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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 3, 2021 at 6:50:43 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 (9 articles)
30 YEARS AGO, A CHEMICAL LEAK SENT A GREEN HAZE OVER HENDERSON
Tags: us_NV, industrial, release, injury, chlorine
THE ‰??BUTTER‰?? FIRE: 30 YEARS LATER
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
IRAN CHEMICAL FACTORY CATCHES FIRE NEAR HOLY CITY OF QOM
Tags: Iran, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
CHLORINE SHORTAGE 2021: PRICES JUMP AFTER LOUISIANA FACTORY FIRE
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine, pool_chemicals
COLORADO SPRINGS FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO POSSIBLE HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_CO, public, release, response, used_oil
CAUSE OF HAZMAT INCIDENT AT PAWTUCKET MEDICAL FACILITY REMAINS UNKNOWN
Tags: us_RI, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical
THE CLOCK TOWER AND SURROUNDING BLOCK CLOSED OFF FOLLOWING REPORT OF A SUSPICIOUS LEAK
Tags: us_AK, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
STATIC ELECTRICITY ON ADHESIVE MIXING MACHINE CAUSED FIRE AT CHEMICAL COMPANY IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Tags: us_MO, industrial, follow-up, injury, adhesives
BIDEN NOMINATING 3 PEOPLE TO THE US CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
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30 YEARS AGO, A CHEMICAL LEAK SENT A GREEN HAZE OVER HENDERSON
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/30-years-ago-a-chemical-leak-sent-a-green-haze-over-henderson-2344150/
Tags: us_NV, industrial, release, injury, chlorine
The chlorine leak that forced thousands of evacuations and sent hundreds of people to hospitals started through a pinhole.
Thursday marks 30 years since that pinhole at the Pioneer Chlor Alkali Co. plant near downtown Henderson grew in the early morning darkness.
‰??But the extent of how big the problem was really wasn‰??t known until things started to come into focus in daylight, when you can see this huge massive cloud out there lingering over the valley,‰?? said Keith Rogers, a former Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter who responded to the contaminated area on the morning of May 6, 1991.
Estimates of how much chlorine was released have varied in reports over the years, but according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about 70 tons escaped the plant, blanketing part of Henderson and eastern Las Vegas with a toxic green cloud.
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THE ‰??BUTTER‰?? FIRE: 30 YEARS LATER
https://www.nbc15.com/2021/05/02/the-butter-fire-30-years-later/
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Around this time 30 years ago, authorities were fighting the historic ‰??Butter‰?? Fire on Madison‰??s east side.
A massive fire broke out at the Central Storage & Warehouse Company on Cottage Grove Road in May 1991. According to an anniversary NBC15 story from 2011, the sprawling 500,000 square foot site housed butter, cheese and meats, and flames were shooting high into the sky upon the arrival of first responders.
The fire caused 50 million pounds of food products to ooze into the surrounding area, fueling the fire. Pools of melted food mixed with water caused additional problems for officials as they were wading through ‰??two to three feet of butter.‰??
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IRAN CHEMICAL FACTORY CATCHES FIRE NEAR HOLY CITY OF QOM
https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iran-fires-business-dd3b5205df48bc021a2e7489adfb7d38
Tags: Iran, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ‰?? A chemical factory near the central city of Qom caught fire Sunday, Iranian media reported, a blaze that injured at least two firefighters.
Videos showed heavy black smoke rising from Movaledan chemical factory in the vicinity of Qom, one of Iran‰??s prominent religious cities.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
Twenty fire engines and 150 firefighters were dispatched to the site, the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Qom fire department spokesman Hamid Karimi as saying.
Karimi said the firefighters managed to stop the fire from reaching alcohol tanks, although there have been several explosions and two fire engines have caught fire.
Two firefighters have also been injured, with one in critical condition, ISNA said.
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CHLORINE SHORTAGE 2021: PRICES JUMP AFTER LOUISIANA FACTORY FIRE
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/05/01/chlorine-shortage-2021-pool-chlorine-prices-bio-lab/4904034001/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine, pool_chemicals
The smell of chlorine could be more elusive than usual this summer.
That's because the swimming pool industry is grappling with a chlorine shortage that has caused prices of the chemical to soar, forcing pool owners to consider alternatives.
"Pool chlorine is not easy to get, and there's a chlorine shortage nationally that we're all going to have to deal with," John Swygert, CEO of Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, told investors on a recent conference call.
While chlorine demand jumped in 2020 as Americans spent more time at home with their pools due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's shortage stems largely from an incident at a plant in Westlake, Louisiana, in August.
The Bio-Lab pool-and-spa-treatment-products factory experienced a devastating fire on the morning of Aug. 27, 2020, following the landfall of Hurricane Laura. No one was injured, but the incident destroyed the facility's roof and hobbled production, according to a report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Chlorine gas was released during the incident.
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COLORADO SPRINGS FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO POSSIBLE HAZMAT INCIDENT
https://www.csindy.com/news/colorado-springs-fire-department-responds-to-possible-hazmat-incident/article_cad384cc-a9d8-11eb-b3cb-6ba337e81b21.html
Tags: us_CO, public, release, response, used_oil
The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) responded to a potential hazardous materials situation at 21st Street and Sheldon Avenue in Old Colorado City this morning, April 30. Captain Michael Smaldino, CSFD public information officer, said while the contents of the spill have not been identified, there is no danger to the community or the environment at this time.
‰??We were called out here for a barrel that had spilled in the street,‰?? explained Smaldino. Since the contents of the barrel and their origin were unknown, CSFD's hazmat team tested it to make sure the substance didn't pose an immediate danger. ‰??It‰??s not acid, it‰??s not dangerous to the environment, it‰??s not a corrosive or anything. What the label says on there is it should be a used oil product. It doesn‰??t quite match the color that it should be, that‰??s why they‰??re testing it to make sure."
A team from the Colorado Springs Street Division was standing by to clean up the spill after CSFD verified it was safe to do so. ‰??That was one of the big things we test right away is the pH of it, anything that might be explosive or if it‰??s hot, things like that,‰?? said Smaldino. ‰??It was negative for all that, so we feel it‰??s a pretty benign product. [We're] just trying to figure out what that product is now.‰??
---------------------------------------------
CAUSE OF HAZMAT INCIDENT AT PAWTUCKET MEDICAL FACILITY REMAINS UNKNOWN
https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/blackstone-valley/cause-of-hazmat-incident-at-pawtucket-medical-facility-remains-unknown/
Tags: us_RI, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) ‰?? Investigators were unable to determine the cause of a hazmat incident at a Pawtucket facility that sent 20 employees to the hospital Thursday evening.
The incident occurred at Zoll Medical, which manufactures medical devices, on Narragansett Drive.
Chief Tina Goncalves, Pawtucket‰??s acting public safety director, said first responders were called to the facility for reports of a woman who was having difficulty breathing.
Goncalves said the woman was evaluated on scene and first responders determined that an odor in the air was causing her symptoms.
The building was then evacuated and all employees were sent home for the night.
In a statement to 12 News, Zoll Medical said all 20 employees that were transported to the hospital have since been released.
Goncalves said they initially believed ‰??some type of chemical spill‰?? had occurred, but Zoll Medical said that has since been ruled out.
‰??The facility was inspected by the Pawtucket Fire Department, hazmat teams and other agencies, and an explanation for the situation was not found,‰?? the company said.
---------------------------------------------
THE CLOCK TOWER AND SURROUNDING BLOCK CLOSED OFF FOLLOWING REPORT OF A SUSPICIOUS LEAK
https://www.frontiersman.com/news/the-clock-tower-and-surrounding-block-closed-off-following-report-of-a-suspicious-leak/article_0827153c-aa38-11eb-9b4b-b787c9557048.html
Tags: us_AK, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
WASILLA ‰?? The Clock Tower in downtown Wasilla is currently vacated as emergency response crews investigate a possible leak of an unknown source and substance.
The surrounding block is currently sectioned off as authorities with Anchorage hazmat crews inbound to assist the Mat-Su Borough hazmat team, Mat-Su Central Fire Department, Borough EMS to determine what type of leak is occurring, according to Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services Director Ken Barkley.
Barkley said the call came from a person inside the building who was feeling sick and concerned there was a leak.
Other law enforcement agencies such as the Alaska State Troopers and the Wasilla Police Department are also on the scene directing traffic.
The incident led to several people who were inside The Clock Tower being sent to the hospital for medical treatment, according to Barkley.
‰??That‰??s what we‰??re trying to find out right now, but it‰??s making people sick. So, there‰??s something going on. We just need to figure out what and why,‰?? Barkley said. ‰??I can‰??t even tell you the last time we‰??ve had something to this extent.‰??
---------------------------------------------
STATIC ELECTRICITY ON ADHESIVE MIXING MACHINE CAUSED FIRE AT CHEMICAL COMPANY IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/static-electricity-on-adhesive-mixing-machine-caused-fire-at-chemical-company-in-st-louis-county/article_15a3342a-4c7c-5db3-8852-8d976597bfd9.html
Tags: us_MO, industrial, follow-up, injury, adhesives
ST. LOUIS COUNTY ‰?? Static electricity on an adhesive mixing machine started the fire at a south St. Louis County chemical company on Thursday, said Affton Fire Chief Nickolas Fahs.
The fire began about 2:30 p.m. at Manor Chemical Company, 6901 Heege Road, near Marlborough. It was under control about 2 å1Ú2 hours later.
One Manor employee was near the machine when it started to malfunction, Fahs said. Neither that employee nor any others were injured, Fahs said.
The company has grounding equipment to prevent static electricity, and Fahs said he believes the equipment was on when the fire began.
One firefighter from Melville Fire Protection District was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries after becoming overexerted. He was released today and spoke to Chief Fahs, who said he is doing better. The firefighter was dragging a portion of firehose ‰?? larger than the typical hose used in house fires ‰?? that weighs roughly 150 pounds, for about 300 feet, in a firefighting suit, which Fahs estimated weighs about 80 pounds.
---------------------------------------------
BIDEN NOMINATING 3 PEOPLE TO THE US CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Biden-nominating-3-people-US-Chemical-Safety-Board/99/web/2021/04
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
President Joe Biden will nominate three new members to the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the White House announced April 28. The three have significant expertise in occupational health and environmental science but lack direct experience in chemical-related industries, unlike most previous CSB members.
The nominees are Sylvia Johnson, an epidemiologist; Steve Owens, an attorney who focuses on environmental, safety, and health issues; and Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental nonprofit organization.
The CSB is charged with investigating chemical-related accidents and making recommendations to companies, regulators, and others on how to avoid future accidents. To protect its objectivity, it has no regulatory authority.
Although the board should have five members, former president Donald J. Trump let it dwindle to one‰??current chair Katherine Lemos. Trump also tried to defund the board, although Congress continued to provide money.
Although Biden‰??s nominees lack strong industrial experience, their chemical science backgrounds and experience in education and outreach were noted positively by several CSB watchers, who added that board members rely primarily on its technical staff of chemical engineers to conduct detailed accident investigations.
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