From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (14 articles)
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2018 07:42:19 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 748D9619-65F9-4098-BF8C-17F5DE191AF3**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


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Table of Contents (14 articles)

MAN INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS
Tags: us_MI, industrial, explosion, injury, oils

USF HAZMAT SITUATION UNDER CONTROL; NO CONTAMINANTS OR EXPOSURES FOUND
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL ACCIDENT SENDS THREE TO AREA HOSPITAL
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL COMPANY PRAISES ITS SAFETY RECORD AS LAWSUIT OVER HARVEY ACCIDENT CONTINUES " HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental

OFFICIALS: PERSON TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK IN INSTITUTE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, injury, sulphur

CARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENT SENDS 3 PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide

BROKEN PSYCHROMETER, MERCURY SPILL RESULTS IN HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_AZ, laboratory, release, response, mercury

OFFICIALS POINT TO SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF OIL-SOAKED RAGS IN PORT ANGELES GARAGE FIRE
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, response, other_chemical

CHEMICAL LEAK INSIDE MANUFACTURING PLANT CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN NORTON
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

6 ARRESTED FOR GODOWN FIRE THAT GUTTED RS 28-CRORE GROUNDNUTS
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, response, metals

CRANSTON FIREFIGHTERS MONITORED AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS
Tags: us_RI, industrial, follow-up, injury, metals

EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO HAZARDOUS SITUATION AT LEW-PORT
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

VIDEO: RICHMOND SCRAP YARD CITED IN FIRE THAT RELEASED CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL INTO AIR
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, metals, waste

IMPERIAL SUGAR TRAGEDY: REPERCUSSIONS CONTINUE 10 YEARS LATER
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death, dust


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MAN INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS
http://www.heraldargus.com/news/man-injured-in-explosion-at-auto-repair-business/article_5f4682cb-fa01-57fc-961f-47b4df5935ca.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, explosion, injury, oils

MICHIGAN CITY " One man was injured Thursday morning after an explosion rocked a car repair business at Longwood Drive and U.S. 20.

The owner of Lakeside Autowerks was welding in the back of the building at 628 Longwood Drive when a nearby 50-gallon oil drum somehow ignited and exploded, according to Michigan City Fire Department Public Information Officer Tony Drzewiecki.

The man suffered burns on his hands and arms and was transported to Franciscan Health Michigan City. According to Mike Lusco, of the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department, the man was "conscious, alert and walking around" prior to being transported.

There were two other people in the business at the time, but they were in the front part of the building and escaped uninjured.

Some oil spilled into a nearby storm sewer and La Porte County HazMat was called out to contain.

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USF HAZMAT SITUATION UNDER CONTROL; NO CONTAMINANTS OR EXPOSURES FOUND
http://wfla.com/2018/02/08/tampa-fire-rescue-on-scene-of-hazmat-call-at-usf-campus/
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) " USF police say a HAZMAT situation on campus is now under control and no contaminants or exposures were discovered.

Tampa Fire Rescue responded to at 3705 Spectrum Blvd. after a woman in a research building accident dropped something. What she dropped is not yet known.

The building was evacuated in an abundance of caution. It has since been reopened. No adjoining buildings were evacuated.

The woman who dropped the item was evaluated on scene and refused to be taken to a hospital.

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CHEMICAL ACCIDENT SENDS THREE TO AREA HOSPITAL
https://www.tapinto.net/sections/police-and-fire/articles/chemical-accident-sends-three-to-area-hospital
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ " Three people were sent to area hospitals earlier today after a chemical exposure event at Genewiz. According to the Breaking New Network rescue units responded to 126 Corporate Blvd at 2:30pm on the report of injuries from chemical exposure. A total of nine people were exposed with three being sent to area hospitals as a precaution.

Genewiz a biotech leader operates a number of facilities along Corporate Boulevard and Corporate Court in South Plainfield.

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CHEMICAL COMPANY PRAISES ITS SAFETY RECORD AS LAWSUIT OVER HARVEY ACCIDENT CONTINUES " HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/02/08/266454/chemical-company-praises-its-safety-record-as-lawsuit-over-harvey-accident-continues/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental

The owner of a Houston-area chemical plant that flooded and caught fire during Hurricane Harvey is praising the company"s safety culture. Meanwhile, Harris County is in talks with the company, Arkema, Inc., about settling a lawsuit over the fires.
In an interview for an upcoming chemical industry conference in Houston, Arkema"s vice president of health, safety and environment described how safety procedures at the company"s plants have improved. Paul Leonard said the global company has cut accidents by more than 60 percent in recent years.
Still, Harris County has alleged that the company didn"t have proper flood permits at its plant in Crosby, Texas, and that chemical fires there due to Harvey caused harmful pollution.
Rock Owens, an attorney with the county, said any settlement in the case will have to include improvements at the plant.
"Hardening the facility against floods, improved electrical backup, better safety planning going forward," he said.

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OFFICIALS: PERSON TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK IN INSTITUTE
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/officials-person-taken-to-hospital-following-chemical-leak-in-institute/article_d650cd5a-cf88-56e9-ba84-51ca1502bb3b.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, injury, sulphur

A Bayer CropScience employee was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after a chemical spilled at the plant in Institute.

The employee was taking a pipe apart when a "small amount" of sulfur dichloride spilled out of the pipe, said Greg Coffey, a spokesman for Bayer. The employee went into a safety shower and rinsed the chemical off, Coffey said.

The employee was taken to Thomas Memorial Hospital, in South Charleston, and released Thursday afternoon. He wasn"t sure exactly how much of the liquid spilled, but a spill report from the Department of Environmental Protection stated the liquid weighed less than one pound.

The leak happened about 1:10 p.m., said C.W. Sigman, director of emergency management for Kanawha County.

Bayer CropScience is a tenant on the Union Carbide Corporation site, Coffey said. Union Carbide Corporation is a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company.

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CARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENT SENDS 3 PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL
https://patch.com/maryland/silverspring/carbon-monoxide-incident-sends-3-people-hopsital
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide

SILVER SPRING, MD " Three people were brought to the hospital after high levels of carbon monoxide was reported at their Silver Spring home early Wednesday morning, officials said.

Firefighters and a HAZMAT team reported to the home in the 9400 block of Worth Ave. at about 1:30 a.m.

Two adults and one child were transported to the hyperbaric chamber of the Shock Trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said.

Piringer said there were high levels of carbon monoxide inside the mixed-use building. The building was partially evacuated and crews ventilated it, Piringer said.

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BROKEN PSYCHROMETER, MERCURY SPILL RESULTS IN HAZMAT RESPONSE
http://www.bensonnews-sun.com/news/article_547efaaa-0c82-11e8-aee3-f7754188f0d5.html
Tags: us_AZ, laboratory, release, response, mercury

BENSON " A broken psychrometer and ensuing mercury spill Wednesday at Benson High School resulted in a Hazmat response and decontamination of students.

According to Benson Fire Chief Keith Spangler, emergency crews responded to the high school at 11:30 a.m. When it was determined there was possible exposure to mercury, students were segregated from a separate classroom and the Cochise County Regional Hazmat Response Team was called in.

Apparently the teacher was "slinging weather" with a psychrometer, said Capt. Luis Canez of Fry Fire and coordinator for the county Hazmat team. A psychrometer is used to measure relative humidity in the atmosphere through the use of two thermometers and contains mercury.

"Somehow the device came loose from his hand and broke apart on the floor," he explained. "Not knowing any better, students went over to help and pick up the broken glass and they got themselves in the product. Apparently, as far as I was told, the entire class was engaged."

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OFFICIALS POINT TO SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF OIL-SOAKED RAGS IN PORT ANGELES GARAGE FIRE
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/officials-point-to-spontaneous-combustion-of-oil-soaked-rags-in-port-angeles-garage-fire/
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, response, other_chemical

PORT ANGELES " A fire was confined to a garage late Tuesday night, and emergency officials believe it was caused by the spontaneous combustion of oil-soaked rags.

There were no injuries to two adults and a child who lived in the residence that was attached to the garage in the 1300 block of East Seventh Street in Port Angeles, city Assistant Fire Chief Mike Sanders said.

The house was not damaged, Sanders said.

Port Angeles Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the address at 10:42 p.m. Tuesday night.

The fire, which blackened the inside walls of the garage with flames that were visible from outside the structure, was extinguished 16 minutes later, Sanders said.

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CHEMICAL LEAK INSIDE MANUFACTURING PLANT CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN NORTON
https://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Manufacturing-Plant-Evacuated-Reported-Chemical-Leak-Norton-Massachusetts-473155573.html
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical

Workers inside a building in Norton, Massachusetts reported smelling a chlorine-like order and hearing a noise Wednesday morning.
"They were in a seperate part of the building and heard the snap crackling and pop sound and went in to investigate," said Norton Fire Chief Paul Schleicher. "They saw the fumes coming out of the barrel and it was like firecrackers going off."
When fire crews arrived at 242 Dean Street around 10 a.m., they saw a cloud of gas in the manufacturing plant. The top of one of the metal barrels holding the chemicals melted away.
"(That) is a good thing to be honest with you because that allowed for the reaction to happen and we were able to mitigate it after that," said David DiGregorio, director of Fire Services HAZMAT.
Authorities evacuated Tweave Inc., a manufacturing plant in Norton, Massachusetts, after a reported chemical leak.(Published Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018)
The company that is housed in the building is called Tweave. They make stretch-woven fabric including some tactical gear.

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

6 ARRESTED FOR GODOWN FIRE THAT GUTTED RS 28-CRORE GROUNDNUTS
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/6-arrested-for-godown-fire-that-gutted-rs-28crore-groundnuts/1247362
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, response, metals

Rajkot, Feb 6 The owner and manager of a private warehouse, where groundnuts worth Rs 28 crore were gutted in a fire last week, are among six people arrested for the blaze that was caused by "negligence", a police official said today.

Sparks from a welding machine used to fix metal gates caused the massive blaze at the warehouse, Ramrajya Godown, at Gondal near here on January 30.

The inferno had destroyed 50 lakh kg of groundnuts (worth around Rs 28 crore) stored at the godown, hired by the Gujarat State Co-Operative Cotton Federation (GUJCOT), he said.

The state CID (Crime) was asked to probe the incident and find out the cause of the blaze.

Six people, including the owner and manager of the warehouse, were arrested last evening after an FIR was lodged against them, DIG of CID (Crime) Dipankar Trivedi said at a press conference here.

They were booked for mischief by fire with intent to destroy house, causing disappearance of evidence and abettor present when crime is committed, he said.

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CRANSTON FIREFIGHTERS MONITORED AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS
http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180206/cranston-firefighters-monitored-after-exposure-to-chemicals
Tags: us_RI, industrial, follow-up, injury, metals

Some of the 20 firefighters who were exposed to chemicals while fighting a chemical fire at 1420 Elmwood Ave. on Jan. 29 have experienced vomiting and "flu-like" symptoms, according to the mayor"s office.

CRANSTON " Officials are continuing to monitor the health of 20 firefighters who were exposed to chemicals while responding to a Jan. 29 fire at 1420 Elmwood Ave., officials said.

Some of the firefighters have experienced vomiting and "flu-like" symptoms, said Mark Schieldrop, special executive assistant to Mayor Allan W. Fung.

"No one is in the intensive care unit," Schieldrop said. But he added that the department, along with the International Association of Firefighters Local 1363, was still concerned because the effects of some chemicals can take several days to manifest themselves.

The fire and chemical incident is being investigated by state and local fire marshals as well as the state Department of Environmental Management, Chief William McKenna said last week. The one-story brick building was shared by Gem-Craft, a jewelry company, and Prosys, a metal finishing business. McKenna said the Fire Department had a list of chemicals stored in the building when firefighters answered the call.

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EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO HAZARDOUS SITUATION AT LEW-PORT
http://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/local_news/emergency-crews-respond-to-hazardous-situation-at-lew-port/article_adffc833-7be6-53a6-afba-6df5e8b84e3f.html
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

PORTER " The accidental mix of two violate substances touched off a hazmat incident at the Lewiston-Porter schools campus on Tuesday morning.

Lewiston police said a maintenance worker inadvertently mixed hydrochloric acid with chlorine which caused a release of harmful gas.

The incident took place in the pool filtration room in the gym building," Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte said. "It was isolated ot that building and did not spread to other parts of the school."

Previte said students who had been in the gym building were evacuated to other parts of the school's complex. A hazmat team from the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station responded to the school along with the Niagara County Hazmat Team.

"The Lewiston No. 1 Fire Company and Youngstown Fire Company also responded and established air quality monitoring throughout the school," Previte said. "At no time was the air quality in the school a problem."

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VIDEO: RICHMOND SCRAP YARD CITED IN FIRE THAT RELEASED CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL INTO AIR
http://kron4.com/2018/02/06/video-richmond-scrap-yard-cited-in-fire-that-released-cancer-causing-chemical-into-air/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, metals, waste

RICHMOND (KRON) " The Bay Area Air Quality Management district has cited a Richmond scrap metal facility over last week"s fire.

And this is not the first time the company has violated air district regulations.

Sims Metal Management, which owns the Richmond scrapyard where a fire broke out last Tuesday, has been issued two notices of violation by the air district.

The first for creating a public nuisance and the second is for the fire itself.

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IMPERIAL SUGAR TRAGEDY: REPERCUSSIONS CONTINUE 10 YEARS LATER
http://savannahnow.com/news/2018-02-06/imperial-sugar-tragedy-repercussions-continue-10-years-later
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death, dust

Broken equipment inside a steel conveyor belt sparked the first explosion at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth on a mild winter night 10 years ago.

Eight workers died that night and six more eventually succumbed to their burns. Dozens others were injured but survived, 14 of them spending months at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta.

Those lives lost from the Feb. 7, 2008, tragedy were Eric Barnes, John Calvin Butler Jr., Truitt Byers, Alphonso Fields Sr., Michael Kelly Fields, Malcolm Frazier, McKinley "Von" Habersham Sr., Shelathia "Shon" Harvey, Earl Johnson, Patricia Ann "Pat" Lowe Proctor, Earl Quarterman, Byron Singleton, Tony Thomas and Michael "Big Mike" Williams.

Better housekeeping would have prevented any loss of life, a federal investigation determined.

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