From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (14 articles)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 08:13:31 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 51F405DA-5EB2-4995-9078-73D1968DED48**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 8:13:08 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 (14 articles)

WOMAN ACCUSED OF POISONING FIANCE WITH ANTIFREEZE TO GO ON TRIAL TODAY
Tags: us_OH, public, follow-up, death, ethylene_glycol

NIOSH SCIENCE BLOG ? FIRST NIOSH COMIC HELPS DISPEL INTERNET ?MYTH?
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental

CHEMIST FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, follow-up, death, other_chemical

WILD ADVENTURES CLOSES FOLLOWING TOXIC CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, chlorine

HAZMAT SITUATION AT HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, response, nitric_acid

8,500 GALLONS OF GAS FUEL FWY FIRE
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, other_chemical

WEST VIRGINIA FRACKING EXPLOSION INJURES FIVE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, explosion, injury, methane, natural_gas

FARMER WEARING BOILER SUIT WITH BRAKE FLUID ON IT SUFFERS 50% BURNS IN FIRE
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, fire, injury, other_chemical

MOUNT TREMPER CHEMICAL SPILL LINKED TO FLEISCHMANNS JUNKYARD OPERATOR
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

HOME EXPLOSION AND FIRE SHUTS DOWN ROADWAYS WHILE HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

ABERDEEN FIRE, COUNTY HAZMAT, RESPOND TO CLOROX AFTER FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM ACTIVATED
Tags: us_MD, industrial, release, response, bleach

5 CHEAT DEATH IN LAB FIRE
Tags: Malaysia, laboratory, fire, response, flammables, gas_cylinders

MONDAY MORNING FIRE AT PUTNAM COUNTY FERTILIZER PLANT
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, injury, ag_chems

INSIDE CORNELL: THE LINK BETWEEN HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS AND YOUR HEALTH
Tags: education, discovery, environmental, other_chemical


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WOMAN ACCUSED OF POISONING FIANCE WITH ANTIFREEZE TO GO ON TRIAL TODAY
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/07/woman_accused_of_poisoning_fiance.html
Tags: us_OH, public, follow-up, death, ethylene_glycol

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The trial of a Cleveland woman accused of murdering the father of two of her children by spiking his tea with antifreeze starts today in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
A grand jury indicted Holly McFeeture last July on one count of aggravated murder and another of contaminating a substance for human consumption or use.

A pathologist with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, who performed the autopsy on Matthew Podolak in 2006, determined that Podolak died from chronic intoxication of ethylene glycol, the active ingredient in antifreeze.

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NIOSH SCIENCE BLOG ? FIRST NIOSH COMIC HELPS DISPEL INTERNET ?MYTH?
http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2013/07/16/nail-gun-comic/
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental

In June, we released the first-ever NIOSH comic Straight Talk About Nail Gun Safety. The comic has been well received by organizations and stakeholders interested in increasing awareness and prevention of injuries resulting from nail gun use. In the publication we described (p 1, panel 3) the pneumatic nail gun (PNG) velocity, 150 ft/sec, at the upper end of the range reported by two investigations that conducted tests to measure pneumatic nail gun velocity ? the Consumer Product Safety Commission[1] and the late Boulter Kelsey[2], a forensic engineer. We received an inquiry suggesting that 150 ft/sec understates the power of these tools and referenced a velocity nearly 10 times higher (1400 ft/sec). We were confident in our data and knew that even at lower velocities, nail guns can cause serious injury, but we were curious: How could such widely varying data exist in the scientific literature? We were on the case.

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CHEMIST FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/07/chemist-guilty-murder-thallium-poisoning
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, follow-up, death, other_chemical

A chemist in the US has been found guilty of killing her husband with thallium obtained from the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) lab where she worked. Tianle Li, 43, was also found guilty of hindering her prosecution after originally claiming that she did not have access to thallium at BMS.

During the trial, testimony revealed that Li had obtained four bottles of a thallium salt from BMS in November 2010, before returning three later that year. In the US the general public cannot purchase thallium but it can be useful in the chemistry lab, for example its salts can help promote cross-coupling reactions. However, thallium is also known as a perfect poison ? odourless, colourless and tasteless, and less than a gram can be deadly.

On the 14 January 2011, Li?s husband Xiaoye Wang checked himself into University Medical Centre in Princeton with flu-like symptoms. It was not until several days later that thallium poisoning was suspected and a urine sample sent for testing. To do that the sample had to be transferred to a lab in another state.

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WILD ADVENTURES CLOSES FOLLOWING TOXIC CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.wokv.com/news/news/local/wild-adventures-closes-following-toxic-chemical-sp/nYsCj/
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, chlorine

Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia has closed for the day following an acid spill.

There was a spill of hydrochloric acid at Splash Island Water Park, according to park spokeswoman Micha Hogan. The chemical is used to control chlorine levels in the water. Park officials say the acid spilled behind the park and did not enter the water of the pool used by guests.

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

HAZMAT SITUATION AT HIGH SCHOOL
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/hazmat-situation-at-high-school#.UeZ_ztIce5I
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, response, nitric_acid

ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) -- Police, fire, and DEEP personnel responded to a hazmat situation at Rocky Hill High School Tuesday morning.

Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) officials said there was a minor acid spill that occurred when an acid cabinet was being moved. Nitric acid spilled from a beaker.

Officials said janitorial staff initially attempted to clean the spill, until the acid reacted with the water in the mop.

The building was evacuated as a result of the spill.

Police said there is a summer program at the school, which is now canceled.

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8,500 GALLONS OF GAS FUEL FWY FIRE
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Fire-Shuts-Stretch-of-I-5-Fwy-Glendale-215380901.html
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, other_chemical

Concerns were raised Saturday about an "extreme public hazard" at storm drains and manhole covers due to "potentially explosive runoff" after a big rig caught fire on a stretch of the Glendale (2) Freeway north of Dodger Stadium, fire officials said.

The incident caused by a tanker truck with 8,500 gallons of fuel was reported at 10:30 a.m. The California Highway Patrol announced that the southbound 2 Freeway was closed at Interstate 5, with all southbound 2 traffic being diverted to the northbound 5.

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WEST VIRGINIA FRACKING EXPLOSION INJURES FIVE
http://www.newsinferno.com/?p=44909
Tags: us_WV, industrial, explosion, injury, methane, natural_gas

A natural gas well explosion in West Virginia has left at least five people injured and has prompted investigations at state and federal levels, according to local officials and the well site operator.
A spark led to a flash explosion and blaze when a problem occurred during the ?flow back? process, in which drilling fluids are pumped into storage tanks, said Pat Heaster, director of emergency services in Doddridge County. The gas well was operated by Antero Resources, according to Reuters.
Fracking drilling for natural gas involves injecting tons of silica sand, a massive mix of more than 600 chemicals, and water underground via a drill into a concrete well that extends to an underground bed of shale rock. When this combination reaches the rock, it is blasted apart and natural gas is released and supposed to be returned to the surface and captured. Flow back is part of the hydraulic fracturing?fracking?process.
In this case, two tanks containing brine and well fracking fluid exploded at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, according to Antero vice president and spokesman Alvyn Schopp. Five workers suffered burns and were taken to the hospital he said adding ?We do not know the ignition source, but we suspect it was a methane explosion.? Antero is an oil and natural gas company controlled by Warburg Pincus LLC, according to Reuters.

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FARMER WEARING BOILER SUIT WITH BRAKE FLUID ON IT SUFFERS 50% BURNS IN FIRE
http://www.safetynetwork.info/article.php?article_id=2331
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, fire, injury, other_chemical

A BARRHEAD man is in a critical condition after a horror fire accident at a farm. Gordon Connelly was rushed to the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow in the early hours of Monday morning after he went up in flames at a farm on the outskirts of Newton Mearns and Neilston.

All three emergency services attended after it is believed a chemical coating on the clothes being worn by Gordon caught fire. It is understood he had been working with brake fluid the day before and it may have been on his clothes. It is believed the fire was triggered as he made himself something to eat. It is not known if Gordon was working on the farm at the time.

The 22-year-old is described as having 50 per cent burns and is in a serious but stable condition. He underwent a three hour operation on Monday. It is thought Gordon has serious burns, at least third degree, to his leg, arm, body, neck and head. He is in a recovery unit at the hospital with his family by his side.

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

MOUNT TREMPER CHEMICAL SPILL LINKED TO FLEISCHMANNS JUNKYARD OPERATOR
http://www.watershedpost.com/2013/mount-tremper-chemical-spill-linked-fleischmanns-junkyard-operator
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

A large chemical spill was discovered last month on land in the town of Shandaken owned by Catskills junkyard operator William Hrazanek. The spill occurred near a tributary of the Esopus Creek.

In an incident that appears to be related, several of Hrazanek's junkyards in Fleischmanns, across the county line in Delaware County, were raided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on July 9.

Despite Freedom of Information Law requests by the Watershed Post, neither the DEC nor the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have released any information about the chemical spill, nor have they indicated whether nearby wells or the Esopus Creek were contaminated.

On June 12, the Shandaken Police Department received a call about strong chemical fumes emanating from 1441 Wittenberg Road in Mount Tremper. In the police report, the fumes are described by the caller as "smelling like butane."

According to neighbors, intense chemical fumes had wafted down Wittenberg Road for about a week before the call was made. Several neighbors reported that the smell made their eyes water.

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

HOME EXPLOSION AND FIRE SHUTS DOWN ROADWAYS WHILE HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE
http://your4state.com/fulltext?nxd_id=317942
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

WAYNESBORO, PA - A home explosion and fire has shut down West Main Street between Potomac Street and Fairview Avenue while Hazmat crews with the PA State Police investigate.


Two people have been taken into custody, but their identities are unknown at this time.


The fire happened at the intersection of East Main Street and Grant Street around 8 p.m. Monday night.



Police say the only two people in the home at the time of the fire were taken to the Waynesboro Hospital with minor injuries. They have since been treated and released.



Officials say there was some type of lab operation in progress on the first floor and an explosion involving chemicals appears to have caused the fire.



The house had multiple residents and the family who lived on the second floor has been displaced.

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

ABERDEEN FIRE, COUNTY HAZMAT, RESPOND TO CLOROX AFTER FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM ACTIVATED
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/aberdeen-havre-de-grace/ph-ag-perryman-hazmat-0717-20130716,0,340508.story
Tags: us_MD, industrial, release, response, bleach

It wasn't for a scene from the 1950s horror sci-fi flick "The Blob," when Aberdeen firefighters and Harford County Hazmat personnel responded to the Clorox manufacturing facility on Perryman Road Sunday morning and found foam slithering around the building.

Steve Hinch, chief of the Aberdeen Fire Department, said Monday that firefighters were alerted at 5:46 a.m. regarding an automatic fire alarm at The Clorox Company household products plant, in the 1300 block of Perryman Road.

Firefighters were able to get through an unlocked front door into a vestibule in the building and inspect the fire alarm panel, which showed the sprinklers and foam fire suppression system had been activated in the plant's "fragrance room," Hinch said.

Maps
1319 Perryman Road, Aberdeen, MD 21001, USA
"Once they gained access to that area, they did see water flowing and foam on the ground," Hinch said of the fragrance room.

The chief explained that firefighters contacted the county's Hazmat team in order to contain the water from the sprinklers and any spilled products to the facility.

"We did not want to have an environmental issue," Hinch said.

An overturned storage drum was also found in the fragrance room.

Clorox staffers responded to the scene, and informed first responders that the drum was "already declared empty and free of product."

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

5 CHEAT DEATH IN LAB FIRE
http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/5-cheat-death-in-lab-fire-1.320249
Tags: Malaysia, laboratory, fire, response, flammables, gas_cylinders

UITM BLAZE: Firemen prevent flames from spreading to gas cylinder storage area
SHAH ALAM: THREE Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) students, their lecturer and a lab assistant cheated death when a science lab in the university's campus here caught fire yesterday.
The 4pm incident, which destroyed a single-storey lab, saw the victims running for their lives when thick smoke engulfed the lab.
Shah Alam Section 15 Fire and Rescue station chief Mohd Khairi Daud said they received a distress call at 4.28pm and despatched five fire engines and 30 firemen to the scene. A Hazardous Materials team was also deployed.
"When we arrived, the building was already ablaze.
"We managed to douse the flames before it spread to a nearby gas cylinder storage area," he said, adding that it took them an hour to bring the fire under control.
He said flammable items and substances stored in the lab could have been another factor for the fire spreading quickly through the lab.
The state Fire and Rescue Department's forensics unit was investigating the cause and losses suffered by UiTM. The university will issue a statement on the matter today.

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

MONDAY MORNING FIRE AT PUTNAM COUNTY FERTILIZER PLANT
http://mymixfm.com/news/articles/2013/jul/15/monday-morning-fire-at-putnam-county-fertilizer-plant/
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, injury, ag_chems

Around 3 am this morning an outbuilding at the Co-Alliance Bainbridge fertilizer hub caught fire.

Fire crews were held back for a while to make sure that there were now dangerous materials in the building.

That building stores vehicles used for welding.

Two firefighters had to be seen by medical crews with heat-related injuries. They were treated on the scene and released.

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

INSIDE CORNELL: THE LINK BETWEEN HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS AND YOUR HEALTH
http://www.cornell.edu/video/the-link-between-household-chemicals-and-your-health
Tags: education, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

Three top Cornell University researchers discuss links between chemicals in household consumer products, quality of life and outdated regulations at an Inside Cornell journalist-only lunch on Tuesday, June 18 in Washington, D.C.

Researchers Margaret Frey, Human Ecology; Anthony Hay, Microbiology, CALS; and Motoko Mukai, Food Science, CALS; discussed how the field of toxicology has advanced since the Toxic Substances Control Act was enacted in 1976; how chemicals, endocrine disruptors, and chemical interactions are having subtle impacts on our quality of life; and the need to enact science-based law to limit chemical exposure in the environment.

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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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