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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, May 1, 2015 at 6:11:54 AM
A membership benefit 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)
HAMMONTON HAZMAT LEAK SITE HAD FIRE IN JANUARY
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, response, hvac_chemicals
HOTEL SHUT DOWN AFTER SUSPECTED METH LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_GA, public, explosion, injury, batteries, meth_lab
MAN BURNED BY ONE-POT METH LAB
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, response, meth_lab
DUPONT CHEMICAL LEAK HOSPITALIZES 22
Tags: us_VI, industrial, release, injury, flammables
PIPELINE FIRE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HYDROGEN BURNS?
Tags: us_TX, transportation, explosion, response, hydrogen
ATHENS STREAM POISONED BY CHEMICALS 5 YEARS AGO IS RECOVERING
Tags: us_GA, public, follow-up, environmental, formaldehyde, runoff, toxics
CHEMICAL LEAK AT NEW JERSEY MEDICAL FIRM SICKENS AT LEAST 10
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
UPDATE: CALUMET OIL REFINERY EXPLOSION, FIRE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, asphalt, petroleum
VAIL VALLEY MAN INJURED IN HASH OIL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CO, public, explosion, injury, butane, drugs, illegal
WARWICK COMPANY TO PLEAD GUILTY TO CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATION
Tags: us_RI, industrial, discovery, response, hydrofluoric_acid
CHEMICAL RELEASE FORCES EVACUATIONS IN WILLISTON
Tags: us_VT, industrial, release, injury, repellent, waste
JURY AWARDS $10.9 MILLION TO BENSENVILLE MAN BURNED IN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, injury, flammables
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HAMMONTON HAZMAT LEAK SITE HAD FIRE IN JANUARY
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, response, hvac_chemicals
HAMMONTON ‰?? The office building where eight people were injured by a refrigerant leak from the air conditioning system Wednesday afternoon remained closed Thursday, as workers tried to identify the cause of the leak.
Police Chief Robert Jones said the same building was the site of a fire in the heating and air conditioning system on the roof on Jan. 16, 2015.
A police report said the fire was reported in a heating unit just before 10 a.m. and was put out by the fire department.
It is unclear if the fire is related to the current problem.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration started an investigation Wednesday and has up to six months to complete it, said U.S. Labor Department Deputy Regional Director Joanna P. Hawkins, from the Office of Public Affairs for the Philadelphia Region.
---------------------------------------------
HOTEL SHUT DOWN AFTER SUSPECTED METH LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_GA, public, explosion, injury, batteries, meth_lab
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. ‰?? Police are investigating an explosion inside a possible meth lab in Cartersville. On Thursday, state fire marshals shut down the motel where the explosion happened.
Hazmat crews are now examining the building for hazardous materials, and deputies are searching for a suspect.
‰??I was freaking out,‰?? Danielle Scroggs told Channel 2‰??s Ross Cavitt. She works at the Carterville North Inn where the explosion happened. ‰??I didn‰??t know if I was coming to work or what,‰?? said Scroggs.
Firefighters said the blast in the third-floor room tore the bathroom door from its hinge. They said they almost immediately suspected a meth lab.
Investigators said they found batteries torn open inside the room. The batteries are commonly used to get lithium needed to make meth.
The resident of the room apparently sought treatment for burns at a nearby hospital, but left before workers could notify deputies that he was there.
---------------------------------------------
MAN BURNED BY ONE-POT METH LAB
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, response, meth_lab
A 35-year-old man was cooking meth in a one-pot meth lab using just a 20 ounce pop bottle.
And, when it didn't go as planned, he tried to get it out of the house, but it erupted into a fireball.
The Lansing man has been transported to the burn unit at U of M after suffering severe chemical burns.
"They're quite serious, they're quite serious. Again, it appears he had some sort of chemical burn as well as a flame burn. We're not experts on that, but yeah, he had sever burns throughout his upper body," said Officer Merritt of the Lansing Police Department.
Lansing Police and Fire responded to the scene, but had to send in a hazmat crew to handle the hazardous chemicals.
"They'll be fully suited up with fire retardant boots, suit, gloves and then their SCBA breathing apparatus, just so there's no contact with any of the materials to the skin," said D/Lt. Brian Bahlau of the MSP Tri-County Metro Narcotic Team.
---------------------------------------------
DUPONT CHEMICAL LEAK HOSPITALIZES 22
Tags: us_VI, industrial, release, injury, flammables
Twenty-two Dupont employees and two firefighters were transported to hospitals after a chemical leak occurred on Monday in the 5400 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, Dupont complex. Twelve employees were treated by medics at the scene, but not transported, according to Lt. Jason Elmore of Chesterfield Fire and EMS.
The emergency call was sounded at 10:45 a.m., at the Dupont Richmond Zytel plant. Chesterfield Fire and EMS, which included Haz Mat teams, a special foam unit from the Airport Fire Station, a Multi-Casualty Bus, multiple EMS units, fire crews from City of Richmond and Defense Logics Agency(formerly known as DSCR) and numerous fire engines and aerial ladder trucks soon arrived on scene to assist Dupont‰??s Fire and EMS team.
The Zytel building had chemical pipes located on the outside of the building where the leak was, Elmore said.
Firefighters sprayed a steady stream of water on the chemicals to disperse vapors, which are highly flammable, Elmore explained.
---------------------------------------------
PIPELINE FIRE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HYDROGEN BURNS?
Tags: us_TX, transportation, explosion, response, hydrogen
CORPUS CHRISTI - A Mark West company spokesperson said they're still looking into what may have caused Tuesday's fire along a hydrogen pipeline, but a chemistry professor at Texas A&M Corpus Christi addressed the science behind that sort of chemical reaction.
Tuesday afternoon, a Mark West pipeline caught fire after an apparent explosion; it was transporting hydrogen away from the Citgo West plant.
The company maintains that the fire did not pose any immediate danger to the public, and the facility was not evacuated, but the large flames and smoke were enough to catch the attention of dozens of people, who captured the accident on cell phone video.
---------------------------------------------
ATHENS STREAM POISONED BY CHEMICALS 5 YEARS AGO IS RECOVERING
Tags: us_GA, public, follow-up, environmental, formaldehyde, runoff, toxics
Five years after a massive chemical spill obliterated all biological life in Trail Creek, the Athens stream today shows signs of a revitalized ecosystem.
As Athens firefighters pumped up to 1.5 million gallons of water in a futile attempt to put out the July 28, 2010, fire at J&J Chemical Company on Trans Tech Drive, most of the runoff wound up in the little creek, carrying along with it a heavy load of poisons such as formaldehyde and dichlorobenzene.
It was easy to see and smell the disastrous runoff ‰?? the chemical dyed the water an eerily brilliant blue and a sweet odor floated through the air, thanks to the toilet bowl disinfectant that was a major part of the company‰??s inventory. Hundreds of barrels holding the disinfectant and toxic chemicals let loose their contents as the huge fire raged at the site.
The spill killed fish and other living creatures for miles downstream, and left a residue of toxic chemicals behind in both stream and wetland sediments long after the blue-tinged water had drained off into the North Oconee River at Dudley Park.
But now a key indicator of stream life has returned to pre-spill levels in the creek, according to David Manning of the Upper Oconee Watershed Network.
UOWN is a volunteer group that monitors stream health in the Athens area.
So-called ‰??macroinvertebrates,‰?? small creatures such as water worms, caddis flies and other insects, are flourishing at about the same levels as before the spill, Manning told water management professionals on Tuesday
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK AT NEW JERSEY MEDICAL FIRM SICKENS AT LEAST 10
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
Authorities say a chemical leak at a medical company in southern New Jersey has left several workers feeling ill.
The refrigerant leak happened Wednesday at Home Solutions Infusion Therapy in Hammonton. The cause of the leak remains under investigation, though officials say it may have been caused by a malfunction in the building's ventilation system.
Authorities say roughly 30 workers were assessed at the scene. Eight people were taken to hospitals for further evaluation, while two others were airlifted by medical chopper.
Worker Kim Valentine told The Press of Atlantic City that she smelled a chemical odor in the building before her throat became sore. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she said they stung.
Other employees said they were nauseated and had headaches.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: CALUMET OIL REFINERY EXPLOSION, FIRE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, asphalt, petroleum
SUPERIOR, Wis. -
A cause has not yet been determined for Tuesday‰??s fire at Calumet Oil Refinery.
What officials do know, is that an asphalt tank, about 28 feet tall and 24 feet wide, exploded.
The tank was empty, which officials say makes it more likely for an explosion like this to take place.
Battalion Chief Scott Gordon, with the Superior Fire Department says, all things considered, a lot went well Tuesday.
A few things include the fact that the explosion happened in the afternoon, the lack of wind, and that it was in an area easily accessible to rescue squads.
But, perhaps, the luckiest thing was the timing.
---------------------------------------------
VAIL VALLEY MAN INJURED IN HASH OIL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CO, public, explosion, injury, butane, drugs, illegal
EAGLE-VAIL ‰?? Colorado‰??s marijuana industry has taken off with a bang ‰?? literally.
An Eagle-Vail man said a malfunctioning valve in his legal hash-oil cooking system caused an explosion Wednesday afternoon.
About two hours after the explosion, Ryan Wilhelm, 24, called the Vail Daily from the local hospital to tell his side of the story.
Wilhelm said he was outside on the back porch of his Eagle-Vail townhome when a valve failed on his closed-loop, hash-oil system. They‰??re designed to keep highly flammable butane gas from escaping.
‰??The valve popped, and I jumped back,‰?? Wilhelm said. ‰??When I did, the static electricity in my sweatshirt ignited it.‰??
Wilhelm said he was running a state-approved closed loop system, legal in Colorado.
‰??It‰??s legal as long as you‰??re running a closed-loop system,‰?? Wilhelm said.
IT‰??S NOT LEGAL, SHERIFF SAYS
The closed-loop system is not legal, the Eagle County Sheriff‰??s Office said in a statement.
‰??It does not matter how you‰??re doing it, it‰??s illegal,‰?? said Jessie Mosher, public information officer with the Sheriff‰??s Office. ‰??If you‰??re in a residential area, you‰??re endangering everyone around you and yourself.‰??
---------------------------------------------
WARWICK COMPANY TO PLEAD GUILTY TO CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATION
Tags: us_RI, industrial, discovery, response, hydrofluoric_acid
A Warwick company is expected to plead guilty to violating the federal Clean Air Act.
According to the office of U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Monday court filings indicate Mann Distribution LLC ‰?? also known as Mann Chemical LLC ‰?? will acknowledge it failed to create and implement a risk management plan to minimize the chance of hydrofluoric acid being released from its facility and ‰??protect workers, the community, and emergency and first responders in the event of a release or fire involving the chemical.‰??
Neronha‰??s office indicates that at sentencing, the court will be asked to impose a fine of $200,000 and a probationary term of three years for the company. Mann Chemical will also be asked to issue a public apology.
According to the U.S. Attorney, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations require a risk management plan ‰?? including a ‰??worst case‰?? response plan ‰?? be developed for facilities storing more than 1,000 pounds of hydrofluoric acid, which is used primarily for industrial purposes and can cause skin burns, tissue damage and respiratory problems.
Neronha‰??s office indicates that a June 2009 EPA inspection determined that Mann Chemical failed to meet the risk plan requirements which storing 92 drums of hydrofluoric acid ‰?? each weighing 500 pounds, for a total of 46,000 pounds ‰?? in a concentration of 70 percent.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL RELEASE FORCES EVACUATIONS IN WILLISTON
Tags: us_VT, industrial, release, injury, repellent, waste
WILLISTON, Vt. -
The end of Avenue C in Williston was shut down for the afternoon Tuesday as state and local emergency responders worked to contain a hazmat situation.
Around noon, fire officials said they got the call about a chemical release at the Chittenden Solid Waste District recycling building. They shut all the doors and killed the power to the building to contain the situation.
"We went ahead and closed down the adjacent facilities and made sure that people were away from any possible exposure from being downwind," Williston Fire Chief Ken Morton said.
Officials with the plant said the culprit was fumes from bear repellent in an aerosol can that exploded on the conveyer belt where Casella employees sort through the recyclables. Twenty-five people were affected and 12 were taken to the hospital.
"Symptoms were headache, eye-watering, nausea, and in a couple cases vomiting," Morton said.
Fire officials say in the time it took to set up, most of employees started feeling better. About 40-50 people work at the plant and everyone was evacuated for the afternoon.
---------------------------------------------
JURY AWARDS $10.9 MILLION TO BENSENVILLE MAN BURNED IN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, injury, flammables
Bensenville man who was severely burned in a household explosion while he applied a concrete sealant to his basement floor has won a $10.9 million verdict against the product's manufacturer.
A Cook County jury returned the verdict last week against Euclid Chemical Co., which makes the Crystal Clear VOC sealer that Andrzej Plizga was using when the explosion occurred after vapors from the product were ignited by a gas-fired water heater. The Ohio-based company is a unit of RPM International. A representative for Euclid Chemical did not respond to a request for comment.
His attorneys argued the product was too flammable for indoor use and that the labeling inadequately warned of the dangers or how to avoid them.
"We are here today because unfortunately this was not an isolated incident," attorney Matt Passen said at a news conference Tuesday at the Chicago office of Passen Law Group, which represented Plizga. "This is a public safety hazard that many consumers are generally unaware of."
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According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, gas-fired water heaters were involved in an average of 900 household fires, 60 injuries and 10 deaths annually for 2010 to 2012.
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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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