DCHAS-L Archives, Aug 16 2014 - Re: [DCHAS-L] High School Lab Safety

Hi Monique - Our university began as a institution to train teachers. While we have evolved much from that initial mission, it is still a very large component of what we do. I have been advocating strongly to get chemical hygiene into the curriculum for future science teachers. I hear the same thing from the Education Department that I hear from the ACS on establishing a place in the curriculum for a knowledge based course on chemical hygiene/safety, "There is no room in the curriculum for a new course".

This being said, I have found ways to introduce concepts that rarely get taught to future chemists and future educators by guest lecturing in the Secondary Science Ed Methods course for future High School teachers and in the Chemistry Capstone Course for our majors. Last semester (for the first time) I spoke in the methods course about chemical management/organization and hazard recognition. We have an excellent new faculty member who is doing a great job incorporating this into her course. Maybe you could see what your university offers future teachers and see if you can incorporate some chemical hygiene into a course?

Here is an outline of what we did in that 3 hour period. She needed to incorporate liability issues into her discussion as part of course requirements. Of course there was not enough time and these students should have much more, but baby steps...

Did anyone else notice the photo on this page and become concerned: http://www.teHnnessean.com/story/news/local/robertson/2014/08/12/chemical-spill-closes-greenbrier-high-tuesday/13943343/? I see 4L bottles there. Looks like the HNO3 was only 500mL. But, why would they still be storing so much chemicals these days? Does anyone know what is being done to assist the K-12 community with best practices for chemical management? What kind of requirements exist for chemical safety training and lab management? Thanks, Monique Wilhelm Laboratory Supervisor/Adjunct Lecturer/Chem Club Co-Advisor Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI 48502 -----Original Message----- From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 7:26 AM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (12 articles) Chemical Safety Headlines From Google Friday, August 15, 2014 at 7:25:19 AM A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas Table of Contents (12 articles) MORTON BOWEN EVACUATED AFTER BAD CHEMICAL REACTION Tags: us_CO, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical 7 TREATED AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT IN FORT WORTH Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid APPLE BANS TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM MANUFACTURING Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, benzene, hexane CHEMICAL-FILLED TEA BURNS WOMAN AT UTAH RESTAURANT Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, cleaners THREE ARRESTED AFTER METH LAB FIRE DESTROYS OUTBUILDING IN PARKE Tags: us_WV, public, fire, response, meth_lab WASHINGTON: U.S. TRADE DEAL MIGHT LOOSEN EUROPE'S CHEMICAL SAFETY RULES Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental U.S. EPA REPORT SHOWS CONCERN OVER FIRE AT STATOIL UTICA SHALE WELL Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum NORFOLK CHEMICAL LEAK CONTAINED; POSES NO THREAT Tags: us_VA, industrial, release, environmental, cleaners, sodium_hydroxide CHEMICAL SPILL REPORTED AT MOORESVILLE PLANT Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical RUPTURED GAS MAIN PROMPTS SOUTH SIDE HAZMAT RESPONSE Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, natural_gas NEIGHBORS FRUSTRATED OVER CLAIMED 'HAZMAT HOUSE' Tags: us_OR, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical, biodiesel GREENBRIER HIGH TO REOPEN WEDNESDAY AFTER ACID SPILL Tags: us_TN, laboratory, release, response, hydrochloric_acid --------------------------------------------- MORTON BOWEN EVACUATED AFTER BAD CHEMICAL REACTION Tags: us_CO, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical BROOMFIELD - A medical manufacturing business was evacuated Wednesday after an employee accidentally mixed two incompatible chemicals in a drum, causing a small chemical reaction. There were no reported injuries. It happened at 3101 Industrial Lane at Morton Bowen at about 9:30 p.m. The chemical reaction produced a small cloud of vapor, leading employees to evacuate the business. Air monitoring showed that no toxic vapors got beyond 100 feet of the building, and firefighters decided no additional evacuations were necessary. Technicians who entered the building in full protection suits said the reaction was still slowly occurring, but there were no vapors or spills in the area. The entire building was later deemed safe. --------------------------------------------- 7 TREATED AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT IN FORT WORTH Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid FORT WORTH, Texas - Seven workers at a North Texas concrete plant have been treated for minor breathing problems after a chemical accident at an adjacent business. A spokesman for Valley Solvents & Chemicals in Fort Worth says officials are investigating what caused Thursday's release of fumes related to hydrochloric acid. Fidel Ramirez company officials are seeking the source of the release. Fort Worth firefighters responded to CowTown Redi Mix Inc. after some workers reported an unusual odor. CowTown Redi Mix spokesman Dave Guice (guys) says seven workers were treated after the vapors apparently drifted from the neighboring chemical facility. Officials with MedStar EMS in Fort Worth say three of the seven patients were transported to a hospital for additional medical attention. --------------------------------------------- APPLE BANS TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM MANUFACTURING Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, benzene, hexane After years of controversy surrounding the treatment of its factory workers, Apple decided Thursday to eliminate the use of two toxic chemicals in its manufacturing process. Lisa Jackson, vice president of environmental initiatives at Apple (AAPL, Tech30), says the computer company will prohibit the use of benzene and n-hexane in the assembly of its electronics. Benzene is a carcinogen associated with leukemia, and workers who are exposed to high concentrations of n-hexane in large doses can develop nerve damage, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Jackson said the company had recently "received some questions" about whether chemicals were being used at Apple. So she dispatched investigators into Apple's 22 factories and "found no evidence of workers' health being put at risk." She said the company's restrictions on unsafe chemicals have been updated to make sure the two chemicals are not used in the manufacturing process. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL-FILLED TEA BURNS WOMAN AT UTAH RESTAURANT Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, cleaners Jan Harding and her husband had just arrived at a Utah restaurant for a relaxing lunch with friends when she filled her cup with sweet tea from a self-serve beverage station. The 67-year-old grandmother took one sip before spitting it out and exclaiming to her husband: "I think I just drank acid." In fact, the tea was laced with a highly toxic industrial cleaning solution meant for degreasing deep fryers, authorities said. It contained the odorless chemical lye, the active ingredient in drain cleaners. Four days later, Harding was in critical condition Thursday at a Salt Lake City hospital's burn unit, unable to talk and fighting for her life, lawyer Paxton Guymon said. She hasn't improved since Sunday, when she and her husband went to Dickey's Barbecue Pit in South Jordan after church. Investigators and the restaurant manager have told the Hardings that a worker mistook the cleaning product for sugar and accidentally mixed large quantities of it into the iced-tea dispenser, Guymon said. --------------------------------------------- THREE ARRESTED AFTER METH LAB FIRE DESTROYS OUTBUILDING IN PARKE Tags: us_WV, public, fire, response, meth_lab PARKERSBURG, WV - Three people are in jail after a meth lab fire destroys an outbuilding in Parkersburg, West Virginia. According to a news release issued by the Parkersburg Police Department, the fire happened at the 4300 block of 11th Avenue Thursday, August 14. After conducting interviews with residents at this location, police found items that are consistent with the manufacturing of methamphetamine. --------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON: U.S. TRADE DEAL MIGHT LOOSEN EUROPE'S CHEMICAL SAFETY RULES Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental WASHINGTON -- It's been difficult for American chemical companies to crack the European market because the safety standards there are tougher than they are in the U.S. But that might be changing. A pending free trade deal with the European Union, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, might include broad changes to how products that contain chemicals, including everyday household items such as cosmetics and cleaners, are regulated on both sides of the Atlantic. A wide variety of chemicals used in manufacturing a host of products are available in the U.S. but banned in the 28-nation EU because they've been linked to cancer and birth defects. The chemical industry wants to see a unified set of standards. It argues that domestic regulations for chemicals are based on "science" while the European prohibitions are rooted in precaution. The effect, the industry says, is to block American products from finding new markets. "Our industry cannot afford to have the EU set up another enormous barrier to trade," said Bill Allmond, vice president and senior lobbyist for the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, the trade and marketing association for the industry. After the latest round of negotiations last month in Brussels, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Dan Mullaney and Spain's Ignacio Garcia Bercero, his European counterpart, presented a united front, promising that a trade deal would include more standardized regulations across the Atlantic. Critics, however, claim that the negotiations are being kept secret from the public. "It appears the EU and U.S. regulators have bought the chemical industry's argument that this trade deal should go beyond trade to regulation," said Ben Beachy, the research director of Global Trade Watch, a division of Public Citizen, a nonpartisan public policy group. --------------------------------------------- U.S. EPA REPORT SHOWS CONCERN OVER FIRE AT STATOIL UTICA SHALE WELL Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum SALEM, Ohio - A report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is casting a glare on a fracking company after a well fire at an Ohio drilling site June 28. When a Statoil well in Monroe County caught fire in June, fluid was spilled beyond the well pad into a nearby creek and reportedly killed over 50,000 fish in the creek. The chemicals were found as far away as five miles. The U.S. EPA report, however, doesn't indicate drinking water was affected. The Ohio EPA was notified of the fracking chemical spill, and then notified the U.S. EPA, according to the incident report from the Ohio EPA. Cause of fire According to the U.S. EPA report, the fire was likely the result of a broken hydraulic line that sprayed fluid onto hot equipment, igniting it. The fire spread rapidly, resulting in the loss of most of the equipment and chemicals on the well pad. Statoil has eight wells on the pad, which is located on Long Ridge Road between state Route 7 and state Route 536. --------------------------------------------- NORFOLK CHEMICAL LEAK CONTAINED; POSES NO THREAT Tags: us_VA, industrial, release, environmental, cleaners, sodium_hydroxide The leak of a chemical commonly found in cleaning products was contained Wednesday and poses no threat to people or the environment, officials said. The leak happened at a Kinder Morgan terminal on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, near the Berkley neighborhood. An employee noticed a bulge in the tank early in the morning and found a small amount of sodium hydroxide had leaked out, according to a statement from the company. The chemical is commonly found in drain and oven cleaners and a variety of other products. It can cause skin irritation. Workers spent the day transferring 900,000 gallons from the leaking tank to a different tank, while emergency crews from multiple local, state and federal agencies stood by to monitor the operation. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL SPILL REPORTED AT MOORESVILLE PLANT Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical One person suffered minor injuries Wednesday morning in a chemical spill at a Mooresville plant, fire officials say. The spill was reported shortly after 7:15 a.m. at the Bestco (Best Sweets) plant in the 200 block of Mazeppa Road. Bestco produces a variety of health-related products, such as throat lozenges. Mooresville fire Battalion Chief Rob Colvert said crews were initially called to deal with a medical problem. But initial responders reported the possibility of multiple patients and a chemical spill. A hazardous materials team was sent to the site. Workers were evacuated from the area near the spill, and the problem was cleaned, Colvert said. One patient was taken by emergency medical personnel to a hospital for observation. Colvert said the area was cleared quickly, and employees were admitted back in. --------------------------------------------- RUPTURED GAS MAIN PROMPTS SOUTH SIDE HAZMAT RESPONSE Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, natural_gas A gas main break has prompted a limited evacuation on the Far South Side Tuesday afternoon. The 4 inch gas main was struck and ruptured by a construction crew at 104th Street and Vincennes, creating a level 2 hazmat situation, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Around 30 people were evacuated from the Triedstone Full Gospel Baptist Church at 1415 W 104th St. Officials say the evacuations were a precautionary measure. --------------------------------------------- NEIGHBORS FRUSTRATED OVER CLAIMED 'HAZMAT HOUSE' Tags: us_OR, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical, biodiesel BEAVERTON, Ore. (KOIN 6) - Barrels of unknown liquids and canisters containing possible flammable substances at an empty house left residents in a Beaverton neighborhood frustrated with an inability to get it cleaned up. Barrels of unknown liquids and canisters containing possible flammable substances that have sat outside a vacant Beaverton home since late 2013, August 12, 2014. (KOIN 6) The house at 250 NW 181st has been vacant since late 2013. Homeowner Scott Rovig said his former home was going through foreclosure. He fell behind in the payments, he told KOIN 6 News, and when the bank demanded around $35,000, he moved out since he didn't have the money. Nearby residents told KOIN 6 News they nicknamed it the "Hazmat House" and noted it's very close to a park where children play. One neighborhood association member, who asked to remain anonymous, pointed to some barrels and canisters piled near the driveway. "I'm looking at gas cans here," the member said. "I don't know what's in some of these barrels." Outside, there were also containers labeled "Nitric Acid" and "Muriatic Acid," as well as paint cans and canisters labeled as gear oil. Rovig said some of the barrels were once used to store vegetable oil to make bio-diesel for his truck, and the muriatic acid was used for doing stone work. He said he did not remember having a container labeled "nitric acid." --------------------------------------------- GREENBRIER HIGH TO REOPEN WEDNESDAY AFTER ACID SPILL Tags: us_TN, laboratory, release, response, hydrochloric_acid Greenbrier High School will reopen as scheduled on Wednesday after classes were cancelled Tuesday following a chemical spill in the school's chemistry lab, officials said. Cleanup crews remained at the school until about noon, according to Robertson County Emergency Management Director R.L. Douglas. The spill was comprised of three different acids, sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric, Douglas said. No ammonia was involved, he added. "Once we got in there, we put lyme on the chemicals, swept everything up and disposed of it," Douglas said. "The school is still being ventilated by the Board of Education (as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday). They are letting the fans run for safety reasons, but everything should be good to go in a few more hours." Investigators are still trying to determine how the spill occurred. In a statement, Robertson County School District officials said the spill happened overnight Monday and was discovered early Tuesday morning. A teacher arrived at the building around 7 a.m., noticed a smell in the building, researched it and discovered the spill in the school's science lab, according to schools spokesman Jim Bellis. ---------------------------------------------

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We, the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do everything with nothing. Teresa Arnold

Samuella B. Sigmann, NRCC-CHO
Lecturer/Safety Committee Chair
A. R. Smith Department of Chemistry
Appalachian State University
525 Rivers Street
Boone, NC 28608
Phone: 828 262 2755
Fax: 828 262 6558
Email: sigmannsb**At_Symbol_Here**appstate.edu

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