From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (9 articles)
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2015 07:33:47 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 7:33:34 AM

A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__pinboard.in_u-3Adchas&d=BQIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=r9N1-7w4SpG26GiAKMDg3HDDP5ZP2xuos8u27i2PKKw&s=twWikAeUSSf_FHWMdQyKzWIY_I0sfMxOFH33t5EJ9EE&e=

Table of Contents (9 articles)

CUPERTINO: LEHIGH CEMENT FACILITY REACHES ANOTHER SETTLEMENT WITH EPA OVER TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASES
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, mercury, toxics

CHEMICALS IN TRASH TRUCK MIX TO CAUSE HAZARDOUS SMOKE
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, waste

A ‰??STRANGE CHEMICAL REACTION‰?? OCCURS WHEN POOL CHLORINE IS MIXED WITH COCA-COLA
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, chlorine, phosphoric_acid

BAYER TO PAY $5.6 MILLION IN SETTLEMENT WITH EPA
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, pesticides

CHEMICAL EXPLOSION SENDS STUDENT TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

1 DEAD, 3 INJURED IN BLASTS AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN SOUTHEASTERN SPAIN
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

CLEANUP AT PHOENIX PLANT AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, carbon_dioxide, oxygen

CREWS RESPONDING TO ANHYDROUS LEAK
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT TEAM CLEANS UP OIL SPILL FROM AUTO SHOP IN DANVILLE
Tags: us_VA, public, release, environmental, oils, petroleum


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CUPERTINO: LEHIGH CEMENT FACILITY REACHES ANOTHER SETTLEMENT WITH EPA OVER TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASES
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, mercury, toxics

Lehigh Southwest Cement Co. in unincorporated Cupertino has agreed to pay a $47,600 penalty and spend $144,250 on projects and hazmat suit donations as part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The settlement, announced Tuesday, involves Lehigh's alleged failure to properly report the release of toxic chemicals at its cement facility in the hills between Cupertino and Los Altos Hills in 2009 and 2010.

Under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Lehigh was required to submit to the EPA and the state of California an accurate Toxic Release Inventory Reporting Form R for every toxic chemical manufactured or processed in quantities exceeding established thresholds, according to the EPA's Tuesday announcement.

An inspection by the EPA found that in 2009 and 2010, Lehigh manufactured or processed nickel, thallium, lead and mercury compounds at the Cupertino plant in amounts that exceeded those thresholds, then either failed to submit or submitted inaccurate Form Rs for those chemicals.

"The citizens of Cupertino play an important role in holding polluters accountable, and they rely on data from the Community Right-to-Know law," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest in a press statement. "It is critical for Lehigh to comply with federal laws that ensure the safety of neighboring communities and protect the local environment."

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CHEMICALS IN TRASH TRUCK MIX TO CAUSE HAZARDOUS SMOKE
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, waste

BUZZARDS BAY ‰?? A garbage truck began releasing a toxic smoke Tuesday morning after chemicals that had been thrown away mixed to create a hazardous emission, said Bourne fire Lt. Jason Silva.
Garbage collectors noticed a strange smell and saw smoke coming out of the back of their truck as it drove down Armory Road and called the Bourne Fire Department at about 9:30 a.m., Silva said.
Firefighters determined the smoke was caused by a chemical release and closed Armory Road for about an hour, he said. The state Hazardous Materials Division responded and secured the dangerous contents, he said.
Household chemicals, such as bleach or cleaners containing ammonia , should not be thrown away, and residents should take them to their local landfills to ask about recycling, he said.
"Completely harmless things can mix together and become harmful," he said.

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A ‰??STRANGE CHEMICAL REACTION‰?? OCCURS WHEN POOL CHLORINE IS MIXED WITH COCA-COLA
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, chlorine, phosphoric_acid

A video posted to the Home Science YouTube channel shows the ‰??strange chemical reaction‰?? that occurs when pool chlorine is mixed with popular soft drink Coca-Cola.

For a few seconds, nothing happens when the two come into contact with each other.

However, moments later, bubbles can be seen violently floating to the top, ultimately pouring outside the glass in a ‰??spectacular little explosion.‰??

According to the creators of the YouTube video, the gas produces is actually poisonous, so don‰??t try the experiment at home.

‰??The small amount of phosphoric acid in the Coke sets off a chemical reaction with the calcium hypochlorite, producing poisonous chlorine gas and a spectacular little explosion,‰?? the producers wrote on YouTube.

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BAYER TO PAY $5.6 MILLION IN SETTLEMENT WITH EPA
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, pesticides

Bayer CropScience will pay $5.6 million as a part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency for an explosion in 2008 that killed two people at a West Virginia facility.

In August 2008, an explosion from a thermal reaction during the production of insecticides at the plant in Institute, W. Va. killed two and sent two others to the hospital. Bayer CropScience is a division of pharmaceutical company Bayer AG.

According to a statement from the EPA, Bayer CropScience didn't comply with its risk management plan and didn't train employees to operate a control system that could have contained the factors that led to the explosion.

The company will now be forced to pay $4.23 million for environmental projects in the Institute community, including improving communications for first responders, providing emergency response equipment to police and firefighters, and hazardous waste collection at local schools, according to a statement released Monday.

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CHEMICAL EXPLOSION SENDS STUDENT TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

A chemical explosion sent one student to Akron General Medical Center last Tuesday evening.
The explosion occurred in the lab of Judit E. Puskas, located in the The Timken Engineered Surface Laboratory of the Wolf Ledges Parkway Engineering Research Building.
During the accident, a flask containing distilled alloocimene exploded in the graduate student‰??s hand. Glass shards cut the student‰??s face and hands and caused some bleeding, but left only superficial marks.
Puskas was notified of the accident and went to stay with her graduate student in the hospital who was later released that night.
The lab was cleaned and shut down for a few hours to ensure it was safe to reenter.
After the lockdown was lifted, a regular safety check was done. All safety checks at the lab are documented on a regular basis.
The graduate student respectfully asked to remain anonymous. ‰??It wasn‰??t a big deal and he is fine,‰?? Dr. Puskas said.
The procedure used Tuesday night has been done countless of times with proper handling of equipment. The graduate student was wearing their lab coat, rubber gloves and safety glasses. A chemical reaction wasn‰??t involved in the explosion.
The flask being used possibly had a microcrack which could have lead to the explosion from the thermal expansion of the content in the flask.
‰??Chemistry and engineering is a dangerous profession and there is no way around an accident not happening. Accidents do happen and the only thing we can do is protect ourselves,‰?? Puskas said.

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1 DEAD, 3 INJURED IN BLASTS AT CHEMICAL FACTORY IN SOUTHEASTERN SPAIN
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

MADRID ‰?? Spanish officials say one person has died and at least three others are seriously injured after two explosions at a chemical and fuel factory outside the southeastern town of Almeria.

A police spokeswoman said the blasts happened Monday in the PITA industrial complex 30 kilometers (20 miles) outside the city. The city's Interior Ministry office said one worker died and three were injured.

The spokeswoman said firefighters were searching the area for others who could possibly be injured. She spoke on condition of anonymity because of police rules preventing her from being named.

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CLEANUP AT PHOENIX PLANT AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, carbon_dioxide, oxygen

A hazardous-material crew from the Phoenix Fire Department determined there was no environmental threat following a chemical incident at a south city business on Monday.

The fire department was called in Monday afternoon to monitor the area, hours after the premature mixture of two undisclosed chemicals started emitting potentially hazardous fumes.

The plant where the incident occurred, NOV Ameron Water Transmission, breaks down rock to make concrete and is on Seventh Street just south of Interstate 17, according to a Phoenix fire official.

Hazmat crews determined the chemical reaction had been producing O2, or oxygen, and CO2, or carbon dioxide, which forms during respiration.

The main danger of a CO2 leak for people in the immediate vicinity is light-headedness, while oxygen leaks can increase flammability, a fire official said.

Monitor readings showed there was no threat to the environment, but authorities asked motorists to avoid the area as the evening commute approached.

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CREWS RESPONDING TO ANHYDROUS LEAK
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, unknown_chemical

Moorhead, Minn. (WDAY/WDAZ-TV) - Hazmat crews are responding to an anhydrous leak in Clay County.

The leak was noticed on a 30,000 gallon tank at the Kragnes Elevator, located at 9673 21st Street North around 7PM Sunday night.

Police nearing end of probe into alleged hate crime at UND fraternity
The Clay County Sheriff‰??s Department says the leak was called in by the Kragnes Inn when someone smelled something suspicious.

Residents were allowed to leave their homes but were advised to stay inside.

Fire crews did an air quality check around the tank and say it is safe.

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HAZMAT TEAM CLEANS UP OIL SPILL FROM AUTO SHOP IN DANVILLE
Tags: us_VA, public, release, environmental, oils, petroleum

DANVILLE (WSLS 10) ‰?? Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) crews will be in Danville for a few days cleaning up an oil spill.

According to the fire department, the spill happened just after 9 a.m. Monday at Woodall Chevrolet on Riverside Drive. Employees told crews a valve malfunctioned, releasing 400 gallons of motor oil onto the floor of the parts department and automotive shop.

Most of the oil was contained, but some leaked into a storm drain and then into the Dan River.

The Virginia departments of Environmental Quality and Emergency Management have been notified.

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