From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles)
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2018 07:17:10 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: D6A2D3B8-75C7-4560-BC09-FE91A97A4E8D**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


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Table of Contents (12 articles)

HAZMAT RESPONSE TO ODOR AT HAWTHORNE APARTMENTS: CONTRACTOR CHEMICALS
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

FIRE DAMAGES DIAMOND PRODUCTS IN ELYRIA
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS RISK IN NAIL BARS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

CONCERNS LINGER AS FIRE PROMPTS ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING AT CRUMBLING COMMERCIAL BUILDING
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, mercury

MAN WHO INGESTED TOXIC CHEMICAL IN ANNAPOLIS DIES
Tags: us_MD, public, release, death, sodium_azide

7 PEOPLE SOUGHT TREATMENT FOR INJURIES AFTER OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
Tags: us_GA, public, release, injury, grease

CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT AMPI PLANT SENDS FIVE WORKERS TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

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


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HAZMAT RESPONSE TO ODOR AT HAWTHORNE APARTMENTS: CONTRACTOR CHEMICALS
http://southpassaic.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/hazmat-response-to-odor-at-hawthorne-apartments-contractor-chemicals/733041/
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

HAWTHORNE, N.J. -- Two residents of a Hawthorne apartment building refused hospitalization Saturday morning after chemicals used by a contractor irritated them.

Hawthorne police, firefighters and EMS responded along with a Passaic County hazardous materials team to several 911 calls of an irritating odor at the Mill View Lofts building on Westervelt Avenue.

The odor was traced to a contractor's use of a chemical product that created combustible fumes.

Hawthorne EMS evaluated two residents who said they felt ill, but both refused ambulance transportation to a local hospital.

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FIRE DAMAGES DIAMOND PRODUCTS IN ELYRIA
http://www.chroniclet.com/Local-News/2018/02/18/Fire-damages-Diamond-Products-in-Elyria.html
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

ELYRIA " Firefighters battled a blaze at an industrial facility on Prospect Street on Saturday morning.

The fire was called into 911 about 8:47 a.m. at Diamond Products, 333 Prospect St., Elyria fire Capt. Carl Mack said. The fire was contained to a standalone building on the property.

Mack said the fire was contained to the northwest corner of the building, where there are two paint booths. He estimated the paint booths take up about 25 percent of the building.

A contractor was cleaning in the area of the paint booths when the fire started.

"We arrived to heavy smoke throughout the building and heavy fire in that northwest corner," Mack said. "It was venting from the vent in the roof, as well as the garage door."

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HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS RISK IN NAIL BARS
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hazardous-chemicals-risk-in-nail-bars-j9g7qd6rh
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

Workers in nail bars are being exposed to hazardous chemicals that can cause skin and respiratory problems, may damage fertility and cause cancer, according to guidance to be published by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

An inspection programme last year found "a poor understanding of the chemical safety and health risks associated with nail-bar products and their potential to cause ill health to employees", the HSA said.

Nail bars have become ubiquitous in the high street as more women opt for regular manicures.

The HSA"s inspectors found that control of the chemical risks to workers who were carrying out higher-risk services, in particular applying acrylic fake nails, was "often unsatisfactory".

"There was also a lack of understanding about how to select adequate personal protective‰?|

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CONCERNS LINGER AS FIRE PROMPTS ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING AT CRUMBLING COMMERCIAL BUILDING
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/concerns-linger-as-fire-prompts-environmental-testing-at-crumbling-commercial-building
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, mercury

CLEVELAND - A decaying and crumbling industrial building in Cleveland"s Stockyards neighborhood was the site of air quality testing Friday afternoon after a massive fire broke out Tuesday morning.

While the testing did not find elevated levels of mercury in the air, officials said the priority now is to make sure the building is secure so trespassers don"t track the contamination outside.

The property is located in the 7200 block of Wentworth Avenue.

Tuesday"s 3-alarm fire turned an attached loading dock into a charred husk. The brick exterior is covered in soot and the large chunks of the roof have collapsed.

Two days later, the fire department was called back out to the property. While there wasn"t an open flame, fire officials said there was a haze present in the building, possibly caused by scrappers working inside. The HAZMAT team was called out because of environmental concerns, fire officials said.

According to records obtained by News 5, the property has a lengthy history of environmental concerns and violations.

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MAN WHO INGESTED TOXIC CHEMICAL IN ANNAPOLIS DIES
http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/ac-cn-chemical-died-20180217-story.html
Tags: us_MD, public, release, death, sodium_azide

man who was discovered in his car in Annapolis on Thursday evening after ingesting a toxic chemical died Friday.

According to an Annapolis Fire Department release, rescue units were dispatched for an overdose call in the 900 block of Bay Ridge Road just before 5 p.m. Thursday. There they found a man in his vehicle who had ingested a "white, powdery chemical substance," fire officials said.

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 to help deploy automobile airbags and as a preservative in hospitals and labs, the CDC says. It is very soluble in water and highly toxic if ingested.

The man was transported to Anne Arundel Medical Center in critical condition where he later died, fire officials said.

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7 PEOPLE SOUGHT TREATMENT FOR INJURIES AFTER OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/37528010/officials-on-scene-of-situation-at-outback-on-savannahs-southside
Tags: us_GA, public, release, injury, grease

AVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
Authorities are on the scene of a situation at the Outback restaurant on Savannah's Southside on Abercorn Extension, Friday night.

Chatham Emergency Services Fire Chief Chuck Kearns tells us a van hit the wall with cooking fryers, sending grease flying and badly burning several people.

We're told that police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances have surrounded the building. Part of the roof also collapsed when the crash happened.

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CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT AMPI PLANT SENDS FIVE WORKERS TO HOSPITAL
http://www.leadertelegram.com/News/Front-Page/2018/02/16/div-class-libPageBodyLinebreak-Chemical-incident-at-AMPI-plant-sends-five-workers-to-hospital-div.html
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

COMMENTS
CHIPPEWA FALLS " The mixing of chemicals caused several workers to become ill early Thursday morning at the Associated Milk Producers Inc. plant in Jim Falls.

Dennis Brown, Chippewa County emergency management director, said the incident at the plant, located at 14193 Highway S, was reported at 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

"Five workers were transported to area hospitals with respiratory problems," Brown said. "It was reportedly due to a mixture of a couple of concentrated cleaning products " one was caustic, a base, and the other was an acid."

Sarah Schmidt, AMPI vice president of public affairs at the corporate headquarters in New Ulm, Minn., said 24 workers were in the plant at the time; during the day, there are about 75 employees.

"Employees detected the presence of gas," Schmidt said. "Four (of the workers transported to hospitals) were immediately released, and one was admitted."

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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.
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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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