From: "Stuart, Ralph" <Ralph.Stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (11 articles)
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:46:27 +0000
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 23073699-B4BE-4EBF-84C7-E4FFBF3F28DD**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 12:46:09 PM

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=BQIGaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=tE25SQkWEuioEaPrgsFSxV0i-K6gRaXpkkNyFstTEx8&s=gBKHZFyiLDweosnKuKj75RPkcyh-fBvil1M-wYOpKus&e=

Table of Contents (11 articles)

EXPLODING PUMPKIN IN CHEMISTRY CLASS INJURED NOBLE CHARTER STUDENT: SUIT
Tags: us_IL, education, follow-up, injury, methanol

LOUISVILLE, KY.: 4 TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL SPILLS AT LMPD BUILDING
Tags: us_KY, public, release, injury, ammonia

MAINTENANCE WORKER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK AT MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_MI, education, release, injury, chlorine

CHEMICAL SPILL CLEARS BUILDING AT UC DAVIS
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, injury, acrolein

UPDATED: U.K. CITES THE GSK CHINA PLANT THAT WAS DAMAGED BY EXPLOSIONS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental, drugs

HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO PALM DESERT RESORT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, chlorine, pool_chemicals

HAZMAT INCIDENT FORCES TEMPORARY ROCK CREEK CLOSURE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, flammables, waste

BEAR REPELLENT SOURCE OF EYE/LUNG IRRITANT IN SEASIDE STORE
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, repellent

COMPANY FINED $1.2M AFTER METH CHEMICAL FOUND IN ARIZONA
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab, methylamine

FIRE BREAKS OUT IN LABORATORY BUILDING
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, fire, response, metals

LOUISVILLE WATER ENDS HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS STORAGE AT TREATMENT PLANTS
Tags: us_KY, industrial, discovery, environmental, ammonia, chlorine, water_treatment


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EXPLODING PUMPKIN IN CHEMISTRY CLASS INJURED NOBLE CHARTER STUDENT: SUIT
Tags: us_IL, education, follow-up, injury, methanol

A chemistry class demonstration at a Near West Side high school on Halloween 2014 ended with a student injured by an exploding pumpkin, a newly filed lawsuit alleges.

The four-count suit was filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court by Bryanna Romero, who was a student at UIC College Prep in October 2014.


Romero‰??s suit alleges that during her chemistry class on Oct. 31, 2014, her teacher tried to show the chemical reaction between boric acid and methanol when the two were placed inside a pumpkin.

During the demonstration, the teacher ‰??created a chemical explosion‰?? that injured Romero‰??s eyes and face, the suit stated.

The teacher who allegedly performed the demonstration ‰?? also named as a defendant ‰?? is still employed at the school, according to UIC Prep‰??s website.

A spokesperson for the Noble Network of Charter Schools could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

The suit alleges negligence, willful and wanton conduct and violations of the Eye Protection in Schools Act. It seeks an undisclosed amount in damages.

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LOUISVILLE, KY.: 4 TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL SPILLS AT LMPD BUILDING
Tags: us_KY, public, release, injury, ammonia

LOUISVILLE, KY. ‰?? Authorities say four people were taken to a hospital after a chemical spilled in a building housing Louisville Metro Police Department's property room.

Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said about 100 employees were evacuated as a precaution after a strong odor was reported at about 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Mitchell said four people were taken to a hospital, and he says more may have been transported by private vehicle. Their conditions are not considered serious.

According to multiple media reports, Louisville Fire and Rescue spokesman Sal Melendez says the chemical involved was dry ammonia.

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

MAINTENANCE WORKER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK AT MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_MI, education, release, injury, chlorine

MARSHALL, MI ‰?? A maintenance worker had to be transported to a hospital for evaluation, after a possible chlorine leak prompted an evacuation at Marshall High School Tuesday morning.

At 9:01 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, the Marshall Police and Fire Department responded to Marshall High School on reports of a strong chemical odor emitting from the pool room, Marshall Police and Fire Director James Schwartz said.

Arriving at the scene, police learned the school's students and staff had already evacuated the building per emergency protocol, while fire crews entered to investigate, Schwartz said.

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

CHEMICAL SPILL CLEARS BUILDING AT UC DAVIS
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, injury, acrolein

A small chemical spill sent multiple hazardous material cleanup crews to UC Davis‰?? Young Hall on Monday night, Davis fire officials said.

Nate Trauernicht, chief of the Davis and UCD fire departments, said a student was leaving a laboratory inside the building at about 5 p.m. when her personal belongings bumped against a container, spilling about 2 milliliters of acrolein, a colorless, unsaturated aldehyde ‰??that had characteristics of an inhalation hazard, an irritant and some flammability.‰??

The student threw paper towels onto the spill, shut the lab door and called 911. Not knowing the extent of the hazard, ‰??we went in with an abundance of caution,‰?? summoning the Yolo County Hazmat Response Team as well, Trauernicht said.


After evacuating the building as a precautionary measure, crews entered the affected room, bagged the paper towels ‰?? which had fully soaked up the liquid ‰?? and cleaned the area with soap and water, Trauernicht said. People were allowed back into separate areas of the building about an hour after the evacuation.

The student who was exposed to the spill was treated at UCD‰??s Student Health Center for a headache and released, but no other injuries were reported, Trauernicht said. Crews cleared the scene at about 8:30 p.m.

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UPDATED: U.K. CITES THE GSK CHINA PLANT THAT WAS DAMAGED BY EXPLOSIONS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental, drugs

A GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) plant in Tianjinin, China, that was rocked by an explosion in August has now been rocked by a European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommendation that its products be banned from Europe until it deals with decade-old problems with manufacturing there.

A report filed Monday by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that during an inspection in June, U.K. regulators found what they determined was a "critical deficiency" tied to a systems failure that put into question whether its drugs "were fit for their intended use." They said dating back to 2005, GSK has had tablet discoloration in stability samples of over-the-counter heartburn med Zantac that did not meet specs for shelf life. The problems indicated "non-sterile" manufacturing and packaging, the report says.

Inspectors said GSK never investigated to figure out the cause, didn't notify authorities of the issues and didn't take steps that would make sure defective products were not sent to customers. The plant was tagged with a certificate of noncompliance, and inspectors recommended it not be allowed to market any new drugs until it gets its issues resolved.

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

HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO PALM DESERT RESORT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, chlorine, pool_chemicals

Six people are recovering tonight after a mixture of pool chemicals created noxious fumes at a Palm Desert Resort.

It happened around 4:45 this afternoon at "Club Intrawest" on Willow Ridge near Country Club Drive and Cook Street.

Cal Fire says pool workers were putting chlorine and muriatic acid into a water feature and may have used an excessive amount filling the center with harmful vapors.

A hazardous materials team was called to the resort but says all readings were within the normal limits. Six patients were evaluated on scene by paramedics, but none of them were taken to the hospital.

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

HAZMAT INCIDENT FORCES TEMPORARY ROCK CREEK CLOSURE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, flammables, waste

Milton, CA ‰?? A Monday morning mishap while mixing chemicals has caused Cal Fire to temporarily shutdown the Rock Creek Solid Waste facility.

According to Public Works Program Coordinator Yvonne Van Zee, the incident occurred Monday before 11 a.m. while personnel were pouring some still-unidentified potentially flammable liquids into a container. As she recounts, ‰??There was a chemical reaction in the bulking room and we closed the hazardous waste collection area, which is in our transfer building ‰?? and Cal Fire evacuated the whole facility for safety.‰?? She adds that the drum is stable now and her department anticipates county contractor Clean Harbors Environmental will arrive onsite at 1 p.m. to remove the vessel, enabling the facility‰??s reopening this afternoon for public use.

Generally, residents and businesses in Calaveras and Alpine counties are allowed to dispose of hazardous wastes at the Rock Creek facility, located at 12021 Hunt Road, between the hours of 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, except for major holidays. Under state transportation laws, the maximum load per vehicle is either 15 gallons of liquid in sealed, well-packed containers that are five gallons in size or less, or 125 pounds of solid material. For more information about onsite resources, requirements and limitations, click here.

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

BEAR REPELLENT SOURCE OF EYE/LUNG IRRITANT IN SEASIDE STORE
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, repellent

Seaside >> The release of bear repellent sickened seven people in and around a gift shop in Seaside on Tuesday and also caused sections of the street to be closed.

Seaside fire and hazardous materials personnel responded to a call about 3:30 p.m. of people complaining about breathing problems and burning eyes at Moon‰??s Gift Shop, 1250 Fremont Blvd.

‰??We evacuated the building,‰?? said Troy Leist, Seaside Fire battalion chief. ‰??The seven were treated on scene and released.‰??

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

COMPANY FINED $1.2M AFTER METH CHEMICAL FOUND IN ARIZONA
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab, methylamine

PHOENIX ‰?? A Philadelphia company was fined $1.2 million after a thousands of pounds of a lost chemical used to make methamphetamine were found in Arizona.

The Drug Enforcement Agency said Taminco US, Inc. sent 16,800 pounds of monomethylamine to unidentified customers, at least one of which was located in Mexico. The company lost track of the chemicals and did not immediately inform the DEA, as required by law.

‰??DEA‰??s enforcement of regulatory requirements is critical to the prevention of the diversion of chemicals used in the manufacturing of illicit drugs,‰?? Doug Coleman, Special Agent in Charge of DEA in Arizona, said in a release. ‰??When the statutory requirements are not followed, it puts communities at risk for continued illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking.‰??

Some of the chemicals were found in a self-storage unit in Nogales, while wrappers from some of the drums were found in San Luis.

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

FIRE BREAKS OUT IN LABORATORY BUILDING
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, fire, response, metals

Purdue Fire Department responded to a call of a fire in the Michael Golden Laboratories at approximately 6 p.m. on Monday evening.
Chip Flahive, the assistant fire chief for PUFD, said the fire started due to molten aluminum falling through the floor of the machine shop and landing on some totes filled with pieces of plastic scraps. The plastic smoldered from roughly 4 p.m. until the fire was extinguished a little after 6 p.m.
"There are access panels from the shop floor which lead down to the basement area," Flahive said. "The plastic worked its way on top of the totes and smoldered on the plastic material."
Steve Hahn, a technician in the shop, was teaching a lab in the afternoon. Hahn poured the molten aluminum for graduate students and extinguished some of the metal that fell onto the floor. Neither Hahn nor his students noticed any problems when they left the lab.
"There was no smoke when I left ‰?? no smoke, no nothing," Hahn said. "Then my department head emailed me after I left, saying there was smoke. Then he emailed me again and said the fire department had been called.

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

LOUISVILLE WATER ENDS HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS STORAGE AT TREATMENT PLANTS
Tags: us_KY, industrial, discovery, environmental, ammonia, chlorine, water_treatment

The Louisville Water Company has finished the phase-out of two hazardous chemicals that were stored at both of the company‰??s water treatment plants.

For about a century, Louisville Water has stored pressurized liquid chlorine at its Crescent Hill Treatment Plant, most recently in 90 ton railcars. Since the 1970s, it‰??s also been storing anhydrous ammonia at the plant in a 12,000 gallon tank. Both chemicals were also stored at the smaller B.E. Payne Plant in Prospect.

Stored at these volumes, both of these chemicals were dangerous enough to require Louisville Water to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s Risk Management Program.

Now, Louisville Water has changed its process to eliminate the need to store these chemicals on site.

‰??As far as the chemicals, nothing‰??s really changed but we‰??ve just gone about a safer way of meeting those needs,‰?? said production engineer Scott Smith.

The company now makes a daily supply of chlorine on site from electricity, salt and water. It‰??s also switched from anhydrous ammonia to aqueous ammonia, which is a less hazardous form.

The chlorine switch was completed last year, while the change to the ammonia process was finished this summer.

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