From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (16 articles)
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2017 06:12:00 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: B2175370-57B0-4C0A-A5DC-D534EA756AD3**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 18, 2017 at 6:11:34 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 (16 articles)

HAZMAT LEAK AT LARZ ANDERSON SKATING RINK
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals

SAVANNAH FIRE RESPONDS TO SULFURIC ACID SPILL ON WEST BAY STREET
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, injury, sulfuric_acid

PFD: STRONG ODOR OF NATURAL GAS DETECTED FOLLOWING NORTH PHOENIX
Tags: us_AZ, public, fire, response, methane, natural_gas

PEOPLE EVACUATED FROM HOMES AND SEVERAL TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER 'CHEMICAL INCIDENT' IN ALWOLD CRESCENT, LEE (FROM NEWS SHOPPER)
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

CHEMICALS STILL LEAKING FROM WACKER MORE THAN A WEEK AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL STILL BEING RELEASE AT SITE OF PLANT BLAST
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrochloric_acid

MARIJUANA LAB FOUND IN WILLITS BUILDING WHERE EXPLOSION BLEW HOLE IN ROOF
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, clandestine_lab

RICHMOND OIL STORAGE COMPANY FINED OVER LEAK INTO SF BAY
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, oils, petroleum

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT TX PETROCHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, petroleum

PORTISHEAD EXPLOSION LINKED TO BEDMINSTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT, SAY POLICE
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, explosion, response, bomb

CHEMICAL STILL BEING RELEASE AT SITE OF PLANT BLAST
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrochloric_acid

MAN BURNED BY CHEMICAL BEER AT MCCORMICK & SCHMICK'S GETS $750K
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

CHEMICALS BLOW A HOLE IN THE ROOF OF A LAKELAND BUSINESS
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, cleaners

SUSPECTS FACE ENDANGERMENT, DRUG CHARGES IN EARLY-MORNING FIRE WEDNESDAY IN LOXLEY
Tags: us_AL, public, explosion, injury, clandestine_lab

HAY BALE FIRES
Tags: us_ND, public, fire, environmental

FIRE ALARM CAUSES EVACUATION OF CSU LAB
Tags: us_co, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical


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HAZMAT LEAK AT LARZ ANDERSON SKATING RINK
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals

BROOKLINE, MA ‰?? Larz Anderson Park is still closed, hours after a Hazmat leak was reported at the skating rink in Brookline, police said.

Brookline Police and fire department officials were on the scene with a Haz Mat crew looking into just what happened, according to fire officials. It turned out: The refrigerant system in the Zamboni room leaked, causing the spill.

Police at the start said the leak was not suspicious, but asked residents to avoid the area.

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

SAVANNAH FIRE RESPONDS TO SULFURIC ACID SPILL ON WEST BAY STREET
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, injury, sulfuric_acid

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
The Savannah Fire Department, Savannah Chatham Metro Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a sulfuric acid spill on West Bay Street Sunday afternoon.

Savannah Fire Battalion Chief Elzie Kitchen said the department received a call about a Tidewater Transit Co., Inc. (TWT) truck leaking sulfuric acid on West Bay Street near Lissner Avenue. When fire crews arrived, SCMPD officers had already pulled the leaking commercial truck over.

Kitchen said firefighters loosened the lid on the tank to reduce the pressure inside to mitigate the situation, but some of the acid had already spilled onto the ground.

"We were able to contain that also," Kitchen said. "It was a little spill. It wasn't much. Even the area that we had pads on was probably a circumference of maybe 10 feet."

Kitchen said he isn't sure how much acid leaked out of the truck, but said the truck's tank can hold 4,000 pounds of liquid.

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

PFD: STRONG ODOR OF NATURAL GAS DETECTED FOLLOWING NORTH PHOENIX
Tags: us_AZ, public, fire, response, methane, natural_gas

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -
The Phoenix Fire Department is investigating a house fire that occurred in north Phoenix late Saturday night.

At around 11:00 p.m., fire crews responded to a house fire near 19th Avenue and Union Hills Drive.

According to Phoenix fire, when their crews arrived on the scene, they found the single-story structure engulfed in flames.

Phoenix fire's strategy was later declared defensive meaning firefighters fought the fire from the exterior as nothing was viable on the interior due to the amount of fire.

After 20 minutes of extinguishment operations, a strong odor of natural gas was detected and hazmat teams confirmed the presence of gas with a meter, according to Phoenix fire officials.

Southwest Gas also responded to address the gas situation.

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

PEOPLE EVACUATED FROM HOMES AND SEVERAL TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER 'CHEMICAL INCIDENT' IN ALWOLD CRESCENT, LEE (FROM NEWS SHOPPER)
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Several people were taken to hospital with nausea and vomiting after a suspected chemical incident in Lee.

Emergency services were called to Alwold Crescent amid fears residents may have suffered an allergic reaction.

Witnesses said a number of people suffered a reaction to an unknown substance on Sunday morning.

Taxi driver Ian Crouch, 39, told the Sun that emergency services appeared to be investigating the sewage system.

Five fire engines, paramedics and police were all deployed to deal with the incident.

A spokesman for the Met Police said the incident was not believed to be crime-related.

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

CHEMICALS STILL LEAKING FROM WACKER MORE THAN A WEEK AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ‰?? Cleanup is still underway at the Wacker Charleston plant according to Bradley County Officials.
Bradley County EMA Director Troy Spence says until this weekend, the room that was used to house the damaged piping with chemicals in them, was unsafe for workers to enter to clean-up.
Spence told us he now knows for a fact, that room was made safe to enter this weekend so the clean-up process to continue.
Spence says the explosion two weeks ago damaged the pipes and a small amount of chemicals continued to leak in what's called a burp reaction.

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

CHEMICAL STILL BEING RELEASE AT SITE OF PLANT BLAST
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrochloric_acid

CHARLESTON, Tenn. (AP) ‰?? More than a week after an explosion at an east Tennessee chemical plant, hydrochloric acid is still leaking from the building.

An estimated six tons of chemicals remain in an unsecure site at the Wacker Polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee, the site of an explosion on Sept. 7. The Times Free Press reports that workers cannot enter the building for cleanup.

The area where the explosion occurred remained unsafe Friday afternoon, and there was no way to remove the chemicals safely, said Shawn Fairbanks, director of Bradley County Fire & Rescue.

Bradley County Emergency Management Agency Director Troy Spence says small doses of the chemicals in the room escape as moisture enters the open pipes.

The explosion briefly closed an interstate and spurred shelter-in-place orders.

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

MARIJUANA LAB FOUND IN WILLITS BUILDING WHERE EXPLOSION BLEW HOLE IN ROOF
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, clandestine_lab

Mendocino County authorities discovered a marijuana extraction laboratory in a Willits industrial building where an explosion blew a large hole in the roof, the Sheriff‰??s Office said Friday.

Firefighters with the Little Lake Fire Protection District responded to an explosion about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday at a 30,000-square-foot, metal-sided building in the 500 block of Cropley Lane, Capt. Greg Van Patten said in a press release.

There was no sign of a fire, but officials found a hole in the roof caused by an ‰??unknown projectile,‰?? he said.

No one was found in the building, but deputies discovered the lab inside and several greenhouses on the property that contained several hundred marijuana plants, Van Patten said. Investigators determined a cannabis cultivation permit had been issued by the Mendocino County Agriculture Department for the property.

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

RICHMOND OIL STORAGE COMPANY FINED OVER LEAK INTO SF BAY
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, oils, petroleum

MARTINEZ ‰?? A petroleum storage company has agreed to pay fines totaling $160,000 and to undergo a multi-million dollar repair of a tank that leaked oil into the San Francisco Bay, court records show.

The Houston-based company Kinder Morgan Liquids Terminals LLC agreed to the fine Sept. 6, the same day the Contra Costa District Attorney filed a civil complaint against the company. It all stems from a May 2016 spill into the Santa Fe Channel, located next to Kinder Morgan‰??s storage facility in the Richmond harbor.

Authorities don‰??t know exactly how much oil spilled into the bay, but estimate it was less than 100 gallons. The hazmat services wing of the county‰??s health services department inspected the facility in June and discovered a secondary containment unit was leaking oil into the ground, which was then making its way into the bay.

According to the company‰??s website, Kinder Morgan‰??s Richmond facility has 136 tanks and the capacity to store 639,271 barrels. The facility has a dock for the loading and unloading of petroleum products from tanker ships.

‰??We are pleased to resolve this dispute on terms that will allow the development of a special environmental project for the benefit of the citizens of Richmond and Contra Costa County,‰?? said Melissa Ruiz, a spokeswoman for Kinder Morgan.

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

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT TX PETROCHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, petroleum

Sept. 15--A blaze that broke out Friday night at an industrial plant in Mont Belvieu is under control, authorities said.

Fire trucks and first responders rushed to the Enterprise Products facility on FM 1942 as smoke filled the air and flames poured out of the Chambers County plant.

"It is fully contained and not a hazard at this time," Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said just after 8 p.m. "The fire is getting smaller and we do not see it as being a bigger threat than what it is."

Authorities shuttered FM 1942 in Chambers County as crews responded. It wasn't initially clear which facility had caught fire, as a number of chemical and petrochemical plants are in the area, Hawthorne said.

"It's not a chemical fire, it's a petrochemical fire," Hawthorne said. "That's a good thing -- it's easier to fight."

A person working at the ExxonMobile building in Baytown said he first noticed the flames from the seventh floor around 7:15 p.m.

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

PORTISHEAD EXPLOSION LINKED TO BEDMINSTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT, SAY POLICE
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, explosion, response, bomb

Residents near the Avon and Somerset Police HQ in Portishead were awoken by a loud explosion at around 7am this morning.

Residents reported a loud explosion that rocked houses and caused the ground to shake.

Avon and Somerset Police have confirmed that the explosion was related to the incident in Bedminster where hazardous substances were found at house in Hastings Close.

Two men were taken to hospital, one suffering burns to his legs.

Bomb disposal experts arrived on the scene to examine "potentially hazardous chemicals" found at the house.

Residents were allowed to return on Monday 11 September after three nights in temporary accommodation.

But yesterday, Friday 15 September, residents were evacuated again from two houses on Hastings Close after police discovered more hazardous substances at the house.

This morning at 6.55am locals reported hearing an explosion near the Police HQ in Portishead.

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

CHEMICAL STILL BEING RELEASE AT SITE OF PLANT BLAST
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrochloric_acid

CHARLESTON, TENN.
More than a week after an explosion at an east Tennessee chemical plant, hydrochloric acid is still leaking from the building.

An estimated six tons of chemicals remain in an unsecure site at the Wacker Polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee, the site of an explosion on Sept. 7. The Times Free Press reports that workers cannot enter the building for cleanup.

The area where the explosion occurred remained unsafe Friday afternoon, and there was no way to remove the chemicals safely, said Shawn Fairbanks, director of Bradley County Fire & Rescue.

Bradley County Emergency Management Agency Director Troy Spence says small doses of the chemicals in the room escape as moisture enters the open pipes.

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

MAN BURNED BY CHEMICAL BEER AT MCCORMICK & SCHMICK'S GETS $750K
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

ATLANTIC CITY ‰?? A New Jersey man whose esophagus and stomach were severely burned after drinking a beer tainted by a caustic chemical at an Atlantic City casino restaurant has been awarded $750,000.

Paul D'Amato, the lawyer for Richard Washart, told The Associated Press the jury awarded the plaintiff $650,000 Friday for pain and suffering, and $100,000 for emotional distress.

The Seaville man sued the McCormick & Schmick's restaurant, which is located at the Harrah's casino, claiming he was served beer tainted by a caustic agent used to clean beer tap lines. Harrah's was not a defendant in the suit.

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

CHEMICALS BLOW A HOLE IN THE ROOF OF A LAKELAND BUSINESS
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, cleaners

LAKELAND ‰?? Three people were injured Friday afternoon in a chemical explosion that tore a gaping hole through the roof of an industrial warehouse adjacent to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
Three employees of Taste Advantage, which manufactures flavor ingredients from a warehouse facility that‰??s part of Ruthven Business Park II on Drane Field Road, received minor chemical burns and other employees were treated on site for chemical exposure, said Sgt. Gary Gross of the Lakeland Police Department.
‰??They‰??re going to be fine, the injuries were not critical,‰?? he said.
Two people were treated at Tampa General Hospital and one was treated at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center after the explosion that happened about 3:47 p.m.
The explosion was sparked by workers using the chemicals tolulene and sodium hypochlorite to clean kettles containing flavoring agents, said Lakeland Police spokeswoman Robin Tillett.
Exactly what caused the explosive reaction was unknown as of late Friday afternoon, she said.
According to Gross, the explosion triggered a small fire that was quickly doused by an overhead fire suppression system. There was no threat to the public from the chemical reaction that caused the explosion, he said.

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

SUSPECTS FACE ENDANGERMENT, DRUG CHARGES IN EARLY-MORNING FIRE WEDNESDAY IN LOXLEY
Tags: us_AL, public, explosion, injury, clandestine_lab

LOXLEY ‰?? Two suspects are in custody facing endangerment and drug charges following an early morning fire at a home in Loxley Wednesday morning.

Volunteers with the Robertsdale Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire on Shell Court in Loxley at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday.

‰??When they arrived, Silverhill firefighters had the fire contained to a bedroom,‰?? said BCSO Maj. Anthony Lowery.

Officials from Robertsdale called for assistance from the Baldwin County Sheriff‰??s Office Drug Task Force after they found what they believed were the makings of a ‰??shake and bake‰?? meth lab at the scene of a structure fire.

Four people, including two children under the age of 10 and two adults who were not involved in the incident, were reportedly home at the time of the explosion, according to reports. There were no serious injuries reported.

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

HAY BALE FIRES
Tags: us_ND, public, fire, environmental

Morton County emergency managers are warning farmers and ranchers about what they say is an alarming number of hay bales that have spontaneously combusted and caught fire.

Just this month about 300 hay bales burned near St. Anthony, another 100 near New Salem and about 10 burned just west of Mandan. The emergency management office says when hay is put into a stack or barn and has more than about 22 percent moisture, it has an increased risk of spontaneous combustion. High moisture hay stacks can have chemical reactions that build heat.

Mandan Rural Fire Department Chief Lynn Gustin says hay bales should be left in the field as long as possible and moisture content and temperature should be checked before stacking.

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

FIRE ALARM CAUSES EVACUATION OF CSU LAB
Tags: us_co, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Update, Sept. 14: A Poudre Fire Authority investigator was unable to determine the cause of the fire. A sprinkler system in the building served to control the fire until firefighters could extinguish it.

Original story: Fire crews donned oxygen masks and protective gear as they entered a Colorado State University laboratory after a fire alarm forced the evacuation of the foothills campus building around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Crews from Poudre Fire Authority, UCHealth and the CSU Police Department responded to the alarm at the Advanced Beam Laboratory.

PFA spokesman Chris Wolf said there was a small fire in a piece of equipment, and a fire investigator will work to determine cause, a process he said could last until later this week.

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