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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, June 22, 2020 at 8:19:14 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 (5 articles)
DOZENS AFFECTED BY TOXIC EXPOSURE FROM FIRE AT HAZMAT STORAGE FACILITY AT KADENA
Tags: Japan, industrial, fire, response, chlorine
SCHOOL CHEMICAL SCARE HITS PREPS, KINDER
Tags: Australia, education, discovery, response, toxics
FORMER US CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD MEMBER KRISTEN KULINOWSKI REFLECTS ON HER TERM
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
AMMONIA LEAK FORCES ROADS CLOSED IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER FRIDAY NIGHT
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, ammonia
BIGHORN FIRE: QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT EFFECTIVENESS OF FLAME RETARDANT USED AGAINST WILDFIRES
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
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DOZENS AFFECTED BY TOXIC EXPOSURE FROM FIRE AT HAZMAT STORAGE FACILITY AT KADENA
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/06/22/fire-burning-at-hazmat-storage-facility-at-us-air-base-on-okinawa/
Tags: Japan, industrial, fire, response, chlorine
About 45 people at Kadena Air Base were affected by exposure to smoke or chlorine gas from a fire that started at a hazardous materials facility, officials say.
The fire has been extinguished, according to a media release. Fire and emergency personnel from the 18th Wing responded to the scene just before 9 a.m. local time and quickly contained the fire to the HAZMAT facility.
‰??Due to smoke from the burning building and the potential release of chlorine gas, buildings and personnel in the affected area were evacuated,‰?? according to the release. The fire was extinguished at approximately 2 p.m. local time and the evacuation order for areas surrounding the incident has been rescinded.
About 45 people on base ‰??were affected by exposure to smoke and/or chlorine gas with the majority exhibiting mild symptoms,‰?? according to the release. ‰??Most of the individuals have been treated and returned to duty.‰??
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SCHOOL CHEMICAL SCARE HITS PREPS, KINDER
https://www.bay939.com.au/news/local-news/118721-school-chemical-scare-hits-preps-kinder
Tags: Australia, education, discovery, response, toxics
A private school in Werribee has shut down its kinder and prep areas after the discovery of dangerous chemicals in the soil.
Heathdale Christian College has advised parents that school land behind the adjacent Hoppers Crossing CFA station has tested positive for PFAS compounds.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals found in products that resist heat including food packaging, paints, pesticides and nonstick cookware. They are also found in firefighting foams that are no longer in use in Australia.
Studies have found that prolonged exposure to PFAS can interfere with the body's natural hormones, increase cholesterol levels, affect the immune system and increase the risk of some cancers.
Some of the college land that has been tested has in the past been leased by the fire authority.
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FORMER US CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD MEMBER KRISTEN KULINOWSKI REFLECTS ON HER TERM
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Former-US-Chemical-Safety-Board-member-Kristen-Kulinowski-reflects-on-her-term/98/i24
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
This spring, one of the longest-serving members of the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) in recent history resigned shortly before the end of her term. Kristen Kulinowski served on the board for nearly 5 years, during some of its most tumultuous times. For the last 2 years, she led the board. As a PhD chemist and nanotechnology and science policy expert, Kulinowski brought a science focus to the board, whose members are often drawn from other fields.
The board is a stand-alone independent body whose mission is to objectively investigate industrial chemical accidents. Like the US National Transportation Safety Board, the CSB has no regulatory authority and can only make recommendations. It is the only such body in the world focused on finding the root cause of chemical accidents that kill workers and destroy communities and businesses.
It is also no stranger to strife. Created in 1990, it was not funded until 1998 after state and federal regulators failed to conduct adequate and timely investigations of incidents. The board‰??s investigation findings frequently raise the ire of regulators, industrial companies, and a host of other bodies that are responsible for maintaining safe workplaces. Its only consistent supporters are workers and communities who have suffered through deadly mistakes.
....
Jeff Johnson spoke with Kulinowski about her term as a CSB member and the board‰??s future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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AMMONIA LEAK FORCES ROADS CLOSED IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER FRIDAY NIGHT
https://www.kimt.com/content/news/Ammonia-leak-forces-roads-closed-in-downtown-Rochester-Friday-night-571386901.html
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, ammonia
ROCHESTER, Minn. ‰?? An ammonia leak Friday night caused an evacuation and traffic shutdown in downtown Rochester.
The fire department was called to the Mayo Civic Center around 11:16 pm about a suspicious odor and firefighters smelled ammonia outside the building. After a gas monitor confirmed the presence of the chemical, the source was traced to the Kemp‰??s ice cream facility at 406 North Broadway.
As occupants and staff of the homeless shelter in the Civic Center were told to remain inside, firefighters found the Kemp‰??s building had been evacuated because of an ammonia leak which was being vented outside the facility. Firefighters assisted Kemp‰??s staff with the process and confirmed the leak had been stopped.
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BIGHORN FIRE: QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT EFFECTIVENESS OF FLAME RETARDANT USED AGAINST WILDFIRES
https://tucson.com/news/local/bighorn-fire-questions-raised-about-effectiveness-of-flame-retardant-used-against-wildfires/article_fc887f76-7c89-5cf6-a27e-fbec95d7ba9c.html
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
From the stark, deeply incised rock face of Pusch Ridge to the spruce-lined top of Mount Lemmon, one color seems to have dominated the two-week battle of the Bighorn Fire: Flaming, searing red ‰?? maybe a cross between the hues of raspberries and some coral reefs.
It‰??s the color of the aerial fire retardant that firefighters dropped on many a ridgeline in an effort to slow the stubborn blaze, which has burned about 42,000 acres both inside and outside the Pusch Ridge Wilderness.
As of Thursday, 358,000 gallons of retardant ‰?? enough to fill more than 30 backyard swimming pools ‰?? had been dropped all around the Catalina Mountains. That‰??s almost 50% more gallons of retardant than were dropped onto all national forest wildfires in Arizona in 2016.
So far, with the fire now 22% contained, it hasn‰??t destroyed any homes, although at various times residents had to be evacuated from areas west, south and near the top of the Catalinas.
While fire officials say they think the retardant helped them fight the Bighorn blaze, a debate is roiling throughout the West over the chemical mixture‰??s effectiveness.
And while authorities say the candy-colored streaks and coatings left behind by the retardant should disappear within weeks, there could be other lingering effects.
....
It was good for Hunter to acknowledge the retardant didn‰??t stop the fire on its own, said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, of Eugene, Oregon. ‰??It‰??s one of many tools, but an expensive tool, with extensive environmental impacts.
‰??That was an amazing amount of retardant, a phenomenal amount,‰?? Ingalsbee said of the 358,000 gallons. ‰??This sure smells like a retardant bombing boondoggle.‰??
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Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Membership chair
American Chemical Society
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
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