From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (15 articles)
Date: Mon, 7 May 2018 06:24:14 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: E3B3B14B-6A8E-40A9-9E23-E36578C743F4**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Article summaries are also available at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas

Table of Contents (15 articles)

HIGH PRESSURE PUMP LEAK AT VIVA REFINERY
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, gasoline, petroleum

INDUSTRIAL FIRE IN COMPTON INCLUDES HAZMAT RESPONSE ‰?? PRESS TELEGRAM
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

EMPLOYEE DEAD AFTER FALLING INTO TANK AT SALISBURY PLANT
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

FEWER HOUSE FIRES, BUT THEY‰??RE HOTTER AND BURN FASTER
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, environmental, flammables

NO INJURIES AFTER CHEMICAL ODOR AT KANSAS CANDY PLANT
Tags: us_KS, industrial, release, injury, cleaners

WASTE MANAGEMENT EXPOSURES
Tags: us_CO, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical, waste

HAZMAT AT FRESNO MOTEL 6, TWO DEAD, MAY 4, 2018
Tags: us_CA, public, release, death, suicide, sulfuric_acid

TRASH PICKUP POSTPONED DUE TO CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste

ITEM FOR PHARMACY DISPLAY BRINGS IN WARREN HAZMAT TEAM
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, ammonium_nitrate

MERIDIAN MAGNESIUM EXPLOSION FELT FOR MILES AROUND
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, magnesium

CHEMICAL FIRE AT LA PORTE PLANT EXTINGUISHED, NO INJURIES REPORTED ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, paints, pesticides, plastics

CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE BREAKS OUT NEAR LAFAYETTE, CLOSING I-10
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PEPCON EXPLOSIONS 30 YEARS LATER
Tags: us_NV, industrial, follow-up, environmental

CHEVRON TO PAY RICHMOND $5 MILLION TO SETTLE 2012 REFINERY FIRE LAWSUIT
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum

UM LAB STANDS BY POLICIES AFTER POTASSIUM CYANIDE GOES MISSING
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, cyanide


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

HIGH PRESSURE PUMP LEAK AT VIVA REFINERY
https://www.bay939.com.au/news/local-news/93018-high-pressure-pump-leak-at-viva-refinery
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, gasoline, petroleum

A gasoline leak at the Viva Refinery Has been declared under control this afternoon.

CFA and HAZMAT attended the scene at 12:05pm, with the area under control by 2:28pm.

The leak from a high-pressure SIL pump has been stopped.

Two CFA vehicles remain at the refinery for now, but HAZMAT have since departed.
***

Emergency services are currently on scene at the Viva Refinery in Corio, dealing with an out of control oil leak.

According to a CFA spokesperson, there appears to be an issue with a SIL pump - which transfers crude oil and liquefied petroleum at high pressure.

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

INDUSTRIAL FIRE IN COMPTON INCLUDES HAZMAT RESPONSE ‰?? PRESS TELEGRAM
https://www.presstelegram.com/2018/05/06/industrial-fire-in-compton-includes-hazmat-response/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

COMPTON ‰?? County firefighters knocked down an industrial fire Sunday in Compton that leaked about 25 gallons of an unknown substance into storm drains, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The fire at a business building at 3000 Harcourt St. was reported at 5:45 p.m., said Dispatch Supervisor Michael Pittman.

The blaze was contained to the loading dock area, Pittman said.

As firefighters from the county and Long Beach battled the blaze, about 25 gallons of a hazardous material leaked into storm drains, Pittman continued. A county fire hazmat team was called to the site. As a precaution, the firefighters there were all decontaminated.

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

EMPLOYEE DEAD AFTER FALLING INTO TANK AT SALISBURY PLANT
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article210588194.html
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

One person died in an industrial accident early Saturday morning in Rowan County at a specialty chemical plant.

Officials at AkzoNobel told WBTV an employee at the Salisbury location fell into an open tank during a loading operation around 4 a.m. Crews responded to the scene and entered the tank before discovering the employee had died.

Salisbury Fire and Rowan EMS responded to the location to conduct an investigation.

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

FEWER HOUSE FIRES, BUT THEY‰??RE HOTTER AND BURN FASTER
https://www.dcourier.com/news/2018/may/04/fewer-house-fires-theyre-hotter-and-burn-faster/
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, environmental, flammables

Fires in single-family homes have decreased considerably in the last 30 years or so. In 1980, there were 734,000 house fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and by 2016, that number had dropped to 352,000.

But because of the techniques and materials used in contemporary construction and home furnishings, the time residents have to escape a burning house has gone from about 17 minutes three decades ago to only three or four minutes today.


Framers with United Construction Group work on a home on Ainsley Way in the Granville subdivision in Prescott Valley, in this Courier file photo. (Les Stukenberg/Courier, file)

Newer homes and the furniture they contain are more flammable than they used to be. They burn much faster.

Homes, themselves, are built differently than they used to be, and Prescott Fire Marshal Don Devendorf said that difference contributes to the more intense heat of home fires.

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

NO INJURIES AFTER CHEMICAL ODOR AT KANSAS CANDY PLANT
https://www.hayspost.com/2018/05/04/no-injuries-after-chemical-odor-at-kansas-candy-plant/
Tags: us_KS, industrial, release, injury, cleaners

SHAWNEE COUNTY ‰?? There were no serious injuries after a chemical odor at a Kansas manufacturing plant.


Mars manufacturing plant -bing image
Just before 1:30 Thursday, the Topeka Fire Department was called to the Mars Manufacturing Plant, 100 SW MARS Boulevard regarding a chemical odor, according to a media release.

Upon investigation, it was determined that a cleaning solution was not being used properly. Several individuals were assessed on the scene for possible respiratory irritation, but no one was transported to receive medical attention.

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

WASTE MANAGEMENT EXPOSURES
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/9-transported-after-inhaling-unknown-chemical-at-waste-management-facility/73-549010627
Tags: us_CO, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical, waste

Nine people were taken to the hospital after Denver Fire says they inhaled an ‰??unknown chemical‰?? at a Waste Management facility.

This prompted a full hazardous materials team response at 5395 N. Franklin Street in Denver.

Denver Fire crews were unable to locate source of hazard but reported that there is no further hazard at this time.

Firefighters say they turned off the power to the building and turned it on again to find the source of the chemical.

A second team will conduct another investigation to determine what the chemical was and where it came from, according to Denver Fire.

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

HAZMAT AT FRESNO MOTEL 6, TWO DEAD, MAY 4, 2018
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article210526484.html
Tags: us_CA, public, release, death, suicide, sulfuric_acid

Fresno police are investigating a possible double suicide or a murder-suicide at Motel 6 on Blackstone Avenue north of Ashlan Avenue.

Just before 5 p.m. Friday, two women were found dead in a room when a maintenance worker checked the room after smelling "toxic fumes," said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, describing the smell as "sulfuric acid."

The women were found near the bathroom door with respirator masks on and there was some sort of a chemical making process inside the hotel room, Dyer said.

It is unknown how long the women were deceased in the room.

Dyer said the possibility of an accidental death is also being investigated, and homicide investigators are on the scene.

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

TRASH PICKUP POSTPONED DUE TO CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
http://www.klfy.com/news/local/trash-pickup-postponed-due-to-chemical-explosion/1159543998
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste

Due to the explosion at the Chemical Plant in Duson Waste Connections/Progressive Waste will not be able to run routes today due to not being able to access the Waste Connections facility for the following parishes: Vermilion Parish, Iberia Parish, and Acadia Parish.

The company said if it is able to access the facility on Saturday then Fridays routes will be picked up on Saturday, May 5.

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

ITEM FOR PHARMACY DISPLAY BRINGS IN WARREN HAZMAT TEAM
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2018/05/03/item-pharmacy-display-warren-hazmat/579040002/
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, ammonium_nitrate

Police and fire crews are on the scene of a possible hazardous materials incident at a pharmacy in Warren.

Authorities blocked of roads around Sussex SavMor Pharmacy, on Van Dyke, just south of Nine Mile Road.

Sharell Allen, a pharmacy employee, said the Fire Department was called at 4 p.m. when a person brought a large jar of ammonium nitrate into the pharmacy.

Allen said the store has a display of old medicine jars and old remedies. The person had planned to donate the jar to the pharmacy for the display.

"A patient brought in a bottle of ammonium nitrate that was larger than normal," Allen said. "We called the Fire Department once we opened the package, and he didn't realize what would happen ... It was a large quantity ... larger than what we would have accepted."

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

MERIDIAN MAGNESIUM EXPLOSION FELT FOR MILES AROUND
http://www.wlns.com/news/meridian-magnesium-explosion-felt-for-miles-around/1158170421
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, magnesium

We now know the massive fire and explosion at Meridian Magnesium in Eaton Rapids on Wednesday morning was felt as far as 30 miles away.

Seismology staff at MSU matched movement from a seismology station located in Perry, Michigan with social media reports of an explosion shortly after 2 a.m. and discovered there was a powerful disruption.

Daniel Burk, an engineer with the seismic laboratory at MSU says the explosion was impressive, but relatively small in terms of magnitude. He says the movement was not measured on a Richter scale, but was instead measured as a surface wave magnitude called MS, with a reading of 1.7.

Burk believes the time of day made a difference, in fact, he believes if it happened at 2 in the afternoon, normal daytime noise and traffic would have likely masked the blast.

Despite a very powerful blast, likely caused due to magnesium reacting to heat and fire, chemists at MSU do not believe there will be any hazardous outcomes regarding air, water, or land.

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

CHEMICAL FIRE AT LA PORTE PLANT EXTINGUISHED, NO INJURIES REPORTED ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/local/2018/05/03/283229/chemical-fire-at-la-porte-plant-extinguished-no-injuries-reported/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, paints, pesticides, plastics

A fire broke out late Wednesday at a plastics fabrication plant in La Porte, according to police.
Police said there are no injuries. According to the company, Metton America, the fire was reported around 11:38 p.m. Wednesday in the 2700 block of Miller Cut Off Road.
The company said the tank contained a potentially irritating chemical used in paints, insecticides, and plastics.
No shelter in place was ordered for residents.

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

CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE BREAKS OUT NEAR LAFAYETTE, CLOSING I-10
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2018/05/chemical_plant_fire_breaks_out.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

RAYNE, La. -- A fire has broken out at a Louisiana chemical plant, sending massive smoke plumes in the air and prompting an evacuation for a mile all around.

Louisiana State Police say no injuries have been reported from the fire at FlowChem Technologies in Rayne. There was no immediate report of what caused the fire at the specialty chemical complex, which provides products and services to the oil and gas industry.

Police say Interstate 10 was closed for a stretch between Lafayette and Crowley as a precaution, backing up traffic for miles as drivers sought to detour.

Authorities say those evacuating around the plant were asked to go to a local fire department until further notice.

FlowChem maintains two chemical blending facilities, one in Rayne and one in Texas.

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

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PEPCON EXPLOSIONS 30 YEARS LATER
https://www.ktnv.com/news/what-to-know-about-pepcon-explosions-30-years-later
Tags: us_NV, industrial, follow-up, environmental

Thirty years ago on May 4, 1988, the Las Vegas valley was rocked by three massive explosions. A fire that started inside a building at Pacific Engineering and Production Corporation (PEPCO) in Henderson resulted in 3 explosions.

Here is a quick list of interesting facts about the incident:

1. PEPCON produced ammonium perchlorate, which is a chemical found in solid rocket fuel.
2. Because of the Challenger explosion in January 1986, there was a large amount of ammonium pechlorate at the plant at the time.
3. It was the largest domestic, non-nuclear explosion in recorded history at that time, according to NASA.
4. The explosions coule be felt 10 miles away. The two biggest blasts measured 3.0 and 3.5 on the Richter scale at observatories in California and Colorado.

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

CHEVRON TO PAY RICHMOND $5 MILLION TO SETTLE 2012 REFINERY FIRE LAWSUIT
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-to-pay-Richmond-5-million-to-settle-2012-12885937.php
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum

Chevron will pay Richmond $5 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the 2012 refinery fire that hospitalized thousands of Bay Area residents and prompted new state workplace safety laws.
Lawyers for the multinational energy corporation based in San Ramon already have signed the agreement, and the payment is expected to be made later this month, according to City Attorney Bruce Goodmiller. He said the settlement does not include an admission of fault by Chevron.
The Aug. 6, 2012, fire sparked when a leaky, corroded pipe ruptured in one of the refinery‰??s crude oil units, where petroleum is heated above 700 degrees Fahrenheit. More than 20 workers fled for their lives minutes before a vapor cloud over the site caught fire, according to the then-chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

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

UM LAB STANDS BY POLICIES AFTER POTASSIUM CYANIDE GOES MISSING
http://nbcmontana.com/news/local/um-lab-stands-by-policies-after-potassium-cyanide-goes-missing
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, cyanide

MISSOULA, Mont. ‰?? It‰??s been almost two months since University of Montana police sounded the alert ‰?? someone took a vial of a lethal poison from a University of Montana research lab.

University of Montana Facebook post on missing potassium cyanide
Investigators pinpointed a six-block radius in Missoula from Orange Street to Hickory Street and Cregg Lane to South Sixth Street West as a possible area where the suspect could have dropped the vial of potassium cyanide.
When we walked the streets in early May residents we talked with had no idea what we were talking about.
If you‰??ve ever wondered just how deadly potassium cyanide is just check some simple headlines. Here are just a couple we found:
More poison found at home of deceased Merck chemist: Police
Deadly potassium cyanide leakage injures chemist at Prague lab
Chemsee.com explains it this way: a single tablespoon will kill 39 out of 43 people in two to six hours. That‰??s a 90-percent fatality rate.
The university couldn‰??t tell us how large the vial was or how much potassium cyanide it contained.
When we found out the vial was missing we went to the University of Montana to find out how secure any of its 100 labs are.

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

---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post



The content of this page reflects the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) only, not the American Chemical Society, ILPI, Safety Emporium, or any other party. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. Send questions/comments about the archive to secretary@dchas.org.
The maintenance and hosting of the DCHAS-L archive is provided through the generous support of Safety Emporium.