From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2019 07:45:42 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: D5D6FF09-5954-4BA8-BF2C-1DCCDA3CA09E**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 28, 2019 at 7:45:30 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 (10 articles)

HAZMAT SPILL FORCES PACKING HOUSE EMPLOYEES TO EVACUATE
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, ammonia, response

SOCAL GAS SEEKS TO BLOCK REPORT FROM SAFETY INVESTIGATION
Tags: us_ca, follow-up, industrial, injury, methane

EXPLOSION AT CLEANING PRODUCTS PLANT IN VILLA BOSCH, BUENOS AIRES'TOXIC' YELLOW SMOKE FILLS STREETS AS CHEMICAL FACTORY BLAST ROCKS ARGENTINIAN TOWN (VIDEO)
Tags: Argentina, industrial, release, response, nitric_acid

HAZMAT INCIDENT SENDS 4 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL IN CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, ammonia

CALM TURNS TO ALARM AFTER THERMOMETER BURSTS IN SCHOOL LAB
Tags: Malaysia, laboratory, release, response, mercury

PHILADELPHIA REFINERY THAT SUFFERED HUGE EXPLOSION WILL SHUT DOWN
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental

USF SCIENCE BUILDING EVACUATED BY TAMPA FIRE RESCUE
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL SPILL CAUSES ROAD CLOSURES IN MIAMI BEACH ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

MAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT ELYRIA BUSINESS
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

3M ADMITS TO UNLAWFUL RELEASE OF PFAS IN ALABAMA
Tags: us_AL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical, illegal


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HAZMAT SPILL FORCES PACKING HOUSE EMPLOYEES TO EVACUATE
https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2019/06/27/hazmat-spill-forces-packing-house-employees-evacuate/1583468001/
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, ammonia, response

Employees at Exeter's Scully Packing were evacuated Thursday morning after ammonia leaked inside a portion of the storage facility, according to Tulare County Hazmat officials.

Around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, maintenance crews at the business, located at 321 Third Street, called 911 to report the seeping ammonia and quickly evacuated the building.

According to fire crews, the packing house was not fully staffed but didn't say how many people rushed out. The seasonal packing house is fully staffed during times of harvest for pears, but used for cold storage in the off-season.

Ammonia leaked from a pressure relief valve at the packing house, firefighters said. Surrounding businesses, including Foodlink for Tulare County, were getting ready to evacuate when the valve closed on its own, said Tulare County Capt. Joanne Bear.

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SOCAL GAS SEEKS TO BLOCK REPORT FROM SAFETY INVESTIGATION
https://www.courthousenews.com/socal-gas-seeks-to-block-report-from-safety-investigation/
Tags: us_ca, follow-up, industrial, injury, methane

(CN) ‰?? The Southern California Gas Company Tuesday asked a state utilities commission to exclude a damning report detailing the root causes of the 2015 Aliso Canyon methane blowout from the investigation of its safety culture, because a state employee who oversaw operations to close the leak contracted a rare form of cancer and is now suing the utility.

The state employee is one of thousands of plaintiffs suing SoCal Gas and its parent company in civil court over the leak that spewed 100,000 tons of methane into Southern California for 111 days beginning in October 2015.

The largest methane gas blowout in the history of the U.S. exposed thousands of residents to harmful chemicals and forced them to flee from their homes, but it is just one of several episodes troubling the California Public Utilities Commission, which ordered an investigation into SoCal Gas and its parent company‰??s prioritization of safety.

A report issued in May 2019 found that corroded pipes led to the blowout and detailed a lack of thorough safety inspects on a storage facility‰??s underground wells.

The site in northern Los Angeles County near Porter Ranch has not been properly maintained since the 1970s, according to the report. In 1988, an internal memo at the utility company recommended inspection of 20 wells to check on the condition of each well‰??s casing, but there was no overall review. One of those wells burst in 2015.

In the root cause analysis report authored by the third-party Blade Energy Partners and released by the California Public Utilities Commission last month, SoCal Gas was aware of prior leaks at its site but did not investigate.

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EXPLOSION AT CLEANING PRODUCTS PLANT IN VILLA BOSCH, BUENOS AIRES'TOXIC' YELLOW SMOKE FILLS STREETS AS CHEMICAL FACTORY BLAST ROCKS ARGENTINIAN TOWN (VIDEO)
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201906271076073597-blast-chemical-factory-smoke/
Tags: Argentina, industrial, release, response, nitric_acid

While it wasn't immediately clear how many people, if any, were injured, local residents were told to keep their windows closed to avoid inhaling a possibly toxic substance released by the explosion.

A powerful explosion took place at the town of Villa Bosch in Buenos Aires province, when a container of nitric acid exploded at the premises of a local cleaning products factory there, according to local media reports.

According to Todos Noticias, it wasn't immediately cleared how many people, if any, got injured, while local residents were told to keep their windows closed after yellow smoke started filling the streets because ‰??the substance is toxic‰??.

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

HAZMAT INCIDENT SENDS 4 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL IN CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
https://6abc.com/hazmat-incident-sends-4-people-to-the-hospital-in-chester/5366757/
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, ammonia

CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) -- A hazmat incident sends four people to the hospital on Wednesday night.

It happened around 7:30 p.m. at Wallingford Estates Apartments in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Authorities tell Action News four residents complaining of an ammonia odor were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Delaware County officials are continuing their investigation.

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CALM TURNS TO ALARM AFTER THERMOMETER BURSTS IN SCHOOL LAB
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/26/calm-turns-to-alarm-after-thermometer-bursts-in-school-lab/
Tags: Malaysia, laboratory, release, response, mercury

MELAKA (Bernama): Pupils at Sekolah Rendah Islam Ar-Rahmah Solok Gaung experienced nausea and dizziness soon after the thermometer they were using during a science experiment on Wednesday (June 26) burst, causing the mercury inside the glass tube to leak.

Nevertheless, the school was quick in seeking treatment at the Ayer Molek Clinic for the 14 pupils aged between eight and eleven.

It also called the Malacca Fire and Rescue Department, which immediately dispatched six personnel and a fire engine to the school laboratory.

"Upon arriving at the location at 12.28 pm, the team found that the mercury had spilled from the thermometer and used special equipment to clean up the area," said a department spokesman.

The pupils were later sent home after receiving outpatient treatment. - Bernama

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PHILADELPHIA REFINERY THAT SUFFERED HUGE EXPLOSION WILL SHUT DOWN
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/philadelphia-refinery-that-suffered-huge-explosion-will-shut-down
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental

The largest refinery on the East Coast is slated to close and be sold after a large explosion and fire almost a week ago devastated the Philadelphia complex.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions CEO Mark Smith said Wednesday that the company "made the difficult decision" to begin shutting down the facility, which is located directly within the city and near residential neighborhoods.

"While our teams include some of the most talented people in the industry, the recent fire at the refinery complex has made it impossible for us to continue operations," Smith added.

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USF SCIENCE BUILDING EVACUATED BY TAMPA FIRE RESCUE
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/usf-science-building-evacuated-by-tampa-fire-rescue/67-3444c28b-2255-4c1b-bb18-84de06edfda4
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical

TAMPA, Fla. ‰?? Tampa Fire Rescue crews evacuated the University of South Florida's interdisciplinary science building after three people reported being dizzy and ill.

The building was temporarily evacuated as a precaution. Students were let back in the building after 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Tampa Fire said the three people reported feeling ill within a 30-minute time frame, so it sent crews out to check the meters. It also sent a hazmat crew to the Tampa campus.

Crews said neither USF nor Tampa Fire meters showed any chemical leaks. Eight people were evaluated but refused transport to a hospital except for one.

Tampa Fire said it's possible the illness was heat-related.

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CHEMICAL SPILL CAUSES ROAD CLOSURES IN MIAMI BEACH ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
https://wsvn.com/news/local/chemical-spill-causes-road-closures-in-miami-beach/
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A muriatic acid spill from a truck has caused several road closures in Miami Beach.

Miami Beach Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene of the chemical spill around 3 p.m., Wednesday.

Northbound and southbound lanes of Pine Tree Drive and 42nd Street have since been closed.

Motorists and residents are advised to avoid the area for the next hour while crews clean up the spill.

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MAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT ELYRIA BUSINESS
https://www.morningjournal.com/news/lorain-county/man-taken-to-hospital-after-chemical-incident-at-elyria-business/article_cd1fccbe-9854-11e9-9624-9f868d98b324.html
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

A worker for an Elyria manufacturing plant was taken to the hospital following an accidental chemical mixture, June 26.

The Elyria Fire Department responded at 10 a.m. to the scene at 170 Keep Court, Addipel, for a chemical reaction that caused a lot of smoke in the building but no fire, according to Elyria fire Assistant Chief Joe Pronesti.

Pronesti said an employee did receive second-degree burns on his arms and was transported to UH Elyria.

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3M ADMITS TO UNLAWFUL RELEASE OF PFAS IN ALABAMA
https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/3M-admits-unlawful-release-PFAS-in-Alabama/97/i26
Tags: us_AL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical, illegal

3M has voluntarily acknowledged to regulators that its Decatur, Alabama, plant illegally released a perfluorinated chemical to the Tennessee River, which supplies drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people.

The chemical is perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA), which the company began to manufacture and use at the Decatur facility in 2009. As a condition of allowing manufacture of the substance under the US Toxic Substances Control Act, the Environmental Protection Agency prohibited 3M from releasing FBSA into US waterways.

3M says its Decatur plant may also have released a related chemical, a polyfluorinated sulfonamide alcohol, to the river as well. That substance, which 3M calls FBSEE, is a derivative of FBSA. It is also covered by the 2009 EPA order prohibiting release to water.

‰??We shut down the identified manufacturing operations and are completing internal changes to fully address the issue,‰?? 3M says in a statement.


FBSA and FBSEE are intermediates used to make fluorochemical products, according to 3M, including water- and stain-resistant coatings. Data on the toxicity of FBSA and FBSEE wasn‰??t immediately available. The chemicals are in a class of environmentally persistent pollutants known as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS).

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