From: Ralph Stuart <rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**me.com>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (7 articles)
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2018 08:09:11 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 45B74290-BAB8-4DA9-9D90-6DC097682469**At_Symbol_Here**me.com


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Table of Contents (7 articles)

SOUTH AFRICA: ROAD CLOSED AFTER 'DANGEROUS' WESTERN CAPE CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: South_Africa, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid

WORKER BURNED IN LAWRENCE OFFLOADING CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, injury, hydrogen_peroxide

5 YOUTH HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT PALM DESERT YMCA
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, cleaners

CSB REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CHEMICAL DELIVERY MISTAKES AT MGPI INDUSTRIES
Tags: us_KS, transportation, follow-up, injury, bleach

CENTER POINT FUEL LEAK DAMAGED LOCAL BUSINESS PROFITS, COMPANY SAYS
Tags: us_al, transportation, release, response, fuel

FAMILIES SUE SCHOOL, STATE, MONSANTO OVER CHEMICAL POLLUTION
Tags: us_wa, discovery, public, release, toxics

ONE IN SERIOUS CONDITION AFTER TRUCK EXPLODES IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Tags: us_oh, transportation, explosion, injury, solvent


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SOUTH AFRICA: ROAD CLOSED AFTER 'DANGEROUS' WESTERN CAPE CHEMICAL SPILL
http://allafrica.com/stories/201801040421.html
Tags: South_Africa, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid

A road has been closed after a chemical spill in the Kranskop area near Wellington, the Western Cape government said.

The R44 in the direction of Soetendal had been closed as a precautionary measure, said provincial environmental affairs spokesperson James Styan.

"The concern is the potential for a gas cloud that may form. Wind patterns indicate the cloud may move into the Groenberg Valley direction," he said.

While the wind has not caused any problems yet, updates from the Weather Service are to be monitored.

Styan described the chemical spilled, Oleum, as "dangerous" and added that it was a type of "fuming sulphuric acid".

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WORKER BURNED IN LAWRENCE OFFLOADING CHEMICAL
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/merrimack_valley/worker-burned-in-lawrence-offloading-chemical/article_fb8dd299-d1f7-5369-8c4e-a62f2244cdfd.html
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, injury, hydrogen_peroxide

LAWRENCE " A worker in the city's industrial park suffered chemical burns to his face after an accident late Thursday morning.

The incident occurred at Aramark Uniform Services at 110 Glenn St. as a chemical, hydrogen peroxide, was being offloaded from a truck, Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said.

As the unidentified male worker was unloading the chemical from a truck, the fill pipe broke and hydrogen peroxide splashed into the worker's face and spilled onto the floor, Moriarty said.

The injured man, who appeared to be his 30s or 40s, was taken by ambulance to Lawrence General Hospital for treatment. His condition was unknown but Moriarty said he suffered burns to his face.

Due to the chemical spill, a Tier One response, the lowest response, was activated. Members of a regional team of firefighters trained in hazardous materials clean up response and clean up went to Aramark, Moriarty said.

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5 YOUTH HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT PALM DESERT YMCA
https://patch.com/california/palmdesert/5-youth-hospitalized-hazmat-situation-palm-desert-ymca
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, cleaners

PALM DESERT, CA " Dozens of firefighters were sent to the Palm Desert YMCA location as a hazmat situation unfolded Thursday afternoon, sickening five juveniles, the Riverside County Fire Department reported. The youth were all taken to the hospital with injuries described as minor.

The incident was first reported at 12:32 p.m. in the 75000 block of Orange Blossom Lane, according to Fire Department Spokeswoman April Newman.

Officials from Riverside County Environmental Health and the Riverside County Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Team responded and ultimately determined the substance was Eco Temp Ultra Klene " "... a janitorial strength cleaner made of sodium hydroxide," according to Newman.

The cleaner is described as a "machine warewashing detergent" by Ecolab, the company that sells the product. The chemical can be hazardous to human health if swallowed or inhaled, according to a safety data sheet released by Ecolab.

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CSB REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CHEMICAL DELIVERY MISTAKES AT MGPI INDUSTRIES
http://www.bulktransporter.com/hazmatsafety/csb-report-highlights-chemical-delivery-mistakes-mgpi-industries
Tags: us_KS, transportation, follow-up, injury, bleach

The US Chemical Safety Board on January 3 released its case study titled "Key Lessons for Preventing Inadvertent Mixing During Chemical Unloading Operations," which examines a mixture of incompatible materials at the MGPI Processing Plant in Atchison KS on October 21, 2016.

The mixture resulted in a chemical release containing chlorine and other compounds that traveled into the community. The CSB"s investigation examines several key issues including the design of chemical transfer equipment, automated and remote shut off systems, and chemical unloading procedures.

The MGPI facility produces distilled spirits and specialty wheat proteins and starches. The chemical release occurred when sulfuric acid was inadvertently unloaded from a tanker truck into a fixed sodium hypochlorite tank at the plant. The two materials combined to produce chlorine gas and other by-products that sent over 140 individuals, both workers and members of the public, to area hospitals, and resulted in shelter-in-place and evacuation orders for thousands of local residents.

Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, "High risk operations, like the delivery and handling of hazardous chemicals, require strict adherence to safety protocols. An inadvertent mixture can result in a chemical reaction with extremely dangerous consequences. Our findings reaffirm the need for facilities to pay careful attention to the design and operation of chemical transfer equipment to prevent similar events."

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CENTER POINT FUEL LEAK DAMAGED LOCAL BUSINESS PROFITS, COMPANY SAYS
http://abc3340.com/news/local/crews-work-to-mitigate-fuel-leakage-in-center-point
Tags: us_al, transportation, release, response, fuel

CENTER POINT, Ala. " A day after a fuel leak shut down Center Point Parkway, traffic is back to up to speed on the busy road.

A Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency spokesperson estimates 300 gallons of fuel spilled onto the property at Moore Oil Company Tuesday. Officials said it quickly drained into nearby sewage and storm drains.

The fuel leak forced nearby businesses and roads to close early as officials worked to evacuate the affected area.

CPFD Fire Marshal Brandon Self explained, "There was an aluminum fitting at the base of the tanker trailer that due to the cold temperatures, froze and ruptured."

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FAMILIES SUE SCHOOL, STATE, MONSANTO OVER CHEMICAL POLLUTION
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/education/article/Families-sue-school-state-Monsanto-over-12471931.php
Tags: us_wa, discovery, public, release, toxics

SEATTLE (AP) " Families who say they were sickened at a school outside of Seattle have filed a lawsuit against local officials and agrochemical giant Monsanto, claiming they allowed the school site to grow toxic with the use of the now-banned industrial chemicals known as PCBs.
The parents and children say their health deteriorated while the students attended Sky Valley Education Center, an alternative K-12 school in Monroe, Washington. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court.
The 36 people suing have reported suffering ailments like bloody noses and severe headaches that disappeared when school was out, and long-term thyroid, gastrointestinal and skin problems, among other health problems. They also claim that other teachers, children and parents not represented in the lawsuit developed cancers that in some cases lead to their deaths.
The Monroe School District rejected the claim that officials were negligent in maintaining and inspecting the property, saying that it has "aggressively and proactively" worked to clean up possible pollution since air quality concerns were first raised in 2013.

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ONE IN SERIOUS CONDITION AFTER TRUCK EXPLODES IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY
http://nbc4i.com/2018/01/03/one-in-serious-condition-after-explosion-in-berne-township-fairfield-county/
Tags: us_oh, transportation, explosion, injury, solvent

LANCASTER, OH (WCMH) " A chemical truck explosion sent two men to the hospital in Lancaster on Wednesday morning.

Fire captain Craig Murdock of Berne Township Fire Department says one of the men injured ran and hid behind this Jeep, but the other man was burned badly and taken by helicopter to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Justin Lane was in the middle of work when he heard the blast and saw the smoke.

"We hear a big old boom and we almost thought it was a truck or something hitting our building. It hit really hard. I felt it"I had my headphones in and I heard it."


Fire Captain Craig Murdock says the chemical truck was on its way to Columbus from West Virginia. Murdock says the 3,000-gallon truck as about half full and it stopped to thaw out some valves.

"During the process of thawing the truck, they had bled off a valve that released hydrocarbons into the air. The diesel engine was running on the truck, it sucked in those fumes so the truck was running off the gas fumes coming from the tank."

Then the explosion happened, causing workers to run and even blowing out windows from the building next door. Debris went flying hundreds of feet away.

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