From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (17 articles)
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2018 07:34:44 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: E34EF983-6103-4530-A771-CB28C0FFB76F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


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Table of Contents (17 articles)

REFRIGERATION LEAK CAUSES EVACUATION OF STONEHAM STOP & SHOP
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, HVAC_chemical

FIRST RESPONDERS: MAN INGESTS PRESERVATIVE CHEMICAL FOUND IN AIRBAGS
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, sodium_azide

BOMB SQUAD DETONATES HAZARDOUS MATERIAL FROM NORTH VANCOUVER LAB
Tags: Canada, laboratory, discovery, response, explosives

TROPICANA CASINO FIRE SPARKED BY WOULD-BE WALTER WHITE'S METH LAB
Tags: us_NJ, public, fire, injury, illegal, clandestine_lab

2 SUMNER STUDENTS SUSTAIN CHEMICAL BURNS AFTER UNKNOWN LIQUID TH
Tags: us_MO, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT INCIDENT SPARKS WARNING FOR WEST HOBART RESIDENTS
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

WITH CANCER AS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR FIREFIGHTERS, NEW HAZMAT PROCEDURES AIM TO SAVE LIVES
Tags: us_CO, industrial, discovery, environmental, toxics

WORKER DIES AFTER BEING TRAPPED INSIDE PIPING AT ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

ROSEVILLE BROTHERS ARRESTED AFTER SUSPECTED HONEY OIL LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, butane, illegal, clandestine_lab

DRIVER INJURED AS ACID-LADEN TRUCK SKIDS " BORNEOPOST ONLINE
Tags: Indonesia, transportation, release, injury, sulfuric_acid

MR SCANNER LEAKS HELIUM AT JFK DURING TRANSPORT
Tags: us_NY, transportation, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

CIRCULAR QUAY FIRE: WORKER"S BLOWTORCH IDENTIFIED AS CAUSE OF BLAZE
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, acetylene

MANY AGENCIES INVESTIGATING BOTTLES RELATED TO POSSIBLE METH PRODUCTION
Tags: us_CO, public, discovery, response, clandestine_lab

CHEMICAL SMELL FORCED EVACUATION OF BROOKLAWN SCHOOL MONDAY
Tags: us_NJ, education, release, response, adhesives

OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING HAZMAT INCIDENT IN ROXBURY HIGH SCHOOL LAB
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL LEAK RESPONSIBLE FOR EXPLOSION IN SHIPYARD: CMD
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, acetylene, oxygen

STATE LEGISLATURES TACKLE TOXIC CHEMICALS AS PRUITT EPA FALTERS
Tags: us_OR, public, discovery, environmental, toxics


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REFRIGERATION LEAK CAUSES EVACUATION OF STONEHAM STOP & SHOP
https://patch.com/massachusetts/stoneham/stoneham-stop-shop-evacuated-hazmat-response-reports
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, HVAC_chemical

STONEHAM, Ma. -- The Stoneham Fire Department evacuated Stop & Shop Thursday morning following a refrigeration leak that resulted in a hazmat response according to Chief Matthew Grafton. One customer was taken to an area hospital as a precaution.

At 10:42 a.m., the Stoneham Fire Department received a 911 call from a worker in Stop & Shop, 259 Main St., reporting a plumbing issue had caused a gas haze to form in the air.

Engine 2 and Ladder 1 responded to the scene. Crews entered the store, and upon seeing the reported haze, evacuated the building.

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FIRST RESPONDERS: MAN INGESTS PRESERVATIVE CHEMICAL FOUND IN AIRBAGS
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/ac-cn-chemical-20180215-story.html
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, sodium_azide

Rescue units dispatched for an overdose call in Annapolis discovered a man who ingested a toxic chemical on Thursday, an Annapolis fire spokesman said.

Anne Arundel and Annapolis fire personnel who responded to an overdose call in the 900 block of Bay Ridge Road around 5 p.m. found a man in his vehicle who had ingested a "white, powdery chemical substance."

It appeared the man mixed the chemical with water and drank it, spokesman Ken White said.

The Annapolis hazmat team identified the substance as sodium azide, "a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that exists as an odorless white solid," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium azide is commonly used as an active ingredient during airbag deployment and as a preservative in hospitals and labs, the CDC says.

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BOMB SQUAD DETONATES HAZARDOUS MATERIAL FROM NORTH VANCOUVER LAB
http://www.nsnews.com/news/bomb-squad-detonates-hazardous-material-from-north-vancouver-lab-1.23175956
Tags: Canada, laboratory, discovery, response, explosives

The RCMP"s explosives disposal unit squad was called in to blow up a volatile substance left in a North Vancouver government lab Tuesday.
According to District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services assistant chief Jim Bonneville, staff at Environment Canada"s Pacific Environmental Science Centre on Dollarton Highway came by a bottle of a chemical that had been left on a shelf and called a private hazardous material removal firm to come retrieve it.
article continues below
But the substance had sat so long, it became dangerous, and hazmat staff said it was unsafe for them remove it.
"In this case they had to get a hold of the manufacturer because the product had crystallized and apparently is very unstable and explosive when it"s in a crystallized form," Bonneville said.
"They said, "We can"t take that and nobody will take it. You"ll have to dispose of it with the bomb squad, basically."
Though it was just a small amount, first responders and government agencies took the substance seriously, Bonneville said.
"Just to put it in perspective, it was a 100-millilitre bottle and there were only 30 millilitres in it, so hardly anything, really, but it was still recommended to dispose of it the way the RCMP did," Bonneville said.

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TROPICANA CASINO FIRE SPARKED BY WOULD-BE WALTER WHITE'S METH LAB
https://calvinayre.com/2018/02/15/casino/tropicana-atlantic-city-casino-fire-meth-lab/
Tags: us_NJ, public, fire, injury, illegal, clandestine_lab

A would-be Walter White has been arrested in Atlantic City after his meth lab caused a fire in a Tropicana Casino hotel room.

On Wednesday morning, firefighters responded to a call indicating a fire in progress on the 44th floor of the west tower of the Tropicana"s hotel. The blaze was soon under control and while the smoke forced the evacuation of four hotel floors, no serious injuries were reported and property damage was limited to around $50k.

However, once the smoke cleared and the firefighters got a better look at the room, they discovered the familiar apparatus of a makeshift methamphetamine laboratory. A check of the hotel"s surveillance system revealed three individuals fleeing the premises before the firefighters arrived on the scene.

The three suspects " two male, one female " were located and detained on Wednesday night, although two of them were subsequently released without being charged. But the man who rented the room, 49-year-old Michael Pillar, was charged with maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility, possession of methamphetamine and criminal mischief.

The meth lab was reportedly set up in the hotel room"s bathroom but the fire quickly spread to the main room, setting the bed on fire. A quick-thinking hotel staffer attacked the blaze with a fire extinguisher " suffering mild injuries in the process " while the hotel"s sprinkler system helped contain the fire to the single room.

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2 SUMNER STUDENTS SUSTAIN CHEMICAL BURNS AFTER UNKNOWN LIQUID TH
http://www.kmov.com/story/37516167/2-sumner-students-receiving-treatment-after-homemade-solution-thrown-on-them
Tags: us_MO, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) " Two students were transported to the hospital for treatment after an unknown liquid was thrown on them at Sumner High School Thursday, police said.

According to officials, around 9:55 a.m. a 16-year-old student threw the solution on the students, ages 14 and 16, at the school, which is located in the 4200 block of Cottage Avenue.

Police say the students were located inside the library.

Both victims sustained facial chemical burns and were listed in serious, stable condition at the hospital.

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HAZMAT INCIDENT SPARKS WARNING FOR WEST HOBART RESIDENTS
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/hazmat-incident-sparks-warning-for-west-hobart-residents/news-story/92e158ce51975ffb2c5917847fcbea16
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

UPDATED: TWO Spectran workers have been taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital for tests following a gas leak at Mellifont St in West Hobart.

A Tasmania Fire Service spokesman said it was unclear how much exposure the workers had had to the gas, which was believed to have come from a disused sewer pipe.

Four TFS crews were called to the site earlier this afternoon after reports of a strong smell of gas.

Firemen donned breathing apparatus in an attempt to ascertain the source of the smell.

A TFS spokesman confirmed there was no ruptured gas line.

Investigations determined there was no ongoing leak and the sewer pipe " which had been accidentally damaged by workers " has been isolated and sealed.

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WITH CANCER AS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR FIREFIGHTERS, NEW HAZMAT PROCEDURES AIM TO SAVE LIVES
http://kdvr.com/2018/02/14/with-cancer-as-the-leading-cause-of-death-for-firefighters-new-hazmat-procedures-aim-to-save-lives/
Tags: us_CO, industrial, discovery, environmental, toxics

LONE TREE, Colo. " When you think of firefighters out working on a fire, you probably picture ash-covered uniforms with black soot caked on their faces.

Fighting fires is a dirty job, and it"s dangerous too.

"Really what we were worried about was building collapses, roofs coming down on us," South Metro Operations Chief Troy Jackson told FOX31.

Now though, their perspective on safety is changing. Not only will they include the short-term risks, but also the long-term ones too.

"We never really thought about cancer. It was an afterthought," Jackson said.

Cancer is the leading cause of death for firefighters in the line of duty. They are nine percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer. But when it comes to certain specific types of cancer, the statistics are shocking.

According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, firefighters have a 100 percent increased risk of getting mesothelioma and testicular cancer.

"Today"s homes are manufactured with lumber that"s held together with glues and resins and when you heat that they release toxic chemicals," Jackson said. "And that stuff attaches to our clothes."

The toxic soot is then transported back to the fire house on boots, helmets and other equipment where firefighters are at risk of breathing in the particles.

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WORKER DIES AFTER BEING TRAPPED INSIDE PIPING AT ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-east-hillsborough/worker-dies-after-being-trapped-inside-piping-at-road-construction-project
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

LLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. -- A man working on a road construction project died Wednesday after being trapped inside piping.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says deputies and firefighters responded around 5:00 p.m. to a report of a person trapped inside piping at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Highway 60.

When first responders arrived on scene they found a man was trapped in the piping below ground suffering from unknown injuries.

A HazMat team ventilated the area to give rescue crews the oxygen needed to attempt a rescue.

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ROSEVILLE BROTHERS ARRESTED AFTER SUSPECTED HONEY OIL LAB EXPLOSION
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article200172519.html
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, butane, illegal, clandestine_lab

Roseville police have arrested two brothers after a suspected honey oil lab exploded, damaging the balcony wall of an apartment.

Roseville firefighters responded at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday to a report of an explosion on an apartment balcony in the 1600 block of Vineyard Road. The explosion damaged the wall enclosing the balcony, and the heat from the explosion activated the building"s fire sprinklers, according to a Police Department Facebook post.

When firefighters arrived, they notified police that there were signs of a honey oil lab, an illegal operation that uses butane gas and other equipment to manufacture concentrated cannabis products, the news release said.

Police responded and arrested 57-year-old Gary Arlen Folkerts and his brother, 56-year-old Larry Gene Folkerts, both of Roseville, on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance by means of chemical extraction, keeping a place to sell drugs and conspiracy.

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DRIVER INJURED AS ACID-LADEN TRUCK SKIDS " BORNEOPOST ONLINE
https://www.theborneopost.com/2018/02/14/driver-injured-as-acid-laden-truck-skids/
Tags: Indonesia, transportation, release, injury, sulfuric_acid

BEAUFORT: A truck driver was slightly injured when he lost of control his vehicle while transporting sulphuric acid along Mile 2.5 Beaufort-Sipitang Road on Monday.

District police chief DSP Azmir Abd Razak said the 33-year-old driver was transporting 32 barrels of 800 liters of sulphuric acid from Sabah Forestry Industry (SFI) to Sepanggar Port in Kota Kinabalu when the 5.10pm incident happened.

"Investigation reveals the driver lost control of the wheel, causing the truck to skid on the road before landing on its side.

"This causes spillage of the liquid onto the road.

"Police were forced to close both ends of the road for safety purposes," he said, adding that the incident also caused two kilometres of traffic jam.

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MR SCANNER LEAKS HELIUM AT JFK DURING TRANSPORT
https://www.dotmed.com/news/story/41574
Tags: us_NY, transportation, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

A team of hazmat professionals were called in at John F. Kennedy International Airport this weekend when a damaged MR machine began leaking hazardous gases.

The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Saturday, February 10 at building 23, a cargo facility for Asiana Airlines. The machine in question "was being transported, fell, and was punctured" and began "leaking helium refrigerated liquid," Joe Pentangelo, senior police public information officer at JFK, told HCB News.

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CIRCULAR QUAY FIRE: WORKER"S BLOWTORCH IDENTIFIED AS CAUSE OF BLAZE
http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/blowtorch-identified-as-the-cause-of-huge-sydney-blaze/news-story/2964a3cbf805966ae6a2966bce385b4a
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, acetylene

A WORKER"S blowtorch caused a dramatic construction site blaze in Sydney"s CBD yesterday which forced the evacuation of thousands of workers as gas bottles exploded.
The Circular Quay inferno, which sent plumes of toxic black smoke and caused "fireballs" to fall from the sky, raged through a 10-storey building on a demolition site at about 8.45am. Fire & Rescue NSW extinguished the fire just before 12pm, but it still caused huge delays all day for CBD commuters.
Now, fire investigators have tracked the cause of the blaze to one of the construction workers" oxyacetylene blowtorches, according to a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman.
The fire is thought to have erupted on a lower level caused by stray embers from a blow torch cutting through steel. The flames quickly spread up the plastic mesh screening surrounding the scaffolding.

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MANY AGENCIES INVESTIGATING BOTTLES RELATED TO POSSIBLE METH PRODUCTION
https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/many-agencies-investigating-bottles-related-to-possible-meth-production/article_10452ff6-113e-11e8-a21b-b72cba46ec3e.html
Tags: us_CO, public, discovery, response, clandestine_lab

Federal authorities are now part of the investigation into mysterious bottles found in the Roaring Fork River and on its banks between Basalt and Carbondale, containers a Basalt police officer said are likely the result of the production of methamphetamine.

Since Jan. 24, Basalt police have confiscated or been alerted to the discovery of over 50 bottles, 35 of which were turned over to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency disposal team, said Basalt Sgt. Joe Gasper. The Garfield County Sheriff"s Office sent out a press release Tuesday warning the public to not open the containers, as the contents "are hazardous to human health."

But what those contents are remained unclear Tuesday, and Gasper said the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations are trying to solve that issue through testing.

The bottles are heavily duct-taped, though there is, on most of the vessels, an open space through which the contents can be viewed, he said.

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CHEMICAL SMELL FORCED EVACUATION OF BROOKLAWN SCHOOL MONDAY
https://patch.com/new-jersey/parsippany/chemical-smell-forced-evacuation-brooklawn-school-monday
Tags: us_NJ, education, release, response, adhesives

PARSIPPANY, NJ " Brooklawn Middle School was evacuated Monday afternoon after a chemical smell was detected, Parsippany Police told Patch.

A "noxious odor" was found coming from the ventilation system around 3:15 p.m., police said. Students and staff had already already evacuated for pick-up by the time first responders arrived.

After an investigation, police found the cause of the smell: a roofing adhesive used during repairs earlier into the day had cause the HVAC system to smell. The school was ventilated and deemed safe.

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OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING HAZMAT INCIDENT IN ROXBURY HIGH SCHOOL LAB
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/02/13/officials-investigating-hazmat-incident-roxbury-high-school-lab/QZL1HZF1qM6tUf41oh2hzL/story.html
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

A Roxbury high school classroom was evacuated after a small chemical accident Tuesday morning, a fire official said.

A "very minimal amount" of chemicals was spilled in a Madison Park Technical Vocational High School lab around 11 a.m., Boston Fire Department spokesman Marc Sanders said. Officials have yet to determine the substance, but it does not appear to be toxic, he said.

"It doesn"t seem to be a major incident," he said. "We were notified as a precautionary measure."

A staff member who was in the classroom during the spill reported dizziness and lightheadedness, said Daniel O"Brien, Boston Public Schools spokesman, but the person was quickly evaluated by Boston EMS services and seems to be fine.

The classroom was an active scene as of 12 p.m. Officials are investigating the incident

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CHEMICAL LEAK RESPONSIBLE FOR EXPLOSION IN SHIPYARD: CMD
http://www.uniindia.com/chemical-leak-responsible-for-explosion-in-shipyard-cmd/states/news/1137325.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, acetylene, oxygen

Kochi, Feb 13 (UNI) Chemical leak was the reason behind the explosion in the shipyard in which five labourers were killed and 11 injured, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Chairman and Managing Director Madhu S Nair said on Tuesday.

Informing this at a media conference here, he said the CSL has announced a compensation of Rs ten lakh each to those who lost their lives in the explosion.

"'The explosion took place while changing the steel plates in the tank.
Acetylene and oxygen were used to cut through the metallic parts of the tank, and every day we make sure that there is no trace of these chemicals in the tank.
Even today, we made sure that there was no trace of these chemicals in the tank before changing the plates.

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STATE LEGISLATURES TACKLE TOXIC CHEMICALS AS PRUITT EPA FALTERS
http://saferchemicals.org/newsroom/state-legislatures-tackle-toxic-chemicals-as-pruitt-epa-falters/
Tags: us_OR, public, discovery, environmental, toxics

(Portland, OR) " State legislatures across the country are stepping up to protect public health from harmful chemicals in an effort to fill gaps in chemical protections due to inaction by the US EPA, according to an analysis of state policies by Safer States. The analysis found that at least 23 states will consider 112 policies to limit exposures to toxic chemicals, including bans on nonstick PFAS chemicals and toxic flame retardants. The analysis, including a searchable state toxics policy database, is available online at saferstates.com/bill-tracker/.

Despite an overhaul to the nation"s primary chemical safety law in 2016 that was intended to fix the broken chemical regulatory system, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has largely failed to take meaningful action to restrict toxic chemicals. For example, in the last year, the EPA rewrote a rule to make it more difficult to track the health impacts of PFOA, a chemical linked to cancer and other health effects, despite its presence in the drinking water of over 6 million Americans. The agency has also shelved plans to regulate a deadly chemical in some paint strippers despite increasing reports of fatalities associated with the use of the chemical.

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