Students Poisoned by Pesticides

By: eNews Park Forest!

Greg Lynch, Dayton Daily News

Washington, DC--(ENEWSPF)--October 27, 2011.  Forty-seven students from Edgewood Middle School in St. Clair Township, Ohio, reportedly fell ill after the school’s hired pest control company sprayed the herbicide Momentum, which contains the toxic ingredients 2,4-D, triclopyr and clopyralid, on nearby playing fields to treat for clover and other weeds. The incident and others like it demonstrate the need for a comprehensive national policy to protect children from harmful and unnecessary exposure to toxic chemicals. Six students were taken to nearby hospitals and twenty-one students total were treated for symptoms, including headaches, breathing difficulties, nausea and dizziness.

Texas Tech Building Evacuated After 2nd Explosion

By: Adam D. Young; Lubbock Avalanche-Journal 

Stephen Spillman

The second chemical explosion in two weeks at Texas Tech prompted campus officials to evacuate an engineering building late Thursday.

Nobody was injured or contaminated after what Tech spokesman Chris Cook called a small explosion about 7:15 p.m. in a laboratory in the Engineering and Technology Lab off the school’s engineering key at Canton Avenue and Glenna Goodacre Boulevard.

6 Students Injured in Chemistry Lab

By: Nancy McCleary

Staff photo by Amanda Berg

Six students were treated for injuries after a chemistry experiment at E.E. Smith High School went awry Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Three of the students were taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, said Theresa Perry, a school system spokeswoman. Two were being treated for minor burns, she said. The third student and three others who were tended to at the school had respiratory-related issues, said Ron Lewis, a battalion commander with the Fayetteville Fire Department.

Academic Lab Safety Under Examination

Chemical safety board report probes academic research practices, identifies role for American Chemical Society (ACS )

From: Chemical & Engineering News

By: Jeff Johnson And Jyllian Kemsley

Source:Texas Tech University

A fire at one university that led to a researcher’s death and an explosion at another that seriously injured a graduate student are among several incidents in the past few years that have turned a spotlight on safety practices in academic chemistry laboratories. 

Since 2001, more than 120 university lab accidents have caused injuries, millions of dollars in damages, and one death, according to the federal Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

OSHA Releases New Lab Safety Materials

From: Occupational Health and Safety Online

OSHA recently published new educational materials for laboratory managers on protecting their workers from exposure to chemical, biological, and physical hazards on the OSHA laboratory safety website.

The new materials include the Laboratory Safety Guidance document, which describes how electrical, fire, explosions, and falls, among other hazards, can be minimized or eliminated if employers use safety plans, worker training, engineering controls, and personal protective equipment. New laboratory safety materials also include fact sheets that each focus on a specific hazard related to laboratory environments. Practices and precautions to protect laboratory personnel include safety guidance for using autoclaves, use of chemical fume hoods, labeling and transferring chemicals, and latex exposure.

NH High School Evacuated After Chemical Spill

From: Associated Press

Photo: AP

EXETER, N.H. -- A New Hampshire high school had to be evacuated after a chemical spill that sent three staff members to the hospital. No students were injured. Classes were cancelled at the Exeter High School at about noon on Tuesday after the chemical was discovered near the school's loading dock.