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 29, 2013 8:15:44 AM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <34BC77F0-3826-4652-B375-52C5325A048A**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>

Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, March 29, 2013 8:15:16 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)

COLOMA PLANT EVACUATED AFTER ACCIDENTAL CHEMICAL MIX
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, chlorine

GRESHAM NITRIC ACID SPILL PROMPTS HAZMAT CALLOUT
Tags: us_OR, industrial, explosion, response, nitric_acid

GENESEE COUNTY SHUTS DOWN HAZMAT TEAM AS MIOSHA INVESTIGATES
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental

CHEMICAL FIRE AT JICE PHARMACEUTICALS IN BELDING CONTAINED, NO ONE INJURED
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

MUMBAI: 5 DEAD IN WALL COLLAPSE AFTER EXPLOSION IN CHEMICAL FACTORY
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, nitrogen

FIREFIGHTER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER EXPOSURE TO POOL CHEMICALS IN TAYLOR BLAZE
Tags: us_MI, public, fire, injury, pool_chemicals

SK HYNIX-CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

UNKNOWN CHEMICAL SPILLS INTO ALA WAI CANAL
Tags: us_HI, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

TRUCK HOLDING BURNABLE CHEMICALS CAUGHT FIRE ON WEST MAIN ROAD
Tags: us_RI, transportation, fire, response, fire_extinguisher


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COLOMA PLANT EVACUATED AFTER ACCIDENTAL CHEMICAL MIX
http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-coloma-plant-evacuated-after-accidental-chemical-mix-20130328,0,2403824.story
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, chlorine

Employees at Coloma Frozen Foods were evacuated today after an employee accidentally mixed the wrong chemical.
Terry Harris, chief operating officer, says around 9 a.m. the employee took a pump from a barrel of chlorine bleach and mistakenly placed it into a barrel full of peracetic acid (which works as a sanitizer when used in small concentrations in water). The resulting mixture created a toxic gas cloud that forced the evacuation of the plant.

A hazmat crew is currently working to isolate the barrel and get it ready for a hazardous waste disposal crew to take it away. That's expected to be done around 2 p.m.

No one was injured. All employees were sent home for the day with the exception of half a dozen managers.

The plant will be back up and running tomorrow.

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

GRESHAM NITRIC ACID SPILL PROMPTS HAZMAT CALLOUT
http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Gresham-nitric-acid-spill-prompts-hazmat-callout/HpvQbaIGn0eVxn-BSHV22A.cspx
Tags: us_OR, industrial, explosion, response, nitric_acid

WOOD VILLAGE, Ore. -- A nitric acid spill at a plating company Thursday morning forced the evacuation of an industrial complex in Wood Village.

The hazardous spill occurred at about 11 a.m. at the Advanced Precision Anodizing in the Wood Village Business Park, located in the area of Northeast 244th Avenue and Halsey Street.

According to Gresham Fire Department officials at the scene, nitric acid was being transferred from one tank to another when a chemical reaction occurred causing some sort of explosion.

No one was exposed, and there were no injuries. One man was transported to a nearby hospital for stress.

The entire business park, which consists of four buildings in a large lot, was evacuated.

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GENESEE COUNTY SHUTS DOWN HAZMAT TEAM AS MIOSHA INVESTIGATES
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/03/genesee_county_shuts_down_haza.html
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- For the first time since 2002, the county is without a hazardous materials response team, and Sheriff Robert Pickell says he needs help putting the squad back on the job.

Pickell, whose emergency management division administers the hazmat program, said he made the decision earlier this week even as the Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration investigates potential problems.

State investigators are checking whether the 28 members on the team have all had required physical exams and that the breathing equipment they use has been tested to insure it fits properly, officials with the program said.

Pickell said the team just doesn't have the money to pay for physicals for the firefighters who are members and said he's approached hospitals in the county about providing the health checks at a reduced cost.

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CHEMICAL FIRE AT JICE PHARMACEUTICALS IN BELDING CONTAINED, NO ONE INJURED
http://thedailynews.cc/2013/03/28/chemical-fire-at-jice-pharmaceuticals-in-belding-contained-no-one-injured/
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

BELDING Ñ An afternoon chemical fire at JICE Pharmaceuticals in Belding was extinguished Thursday afternoon with no hazardous threat poised to the community.

Firefighters from the Belding Fire Department responded to a fire at 6895 Belding Rd. (M-44), east of Hawley Highway at approximately 4:30 p.m., after the owner of the facility dialed 911 in response to a fire in his building.

Fire Chief Gregg Moore said the business is new to the area and recently moved from Lowell and produces animal healthcare products.

"They were testing a new batch today of a product that they are not familiar with at all," Moore said. "The owner noticed smoke coming from the batch room, opened the door and saw that he had a lot of product on fire."

Moore said the owner then attempted to put out the fire with fire extinguishers before calling 911.

"We got here and some of the product was still left in the room," he said. "It looks like it is a product that reacts with water, an exothermic reaction with water. There's no hazardous chemical released with it, (the reaction) just creates heat."

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

MUMBAI: 5 DEAD IN WALL COLLAPSE AFTER EXPLOSION IN CHEMICAL FACTORY
http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/mumbai-5-dead-in-wall-collapse-after-explosion-in-chemical-factory-347890
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, nitrogen

Mumbai: Five people were killed and seven others injured after the wall of a house collapsed following an explosion in a makeshift aluminium mould producing unit at Sakinaka area in Andheri.

The police said that the explosion was caused by a vacuum in the machines that were being used to produce aluminum moulds. What aggravated the situation was the nitrogen liquid that was being used at the factory, they said. "We have not found anything suspicious so far but we will investigate from all angles. There are teams from fire brigade and forensics. Factory inspectors and the police are also investigating," Additional Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre Patil told NDTV. A team of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) also rushed to the sport; Mr Patil, however, ruled out any sabotage angle.

Police are investigating if the factory had necessary permits and a case is likely to be registered against the owner of the factory.

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FIREFIGHTER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER EXPOSURE TO POOL CHEMICALS IN TAYLOR BLAZE
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130328/METRO01/303280399/1361/Firefighter-taken-to-hospital-after-exposure-to-pool-chemicals-in-blaze
Tags: us_MI, public, fire, injury, pool_chemicals

Taylor Ñ A firefighter is recovering after inhaling chemical fumes at a blaze at a pool supply business early Thursday morning.

According Deputy Chief Dan Reynolds, the fire was reported at about 3:50 a.m. at Pool Town, located in the 7800 block of Telegraph Road south of Ecorse Road.

No one was in the building when the fire began.

"The fire was heavily involved, and there was a strong odor of chemicals when we arrived at the scene," Reynolds said. "It took us about 11Ú2 hours to knock the fire down. The building was heavily damaged, and at this point, we have no idea how the fire began."

The fire was extinguished by about 7:30 a.m.

The injured firefighter was taken to a local hospital where medical personnel said he had suffered irritation to his airway because of exposure to chemicals.

Officials from the EPA were called to the scene because of possible contamination from pool chemicals, including chlorine.

"But they said any chemicals that might have been released were diluted by the amount of water used to fight the fire so there were no problems with pollution," Reynolds said.

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SK HYNIX-CHEMICAL LEAK
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/yonhap-news-agency/130328/sk-hynix-chemical-leak
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

CHEONGJU, South Korea, March 28 (Yonhap) -- A dangerous photoresist (PR) liquid leaked at the SK Hynix Inc.'s computer chip manufacturing plant in Cheongju, police and company sources said Thursday.

The world's No. 2 memory chipmaker said the accident occurred in the so-called clean room belonging to the M11 production line at the plant located 137 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It said no one was hurt because everyone was wearing protective suits at the time. PR are not classified as harmful chemical agents under South Korean law, but are considered dangerous materials.

About a liter of the PR liquid, used in the production of semiconductors, contaminated the site. The incident occurred when a worker dropped a glass bottle containing the chemical on the floor while removing it from a refrigeration storage unit. SK Hynix said leak took place around 2:25 p.m. with the incident being reported to the fire department at 2:51 p.m. after it moved to contain the spill.

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UNKNOWN CHEMICAL SPILLS INTO ALA WAI CANAL
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/21812293/several-gallons-of-unknown-chemical-spill-into-ala-wai-canal
Tags: us_HI, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

WAIKIKI (HawaiiNewsNow) -
A minor construction mishap in Waikiki created quite a spectacle for passersby Wednesday. A large amount of a white substance could be seen mixing into the water in the Ala Wai Canal near Saratoga Road.

Crews were working on the roof of a building across the street when they reportedly spilled some sort of sealant. When it rained, the liquid washed into the Ala Wai, spilling about ten gallons into the water, officials with the Honolulu Fire Department say.

At this time, it's not known exactly what chemicals are in the sealant that spilled. Tests will be conducted on the water.

For now, roofing work has stopped and preventative measures are in place to prevent more spills from this project

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

TRUCK HOLDING BURNABLE CHEMICALS CAUGHT FIRE ON WEST MAIN ROAD
http://middletown.patch.com/articles/truck-holding-burnable-chemicals-caught-fire-on-west-main-road
Tags: us_RI, transportation, fire, response, fire_extinguisher

A tanker truck carrying around 7000 gallons of the commercial chemical methanol caught fire on West Main Road on Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported and there were no reported leaks from the container.

"Once the driver noticed the smoke coming from his vehicle he immediately stopped and used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire," said Lt. Robert Nutt with the Middletown Police Department.

According to Middletown Fire Chief Ronald Doire, the truck's brakes malfunctioned and locked up, which caused them to heat and smoke.

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Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society

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