From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 07:05:15 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: DE96A52F-79D6-463C-BDCE-C7583F1726BA**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, December 19, 2014 at 7:04:51 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 (13 articles)

FIRE AT REDLANDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING FACILITY CAUSES $25,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, batteries

ZOTOS VP: NOV. SPILL WAS CLEANED UP QUICKLY
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, response, ammonium_hydroxide

HAZMAT, LAKE COUNTY NARCOTICS INVESTIGATING UNKNOWN CHEMICALS IN WILLOUGHBY
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

STUDENTS FIND CHEMICAL LEAK IN APARTMENT ‰?? U N I V E R S E
Tags: us_UT, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide

'MULTIPLE HUMAN ERRORS' LED TO DEADLY TAIWAN GAS BLASTS
Tags: Taiwan, transportation, follow-up, death, natural_gas

BIBLE HILL FIRE, RCMP AND HAZMAT RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT DAL AC
Tags: Canada, laboratory, explosion, injury, corrosives

UPDATE: AUBURNDALE FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO AMMONIA LEAK AT COMMERCIAL CARRIER :DAILY RIDGE
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

ONE MILLION DOLLAR PRICE TAG TO CLEAN UP SANTA PAULA EXPLOSION SITE
Tags: us_CA, transportation, follow-up, environmental, water_treatment

SEVEN WORKERS INJURED IN FIRE AT NANDESARI PLANT
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, methanol, pharmaceutical

PENDAFORM CITED BY OSHA IN AUGUST CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

LAB FIRE IN SONNING COMMON WAS NOT A CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

4 INDICTED IN WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL CASE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, cleaners, illegal

WORKER HOSPITALIZED AFTER ANHYDROUS AMMONIA LEAK IN CHARLESTON
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, ammonia


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FIRE AT REDLANDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING FACILITY CAUSES $25,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, batteries

REDLANDS >> A fire at an industrial battery manufacturing facility on Brockton Avenue caused businesses in the vicinity to be evacuated Tuesday evening.

The Redlands Fire Department responded to the incident at 840 W. Brockton Ave. at around 5:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a fire in the formation area of the Teledyne Battery Products facility, authorities said in a news release. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered light smoke coming from the building, they added.

Because of the smoke and a chemical smell, businesses such as The Home Depot, Jack in the Box, 7-Eleven and Toyota of Redlands were evacuated until crews got a handle on things.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, said city spokesman Carl Baker.

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ZOTOS VP: NOV. SPILL WAS CLEANED UP QUICKLY
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, response, ammonium_hydroxide

GENEVA ‰?? Doug Parkinson, the new Vice President of Operations at Zotos International, said the company reacted properly to a Nov. 19 chemical spill at the Forge Avenue manufacturing plant.
There was a spill of an estimated 720 gallons of ammonium hydroxide the night of Nov. 19. State Department of Environmental Conservation Region 8 officials said the spill happened after workers replaced a pump that transferred the ammonium hydroxide from a storage tank to a processing tank.
Where's the story?
4 Points Mentioned
Ammonia hydroxide is a solution of ammonia in water. It‰??s typically used as a cleaning agent.
Upon learning of the discharge of the chemical into the stormwater collection system on the property, Parkinson said Zotos immediately contained the discharge at the exit to the drainage system and blocked off the drainage way to prevent any further contamination.

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HAZMAT, LAKE COUNTY NARCOTICS INVESTIGATING UNKNOWN CHEMICALS IN WILLOUGHBY
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT teams and Lake County Narcotics as well as Willoughby police and fire departments were investigating unknown chemicals at a building at 28323 Apollo Parkway in Willoughby on Dec. 17.

Willoughby Fire Chief Al Zwegat said they were called in by law enforcement officers for help investigating the scene at about 9 p.m.

‰??Right now there‰??s no concern of any exposure for occupants in any of the other buildings and there‰??s no need for evacuation at this time,‰?? he said.

Zwegat said there were teams inside sampling unknown chemicals with a device that can identify over 60,000 different chemicals.

A green decontamination tent was set up at the scene for ‰??worst-case scenario,‰?? he said.

‰??Some of it we‰??re not exactly sure what we‰??re dealing with,‰?? he said. ‰??It‰??s decontamination so if they do come in contact with some unknown chemical that requires decontamination we‰??re all ready to deal with it.‰??

The fire chief said there were no employees in the building. He said there was one man in the building, who is fine.‰??

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

STUDENTS FIND CHEMICAL LEAK IN APARTMENT ‰?? U N I V E R S E
Tags: us_UT, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide

Four BYU students living at 9 and 9 apartments, located at 876 E. and 900 N., reported that an alarm was continually ringing on their apartment‰??s carbon monoxide detector.

The roommates believe a carbon monoxide leak in their apartment could‰??ve been deadly. Alex Martin, a BYU student from Houston, is one of the affected roommates.

Martin has lived at 9 & 9 Apartments since the last week of August. Martin said that Nelson Brothers Management was very neglectful in dealing with a life threatening problem.

Inside the apartment‰??s water heater closet, carbon monoxide levels of 2000 parts per million were found. The water heater malfunctioned and gas was then exposed.

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

'MULTIPLE HUMAN ERRORS' LED TO DEADLY TAIWAN GAS BLASTS
Tags: Taiwan, transportation, follow-up, death, natural_gas

Prosecutors said deadly gas explosions in Taiwan were caused by "multiple human errors" Thursday as they charged 12 people over the blasts, including the head of a chemical company and government officials.

The disaster killed 32 people and wounded more than 300 in southern Kaohsiung city in July as explosions in underground pipelines sparked massive fires and left trenches running down the middle of some streets, with vehicles thrown onto the roofs of buildings.

In the first indictments since the blasts, prosecutors charged the chairman of LCY Chemical Corp., which operated the pipeline, and 11 others with causing death and injuries by professional negligence and offences against public safety.

"Multiple human errors led to the grave tragedies of 32 people losing their lives and 321 people being injured," prosecutors said in a statement.

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

BIBLE HILL FIRE, RCMP AND HAZMAT RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT DAL AC
Tags: Canada, laboratory, explosion, injury, corrosives

BIBLE HILL ‰?? When police arrived on scene at Dalhousie Agricultural College just after noon on Thursday, a routine response quickly escalated when a bystander used the word ‰??explosion.‰??

At 1:30 p.m., RCMP and Bible Hill Fire Department responded to an automated alarm inside the Cox Institute of Agricultural Technology. Upon arrival, a person who was inside the building said they heard a small explosion.

The decision was quickly made to call in a hazardous materials team to air on the safe side of caution as fumes began to circulate through the building. In the end, the crews determined a container of creosote had broken open in an empty room, causing a loud crash but no explosion.

‰??The initial word was that there was a small explosion on the second floor,‰?? said Bible Hill fire Chief Dwane Mellish. ‰??We wanted to take our time and get everyone involved to stay on the safe side of things.‰??

Around 2 p.m., a small group of firefighters entered the building and surveyed the scene, ensuring all rooms were empty. An hour later, the HAZMAT crew went in and began clean up.

Creosote, a wood-preserving chemical, is not explosive or corrosive. Around 4:30 p.m., once a safe air quality was ensured, the building was re-opened.

Despite not being as threatening a situation as it seemed early on, the firefighters and police took every step to ensure safety.

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

UPDATE: AUBURNDALE FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO AMMONIA LEAK AT COMMERCIAL CARRIER :DAILY RIDGE
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

Two of the three employees exposed to the leak were transported to the hospital. There were 100 lbs of ammonia released in the building. Progress Road is shut down as hazmat crews work to contain the leak, according to Auburndale Fire Chief Stuart McCutcheon.
Original Release

AUBURNDALE- Auburndale firefighters are on the scene of an ammonia leak at Commercial Carrier, 420 Progress Road. Firefighters responded at 10:17 a.m. An ammonia line burst in the plant. The building was evacuated. Three employees exposed to the leak were rescued at the scene. There are no further injuries. Progress Road is closed as firefighters continue to contain leak. Polk County Fire Rescue and the county‰??s Hazmat team are assisting. There is no other information to report at this time.

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

ONE MILLION DOLLAR PRICE TAG TO CLEAN UP SANTA PAULA EXPLOSION SITE
Tags: us_CA, transportation, follow-up, environmental, water_treatment

VENTURA, Calif. -

The cost to put out a chemical fire and clean up the Mission Rock Road waste disposal site is estimated to be $1 million so far.

A chemical reaction inside a vacuum truck triggered an explosion at the facility on November 18 hurting dozens of people and forcing many residents in Santa Paula to evacuate.

County leaders updated the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday on the progress of the clean up and efforts to make the waste water treatment facility safer.

"We have made a great deal of progress," said Chris Stephens, Director of the County's Resource Management Agency. "The site has been neutralized and cleaned up with the exception of the 'lake' in the center of the facility where the initial explosion occurred. That area is expected to be neutralized, solidified and removed in the next three weeks" said Stephens.

Officials told the Supervisors that hundreds of tests show the area is safe from hazardous materials and that produce grown in the area is safe from any contamination.

The Mission Rock Road waste disposal plant will not reopen until three conditions are met. The site must be completely cleaned and deemed safe. The company must demonstrate that it can operate safely and the city of Oxnard must agree to accept products from the facility.

The $1 million loss does not include two fire engines damaged in the blast.

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

SEVEN WORKERS INJURED IN FIRE AT NANDESARI PLANT
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, methanol, pharmaceutical

VADODARA: Seven workers were injured after a fire broke out at a manufacturing facility in Nandesari GIDC near here on Tuesday. Fire brigade officials said the fire engulfed one of the plants of Nandesari-based PAB Organics Private Limited after an explosion in a chemical reactor. The fire broke out in the plant number two of the private limited firm, which manufactures fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals intermediates.


The vital statistics of other five workers are normal," said a doctor from the emergency department of Shreeji Hospital. "It took us around two and half hours to extinguish the fire. There was a barrel of highly flammable solvent and a tank of methanol 40 feet away from the spot where the explosion took place.

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

PENDAFORM CITED BY OSHA IN AUGUST CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

A local thermoforming manufacturing company has been ordered to pay $25,000 in fines after receiving seven citations that it mishandled a chemical spill in August.
PendaForm Corp. received citations for seven serious violations, according to a ‰??Citation and notification of penalty‰?? document issued Nov. 6 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
PendaForm entered into an informal settlement agreement with OSHA in the spill that occurred Aug. 25, said Chad Greenwood, assistant area director of OSHA‰??s Madison office.

According to the citations, PendaForm failed to have employees use proper equipment to handle the chemical spill, train its employees in the proper procedure to clean it up, or have an emergency response plan to deal with hazardous spills.

OSHA initially ordered PendaForm to pay $49,000 in fines, or $7,000 for each of the seven violations. After PendaForm officials met with OSHA in November, the fine was reduced to $25,000, according to Scott Allen, regional directgor of public affairs for the U.S. Department of Labor.

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

LAB FIRE IN SONNING COMMON WAS NOT A CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

A small fire in a Sonning Common lab was contained to one room by firefighters yesterday.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service sent a full chemical incident unit to Johnson Matthey Technology Centre in Blounts Court at 4.06pm.

However, when fire crews arrived they found the small blaze was confined to machinery in a laboratory clean room.

Spokesman for the fire service Dominic Llewellyn-Jones said: "The fire was contained to the one room and did not spread to any other part of the building."

Caversham Road Fire Statio had also joined the Oxfordshire firefighters in tackling the small blaze and all the crews left the scene by 5.30pm.

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

4 INDICTED IN WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL CASE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, cleaners, illegal

CHARLESTON, W.Va. ‰?? Four former chemical company executives have been indicted on pollution charges over a January spill that triggered a ban on drinking water for days for 300,000 West Virginia residents.

The indictment unsealed Wednesday charged ex-Freedom Industries presidents Gary Southern and Dennis P. Farrell and two others with failing to ensure that the company operated the steel storage tank that leaked the coal-cleaning chemical in a reasonable and environmentally sound manner.

Southern also faces federal fraud charges related to the company's bankruptcy case. Freedom filed for bankruptcy eight days after the Jan. 9 spill of the chemicals into the Elk River in Charleston. West Virginia American Water uses the river for its water supply a mile and a half downstream.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement that the tank conditions at Freedom Industries "were not only grievously unacceptable, but unlawful. They put an entire population needlessly at risk. As these actions make clear, such conduct cannot, and will not, be tolerated."

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

WORKER HOSPITALIZED AFTER ANHYDROUS AMMONIA LEAK IN CHARLESTON
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

CHARLESTON, Ore. - One person was hospitalized after an anhydrous ammonia leak at Bandon Pacific on Tuesday.

State police said a 300-pound tank holding the ammonia was compromised shorlty after 3 p.m. when a maintenance worker was draining the oil from the bottom of a freezer that was shut down.

"He could not get the valve shut off fast enough and it overtook him and he decided to leave the area," said Charleston Fire Chief Mike Sneddon.

About 50 people were evacuated from the area.

"Coos Bay Hazmat went in, closed the valve, and then they capped the bottom of it just to make sure," said Heddon.

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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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