From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles)
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2019 06:18:19 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 9FEEBB97-FA15-4E32-A65A-2E155192A65E**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 14, 2019 at 6:18:03 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
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Table of Contents (12 articles)

FOUR PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICALS LEAK FROM BATTERY ON DOLLY LIFT
Tags: us_MO, industrial, release, injury, batteries

ONE DEAD SEVERAL OTHERS HOSPITALIZED IN MERCED COUNTY HAZMAT INCIDENT, DEPUTIES SAY
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, death, ag_chems

ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF LANDRY SIGNS OFF ON FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST DENKA PLANT IN LAPLACE
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

TANK EXPLODES AT DELCO CHEMICAL PLANT THURSDAY MORNING: REPORT
Tags: us_PA, industrial, explosion, response, oxygen

WARNING: STORE POOL CHEMICALS SAFELY
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, pool_chemicals

ERRORS, LITTLE OVERSIGHT LED TO GAS DRILLERS‰?? DEATHS IN PRYOR TRUST GAS WELL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OK, industrial, follow-up, death, natural_gas

WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS DROP THIS YEAR
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental

PORTLAND FOOD PLANT EVACUATED FOR CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_ME, industrial, release, response, freon

CHEMICAL LEAK REPORTED NEAR NEW HAVEN SCHOOL
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

CARRY-ON BAG IGNITES AT YEAGER AIRPORT TSA CHECKPOINT
Tags: us_WV, transportation, explosion, response, batteries

MYSTERIOUS DRUMS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICAL APPEAR ALONG HEALDSBURG ROADS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, other_chemical

U.S. SAFETY BOARD URGES NEW RULES AFTER FATAL OKLAHOMA WELL BLAST
Tags: us_OK, industrial, follow-up, death, natural_gas


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FOUR PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICALS LEAK FROM BATTERY ON DOLLY LIFT
https://fox4kc.com/2019/06/13/four-people-taken-to-hospital-after-chemicals-leak-from-battery-on-dolly-lift/
Tags: us_MO, industrial, release, injury, batteries

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ‰?? Four people were taken to the hospital Thursday after a situation involving leaked chemicals.

The incident happened just before 2 p.m. in the River Market.

HazMat crews responded to the scene.

KCFD Deputy Chief Jimmy Walker said the chemicals were from a leaking battery on dolly lift.

The four people who were taken to the hospital are expected to be okay.

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ONE DEAD SEVERAL OTHERS HOSPITALIZED IN MERCED COUNTY HAZMAT INCIDENT, DEPUTIES SAY
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/one-dead-several-others-hospitalized-in-merced-county-hazmat-incident-deputies-say/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, death, ag_chems

The Merced County Sheriff‰??s Office was investigating a hazmat incident which left one person dead and nine others hospitalized Thursday.

Around noon deputies responded to a hazmat call on Monroe Ave and China Camp Road.

They said it was possibly a chemical spray used in agriculture. They were onscene for more than five hours.

‰??We‰??re no quite sure what we have yet. We all just got on scene and began our investigation but we believe it has something to do with some kind of agricultural hazmat spill,‰?? Deputy Daryl Allen of the Merced County Sheriff‰??s Office said in a Facebook post.

Allen said one worker was killed and another hospitalized. Eight first responders were also taken to hospitals due to exposure.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF LANDRY SIGNS OFF ON FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST DENKA PLANT IN LAPLACE
https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/environment/article_132e9dee-8e04-11e9-94a2-6b2fdc638345.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

State Attorney General Jeff Landry has approved a request from state environmental regulators to file suit against Denka Performance Elastomer, a chemical plant in LaPlace that has come under fire in recent years for the amount of chloroprene that it spews into the air.

Activists and politicians said the decision was a remarkable reversal for state officials who have repeatedly told St. John the Baptist Parish residents not to worry about chloroprene emissions, even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated the chemical a "likely carcinogen" in 2010.

Anne Rolfes, executive director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, a nonprofit environmental organization, said it's extremely rare for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to bring legal action against industrial plants.

‰??I don‰??t remember them doing it, period,‰?? Rolfes said. "That‰??s our No. 1 compliant, our consistent complaint with the agency ‰?? they don‰??t take decisive action to protect the people.‰??

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TANK EXPLODES AT DELCO CHEMICAL PLANT THURSDAY MORNING: REPORT
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/springfield-pa/tank-explodes-delco-chemical-plant-thursday-morning-report
Tags: us_PA, industrial, explosion, response, oxygen

ESSGINTON, PA ‰?? An oxygen tank at a Delaware County chemical plant exploded Thursday morning, causing a fire in a nearby building, according to a news report.

Action News reports an oxygen tank at Intertek USA in Essington blew up at about 1 a.m. Thursday.

The explosion led to a fire breaking out, which spread to a building nearby.

According to the outlet, no one was hurt and fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze quickly.

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WARNING: STORE POOL CHEMICALS SAFELY
https://www.wwlp.com/news/massachusetts/warning-store-pool-chemicals-safely/
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, pool_chemicals

Mass.gov) ‰?? Summer weather has finally arrived and many homeowners are getting their pools ready. State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey wants pool owners to take a moment to double check that pool chemicals are stored safely. State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said, ‰??Pool chemicals may become a hazard when they get damp or wet with a small quantity of water, or when they are improperly mixed with each other, other chemicals, or reactive materials.‰?? He added, ‰??It is important to keep pool chemicals dry. Store them in separate containers with lids in a locked shed away from the house and pool.‰??

Ostroskey said, ‰??Local fire departments and hazardous materials teams often respond to emergencies involving swimming pool and hot tub/whirlpool chemicals. The potential costs incurred by the pool owner for emergency measures can be extremely expensive. Take the necessary measures to prevent or address any injury to people or harm to the environment.‰??

Last year, the State Hazardous Materials team responded to a Sharon home. The owner mixed pool chemicals inside. When they got wet, dangerous chlorine vapors were created. Two people went to the hospital after breathing in the chlorine gas.

Every year more than 5,000 people nationwide visit the hospital with pool chemical related injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

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ERRORS, LITTLE OVERSIGHT LED TO GAS DRILLERS‰?? DEATHS IN PRYOR TRUST GAS WELL EXPLOSION
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Errors-little-oversight-led-gas/97/i24
Tags: us_OK, industrial, follow-up, death, natural_gas

A drilling rig blowout and 7 h fire that killed five workers who were trapped in the rig‰??s small cabin were the result of a string of management and operator failures at an Oklahoma natural gas well last year.

In an investigation report released June 12, the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) also found there are few industry standards and no federal safety regulations specific to oil and gas drilling, despite their growing importance to the US economy. Oklahoma‰??s regulations seem more to encourage production than protect workers, the CSB says.

The direct cause of the accident at the Pryor Trust gas well was insufficient hydrostatic pressure in the form of heavy drilling ‰??mud‰?? needed to block natural gas from working its way to the surface during drilling operations. Also, rig workers failed to detect and respond to the release of mud and gas at the well‰??s surface and, as the tragedy unfolded, to fully activate a blowout preventer.

Among its recommendations, the CSB urges the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop regulations for the onshore drilling industry; oil and gas operations are specifically exempt from OSHA process safety management standards, the CSB notes.

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WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS DROP THIS YEAR
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201906/14/WS5d02f1a2a3103dbf14328223.html
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental

The number of industrial accidents and deaths declined in the first five months of the year, Sun Huashan, vice-minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management, said on Thursday.

Despite that, work safety still faces challenges and the central government plans to finish setting up remote monitoring systems, such as cameras, in these industries by the end of this year.

"There were more than 15,000 safety-related work accidents that killed about 10,000 people across the country from January to May," Sun said at a conference organized by the State Council Information Office.

Those numbers were down 16 percent and 18.1 percent respectively year-on-year.

More than 34,000 people were killed in more than 51,000 industrial accidents last year.

"Compared with last year, work has become safer in industries including coal mining, fireworks manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and road, rail and water transportation in 30 provinces and regions out of 32 that were calculated," he said.

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PORTLAND FOOD PLANT EVACUATED FOR CHEMICAL LEAK
https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/06/12/portland-food-plant-evacuated-for-chemical-leak/
Tags: us_ME, industrial, release, response, freon

No one was injured when a leak of a poisonous refrigeration chemical caused the evacuation Wednesday of the Barber Foods plant on St. John Street.

The Portland Fire Department was working to shut off the leak of freon that sent workers scrambling out of the building, said Fire Capt. David Nichols.

The fire department shut down St. John Street to address the issue.

It was unknown what caused the leak.

Freon is a type of fluorinated hydrocarbon used in refrigeration and as an aerosol propellant. It can cause lung and other organ damage if breathed.

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CHEMICAL LEAK REPORTED NEAR NEW HAVEN SCHOOL
https://www.wfsb.com/news/chemical-leak-reported-near-new-haven-school/article_520f6ec2-8d4a-11e9-b5bf-df2174a241e1.html
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) -- A New Haven school was put in a ‰??shelter-in-place‰?? mode due to a nearby chemical leak.

The leak was reported at a nearby lab at Science Park, not far from Highville Charter School.

Officials said someone was getting evicted in one of the labs at Science Park and was putting chemicals down the drain.

The smell covered a number of blocks, and filtered into the school, leading to a shelter-in-place.

The school has since been dismissed.

‰??Thinking they were going to be safe by putting them down the sink, there was some mixture with Clorox, but again it caused an odor, caused the school behind us, Highville Charter School to go into shelter in place, we‰??ve since released them but it was out of an abundance of caution to make sure we didn‰??t put students into an area we were unsure of," said Rick Fontana, of New Haven Emergency Management.

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CARRY-ON BAG IGNITES AT YEAGER AIRPORT TSA CHECKPOINT
https://wvah.com/news/local/carry-on-bag-ignites-at-yeager-airport-tsa-checkpoint
Tags: us_WV, transportation, explosion, response, batteries

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) ‰?? Two lithium batteries in a passenger's carry-on bag ignited Wednesday morning at a TSA checkpoint at Yeager Airport.

Yeager Airport said the two batteries that were attached to a charging devices caused a small explosion and fire around 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Yeager Police were able to quickly extinguish the flames and no one was injured. The fire did not cause any delays and the passenger was able to proceed to their flight, according to the airport.

‰??We are fortunate to have Yeager Airport Police Officers ready and prepared to respond to all situations, including battery fires,‰?? Airport Director Terry Sayre said. ‰??It is important for all passengers preparing to travel to review TSA regulations regarding prohibited and regulated items.‰??

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MYSTERIOUS DRUMS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICAL APPEAR ALONG HEALDSBURG ROADS
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/local/9695217-181/mysterious-drums-of-dangerous-chemical
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, other_chemical

The discovery last week of two large drums filled with a dangerous acid and illegally dumped along Healdsburg‰??area roadways has prompted city fire officials to issue warnings and seek help in learning how they got there.

The first 55‰??gallon drum appeared June 4 on the edge of a Kinley Drive vineyard in west Healdsburg. On June 6, two days later, a similar drum appeared in the bike lane along Old Redwood Highway near Eastside Road, also west of Healdsburg.

Fire officials suspect the containers were full of Hexafluorozirconic acid, which is what the drum labels indicated. The acid is used in a variety of manufacturing work including metal cleaning, electro plating and making optical glass.

But it‰??s very dangerous, even to breathe its fumes, said Linda Collister, Healdsburg fire marshal and a hazmat specialist. She warned anyone finding another drum to call 911.

‰??Don‰??t approach it. Don‰??t open it. Don‰??t touch it,‰?? said Collister. ‰??It could cause severe skin burns, eye damage and be toxic if inhaled.‰??

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U.S. SAFETY BOARD URGES NEW RULES AFTER FATAL OKLAHOMA WELL BLAST
https://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2019/jun/13/us-safety-board-urges-new-rules-after-fatal-oklahoma-well-blast/
Tags: us_OK, industrial, follow-up, death, natural_gas

HOUSTON (Reuters) - An investigation into an explosion at an Oklahoma natural gas drilling rig that killed five workers last year faulted inadequate training and equipment and called for new regulations, the U.S. safety regulator said on Wednesday.

The Pryor Trust gas well in Pittsburgh County, Oklahoma was operated by Red Mountain Energy LLC and workers employed by Houston-based drilling contractor Patterson-UTI Energy Inc.

"The lack of effective safety management at this well resulted in a needless catastrophe," said Kristen Kulinowski, interim executive of the Chemical Safety Board.

The accident was the deadliest oil and gas drilling incident since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11.

Workers were not properly trained to monitor for natural gas leaks and had turned off an alarm that could have warned them, the CSB said. Equipment designed to shut gas or oil flow during an emergency also failed, likely because control hoses burned, the CSB said.

Drilling began "without needed planning, equipment, skills, or procedures," the board said.

Patterson-UTI "does not agree with all of the findings" but is reviewing them for "what additional policies, procedures and training could be implemented," a spokeswoman said. The company has reached settlements with the families of the workers killed at the site.

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