From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (14 articles)
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2018 07:08:42 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 4151ADCB-F480-47E2-897D-F5EF0FE59ABB**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, July 30, 2018 at 7:08:19 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas

Table of Contents (14 articles)

SEVERAL EMPLOYEES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING REPORTED AMMONIA LEAK AT BIRDS EYE IN DARIEN
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

CLEVELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT RELEASES NEW INFORMATION ABOUT GAS LEA
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, natural_gas

STATE OF EMERGENCY IN WEST MICHIGAN, LOCAL REP. PUSHES FOR CHEMICAL BAN
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, other_chemical

TWO YEARS ON, COMMITTEE PROPOSALS FOR DOMBIVALI FACTORY BLAST STILL ON PAPER
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

GAS LEAK ERUPTS FIRE AT CHEMICAL LAB
Tags: Sri_Lanka, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

ACTIVIST QUESTIONS TRANSPARENCY OF NUCLEAR PLANT OFFICIALS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_SC, industrial, release, response, radiation, uranium

NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE RESPOND TO POSSIBLE HAZMAT SPILL ... INTERSTATE 25 CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
Tags: us_NM, transportation, discovery, response, gas_cylinders

ATHENS, UGA POLICE BLOTTER: HAZMAT INCIDENT ON CAMPUS, ROBBERY AT KFC, DISORDERLY CONDUCT DOWNTOWN
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, methane, natural_gas

1 TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION INSIDE DANVILLE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Tags: us_VA, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical

AMMONIA LEAK SENDS ONE TO WEBSTER CITY HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

SPARK FROM AMMUNITION TESTING CAUSES FIRE AT HARFORD LABORATORY
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, fire, response, other_chemical

2020 RESTART EXPECTED AT WISCONSIN REFINERY AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

DUPONT REACHES $3M SETTLEMENT WITH EPA FOR 2014 INCIDENT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols

HUSKY: REFINERY EXPLOSION CAUSED $27 MILLION IN DAMAGE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical


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

SEVERAL EMPLOYEES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING REPORTED AMMONIA LEAK AT BIRDS EYE IN DARIEN
http://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/national/489455461.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

Walworth County authorities say 15 people have been taken to a local hospital after they were exposed to an ammonia leak in the Bird's Eye Food plant in Darien this morning. At this time there is no information on the type of injuries suffered or the conditions of the employees.

Walworth County Sheriff Kurt Picknell said the leak was reported around 5:15 AM Sunday. He said there were 140 employees in the plant at the time of the leak. Besides the 15 injured employees, Sheriff Picknell said 75 employees were evaluated at the scene and determined to be okay.

According to Sheriff Picknell, the ammonia leak occurred in one area of the building. The cause of the leak has not been determined, said Sheriff Picknell. Ammonia, he said, is used for refrigeration in the plant.

About 100 emergency personnel from multiple agencies responded to the early morning hazmat call. Sheriff Picknell said crews are going through the building now to determine when it will be safe to return. He said there was no fire and the leak posed no threat to the community.

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

CLEVELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT RELEASES NEW INFORMATION ABOUT GAS LEA
http://www.cleveland19.com/story/38761377/cleveland-fire-department-releases-new-information-about-gas-leak
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, natural_gas

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -
The Cleveland Fire Department released more information about Thursday's gas leak on West 150th Street and Puritas Avenue.

The fire department said crews uncovered a line, the line broke apart at the seam.

Investigators said they are in the process of replacing all the lines over there.

Cleveland first responders and utility workers rushed to a major gas leak Thursday on Cleveland's West Side.

The leak was detected in the area of West 150th Street and Puritas Avenue

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

STATE OF EMERGENCY IN WEST MICHIGAN, LOCAL REP. PUSHES FOR CHEMICAL BAN
http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/state-of-emergency-in-west-michigan-local-rep-pushes-for-chemical-ban
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, other_chemical

(WJBK) - The state of emergency is freeing up resources to find the source of the harmful manufacturing chemical known as PFAS which has gotten into the drinking water. Samples show levels 20 times what is considered acceptable.

About three thousand people in Parchment and Copper Township in Kalamazoo County are affected by the state of emergency. A drinking water ban is currently in effect.

Last Thursday, water testing revealed levels of PFAS were 20 times what is considered acceptable by federal guidelines.

Residents have been told not to drink or cook with their tap water and instead drink only bottled water. The state is funneling in bottled water and other resources.

‰??So how bad is this epidemic that we have, and how far does it go throughout our state,‰?? Peter Lucido said.

State Representative Peter Lucido nearly two hundred miles away in Harrison is calling for the substance to be banned all together.

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

TWO YEARS ON, COMMITTEE PROPOSALS FOR DOMBIVALI FACTORY BLAST STILL ON PAPER
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-two-years-on-committee-proposals-for-dombivali-factory-blast-still-on-paper-2643250
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical

It has been almost two years since the Probase chemical company blast took place in Dombivali, which killed 12 and injured over 200 people and one year since the inquiry committee submitted its report and recommendations to the government. Apart from compensating the dead and the injured, none of the recommendations have been implemented yet.

On May 26, 2016 a blast took place at Probase chemical company in Dombivali‰??s MIDC area. The explosion was due to a huge stock of Propargyl chloride which got ignited due to sparks from on-going welding work in the company‰??s premises. It not only affected those working in and around the company, but also the residential area which is hardly 100 metres away.

An inquiry committee under the chairmanship of Thane Collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar submitted its report in July 2017 and made several recommendations. Some of the recommendations made by the committee include shifting the chemical companies in Dombivali to a designated zone. Other recommendations include creating a buffer zone between major accident hazard companies and residential areas.

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

GAS LEAK ERUPTS FIRE AT CHEMICAL LAB
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2018/07/28/gas-leak-erupts-fire-at-chemical-lab/
Tags: Sri_Lanka, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

COLOMBO (News 1st) ‰?? A fire erupted this morning (July 28) at a Chemical Laboratory located at a construction site of the Wattala ‰?? Kerawalapitiya expressway.

The Fire Service Department at the Colombo Municipal Council said, three fire engines were dispatched, adding that the fire has now been contained.

According to the Colombo Municipal Council, the fire had erupted at around 9:30 this morning as a result of a gas leak.

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

ACTIVIST QUESTIONS TRANSPARENCY OF NUCLEAR PLANT OFFICIALS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
https://abcnews4.com/news/crime-news/activist-questions-transparency-of-nuclear-plant-officials-after-chemical-leak
Tags: us_SC, industrial, release, response, radiation, uranium

COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) -- Environmental activist Tom Clements with the group Friends of the Earth questions how transparent officials with the Westinghouse Nuclear plant are being with people who live close by. People who live there said they haven't been notified about any safety concerns after a uranium leak.
One of the biggest concerns of Clements is the long-term effects uranium could have on the environment. "I haven‰??t learned anything over the past days since we learned about this incident about how much material was released how long it had been leaking into the soil under the plant,‰?? Clements said.
Officials reported to DHEC that a large amount of uranium leaked through a 3-inch hole and seeped 6 feet into the soil underneath the plant. Uranium is known to cause long-term kidney damage and respiratory problems.
Right now, officials with DHEC said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in charge of inspecting the plant. Roger Hannah said NRC inspectors plan to visit the facility in the fall. "At this point, we are confident that the leak is localized to that area there was no exposure to plant workers and there appear to be no environmental consequences at this point," Hannah said. "The amount of material and the size of the leak did not meet the safety thresh hold that we would have reported to the NRC."

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

NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE RESPOND TO POSSIBLE HAZMAT SPILL ... INTERSTATE 25 CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
https://www.ladailypost.com/content/new-mexico-state-police-respond-possible-hazmat-spill-interstate-25-closed-both-directions
Tags: us_NM, transportation, discovery, response, gas_cylinders

At around 4 a.m. today, New Mexico State Police officers were dispatched to a semi crash and possible hazmat situation on Interstate 25 around mile post 110 ... about 40 miles south of Socorro.
After careful investigation, the cylinders on the semi carrying chlorodifluorobromomethane, were determined not to be ruptured and there was no hazmat spill. The driver of the CMV received only minor injuries.

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

ATHENS, UGA POLICE BLOTTER: HAZMAT INCIDENT ON CAMPUS, ROBBERY AT KFC, DISORDERLY CONDUCT DOWNTOWN
https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/athens-uga-police-blotter-hazmat-incident-on-campus-robbery-at/article_c48e394c-906b-11e8-aa92-9bde537eeff5.html
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, methane, natural_gas

HAZMAT incident on campus

On July 21, UGA police responded to reports of natural gas odors in the biology building on Cedar Street, according to a police report. Clarke County Fire Department and Atlanta Gas Light was contacted to shut off the building‰??s gas.

According to the report, the officer identified an odor ‰??similar to rotten eggs,‰?? which the officer knew from past experience to be natural gas.

CCFD firefighters told police they detected the natural gas reading in the stairwell at 15 percent. Anything over 10 percent requires immediate evacuation due to risk of explosion.

The building was evacuated, and CCFD cut off all gas to the building. The reporting party told UGAPD some students had smelled the gas the previous evening, but nobody contacted police until the morning of July 21.

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

1 TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION INSIDE DANVILLE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
https://wset.com/news/local/1-taken-to-hospital-after-chemical-reaction-inside-danville-manufacturing-company
Tags: us_VA, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical

DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) -- The Danville Fire Department said they are investigating a hazardous materials incident after responding to reports of a structure fire.
They said firefighters responded to Cahill Court around 2:20 p.m. Thursday, July 26 where they found white smoke coming out of the front roll up door of the building.
After investigating, they determined the smoke was coming from behind the building and the smoke was traveling through the building.
According to people living inside, the fire was out but was still producing smoke and they threw dirt on the fire to try and control it.
They told firefighters they had been mixing chemicals and there was a reaction after the container boiled over and started to melt -- which is where the smoke was coming from.
After showing the firefighters the two chemicals being used, all of them were moved across the street so that positive pressure fans could be set up to remove the smoke from the building.
One person had to be taken to the hospital after he breathed in smoke and fell while helping -- officials said he was complaining of a headache and had difficulty breathing. He had to go through gross decontamination to be cleared of any residue, which includes removing clothes and being rinsed.

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

AMMONIA LEAK SENDS ONE TO WEBSTER CITY HOSPITAL
http://www.messengernews.net/news/local-news/2018/07/ammonia-leak-sends-one-to-webster-city-hospital/
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia

EAGLE GROVE ‰?? One person was taken to a hospital following a major ammonia leak at an egg-processing facility in Wright County Friday morning.

About 4,000 pounds of ammonia were released after a pipe in a refrigeration system was broken by a skid loader at Daybreak Foods, according to Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter. He called that a ‰??very large release of ammonia.‰??

The injured person was taken to Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City. The person‰??s name and condition weren‰??t available Friday evening.

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

SPARK FROM AMMUNITION TESTING CAUSES FIRE AT HARFORD LABORATORY
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/aegis/ph-ag-hpwhite-fire-0727-story.html
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, fire, response, other_chemical

fire ignited by a spark from a ricochet during an ammunition test caused an estimated $25,000 in damage at H.P. White Laboratory Inc. in northern Harford County Wednesday morning, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The fire, which was reported at 9:47 a.m., happened at the H.P. White facility in the 3100 block of Scarboro Road in Street, according to a notice of investigation from the Fire Marshal‰??s Office. The building is described in the report as a ‰??50x100 concrete block structure.‰??

H.P. White conducts tests on firearms and ammunition, as well as a slew of ballistic safety gear for law enforcement and the military, ballistic protection for vehicles, plus testing for an array of safety equipment used in the civilian world, such as in industry, public safety and sports, according to the company‰??s website.

The round of ammunition being tested ricocheted after hitting its target, causing a spark that started a fire in ceiling insulation, according to Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.

Alkire stressed testing facilities such as those operated by H.P. White have strong safety records, but accidents such as Wednesday‰??s fire do happen from time to time in Harford County, considering the area‰??s proximity to the Army‰??s Aberdeen Proving Ground.

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

2020 RESTART EXPECTED AT WISCONSIN REFINERY AFTER EXPLOSION
https://www.channel3000.com/news/2020-restart-expected-at-wisconsin-refinery-after-explosion-1/773609330
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical

SUPERIOR, Wis. - A Wisconsin refinery damaged by an explosion and fire earlier this year is not expected to resume operations until 2020.

WDIO-TV reports Canada-based Husky Energy said in its second-quarter earnings statement Thursday that the refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, is not expected to restart for at least 18 to 24 months.

Chief Operating Officer Rob Symonds said in a conference call that an investigation into the late April explosion continues, and that the company plans to use insurance proceeds to rebuild the refinery.

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

DUPONT REACHES $3M SETTLEMENT WITH EPA FOR 2014 INCIDENT
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/DuPont-Reaches-3M-Settlement-with-EPA-for-2014-Incident-07-26-2018
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols

E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) agreed to pay a $3.1 million civil penalty for its role in a 2014 release of about 24,000 lbs of methyl mercaptan that killed four workers at the firm‰??s La Porte, TX chemical manufacturing plant, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Thursday.

The chemical maker entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on July 23 that responds to allegations that the DuPont violated chemical accident prevention regulations.

‰??Accidental releases of methyl mercaptan can be extremely dangerous,‰?? EPA Region 5 Compliance and Enforcement Director Cheryl Seager said in a statement. ‰??This settlement ensures the rule of law is being followed by DuPont and emphasizes the importance of implementing risk management programs to protect our communities and our workers.‰??

A release of methyl mercaptan occurred in the DuPontLaPort plant‰??s Lannate unit on Nov. 15, 2014, killing four workers inside the building who were exposed to the chemical. Following investigations by the EPA, the U.S. Department of Labor‰??s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the Lannate production facility was closed by the company.

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

HUSKY: REFINERY EXPLOSION CAUSED $27 MILLION IN DAMAGE
http://duluthnewstribune.com/news/4477770-husky-refinery-explosion-caused-27-million-damage
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

The explosion and fire at Husky Energy's Superior refinery in April resulted in $27 million in damage and $53 million in expenses, according to the company's second quarter results released Thursday.

Insurance is expected to cover the costs of damage, interruption to business and any third-party liability, the company said.

The April 26 explosion injured 21 people at the plant led to the evacuation of nearly the entire city of Superior. The investigation is ongoing, and company officials said it would take another 18-24 months "to resume normal operations" after the investigation is completed.

"We plan to use the insurance proceeds to rebuild the refinery," Husky COO Rob Symonds said in a Thursday conference call with investors.

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

---
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.