Luna Crt.

The school did not have to be evacuated and no one was exposed to the mercury, van Rooy said.

On Monday, the Hazmat team was called in when a citizen reported that children had been in contact with a suspicious substance on a playground slide at Kinsmen Park, on Sandy Beach Rd., not far from Lake Ontario. The park remains closed.

A small plastic vial was found empty and the substance was tested and confirmed as mercury.

No one was injured in either incident.

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

METH TRASH FOUND ALONG ROAD POSES CLEANUP DILEMMA FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES LACKING TRAINING
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/01b5f95a469e4f9a9826cf3d05a620f5/IN--Exchange-Meth-Trash/
Tags: us_IN, public, discovery, environmental, meth_lab, waste

ELKHART, Ind. Ñ Trash bags on the edge of the road may not be dirty diapers and food scraps. As city officials and a volunteer at the Elkhart Environmental Center found out recently, it could be the remnants of a meth lab.

And local police and firefighters don't have the training to clean them up.

City Councilman Ron Troyer was driving around his district March 27 with the new community affairs officer at the Elkhart Police Department, Sgt. Wayne Bias. Among things they looked at was trash dumped along the side of Perkins Street on city property at the Elkhart Environmental Center.

A number of trash bags and tires sat just below and within 15 feet of a sign that warns of a $2,500 fine for dumping trash, Troyer said.

The Elkhart Street Department was asked to pick up the trash, but Commissioner Marty Morgan told Troyer it was determined the trash was actually meth trash and it was tagged with yellow ribbons to be picked up by the Indiana State Police, which has a special unit to dispose of meth labs.

The remains included tubing, tin foil, pseudoephedrine, bottles with liquid in them and cakes of white powder residue, Assistant Police Chief Tim Balyeat said.

"The police department is not trained, is not equipped and does not have the storage facilities" to deal with meth labs, he said.

More than 10 days later Ñ the bags were still there, Troyer said.

Mayor Dick Moore's office ordered the materials cleaned up, Balyeat said. A short time later, the Elkhart Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Team was in special suits and respiratory protection containing the bags.

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

ARRAIGNMENT DELAYED AGAIN IN FATAL UCLA LAB FIRE
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/arraignment-delayed-again-in-fatal-ucla-lab-fire.html
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Wednesday granted a third Ñ and final Ñ defense request to delay the arraignment of a UCLA chemistry professor and the UC Board of Regents on felony charges stemming from a 2008 lab fire that killed a staff research assistant.

Judge Shelly Torrealba ordered professor Patrick Harran and lawyers for the regents back into court June 7, effectively setting a deadline for them to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges in the death of Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji.

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

HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL REACTION IN CARLSBAD
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/HAZMAT-Reponds-Carlsbad-147081495.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

Hazmat crews responded to reports of possible hazardous materials at a building in Carlsbad Wednesday afternoon.

According to Carlsbad Fire, they received a call around 3:10 p.m. about a possible combination of dangerous chemicals at a building on 3305 Tyler St. The building once housed K & K Laboratories, a vitamin factory that closed down about two years ago, according to authorities.

Carlsbad Fire said a cleaning company had been cleaning out old products in the building when an unknown solid and liquid accidentally combined, causing a violent reaction that sparked heat.

Police said there were around 10 people in the building at the time of the incident. The people inside evacuated the building and called 9-1-1.

No injuries have been reported, but it is still unclear if someone physically came into contact with the potentially harmful chemicals that combined.

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

FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN KATHWADA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_fire-at-chemical-factory-in-kathwada_1674851
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, solvent

Fire broke out at a chemical factory and its storage godown in Kathwada GIDC near Odhav on Wednesday. The fire caused widespread damage in the factory as sudden blasts in barrels filled with solvent and other chemicals took place. The solvents are used as raw material to make varnish.

The chemical factory, in Annapurna Estate, Kathwada GIDC, that caught fire was owned by Vinay Goswami. The cause of the fire is unknown as it broke out at 2pm, and in minutes spread to the other parts of the factory. The fire officials, after being informed about the incident, reached the spot with 11 fire fighting vehicles, only to learn that 20 more fire fighting vehicles were required to douse the fire.

As the fire officials started to douse the fire with water and chemical foam, blasts in a few barrels containing chemicals took place. This caused injury to two volunteers including Firoz Shaikh and Ashish Mishra. Both were sent to Shardaben Hospital for treatment.

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

TWO BOUNTIFUL HIGH STUDENTS ARRESTED AFTER HOMEMADE BOMBS EXPLODE
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53892630-78/bombs-bountiful-koehn-police.html.csp
Tags: us_UT, education, explosion, response, bomb, hydrochloric_acid

Two students were arrested Wednesday after Bountiful police said they detonated four small homemade bombs around the city, including one inside their high school.

Bountiful police Sgt. Gary Koehn said the detonation of the small chemical bomb at Bountiful High School was one of four that occurred about 8:20 a.m. No one was injured and no property damage was reported.

Koehn said the other three bombs, one of which went off in a church parking lot about a block away, exploded in the neighborhoods surrounding the high school.

Koehn said the students Ñ a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man Ñ said they tossed the bombs at random because they wanted to "hear the loud boom." He said the two didn't intend to hurt anyone.

The bombs were constructed from several household items combined in a plastic water bottle, Koehn said. He said the homemade devices spewed hydrochloric acid and created loud bangs.

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

STUDENT HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION ON UC CAMPUS
http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_central_cincinnati/clifton/student-hospitalized-after-chemical-explosion-on-uc-campus
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, explosion, injury, toxics

CINCINNATI - A University of Cincinnati student is in the hospital Wednesday morning after a toxic chemical explosion on campus overnight.

Police say a female student was working with a toxic chemical alone at the engineering building located at 2901 Woodside Place around 1 a.m. when a reaction caused an explosion. The student was working on a process known as aluminum etching when the reaction caused an explosion and sprayed very dangerous chemicals all over the lab and on the student.

Officials say the student wore protective gear at the time of the explosion, but the gear was still covered in the chemical. When she tried to take the protective wear off, some of chemical got on her arms and caused them to burn.

Emergency crews transported the student to the hospital where she was treated, but is being kept for observation because the chemical is slow reacting.

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

METH LAB FOUND IN WALMART IN BOAZ ALABAMA
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/04/11/meth-lab-found-in-walmart-in-boaz-alabama/
Tags: us_AL, public, discovery, response, meth_lab

Police in Boaz, Alabama, discovered a meth lab in a Walmart ladies' bathroom.

Police Chief Terry Davis said maintenance workers cleaning the bathroom discovered a one-pot meth lab. The device or pot consisted of a Nestle water bottle. Found with the bottle were five packets of pseudoephedrine, a main component of methamphetamine.

Investigators are working with store security teams to analyze security footage to pinpoint a suspect, he said. So-called shake-and-bake meth labs require few ingredients to make a few grams of meth. The shopping list: drain cleaner, lithium batteries and decongestants found in common cold medicines such as Sudafed. All of these items may be found easily at stores, including Walmart, Davis said.

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

PROTOTYPE BATTERY BLAMED IN EXPLOSION AT GM'S TECH CENTER
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120411/AUTO0103/204110389/Prototype-battery-blamed-explosion-GM-s-Tech-Center?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, explosion, injury, batteries

WarrenÑ General Motors Co. said a Wednesday incident at a battery lab in the General Motors Technical Center that seriously injured one person was unrelated to the Chevrolet Volt or any other production vehicle, but was related to "extreme testing on a prototype battery."

Four others were evaluated after reports of a lithium battery exploding at a battery research lab at the GM Tech Center.

"We are aware of an incident this morning about 8:45 a.m. in one of the laboratories at the Alternative Energy Center at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Mich.," GM said in a release. "Fire and emergency authorities were called to the scene. The building was evacuated. All employees have been accounted for. We are aware of five employees being evaluated on scene by medical personal and only one employee is being further treated.

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