From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: June 6, 2012 7:34:08 AM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, June 6, 2012 7:33:48 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
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Table of Contents (13 articles)

FIRE HITS WASHINGTON STATE VETERINARY SCHOOL
Tags: us_WA, education, fire, response, unknown_chemical

MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S BOMB SQUAD RESPONDS TO MINI METH LAB IN A COOLER
Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, response, bomb, meth_lab

HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES SCOTTSDALE REHAB CENTER
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide

CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES ROADS
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ammonia

ACID LEAK REPORTED AT CLAYTON PLANT :: WRAL.COM
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

CREWS FIGHT FIRE AT PROPET
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, dust

POSSIBLE PESTICIDE EXPOSURE LEAVES FOUR RESIDENTS SICK
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, ag_chems, pesticides

POSSIBLE HAZMAT SITUATION AT NAVAL RESEARCH LAB
Tags: us_DC, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical

FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE SERIOUS BLAZE AT KILSYTH CHEMICALS FACTORY
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT SITUATION UNDER CONTROL IN PAWTUCKET
Tags: us_RI, transportation, release, response, natural_gas

3 INJURED IN HAZMAT SITUATION IN SCARBOROUGH
Tags: us_ME, industrial, release, injury, hydrofluoric_acid, nitric_acid

3 CHEMICAL TANKERS CATCH FIRE IN NANDESARI
Tags: India, transportation, fire, response, flammables, solvent

BEST PRACTICES: SAFETY RULES FOR ELNS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response


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FIRE HITS WASHINGTON STATE VETERINARY SCHOOL
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Fire-hits-Washington-State-veterinary-school/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/776271?contextCategoryId=378
Tags: us_WA, education, fire, response, unknown_chemical

In the early-morning hours of May 29, the Washington State University (WSU) police department and the Pullman, Wash., fire department responded to a fire in a building that's part of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine on the Pullman campus.

No animals or people were harmed during the fire, Assistant Police Chief Steve Hansen says. This is the third fire on the Washington State campus during the span of a week. Hansen says police believe the fires were set deliberately, but they are waiting on lab results, including fingerprints and chemical analysis, to make a final determination. It could take two to three weeks for lab results to come in.

Hansen says the veterinary school building showed signs of forced entry through a window, and investigators found multiple ignition points where a fire wouldn't normally start on its own.

The damage during the fire in the veterinary school was limited because a sprinkler system quickly extinguished the blaze, according to a statement released by the university, but the previous two fires destroyed two community centers, which were deemed a "complete loss." The damage estimate for the three fires is at more than $800,000

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MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S BOMB SQUAD RESPONDS TO MINI METH LAB IN A COOLER
http://www.ocala.com/article/20120605/ARTICLES/120609822
Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, response, bomb, meth_lab

The Marion County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, working with the Marion County Fire Rescue Hazardous Materials Team, or HAZMAT, safely disposed of a cooler Tuesday that contained a mini methamphetamine lab.

Sgt. Jeff Gold of the bomb squad said they went to the 600 block of Southeast 110th Street after HAZMAT was notified by litter control about finding a 3-foot-long cooler on the side of the road with the words "hazardous do not open" on the lid.

The bomb squad robot was first used to check the cooler. Then, Gold, dressed in a bomb suit, opened it with an explosive charge.

Once it was determined the items inside were meth products in various stages of completion, Gold handed the cooler off to the HAZMAT team, which took it away for disposal.

Gold said bottles inside the cooler, which contained dangerous chemicals, could have exploded if they had been exposed to heat and air, possibly harming anyone who might have been nearby.

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HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES SCOTTSDALE REHAB CENTER
http://ktar.com/22/1551185/Crews-working-Scottsdale-hazmat-situation
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide

A hazmat situation forced the evacuation of Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services near 75th Street and Osborn Road on Tuesday.

Three people were sent to the hospital after close to 30 people were complaining of headaches. The initial readings in the building indicated high levels of carbon monoxide.

The source was determined to be an open pipe coming from an underground vault. It was temporarily closed by fire crews. The organization will have to fix the leak permanently before allowing people into the building.

In all, 73 people have been evacuated to a stadium.

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CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES ROADS
http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/page/content.detail/id/547162/Chemical-spill-closes-roads.html?nav=5005
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ammonia

South US 23 and Zeller Road in Fostoria were closed for about an hour Tuesday afternoon after a hose on a tractor broke, leaking anhydrous ammonia into the atmosphere and on a nearby field.

Capt. Jim Walters of the Fostoria Fire Department said the leak, reported just before 3:30 p.m. at South US 23 and Zeller Road, occurred after a hose running between a knife and a tank carrying anhydrous ammonia broke. The farmer operating the tractor had been knifing ammonia into a corn field, Walters said.

Firefighters shut down the road to allow the hazardous ammonia to fully dissipate. Businesses nearby also kept employees inside during that hour, Walters said.

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

ACID LEAK REPORTED AT CLAYTON PLANT :: WRAL.COM
http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/11172215/
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

CLAYTON, N.C. Ñ Johnston County emergency crews responded to a hydrochloric acid leak at Novo Nordisk Tuesday morning.

No one was injured and no evacuations were ordered.

Workers were moving a container with about 300 gallons of hydrochloric acid with a forklift when the container dropped and started leaking at the plant, at 3612 Powhatan Road in Clayton, authorities said.

Company spokesman Ken Inchausti said the solution, which is used in their waste management process, has been contained.

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CREWS FIGHT FIRE AT PROPET
http://www.theeveningleader.com/content/crews-fight-fire-propet
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, dust

ST. MARYS Ñ More than a dozen trucks remained on the scene early this morning as crews continued to battle a fire at ProPet that sparked Monday night.

"They had a fire in one of their grain bins," St. Marys Fire Chief Joey Weaver told The Evening Leader at the scene early this morning.

"We got the call at about 9:30 p.m., and when we arrived, they had smoke on the third floor and the bin was hot."

Officials made the decision to drain much of the product from the bin. Weaver said once 5 to 10 feet of product remained in the bin, the product flared up and the dust inside caught on fire. That can be dangerous as an explosion could occur if the circumstances are right.

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POSSIBLE PESTICIDE EXPOSURE LEAVES FOUR RESIDENTS SICK
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/Possible-pesticide-exposure-leaves-four-residents-sick-157097115.html
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, ag_chems, pesticides

LAMONT, Calif. - An alleged pesticide exposure near Lamont caused a hazmat callout and left several people in the area with symptoms Monday.

The incident happened around noon in a vineyard near Weedpatch Highway and Fuller Drive.

A technician was spraying pesticides across the street from the neighborhood when residents started to exhibit headaches, nausea and vomiting.

"I woke up and noticed that I had a headache and stuff. I just went about my day, did my chores and it just got progressively worse," Lamont resident Jennfier Deluca said.

According to the Kern County Fire Department, the field is owned by Giumarra Vineyards and was being sprayed with pesticides. Residents complained that the odor was making them sick.

"We had initial reports that 13 people had been affected by this exposure," Kern County Fire Department PIO Derek Tisinger said.

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POSSIBLE HAZMAT SITUATION AT NAVAL RESEARCH LAB
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Possible-Hazmat-Situation-at-Naval-Research-Lab-156997695.html
Tags: us_DC, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical

A hazardous material spill was reported at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory on Monday morning in southwest Washington, officials said.

Security officials received a call at about 7:20 a.m. for a leaky container stored in a refrigerator within the Biotech Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering building, located at 4555 Overlook Avenue.

As a precautionary measure, the two employees who discovered the unknown substance were transported to a local hospital.

Investigators are working to identify what the substance is and plan to properly dispose of it.

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

FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE SERIOUS BLAZE AT KILSYTH CHEMICALS FACTORY
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/firefighters-tackle-serious-blaze-at-kilsyth-chemicals-factory-1-2337065
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

HOMES had to be evacuated in the early hours of yesterday morning as firefighters tackled a serious blaze in a chemical storage warehouse in North Lanarkshire.

The heat from the blaze was so intense that it left the building's corrugated iron roof buckled and melted.

The building contained a range of chemicals which Strathclyde Fire and Rescue's environmental protection unit was still working to identify last night.

Crews from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue were called to the scene at 2:22am following reports of a fire at the Biffa Treatment Centre at Kilsyth.

Firefighters said that upon arrival, they faced a "developing" blaze so severe that they had to use two large-bore "ground monitor" hoses which could deliver large volumes of water onto the building in the Queenzieburn Industrial Estate from a safe distance, as they fought to prevent the fire spreading to nearby buildings on the site.

However, heat from the flames was so intense that it began to affect pallets of stored materials outside and in nearby buildings.

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

HAZMAT SITUATION UNDER CONTROL IN PAWTUCKET
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/blackstone/hazmat-situation-in-pawtucket
Tags: us_RI, transportation, release, response, natural_gas

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) - An area of downtown Pawtucket had to be shut down Sunday night due to a hazmat situation.

Residents were told to stay in their homes and a perimeter was set up to stop traffic from entering the area at the intersection of Exchange and Montgomery Streets at about 9:15 p.m.

A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas was pulled over there after the driver noticed vapors coming from the truck.

Public safety officials said a malfunctioning valve is to blame, but the scene was secured and no injuries were reported.

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3 INJURED IN HAZMAT SITUATION IN SCARBOROUGH
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/202671/314/3-injured-in-hazmat-situation-in-Scarborough
Tags: us_ME, industrial, release, injury, hydrofluoric_acid, nitric_acid

SCARBOROUGH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Three people went to the hospital Sunday afternoon after inhaling a dangerous combination of chemicals at a business in Scarborough.

It happened at Quantum Clean on Gibson Road just after 4pm. The company provides highly specialized restoration services for the semiconductor industry.

There was a chemical reaction of hydroflouric acid, nitric acid, and de-ionized water. The gas was contained to one room in the building, and the rest of the employees were evacuated.

It took crews from 5 different departments to secure the area and test the air to make sure it was stabilized. Deputy Chief Tony Attardo says those chemicals can be extremely dangerous to come in contact with.

Attardo says Quantum Clean will conduct an internal investigation to figure out why the reaction happened.

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

3 CHEMICAL TANKERS CATCH FIRE IN NANDESARI
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-03/vadodara/32005134_1_inflammable-chemical-fire-tenders-tankers
Tags: India, transportation, fire, response, flammables, solvent

VADODARA: A major fire broke out in a tanker carrying inflammable chemical in Nandesari Industrial Estate near here on Saturday afternoon. The fire engulfed two other tankers parked near the tanker. Fire officers had a tough time controlling it. The fire started at around 1 pm on Saturday on road number 11 in the estate that has chemical units. The tanker with (GJ-6Y-6365) caught fire due to unknown reasons.

Officials from the Nandesari Fire Brigade attributed the fire's intensity to the tanker carrying a solvent-like inflammable chemical. One of the other tankers parked near was empty while yet another one was filled with acid.

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BEST PRACTICES: SAFETY RULES FOR ELNS
http://www.bio-itworld.com/2012/06/04/best-practices-safety-rules-for-elns.html
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response

Keeping track of all of the safety rules for reactions and reagents was an overwhelming proposal, so the chemistry safety officers at Bristol-Myers Squibb recruited informatics help to see if there was another option. The resulting electronic laboratory notebook customization earned a best practices nod by the judges in the 2012 Bio-IT World Best Practices Awards competition.

For a Bristol-Myers Squibb medicinal chemist, numerous compendia have been assembled to capture the safety parameters of thousands of chemical reactions: manufacturer safety data sheets, Bretherick's Handbook, and corporate directives based on historic safety data. But it was up to the chemist to go through all of those sources, determine which reactions would be considered unsafe, and report those reactions to the safety officer. The expectation was that chemists would "pull" this information from each source and apply it to a planned experiment, said the Best Practices entry authors.

It was an overwhelming proposal, so a team of chemists and IT professionals collaborated to fundamentally transform the safety-IIT interface from a "pull" into a "push" process.

"The impetus here was really a deep analysis by our chemistry safety colleagues, our safety officers, who recognized that we really didn't have a good capability in place to remember the incidents that happened in the past and prevent them in the future," explains Ramesh Durvasula, director of informatics at BMS. "Every chemistry lab has accidents, but the key is if you can learn from the mistakes of those accidents and never let those incidents happen again, you can increase the safety."

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