From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] CHAS Tweets and Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2014 07:43:37 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: AA5156B2-D95F-4A9A-8E7E-E6BA529D839E**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


**At_Symbol_Here**ACSDCHAS and **At_Symbol_Here**LabSustain tweets and Chemical Safety Headlines
Links to the headlines below can be found at the http://www.dchas.org/newsflash

Table of Contents (11 articles)

WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL SETS OFF A WASTE DISPUTE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste

HAULING DANGER: MORE NASTY CHEMICALS ARE SPILLING ON ROADS AND RAILS
Tags: us_OH, transportation, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde, petroleum, sulfuric_acid, xylene

EVACUATION ORDERED BECAUSE OF CHEMICALS
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, dye

FIRE ERUPTS AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN THRACIAN PROVINCE
Tags: Turkey, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

MILITARY-GRADE MUNITIONS FOUND IN RUBBLE OF PHOENIX FIRE
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT RESPONSE IN OAKWOOD AFTER 2 WORKERS EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE, FDNY SAYS
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

LUBBOCK FIRE, HAZMAT RESPOND TO OIL TANK LIGHTNING STRIKE
Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical

1 DEAD, 5 OTHERS INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT GENERAL MOTORS PLANT IN INDIANA
Tags: us_in, explosion, industrial, death, chlorine_dioxide

WOMAN, 72, HOSPITALIZED FOR CHEMICAL BURNS AFTER HER DELL LAPTOP EXPLODES
Tags: us_pa, explosion, public, response, acids

FIRE AT OHIO FRACKING WELL FORCED EVACUATIONS AND LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO FISH KILL
Tags: us_oh, fire, industrial, followup, environmental

JESSUP FIREFIGHTERS WAIT TO SEE IF GEAR IS RUINED
Tags: us_pa, fire, industrial, followup, unknown_chemical


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WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL SETS OFF A WASTE DISPUTE

Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste

Six months after a chemical spill fouled a vital West Virginia water supply, a fight is brewing over the tons of waste it left behind.

The small city of Hurricane, W.Va., and surrounding Putnam County, want two subsidiaries of Waste Management Inc. WM +0.54% that operate a local landfill to dig up and remove 228 tons of waste containing the chemical that contaminated the region's water supply in January.

The municipalities sued the companies in federal court in May, arguing that the waste is hazardous and not suited to the solid-waste landfill that handles ordinary trash.

They said rain and leached materials eventually flow to a collection pond, and then a wastewater treatment plant before being discharged into a creek.

"We're trying to prevent the inevitable pollution of another river," said Michael Callaghan, a Charleston attorney representing Hurricane.

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HAULING DANGER: MORE NASTY CHEMICALS ARE SPILLING ON ROADS AND RAILS

Tags: us_OH, transportation, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde, petroleum, sulfuric_acid, xylene

Millions of gallons of formaldehyde, explosive crude oil, sulfuric acid, xylenes and other dangerous chemicals make their way daily across the nation??s and region??s highways and railroads, carried just yards from other motorists and homes.

What??s troubling is that more of those substances are being spilled during transit, according to a Cincinnati Enquirer analysis of national accident data.

Ohio leads the country in such hazardous material transportation accidents since the early 1970s, a four-month investigation revealed. More than a quarter of Ohio??s overall incidents occurred in the Cincinnati area, according to the analysis.

Given that nearly one in seven Americans, or more than 48 million people, live within 300 feet of a major highway, railroad or airport, experts and first responders now worry that the region is overdue for a major hazmat spill ?? one that could affect hundreds of people, if not more.

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EVACUATION ORDERED BECAUSE OF CHEMICALS

Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, dye

Areas up to a half-mile away from AkzoNobel Coatings, 1313 Windsor Ave., were evacuated for more than 2 hours last evening because of a possible chemical reaction in a tank.
....
Concerns about a possible chemical reaction were first reported about 6:40 p.m. An evacuation was deemed necessary because of the build-up of heat in a 2,000-gallon tank, not out of concern that people in the area would breathe in a harmful chemical, Smith said.

Solvents are mixed with a chemical called strontium chromate inside the tank during the production of resins. Strontium chromate is a colorant in resins.

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FIRE ERUPTS AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN THRACIAN PROVINCE

Tags: Turkey, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

A huge fire broke out at a chemical factory in Thracian province of Trakya??s ?orlu district early July 6 as firefighters are still working hard to bring the blaze under control.

The fire reportedly began at around 8:00 a.m. in Birpa chemical factory located in the Hac ?eremet neighborhood near the main road between the two districts of ?erkezk̦y-?orlu. The main road, between the two districts, has been closed due to the fire spreading rapidly to other sections of the factory.

One firefighter fainted due to the intensity of the smoke.

The reason for the fire is still unknown, but an examination to determine the causes of the fire will be undertaken by the local authorities once the firer has been extinguished.

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MILITARY-GRADE MUNITIONS FOUND IN RUBBLE OF PHOENIX FIRE

Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

PHOENIX (CBS5) -
What began as a massive lightning-caused fire Thursday night has turned into a criminal investigation after military-grade ordnance was found in the rubble Friday.

Phoenix police say they removed two live munitions and sent them to Luke Air Force Base for testing. A third live device exploded during last night's fire.

Investigators say it appears a person may have purchased the cases from a military surplus and may not have known three actually contained live munitions.

Luke Air Force Base munitions experts were called in to help with the investigation and to inspect some of the ordnance.

Police closed the west Phoenix industrial area from 35th to 40th Avenues and from Indian School Road to Clarendon through at least Saturday afternoon as federal, state and local investigators try to figure out who was storing these devices.

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HAZMAT RESPONSE IN OAKWOOD AFTER 2 WORKERS EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE, FDNY SAYS

Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hazmat crews and emergency officials have been summoned to Oakwood Wednesday morning to tend to two workers who were exposed to an unknown chemical substance, according to an FDNY spokesman.

The incident was reported at approximately 10 a.m. on the 100 block of Guyon Avenue.

According to a police source at the scene, the two men were Sanitation workers making pick-ups. They were overcome by fumes after a garbage bag they tossed in the back of the truck apparently contained some sort of substance.

The workers were being treated at the scene and may be transported to an area hospital for further care. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

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LUBBOCK FIRE, HAZMAT RESPOND TO OIL TANK LIGHTNING STRIKE

Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Oil tank ignited by lightning strike

Lubbock fire crews and a hazardous materials team put out an oil fire Wednesday at a Rip Griffin Truck Stop at 4315 Idalou Road.

Officials responded just after 9 a.m. to reports of an oil storage tank that had been struck by lightning, Deputy Chief Kelly Morman said. Upon arriving, fire crews discovered the top of the tank had been blown off and the oil inside was on fire.

Morman said a special unit sprayed foam on the fire for three or four minutes before the flames were abated.

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1 DEAD, 5 OTHERS INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT GENERAL MOTORS PLANT IN INDIANA

Tags: us_in, explosion, industrial, death, chlorine_dioxide

MARION, Indiana ?? A chemical explosion Tuesday at a General Motors metal-stamping plant in Indiana killed a contractor and injured several others, authorities said.

The blast killed James L. Gibson, 48, Grant County Coroner Stephen Dorsey said.

Marion General Hospital was treating five other people with non-life threatening injuries, hospital spokeswoman Ann Vermilion told the Marion Chronicle-Tribune. However, GM issued a statement saying four employees were under observation for non-life-threatening conditions at the hospital and that four others were transported there, but required no treatment.

"The situation is contained. Everybody has been evacuated," GM spokeswoman Stephanie Jentgen said in a telephone interview.

The explosion involved a chlorine dioxide tank, and the chemical continued spilling out after the explosion, Marion Fire Chief Paul David said. A hazardous materials crew contained the spill, and firefighters were rinsing off the skin of everyone who may have come into contact with the chemical. If inhaled, the chemical can cause lung problems and can irritate the skin and eyes.

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WOMAN, 72, HOSPITALIZED FOR CHEMICAL BURNS AFTER HER DELL LAPTOP EXPLODES

Tags: us_pa, explosion, public, response, acids

Loretta Luff of Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania was on her computer Sunday when it exploded
The 6-year-old Dell laptop blew back and sent battery acid around the 72-year-old woman's living room
Mrs Luff was able to douse the fire that started with water from her dogs' water bowl
She was taken to the hospital where she was treated for first- and second-degree burns to her face, arm and foot
Dell is investigating the incident, but says replaced batteries that come from a third party can increase the chance of a fire
Mrs Luff says she replaced the battery three years ago but isn't sure if it came from the company

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FIRE AT OHIO FRACKING WELL FORCED EVACUATIONS AND LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO FISH KILL

Tags: us_oh, fire, industrial, followup, environmental

An explosive fire at an Ohio fracking well was likely the cause of a chemical leak into a stream that contributed to the death of fish as far as five miles away from the the fire??s site, Ohio officials said Monday.
Over the weekend, a mechanical malfunction sparked a fire on the well pad of a fracking operation in Monroe County, Ohio, a blaze that caused explosions and forced evacuations of people who lived within a mile of the well. The people were evacuated as a precaution ??because of the chemicals in the smoke, for breathing reasons,?? Phillip Keevert, director of the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency, told the Columbus Dispatch.
??The plume of smoke overwhelmed the whole area, so you couldn??t really see the fire itself very well,?? he said. ??The pad site is probably, I??m guessing, a 3-acre area.??
While crews were fighting the fire on Saturday, they flooded the well area, which likely sent fracking chemicals into a creek nearby the site. That spill in turn likely contributed to a ??major fish kill?? in the creek that was reported Sunday. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are investigating the fish kill, which resulted in dead crayfish, minnows and smallmouth bass. The Monroe County Health Department is also monitoring well water to ensure chemicals don??t show up in tests. No workers at the well site, owned by Statoil North America, were hurt.

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JESSUP FIREFIGHTERS WAIT TO SEE IF GEAR IS RUINED

Tags: us_pa, fire, industrial, followup, unknown_chemical

JESSUP ?? The color purple doesn??t bother Joseph Fetcho. Potentially ruined fire gear does.

Four days after the streets ran purple outside a massive fire that destroyed an industrial container refurbishing facility in Jessup, borough firefighters are waiting to see if 10 sets of fire gear have been rendered useless by chemicals in concentrated purple dye.

Mr. Fetcho, Jessup??s first assistant fire chief, sent the stained gear to a cleaner, Lion Total Care, which recommended the department take the gear out of service pending the results of chemical tests..

??If it comes back and everything??s normal, the color is not going to bother us,?? Chief Fetcho said.

The bill may run to $30,000

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