From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (18 articles)
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2019 07:23:59 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 36FFAE4C-12A8-4FD0-A611-ED708D586153**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at 7:23:46 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 (18 articles)

CHEMICAL CLEANER ACCIDENT AFFECTS TWO EMPLOYEES AT RED PINE LODGE
Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, cleaners

CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS LEVEL 2 HAZMAT RESPONSE AT TOOTSIE ROLL FACTORY IN FORD CITY
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, corrosives

TEEN MIXING CHEMICALS ON STOVE CAUSES SCARE AT CONCORD HOME ‰?? CBS BOSTON
Tags: us_MA, public, fire, response, other_chemical

FIREFIGHTERS HAD INCREASED CHEMICALS IN SYSTEMS AFTER TUBBS FIRE: STUDY
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics

CHEMICAL SOLUTION THROWN ONTO DANCEFLOOR AT WEDDING AT DOUBLETREE BY HILTON, CADBURY HOUSE
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, cleaners

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILLAGE AT QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY MILE END CAMPUS
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical

EPA FINES LONDONDERRY COLD STORAGE COMPANY FOR CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_NH, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonia

SULFURIC ACID SPILL CLOSES NORTHBOUND LANES OF HIGHWAY 6 AND GLENN LAKES
Tags: us_MO, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid

3 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN MT. LEBANON
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, sulfur_dioxide

LA CROSSE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO 85,000-POUND LIQUID OXYGEN TANK LEAK
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, response, liquid_oxygen

NEW YORK TO SET LIMITS FOR INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS IN WATER
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

MEMA TO SURVEY FIRE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT USE OF TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: us_ME, industrial, discovery, environmental, toxics

TWO INJURED IN CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT RED PINE LODGE IN PARK CITY
Tags: us_UT, public, explosion, injury, cleaners

POQUOSON MAN GETS SUNKEN BOAT BACK AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_VA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

JAGUAR LAND ROVER WORKERS CAUGHT UP IN CHEMICAL SCARE SAY THEY WERE HOSED DOWN AS SOME WERE BEING SICK
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

THIS ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMIST SAYS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CLEAN YOUR CELL PHONE MORE REGULARLY
Tags: public, explosion, environmental, dust

INDOOR CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS COULD BE A HEALTH HAZARD, SCIENTISTS WARN
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, carbon_dioxide

WE WERE FIRST TO SMELT CHROMIUM. AND THEN THE FIRE HAPPENED
Tags: Canada, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical


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CHEMICAL CLEANER ACCIDENT AFFECTS TWO EMPLOYEES AT RED PINE LODGE
https://www.kpcw.org/post/chemical-cleaner-accident-affects-two-employees-red-pine-lodge#stream/0
Tags: us_UT, public, release, injury, cleaners

Two cleaning employees at Park City Mountain Resort‰??s Red Pine Lodge were transported to the University of Utah burn unit Monday morning, after a chemical cleaner spilled.

Park City Fire District spokesperson Tricia Hurd Hazelrigg says the department responded to a call from the Red Pine Lodge at the Canyons Resort when an employee misused a container of drain cleaner in pellet form.

‰??They added water, which is what you would do normally, but once it's in the drain with a measured amount," Hurd Hazelrigg said. "They took the jug, and added the water to the jug and then shook it up.‰??

When the employee noticed the container swelling, people in the area were notified and evacuated, except for the person who mixed the container and one other employee. The first employee attempted to remove the lid to relieve pressure, but the contents of the container spewed, and the container ruptured, spilling chemicals on the two employees and on the walls of the surrounding area. Hurd Hazelrigg says the patients‰?? breathing was affected by the chemical; one patient‰??s eyes were affected; and one of them was burned on the arm and torso.

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CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS LEVEL 2 HAZMAT RESPONSE AT TOOTSIE ROLL FACTORY IN FORD CITY
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/7/10/20688695/chemical-spill-hazmat-tootsie-roll-factory-ford-city
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, corrosives

A chemical spill at a Tootsie Roll factory Wednesday prompted a Level 2 hazardous materials response in Ford City on the Southwest Side.

Fire officials received a call about a pipe leak about 3:10 a.m. at the factory in the 7400 block of South Cicero Avenue, the Chicago Fire Department said.

A corrosive agent was found leaking from the pipe and the immediate area was evacuated, fire officials said.

The spill has been contained and HazMat crews are now working to determine the exact amount of the leakage, fire officials said. No injuries were reported in the incident.

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

TEEN MIXING CHEMICALS ON STOVE CAUSES SCARE AT CONCORD HOME ‰?? CBS BOSTON
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/07/10/concord-massachusetts-chemicals-stove-fire-old-bedford-road/
Tags: us_MA, public, fire, response, other_chemical

CONCORD (CBS) ‰?? A teenager mixing chemicals on a stove ended up causing quite a scare at a home in Concord.

A person driving by noticed smoke pouring out of a home on Old Bedford Road around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday and called 911.

Firefighters found something smoldering in a pot on the stove in the kitchen and quickly put out the fire. Then they realized it wasn‰??t food that was burning.

A teenager told investigators he was mixing chemicals trying to make a putty-like substance that would create different colored smoke when it‰??s lit.

No one was hurt, but the teen and two firefighters were taken to the hospital for evaluation as a precaution.

A hazardous materials unit and the State Police bomb squad were called in.

‰??We have a lot of assets here from the town tied up. A lot of regional assets. This is not something that people should do. There‰??s a lot of stuff out on the internet and people should stay away from,‰?? said Concord Police Chief Joseph O‰??Connor.

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FIREFIGHTERS HAD INCREASED CHEMICALS IN SYSTEMS AFTER TUBBS FIRE: STUDY
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Study-Health-Impact-Tubbs-Fire-Firefighters-512464502.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics

A new study released Tuesday details the health impacts on firefighters who battled one of California's most destructive wildfires.

The study focuses on firefighters who fought the Tubbs Fire, which scorched 36,807 acres, wiped out 5,636 structures and left 22 people dead in Napa and Sonoma counties back in the fall of 2017.

Nearly 150 firefighters volunteered to take part in the study, which was led by the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. The foundation decided to put together the study citing concerns about the level of toxic chemical exposure firefighters faced.

Firefighters who participated in the study provided information ranging from their length of service to the amount of times they washed their hands before eating. The study also sampled blood and urine from firefighters who fought the Tubbs Fire.

Study to Detail Health Impact of Tubbs Fire on Firefighters
A new study detailing the health impact of one of California's most destructive wildfires on firefighters who battled the blaze is expected to be released Tuesday. Pete Suratos reports.(Published Tuesday, July 9, 2019)
Some firefighters who battled the wildfires during the 2017 North Bay firestorm have called the blazes the West Coast version of 9/11. According to the Press Democrat, most of the firefighters used lighter, less restrictive wildland firefighting gear instead of heavy air tanks and face masks that could have eliminated exposure to toxic fumes from the hazardous fuels and chemicals that burned.

The most troubling chemicals found in the study are also found in firefighting foam and in the fire resistant clothing firefighters wear.

SFFD Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson said testing was also done after the Camp Fire. The results are expected back soon and will be shared with other fire departments.

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

CHEMICAL SOLUTION THROWN ONTO DANCEFLOOR AT WEDDING AT DOUBLETREE BY HILTON, CADBURY HOUSE
https://www.northsomersettimes.co.uk/news/chemical-incident-at-cadbury-house-1-6151568
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, cleaners

Revellers were dancing the night away as a couple tied the knot at DoubleTree by Hilton, Cadbury House on Friday - but the celebrations were dampened as an alkaline solution was thrown at guests, leaving people finding it difficult to breathe.

The incident happened at around 10.30pm, and emergency services treated four people at the scene who came into contact with the 'ordinary household cleaner'.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary has opened an investigation and issued a plea for information.

Its spokesman said: "A number of people suffered breathing difficulties as a result but there were no significant injuries.

"An investigation is under way to find the person or people responsible and we're grateful for the ongoing support of employees at the hotel."

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

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILLAGE AT QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY MILE END CAMPUS
https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/chemical-spillage-at-queen-mary-university-1-6151685
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical

Emergency fire crews were called in when a litre of hazardous ammonium hydrate leaked from a first floor science research lab.

Crews wearing hazard safety suites and breathing apparatus managed to remove the spilled chemical, then made a sweep of the Bancroft Road campus area at to make sure it was safe. No high levels of chemical fumes in the air were recorded, the fire brigade confirmed.

Fire crews hosed down the area as a safety precaution while paramedics were on standby. But there were no reported casualties.

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

EPA FINES LONDONDERRY COLD STORAGE COMPANY FOR CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS
https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/epa-fines-londonderry-cold-storage-company-for-clean-air-act/article_02745899-7ace-5fb8-8d7c-78bfe30b6168.html
Tags: us_NH, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonia

LONDONDERRY ‰?? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency settled with Londonderry Freezer Warehouse LLC in Londonderry for alleged chemical safety violations, the EPA announced Tuesday.

Under the terms of the settlement, the cold storage company spent over $215,000 in facility upgrades that bring it into compliance with Clean Air Act requirements and another $78,200 in fines.

According to the EPA, the company had inadequate alarms and ventilation, rusted valves, insufficient access to emergency controls and other deficiencies. The regulations apply to facilities that use anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration and have systems with less than 10,000 pounds of ammonia.

‰??The company fully cooperated with EPA‰??s New England regional office and has certified that they are now in compliance with the Clean Air Act,‰?? the EPA said in a news release.

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

SULFURIC ACID SPILL CLOSES NORTHBOUND LANES OF HIGHWAY 6 AND GLENN LAKES
https://www.khou.com/article/news/sulfuric-acid-spill-closes-northbound-lanes-of-highway-6-and-glenn-lakes/285-c151a560-c3fd-4257-ba38-1e3a686b458c
Tags: us_MO, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid

HOUSTON ‰?? The northbound lanes of Highway 6 and Glenn Lakes are closed following a sulfuric acid spill, Missouri City officials say.

A 1,000-gallon "tote" containing the acid fell off a truck just after noon Monday.

A 75-foot containment zone is required as part of the clean-up process, city officials said, thereby necessitating the road closures.

The city and Fort Bend County HazMat crews are working to clean up the acid.

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

3 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN MT. LEBANON
https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/three-people-hospitalized-after-chemical-leak-in-mt-lebanon/
Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, sulfur_dioxide

Three people were taken to UPMC Mercy with minor inhalation irritation as a result of a sulfur dioxide leak in Mt. Lebanon.

An Allegheny County hazardous materials team was dispatched for a report of a smell Monday before 4 p.m. along Marlin Drive between Bower Hill Road and Jayson Avenue.

Mt. Lebanon police posted via Twitter that the odor was due to a leak from an old refrigerator, and a contractor and two firefighters were treated at the hospital.

Firefighters tweeted a short time later that the leak had been contained and there was no danger to the public.

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

LA CROSSE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO 85,000-POUND LIQUID OXYGEN TANK LEAK
https://www.wiproud.com/news/local-news/la-crosse-fire-department-responds-to-85000-pound-liquid-oxygen-tank-leak/
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, response, liquid_oxygen

Several people were evacuated after a chemical leak at Airgas on Saturday night.

According to a press release, the call came in at 11:17 p.m. and upon arrival, crews noticed a white cloud coming from the back of the building. It was determined an 85,000-pound liquid oxygen tank had a leak.

Two apartments nearby were evacuated for about 30 minutes for safety concerns. No one was injured in the incident.

The cause of the leak was determined to be an activated pressure relief valve.

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

NEW YORK TO SET LIMITS FOR INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS IN WATER
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/New-York-to-set-limits-for-industrial-chemicals-14079891.php
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ‰?? New York's health department will set the nation's lowest allowable level for industrial chemicals that have contaminated some communities' drinking water.

The agency says Monday that Health Commissioner Howard Zucker has accepted the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council's recommendations for limits of 10 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency's guidance level is 70 parts per trillion.

PFOA was used in non-stick coatings and PFOS was used in fire-fighting foam. The state has spent millions of dollars to remove the chemicals from water in several communities.

The agency will set a limit of 1 part per billion for 1.4-dioxane, a chemical used in solvents, greases and wax.

Public water systems will have to test for the chemicals when the regulations are finalized.

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

MEMA TO SURVEY FIRE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT USE OF TOXIC CHEMICAL
https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/MEMA-to-survey-fire-departments-about-use-of-14079063.php
Tags: us_ME, industrial, discovery, environmental, toxics

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) ‰?? The Maine Emergency Management Agency plans to survey fire departments across the state about a firefighting foam containing toxic chemicals.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the survey could be the first step in a potential take-back and disposal program for chemicals known as PFAS.

For decades, military and civilian firefighters used special foam containing PFAS to smother intense flames caused by fuel fires. Manufacturers can no longer use two variants of the chemicals, but large amounts of PFAS-containing foam are still in fire stations or response trucks nationwide.

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

TWO INJURED IN CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT RED PINE LODGE IN PARK CITY
https://fox13now.com/2019/07/08/two-injured-in-chemical-incident-at-red-pine-lodge-in-park-city/
Tags: us_UT, public, explosion, injury, cleaners

PARK CITY, Utah ‰?? Two people were taken to a Salt Lake City-area hospital Monday morning after suffering chemical burns and respiratory distress.

According to a Park City Fire District spokeswoman, the two injured people are Red Pine Lodge employees who mistakenly mixed water with drain cleaner, which caused an explosion of splashed chemicals.

The injuries were not major, the spokeswoman said.

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

POQUOSON MAN GETS SUNKEN BOAT BACK AFTER EXPLOSION
https://www.wavy.com/news/poquoson-man-gets-sunken-boat-back-after-explosion/
Tags: us_VA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical

POQUOSON, Va. (WAVY) ‰?? 10 On Your Side helped a man recover his boat after it exploded and sunk in the river.

Fire officials were called at around noon to the 100 block of Bennett Road regarding the boat explosion.

Freddie Graef Jr., the owner of the boat, was working in it when the explosion happened.

Graef said that explosion was big enough to blow him off the boat and send him to the hospital with second degree burns to his right hand and right arm as well his facial hair singed.

Graef later claims that fire from the explosion was a chemical fire and that the fire officials should have used foam to take it out.

Instead, Graef claims that officials used water, which caused the boat to sink into the water after the explosion.

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JAGUAR LAND ROVER WORKERS CAUGHT UP IN CHEMICAL SCARE SAY THEY WERE HOSED DOWN AS SOME WERE BEING SICK
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/jlr-workers-caught-up-lode-16549011
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Workers caught up in the chemical incident at Jaguar Land Rover's Solihull plant have told of the moment they were evacuated and hosed down.

More than 30 people were evacuated from the Lode Lane plant on Saturday.

Five ambulances were called and JLR has now launched an investigation into what happened.

One of the workers, who wants to remain anonymous, said they were working in the area known as T5 which makes the underbodies on Saturday when they started to feel unwell.

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THIS ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMIST SAYS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CLEAN YOUR CELL PHONE MORE REGULARLY
https://cen.acs.org/environment/endocrine-disruptors/environmental-chemist-says-might-want/97/i27
Tags: public, explosion, environmental, dust

Home may be where the heart is, but environmental chemist Miriam Diamond has a more troubling perspective on the home: as a place where harmful substances migrate out of couches and electronic devices to accumulate in dust, adhere to our hands, and eventually make their way into our bodies. She and her team at the University of Toronto chemically pick apart our homes and how we interact with the stuff in them so that researchers can come up with solutions to protect us from toxic compounds, such as flame retardants. Diamond talked to Janet Pelley about how she tracks contaminants in the home and why you might want to regularly clean your cell phone.

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INDOOR CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS COULD BE A HEALTH HAZARD, SCIENTISTS WARN
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/08/indoor-carbon-dioxide-levels-could-be-a-health-hazard-scientists-warn?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, carbon_dioxide

Indoor levels of carbon dioxide could be clouding our thinking and may even pose a wider danger to human health, researchers say.

While air pollutants such as tiny particles and nitrogen oxides have been the subject of much research, there have been far fewer studies looking into the health impact of CO2.

However, the authors of the latest study ‰?? which reviews current evidence on the issue ‰?? say there is a growing body of research suggesting levels of CO2 that can be found in bedrooms, classrooms and offices might have harmful effects on the body, including affecting cognitive performance.

‰??There is enough evidence to be concerned, not enough to be alarmed. But there is no time to waste,‰?? said Dr Michael Hernke, a co-author of the study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, stressing further research was needed.

Writing in the journal Nature Sustainability, Hernke and colleagues report that they considered 18 studies of the levels of CO2 humans are exposed to, as well as its health impacts on both humans and animals.

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WE WERE FIRST TO SMELT CHROMIUM. AND THEN THE FIRE HAPPENED
https://www.sootoday.com/columns/remember-this/we-were-first-to-smelt-chromium-and-then-the-fire-happened-1551069
Tags: Canada, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical

Sault Ste. Marie‰??s Chromium Mining and Smelting Corporation plant was located on Queen Street West between Huron and Hudson, in the area of what is now the city‰??s transit facility.

The plant first began smelting chromium in in the 1930s, when it was the first instance of chromium smelting in the British Empire. From there, the plant quickly expanded to meet demand.

And then, in 1947, a fire roared through part of Sault Ste. Marie, originating from the plant.

Initial reports in the Globe and Mail described a ‰??terrific blast‰?? that ‰??rocked the city,‰?? shaking buildings as far away as eight blocks. However, it was soon determined that there was no explosion at all: instead, it was a chemically-fed, incredibly violent fire.

The chemical in question was D-Sulf-X, a substance presumably used in the plant‰??s experimental laboratory, where the fire initially started. D-Sulf-X was ‰??believed to burn with greater intensity in water,‰?? proving a challenge for firefighters. The fire chief was quoted in the Sault Star as saying that, ‰??It was impossible to put the fire out . . . and all we could do was to prevent the flames from spreading.‰??

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