From: "Stuart, Ralph" <Ralph.Stuart**At_Symbol_Here**KEENE.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (8 articles)
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2021 11:11:52 +0000
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: B584C21D-4758-49C7-B131-933C1CA009B9**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 6:08:29 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 (8 articles)

MAINTENANCE WORKERS' BODIES RECOVERED FROM SEWAGE PIT AT V&A WATERFRONT
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

UNIVERSITY TO PAY 1.62M YUAN FOR LAB BLAST
Tags: China, laboratory, follow-up, injury, potassium_permanganate, sulfuric_acid

MAHARASHTRA: FIRE AT CHEMICAL GODOWN IN THANE; NO CASUALTY- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, waste

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET BILL FUNDS HARWOOD GRANTS, CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
Tags: public, discovery, environmental

A FINAL EPA ROLLBACK UNDER TRUMP CURBS USE OF HEALTH STUDIES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, toxics

ARMATURE WORKS EVACUATED AFTER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS HIT GAS LINE
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, response, natural_gas

TWO IN HOSPITAL DUE TO 'CHEMICAL INCIDENT' IN BAY OF PLENTY
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

DEPUTIES: ROLLOVER CRASH STARTS PROPANE FIRE, FORCES EVACUATIONS IN WILTON
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, propane


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MAINTENANCE WORKERS' BODIES RECOVERED FROM SEWAGE PIT AT V&A WATERFRONT
https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2021-01-06-maintenance-workers-bodies-recovered-from-sewage-pit-at-va-waterfront/
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

The bodies of two maintenance workers were recovered from a sewage pit behind a hotel at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Tuesday night.

City of Cape Town fire and rescue services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said they were alerted at about 6.18pm that two maintenance workers were in the pit at East Pier Road.

Rescue teams, including the city‰??s Epping training hazmat response team, Spilltech, and ER24 were dispatched.

According to Carelse, the area where the bodies were situated was filled with toxic gases that forced the teams to wear hazmat suits.

The rescuers were connected to an airline and lowered into the pit by rope.

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

UNIVERSITY TO PAY 1.62M YUAN FOR LAB BLAST
https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2101052751/
Tags: China, laboratory, follow-up, injury, potassium_permanganate, sulfuric_acid

Changning District People's Court has ruled that Donghua University should pay over 1.62 million (US$250,000) to a student injured in a laboratory explosion in 2016.

Both sides lodged appeals against the ruling on Tuesday, the plaintiff Guo Hongzhen told the Beijing News.

According to the judgment issued by the court in December, in September 2016, three postgraduates from the university‰??s College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology were experimenting with potassium permanganate and concentrated sulfuric acid in the lab. According to media reports, when Guo added 100 grams of potassium permanganate to concentrated sulfuric acid, there was an explosion.

No one wore goggles during the experiment and no university staff were present, including their tutor, surnamed Nie, who had asked them to do the experiment.

Blinded by the chemicals, Guo was sent to Ruijin Hospital for treatment.

He was identified as having a fourth-grade disability, the fourth most serious in a 10-grade system, because of severe visual impairment. His face also suffered an eighth-grade disability.

Guo sued the university in 2019 for over 1.7 million yuan in compensation.

In its ruling in December, the district court said Guo should take a small amount of responsibility for the incident due to his actions and lacks of protection and awarded 1.6 million yuan, 400,000 yuan less than the amount he proposed.

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

MAHARASHTRA: FIRE AT CHEMICAL GODOWN IN THANE; NO CASUALTY- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/jan/06/maharashtra-fire-at-chemical-godown-in-thane-no-casualty-2246274.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, waste

THANE: A godown storing waste chemical drums has been gutted in a fire in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday.

No one was hurt in the fire, which broke out around 11.30 pm on Tuesday in the warehouse located at Revti village in Bhiwandi taluka, an official from Ganeshpuri police station said.

Thick smoke engulfed the area following the blaze and locals also complained of foul smell emanating from the godown, he said.

Two fire engines were rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused after about an hour, he said.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, the official said.

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

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET BILL FUNDS HARWOOD GRANTS, CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20700-congressional-budget-bill-funds-harwood-grants-chemical-safety-board
Tags: public, discovery, environmental

Washington ‰?? OSHA‰??s Susan Harwood Training Grants program will stay in place for another fiscal year after President Donald Trump signed the FY 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act on Dec. 27.

The outgoing Trump administration had sought to cut the program in each of its annual budget proposals, and for the first time in that span, this year‰??s Senate budget proposal had no money allocated for the grants.

The final bill, however, included almost $11.8 million for the Harwood program. Overall, OSHA received a $10 million budget increase to $591.8 million for FY 2021. Much of that increase comes from a $7 million bump for federal enforcement.

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A FINAL EPA ROLLBACK UNDER TRUMP CURBS USE OF HEALTH STUDIES
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/04/nation/final-epa-rollback-under-trump-curbs-use-health-studies/
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, toxics

The Environmental Protection Agency has completed one of its last major rollbacks under the Trump administration, changing how it considers evidence of harm from pollutants in a way that opponents say could cripple future public-health regulation.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to formally announce completion of what he calls the ‰??Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science‰?? rule in an appearance before a conservative think tank on Tuesday. The EPA completed the final rule last week, but so far has declined to make the text public.

The new rule would require the release of raw data from public-health studies whose findings the EPA uses in determining the danger of an air pollutant, toxic chemical or other threat. Big public-health studies that studied the anonymized results of countless people have been instrumental in setting limits on toxic substances, including in some of the nation's most important clean-air protections.

Some industry and conservative groups have long pushed for what they called the transparency rule. Opponents say the aim was to handicap future regulation.

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

ARMATURE WORKS EVACUATED AFTER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS HIT GAS LINE
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/armature-works-evacuated-after-construction-workers-hit-gas-line
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, response, natural_gas

Armature Works in Tampa was evacuated Monday morning after construction workers reportedly hit a gas line.

According to Tampa Fire Rescue, a 3-inch natural gas line was hit by construction workers at W Oak and N Ola.

Armature Works was evacuated as a precaution and hazmat crews are on scene investigating.

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TWO IN HOSPITAL DUE TO 'CHEMICAL INCIDENT' IN BAY OF PLENTY
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/123871504/two-in-hospital-due-to-chemical-incident-in-bay-of-plenty
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Two people have been taken to hospital after contact with some kind of chemical substance.

St John was called to a ‰??chemical incident‰?? in Tahawai, north of Katikati, around 10.40am on Tuesday, a spokeswoman said.

Two patients were in moderate condition when taken to Tauranga Hospital.

Police were notified "someone had reported coming across a substance at a property‰??, a spokeswoman said.

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DEPUTIES: ROLLOVER CRASH STARTS PROPANE FIRE, FORCES EVACUATIONS IN WILTON
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/deputies-rollover-crash-starts-propane-fire-forces-evacuations-in-wilton/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, propane

WILTON, Calif. (KTXL) ‰?? A rollover crash in Wilton Sunday morning started a propane fire, forcing hazmat evacuations in the area.

The Sacramento County Sheriff‰??s Office announced evacuations in the area of Walmort and Reigl roads at 10:39 a.m.


Officials announced that the evacuation center is at the Wilton Community Center on 9717 Colony Road.

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Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Membership Chair
American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Health and Safety
membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu

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