CENtral Science

Friday round-up

Chemical health and safety stories from the past week:

• From a couple of weeks ago: US calls for tougher chemical process safety rules, higher fines (Senate testimony by OSHA head Jordan Barab and National Petrochemical & Refiners Association president Charles Drevna)
• The AIChE Safety & Health Division released its spring-summer 2010 newsletter
• Deepwater Horizon raises ‘license to operate’ issues (“As far as the blog knows, there is no equivalent of Responsible Care in the oil industry. But this does not mean that the chemical industry couldn’t find itself in a similar position.”)
• EPA reverses controversial ‘human guinea pig’ rule
• Consolidated Pharmaceutical fined $250,000 for shutting the door on hazardous materials at site in Md. (“among the chemicals left behind in drums and other containers were hydrochloric acid, acetone, liquid nitrogen and solvents”–I’m skeptical that the liquid nitrogen lasted that long)
• Honeywell International pays for hazmat spill, evacuation in Pa. ($139,000; hydrochloric acid)
• Crews extinguish 3-alarm blaze at Conn. chemical factory (“Fire officials said they believe the blaze may have been sparked by an incinerator near a boiler”–fortunately, away from the solvents)
• Chemical spill contained at Microchip on Friday in Ore. (“a weak solvent”)
• Hazmat fire damages Devon, Pa., business (“two chemicals, hydrogen and sulfur chloride, mixed then exploded and began to billow out smoke”)
• Worker’s death probed at Montgomery, Ala. mall (refrigerant leak)
• 6 released from hospitals after chemical reaction at Tenn. veterans home (five staff members and a resident, carpet cleaner)
• Chemical ceaction could be to blame for Monday’s hazmat incident in Mass. (“a paint remover apparently reacted with carbon monoxide”–but where was the CO from?)
• Hazmat emergency evacuates business and sends 12 to local hospitals in Ore. (“a computer backup system’s battery (about the size of a car battery) boiled over and the sulfuric acid particulates spread into some areas of the building”)
• Mysterious yellow ooze sparks hazmat probe in Eugene, Ore.
• Canadian police bust chemical lab (“The activity followed the arrest of a suspect, 36, who Transport Safety Board investigators suspected of transporting dangerous chemicals aboard a commercial airline” and “Several chemicals used in the production of GHB, also known as the date rape drug, were found at the site”)
• Chemical incident in Britain leaves 14 needing treatment (“workers were exposed to chlorine gas after an ‘uncontrolled mix of chemicals’ was released from a factory”)
• Foundry fire causes evacuation in Australia (“It was a mix-up of chemicals and it went off. It started off as thick white smoke, then it turned black and then it just exploded.”)
• Fire rips through Kambrya College in Berwick, Australia; 15-year-old girl charged (in the science block, sounds like arson)
• Tens of workers burned in chemical explosion in Vietnam
• C&EN stories:
  • Chemical Safety Board will probe BP/Deepwater Horizon rig
  • Pushing safer alternatives (draft rule targets toxic chemicals in consumer products in California)
  • Children’s blood contains high levels of PBDE fire retardants (also, a piece from Slate on flame retardants: Why are flame retardants required in furniture, anyway?)
  • Methylmercury cuts could save the U.S. millions of dollars (by preventing heart disease and IQ drops)
  • Chemical aerobics (kilogram-scale O₂ oxidations safely carried out in a flow reactor)
  • A heightened agenda for the American Chemistry Council (“Chemical companies are recovering from the recession nicely, and ACC is doing great, but many in the industry feel besieged on the legislative and regulatory fronts.”)
  • By yours truly, Assessing safety, on the ACS Division of Chemical Health & Safety survey of academic departments
  • Senate votes to limit formaldehyde (emission limits for formaldehyde in composite wood products)
  • EPA delays risk studies (for methanol, methyl tert-butyl ether, ethyl tert-butyl ether, and acrylonitrile)

Also: Several more problems with pool chemicals as well as chemicals in garbage or recycling, a few industrial ammonia leaks, and traffic tied up from a rolled ammonia tank and some unidentified corrosive that “managed to seep out of a metal barrel and eat through the bed of the truck.”