From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (11 articles)
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 07:35:20 -0400
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 22, 2014 at 7:35:12 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 (11 articles)

WAREHOUSE FIRE UNDERSCORES NEED TO TRACK CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, explosion, response, other_chemical

TIPPED TANKER, POTENTIAL CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES ROADS NEAR HILL AIR FORCE BASE
Tags: us_UT, transportation, release, response, acids

SHREVEPORT RESIDENTS EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL ALLOWED TO R
Tags: us_LA, transportation, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

NORFOLK MAN TREATED FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE FROM HOUSEHOLD INCIDENT
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, chlorine

NOTTINGHAM LAB FIRE PROBE TURNS TO WORKING PRACTICES ë? CONSTRUCTION ENQUIRER
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

FIRE DAMAGES SARASOTA FERTILIZER PLANT
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

NIAGARA FALLS FIRE CAUSES MILLIONS IN DAMAGE
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, response, paper

GUSHER OF CASH FOLLOWS CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

AG: BEXAR CO. MUST RELEASE HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL INFORMATION
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical

CONCERNS OVER POTENTIAL HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES ROADS, CAUSES DELAYS
Tags: us_UT, transportation, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

I-20 REOPENED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, corrosives


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WAREHOUSE FIRE UNDERSCORES NEED TO TRACK CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, explosion, response, other_chemical

BRIDGEPORT -- Like many of her neighbors along Seaview Avenue, Gladys Fernandez said she had no idea potentially explosive chemicals were stored in the old industrial buildings across the street.

"Nobody knew that was going on," Hernandez said.

Then a five-alarm blaze literally blew the lid off what, intentionally or not, had been the Rowayton Trading Co.'s quiet operation as purveyors of pigments, fragrance oils, dyes and other materials to manufacturers worldwide.

Hundreds of metal drums of chemicals burst, accompanied by loud booms and fireballs, turning the dense residential neighborhood into what some witnesses described as a war zone.

Now questions are being asked about who knew what about Rowayton's operation, whether the company followed all state and federal reporting requirements for what was kept on site, and whether those go far enough.

"Rowayton Trading -- I don't know anybody who knew what it was," said David Dobbs, a fire union vice president.

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TIPPED TANKER, POTENTIAL CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES ROADS NEAR HILL AIR FORCE BASE
Tags: us_UT, transportation, release, response, acids

LAYTON ‰?? A tipped tanker caused a chemical spill scare and traffic delays near Hill Air Force Base on Friday.

The truck, carrying hydrofluorosilicic acid used to fluoridate water, hit a soft spot on the shoulder of the road and tipped as it was backing up on near the tank where the chemical was being delivered about 12:30 p.m.

None of the acid spilled, but it caused concern about a potential chemical hazard.

"Like most chemicals, chlorine and everything else at certain concentrations is hazardous to human health and human life. So that's the precaution," said Dean Hunt, Layton fire marshal.

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

SHREVEPORT RESIDENTS EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL ALLOWED TO R
Tags: us_LA, transportation, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - Residents of homes evacuated Friday morning after a chemical spill on I-20 near Jewella Ave. have been allowed to return to their homes.

"They've identified the chemical, they've identified the breach, in so doing we can render the area safe," said Louis Johnson with the Shreveport Fire Department.
The hazardous material spill resulted in the closure of I20 westbound between Hearne Ave. and I-49, after the driver of the Old Dominion truck reportedly noticed the chemical leaking from the trailer shortly after 10 a.m., pulled over and contacted authorities.

Police arrived on the scene and immediately began taking precautions, and securing the area. Johnson said conditions were perfect for such an incident.

"Even the wind conditions have worked well, so it's been a relatively good incident in that respect," said Johnson.

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NORFOLK MAN TREATED FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE FROM HOUSEHOLD INCIDENT
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, chlorine

NORFOLK ‰?? A 55-year-old man was being treated at a Norwood hospital for possible exposure to chlorine gas after two household chemicals were mixed together, causing a purplish foam, causing him to develop breathing problems.
Norfolk Fire Chief Coleman Bushnell said firefighters were alerted to the incident around 8 p.m., Saturday, when Walpole firefighters said they were treating a man for difficulty breathing.
When Norfolk firefighters responded to 120 Myrtle St., they determined that the 55-year-old man had been exposed to the chemicals while cleaning. Fire crews evacuated an adult female and a young child.
The man declined medical treatment from Walpole firefighters, and was driven to Norwood Hospital by family members, where he was evaluated by hospital officials. The other residents didn‰??t show any signs of chemical exposure, fire officials said.

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

NOTTINGHAM LAB FIRE PROBE TURNS TO WORKING PRACTICES ë? CONSTRUCTION ENQUIRER
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

Safety experts are now investigating whether the blaze that destroyed Nottingham University‰??s chemistry lab was caused by ‰??unsafe working practices on the construction site‰??.

Police and fire services investigators have been on the site for over a week, using dogs trained to sniff out whether accelerants were used at the building site.

Notts Police said: ‰??We have concluded our examination of the site, which is now subject to the Health and Safety Executive, but our investigation continues into establishing the cause of the fire.‰??

The HSE said it was now looking into the cause of the fire at the å£20m timber-framed building, which was being built by Morgan Sindall and was at the fit-out stage.

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FIRE DAMAGES SARASOTA FERTILIZER PLANT
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

SARASOTA COUNTY - A welding accident evidently sparked a fire inside a chemical mixing machine at the Florikan fertilizer plant, 1500 block of Barber Road in Sarasota, on Sunday afternoon.

Maintenance supervisor Mike Cruz said he and two other workers on duty escaped without harm.

Billows of smoke emitted from the building and limited visibility in the interior. Firefighters got on the roof to open mechnical hatches to let more smoke out.

Sarasota County Interim Fire Chief Michael Regnier described the burning chemicals as "inert" but said hazardous materials units worked the scene as a precaution.

A chemical fire at the same plant in April 2009 also caused an evacuation and road closures in the industry park off Palmer Boulevard.

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

NIAGARA FALLS FIRE CAUSES MILLIONS IN DAMAGE
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, response, paper

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - Firefighters have a grip on a huge fire outside a Niagara Falls paper factory after a 24 hours of fighting flames. The fire caused multi-million dollars in damage to Norampac Industries, according to the mayor.

‰??Obviously this is a far cry from the scene we witnessed here yesterday afternoon and yesterday evening,‰?? Niagara Falls mayor Paul Dyster said Sunday as firefighters mopped up hot spots in the fire.

As the sun came up, firefighters‰?? work continued ‰?? to keep the flames under control outside Greenpac Mill and Norampac Industries.

Greenpac Mill is a paper company that uses recycled paper and cardboard to make its products. The fire started Saturday afternoon as bales of paper and cardboard sitting outside waiting to be fed ‰?? ignited.

Mayor Dyster called it a clean burn ‰?? which is fortunate.

‰??We‰??re pretty lucky here. Most of what‰??s burning is paper and cardboard. Burning in the open air. Because of high winds, getting a lot of oxygen. So it‰??s not like a junkyard fire where you have tires burning. Or a fire at a chemical company where you have toxic chemicals in the air,‰?? Dyster said.

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

GUSHER OF CASH FOLLOWS CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

On Thursday, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) presented a new version of legislation to overhaul chemical safety regulations, dissenting from a bipartisan bill that was still being negotiated more than a year after it was introduced. But Boxer, who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, isn‰??t the only one putting up a fight: Several big players in the chemical industry have been laying out record amounts of money to influence regulatory legislation.
Despite its name, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, an effort to overhaul the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, has been criticized by several environmental groups ‰?? and heartily approved by the American Chemistry Council. Since the bill was first introduced last year, the ACC‰??s spending on lobbying shot through the roof, reaching a record $12.3 million in 2013 and $6 million during the first two quarters of 2014. The Council, a major lobbying force in the chemical industry, has clearly made proposed changes to TSCA a top priority, citing the bill in nine lobbying filings just this year. Also weighing in on the bill: Eastman Chemical, maker of the coal-washing agents that leaked into Elk River in January, leading to a cutoff in the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians.

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AG: BEXAR CO. MUST RELEASE HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL INFORMATION
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical

AUSTIN ‰?? The Office of Attorney General Greg Abbott says Bexar County officials must release some information regarding hazardous chemical inventories, after local emergency planners refused to hand over the information to the Houston Chronicle.

In a Sept. 16 public records ruling, Assistant Attorney General Lee Seidlits ruled local officials must release information on the types of potentially hazardous chemicals stored in facilities across the county. But the specific locations and amounts of the chemical stockpiles can continue to be withheld under homeland security laws, Seidlits added, in order to preserve public safety.

‰??We recognize the public‰??s legitimate interest in obtaining information concerning hazardous substances stored in Texas communities,‰?? wrote Seidlits. But he added, ‰??the committee must withhold the information which would indicate the specific locations of the facilities at issue.‰??

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

CONCERNS OVER POTENTIAL HAZMAT SITUATION CLOSES ROADS, CAUSES DELAYS
Tags: us_UT, transportation, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

CLEARFIELD, Utah (ABC 4 Utah) - Semi carrying fluoride is stuck on a slope in Clearfield Friday. Authorities are concerned about a spill and possible hazmat situation.

According to emergency dispatch, tow trucks were on scene to stabilize the semi.

Several roads were closed in the area.

The incident was cleared and the roads reopened around 3:30 p.m.

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

I-20 REOPENED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, corrosives

Interstate-20 has reopened in Shreveport between Jewella an Hearne Avenues following a chemical spill this morning.

At about 10 a.m. a double trailer from Old Dominion Freight Line was traveling westbound on I-20. The driver noticed that a chemical was leaking and pulled over at the Jewella exit near the State Fairgrounds.

Shreveport Police and Shreveport Fire responded and immediately shut down all westbound traffic between Jewella and Hearne Avenues. Several homes north of the Interstate were also evacuated and Hazardous Materials team was called in.

HAZMAT determined where the leak was coming from and Chief Louis Johnson with SFD says it was non-toxic.

"We did identify the chemical, it was a corrosive, but it wasn't very acidic so it wasn't a dangerous chemical in that respect, so that was very good news for us," says Johnson.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes but they were told to stay inside as an environmental clean-up company was called in. Westbound traffic re-opened early in the afternoon.

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