From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 07:48:46 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines
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Table of Contents (10 articles)

MAN INJURED IN PROPANE LEAK THAT CLOSED ROUTE 1
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, injury, propane

HAZMAT AND CITY CREWS WORK TO CLEAN UP AFTER PRANKSTERS MESS
Tags: us_OK, public, discovery, environmental, dust, dye

HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO RECYCLING PLANT IN FARMERS BRANCH
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, irritant, waste

HAZMAT CREWS CALLED AFTER SEALANT SPILL IN ROLLOVER
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

SUSPECTED HOME DRUG LAB EXPLOSION CAUSES $300K IN DAMAGE
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, explosion, injury, butane, drugs

PROPANE TANKS EXPLODE INTO BALL OF FIRE ATOP VACANT CAFE
Tags: us_CT, public, explosion, response, propane

WORKERS INJURED IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT AT PHILLPS 66
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, hydrofluoric_acid

ALUMINUM DUST CATCHES FIRE AT HILLSBORO'S DEMARINI SPORTS, MAKER OF SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL BATS
Tags: us_OR, industrial, explosion, response, aluminum_dust

UPDATED 17.15: CASUALTIES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN RUNCORN (FROM RUNCORN AND WIDNES WORLD)
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, explosion, injury, waste

CALIFORNIA PROPOSES CHANGES FOR SOME CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, cleaners, methylene_chloride, solvent, urethane


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MAN INJURED IN PROPANE LEAK THAT CLOSED ROUTE 1
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/25030828/2014/03/20/man-injured-in-propane-leak
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, injury, propane

SAUGUS, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A propane tank leak that caused Route 1 in Saugus to shut down Thursday morning also injured one man, sending him to the hospital.

The leak happened at around 10 a.m. at the construction site of the Walmart being built, according to Saugus fire chief Don McQuaid. An employee of the gas company contracted by the construction company got hit with gas when the connection at the top of two, thousand-gallon tanks broke.

Officers evacuated the site and closed Route 1 while cleanup was underway. The employee, though awake and alert, suffered burns on his body and was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. His condition was unknown.

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HAZMAT AND CITY CREWS WORK TO CLEAN UP AFTER PRANKSTERS MESS
http://kfor.com/2014/03/20/hazmat-and-city-crews-work-to-clean-up-after-pranksters-mess/
Tags: us_OK, public, discovery, environmental, dust, dye

Just days after pranksters turned the water at the Myriad Gardens green, crews are working to clean up the mess.
On St. Patrick?s Day workers arrived at the gardens to find the area ponds bright and green.
City officials confirm the chemical the pranksters used is called ?Flourescein.? Flourescein is an orange powdery substance that turns green when it comes in contact with water.
Hazmat crews were using acid to wash the dye from the boulders and stone work Thursday afternoon.

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HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO RECYCLING PLANT IN FARMERS BRANCH
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/03/20/hazmat-crews-respond-to-recycling-plant-in-farmers-branch/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, irritant, waste

FARMERS BRANCH (CBSDFW.COM) ? Hazmat crews have responded to a recycling facility in Farmers Branch, where an unknown vapor has escaped into the air.
Nearly a dozen people have been treated, complaining of itchy eyes and a sore throat. One person was transported to a nearby hospital after having difficulty breathing.
?Irving Hazmat is on location, trying to track down what the irritant might be,? said Rachel Johnson with the city of Farmers Branch.
The Balcones recycling facility, located at 13921 Senlac Drive at Valwood Parkway, handles commercial recycling in the Dallas area.

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HAZMAT CREWS CALLED AFTER SEALANT SPILL IN ROLLOVER
http://kxan.com/2014/03/20/hazmat-crews-cleaning-big-rig-rollover-spill/
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, other_chemical

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) ? Williams Drive in Georgetown reopened late Thursday after HAZMAT crews work to clean up close to 4,000 gallons of tar sealant spilled after a semitruck rolled over Thursday morning.

The roadway reopened around 9 p.m., but crews plan to close the westbound lanes of Williams Drive at Austin Avenue on Friday at 9 a.m. to allow for the cleaning of the storm drain line under Austin Avenue.

The Georgetown Fire Department and Williamson County HAZMAT crews spent Thursday working together to clean up the spill and clear the wreck site after the big rig carrying the sealant rolled over, closing the Williams Drive on the bridge over Interstate 35. Eastbound traffic on Williams Drive was being diverted to the southbound I-35 west frontage road. Traffic northbound on the east I-35 frontage road was allowed to turn west onto the Williams Drive Bridge, but could not turn eastbound onto Williams.

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SUSPECTED HOME DRUG LAB EXPLOSION CAUSES $300K IN DAMAGE
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Home-Drug-Lab-Explosion-Causes-300K-in-Damage-251176441.html
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, explosion, injury, butane, drugs

An explosion at what appears to be a home drug lab in Commerce has caused approximately $300,000 in damage and critically injured the two suspects who could face second-degree murder charges.

Sheriff?s deputies and the LA County Fire Department responded to the 2300 block of Ayers Avenue around 8:10 p.m. Wednesday regarding a call of a tree or transformer fire. Upon arrival, they found a guest house behind a home on fire.

According to officials, hundreds of butane canisters were found inside the home that may have been used as part of a butane honey oil extraction laboratory, where marijuana is turned into hash oil or "honey oil." Investigators believe that one of the butane bottles may have exploded and caused the fire.

"The house was totally destroyed, burned, they won't be able to repair it," Det. Frank Lyga said.

The explosion was so strong that windows of the home were blown out, the roof was gone and the walls of the home were separated from the foundation.

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PROPANE TANKS EXPLODE INTO BALL OF FIRE ATOP VACANT CAFE
http://www.myrecordjournal.com/meriden/meridennews/3980960-129/propane-tanks-explode-into-ball-of-fire-atop-vacant-cafe.html
Tags: us_CT, public, explosion, response, propane

MERIDEN ? Matthew Doyle was on the second floor of his residence at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, talking on the phone and staring idly out the window at a man working on the roof of the building across the street at 194 Camp St., a vacant restaurant that was formerly Rosie?s Cafe.
Doyle said the workman was using a heating torch to heat the tar on the roof when he accidentally ignited a small propane tank, which in turn ignited a larger tank.
After the larger tank caught fire, Doyle heard a loud explosion and watched as a ?12-foot ball of fire? shot into the sky.
Neighbor Shawn Jobaggy was asleep when he was woken by the thunderous sound. ?I jumped up,? he said.
Jobaggy said he also saw the flames, along with a ?wall of black smoke going over? the nearby Interstate 691. Motorists reported seeing heavy smoke and fire from the highway.

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WORKERS INJURED IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT AT PHILLPS 66
http://www.borgernewsherald.com/content/workers-injured-industrial-accident-phillps-66
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, hydrofluoric_acid

An industrial accident at the Phillips 66 refinery in Borger on Tuesday sent several people to the local hospital.

At around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, several employees involved in planned maintenance work (or 'Turnaround' for those familiar with the term) at Phillips 66 in a unit that handles hydrofluric (HF) acid were taken to Golden Plains Community Hospital with injuries, according to Dennis Nuss, a Senior Advisor for Phillips 66 who works with Project Communications.

At least one Phillips 66 employee is being treated at the Lubbock Burn Center with non-life threatening injuries. One other Phillips 66 employee and a contractor with an unknown company were treated and released from GPCH.

Details are still being clarified as the influx of turnaround workers has increased traffic inside the plant. Phillips 66 is investigating the cause and implications of the incident. According to Nuss, "We want to figure out exactly what happened. We want to make sure that something similar will not happen again."

The unit where the incident occured was shut down at the time for the turnaround work, but Nuss did not confirm the exact nature of the incident. When asked if the incident was due to either a chemical exposure or a fire, he said, "There was no fire."

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ALUMINUM DUST CATCHES FIRE AT HILLSBORO'S DEMARINI SPORTS, MAKER OF SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL BATS
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201403182339KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_937_63635-1
Tags: us_OR, industrial, explosion, response, aluminum_dust

March 18--Hillsboro firefighters contained a fire Tuesday morning at DeMarini Sports, which makes softball and baseball bats.

The business, at 6850 N.E. Campus Way, has a system in which aluminum dust from the manufacturing process is stored in a container outside the building, said Storm Smith, a Hillsboro Fire spokesman. The dust is supposed to cool in the container, but somehow became too hot and ignited.

An explosion occurred, Smith said, but the business had safety features in place that prohibited the explosion from going back into the building. Smoke made its way into the structure, he said, but no fire.

Fire crews evacuated employees. No one was injured.

Firefighters, Smith said, are ventilating the building. They used a fire extinguisher that works for metal fires, he said.

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UPDATED 17.15: CASUALTIES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN RUNCORN (FROM RUNCORN AND WIDNES WORLD)
http://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/news/11087948.Casualties_taken_to_hospital_after_chemical_explosion_in_Runcorn/?ref=var_0
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, explosion, injury, waste

AROUND 20 casualties have been treated in hospital following a chemical incident at a Runcorn power plant.

It happened at the newly-commissioned energy from waste plant in Percival Lane.

Warrington Hospital?s accident and emergency department has been on 'lock down' today, Thursday, while medical staff deal with injured employees.

Casualties were decontaminated and a few suffered minor respiratory problems following the spillage of mainly hydrated lime known as 'air pollution control residue'.

A spokesman for Warrington Hospital said: ?Warrington Hospital A&E is currently dealing with a major internal incident following a small chemical explosion at a plant in Runcorn this afternoon.

?A number of casualties have been admitted following the incident that has led to the department being locked down temporarily whilst the casualties are admitted.

?There is no risk to staff or public on site and other hospital services are running as normal."

Ambulances bringing patients not involved in the incident were diverted to other hospitals.

Firefighters attended the hospital in case their help was needed with decontamination.

The incident happened at 10.45am at the Keppel Seghers site at the energy from waste plant, which has only just started operating, in Percival Lane.

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CALIFORNIA PROPOSES CHANGES FOR SOME CONSUMER PRODUCTS
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/03/California-Proposes-Changes-Consumer-Products.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, cleaners, methylene_chloride, solvent, urethane

California is proposing that manufacturers eliminate hazardous chemicals from three types of consumer products, either by removal or reformulation with safer chemicals. The classes of products would be the first targeted under a state initiative for safer consumer products that took effect last year.

One class of products, announced on March 13, encompasses surface cleaners and paint and varnish strippers containing the solvent methylene chloride. Another product category is children?s foam-padded sleep aids, such as nap mats and sleep positioners for infants, made with the flame retardant tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP). The third type of consumer product is spray polyurethane foam?marketed to do-it-yourselfers for insulating and filling cracks in buildings?that contains unreacted diisocyanates.

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