New warning labels and standardized descriptions of chemicals’ hazards are coming to U.S. labs, factory floors, and other workplaces. Through a regulation released last week, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration is bringing U.S. requirements for communicating chemical safety information to workers in line with an international system.
Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis says OSHA’s revised hazard communication standard “will improve the quality, consistency, and clarity of hazard information that workers receive, making it safer for workers to do their jobs and easier for employers to stay competitive in the global marketplace.” She adds, “Exposure to hazardous chemicals is one of the most serious dangers facing American workers today.”
The agency’s move will require chemical makers and importers to use warning symbols that were developed through the United Nations. Called pictograms, the symbols are designed to communicate chemical hazard information to workers regardless of whether they can read or the language they use.

OMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Hazardous materials teams are working to stop an oily messy muck from spreading on Sand Creek and reaching the South Platte River.
The oil seep is located near Interstate 270 and Vasquez Boulevard, about one mile west of the Suncor Energy Refinery in Commerce City.
Video from Airtracker 7 over the scene showed three absorbent booms in the creek, placed there to contain and catch the mess.
Suncor Energy emergency response crews found the seep Monday afternoon after responding to a complaint from a citizen, who called around 11:30 a.m. to report a visible sheen on Sand Creek.
The slick stretched about 200 yards on Monday, said John Gallagher, vice president of refining for Suncor.

Bethesda, Maryland (CNN) -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday a recall of pourable gel fuels used in outdoor decorative lighting because of burn and flash fire hazards.
The voluntary recall, ahead of the Labor Day weekend, covers about 2 million bottles and jugs of gel fuel, and it follows a similar recall and warning in June.
Incidents of flash fires and burns have been reported when consumers add the gel to an already burning fire pot. The CPSC says the agency has received reports of at least 65 incidents, including two deaths, 75 injuries, and 34 victims hospitalized with second and third degree burns.
Because of the alcohol base of the product, the CPSC says the fires spread easily, sometimes resulting in injuries to more than one person, and they are difficult to put out.
"The standard way of putting out flame doesn't work. Water very rarely works. Patting it or smothering the flame does not work. So you have to use a dry chemical extinguisher to get the flame out," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum told CNN.
The nine manufacturers and distributors involved in the voluntary recall include Bird Brain, Bond Manufacturing, Sunjel, Fuel Barons, Lamplight Farms, Luminosities, Pacific Decor, Real Flame, and Smart Solar USA. CPSC said a tenth manufacturer, Marshall Group, backed out of a recall agreement at the last-minute.
Tenenbaum also said the nine companies agreed to recall the items only if the CPSC would not show a video made in their laboratory of the products exploding.
The recalled gel fuel has been sold by retailers since 2008. The CPSC and Napa Home & Garden recalled 460,000 bottles and jugs of gel fuel in June, and the CPSC recommends the removal of all remaining gel fuel stock from store shelves. For information on how to obtain a refund, consumers can visit cpsc.gov.

An unknown chemical leaked into the Ohio River on Wednesday, killing some fish but creating “absolutely” no danger to the public, the chief of the Lake Dreamland Fire Department said early Thursday.

Just before 11 p.m., Lake Dreamland crews responded to the scene near the 4300 block of Campground Road. John Wilkinson, chief of the department, said shortly after 1 a.m. that employees of Rohm and Haas chemical company had reported a sheen on the river’s surface.

His department and the Coast Guard, along with members of the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department, were investigating the incident.

The response was designated as a level one hazmat situation, the lowest level.

According to a Coast Guard official in the Louisville office, there were dead fish at the scene.

SIOUX FALLS, SD - A husband and wife are behind bars, accused of making meth just blocks from two Sioux Falls schools.
Forty-year-old Melinda Kasdorf, and 52-year-old Michael Kasdorf each face a long list of charges.

Tuesday night, firefighters responded to a small fire in the couple's bathroom and noticed some suspicious items. At that point, police called in the narcotics division.

FIVE people have been taken to hospital after exposure to an unknown chemical at a Thai restaurant in Liverpool this afternoon.

Police, fire crews and paramedics were called to the Northumberland St restaurant about 3pm after three staff members became sick.

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They were treated at the scene for the effects of the unknown substance before they were Liverpool Hospital.

Three police officers who responded to the incident were also overcome by the fumes - two of them required hospital treatment.

Liverpool Fire and Rescue have so far evacuated about 60 people from the area as a precaution.

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Customers at the Pride gas station on Riverdale Street in West Springfield were surprised Tuesday afternoon when their cars suddenly became covered in white powder.

The powder is a fire extinguishing chemical that is sprayed from the canopy when the fire suppression system is activated.

There was no fire reported at the station, and West Springfield firefighters are trying to figure out what caused the system to go off.

URBANA — A blown Freon line on an air conditioner sent employees from the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District and Carle information technology outside their building Tuesday afternoon.

About 1:30 p.m., Urbana firefighters were sent to 1101 E. University Ave. after a report of smoke in a mechanical room.

Fire Chief Mike Dilley said firefighters donned air packs and determined that freon escaping from a line had gotten into the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and was being pushed through the entire building.

FRIDLEY, Minn. -- Three people were injured, and dozens of employees evacuated after a reported nitric acid explosion at a Fridley metal plating plant.

First responders got a 911 call shortly after 11 a.m. about an explosion and fire at Incertec Plating located at 160 83rd Ave. NE in Fridley.

The fire was put out, but three employees were injured with chemical burns.  One of the three also suffered an injury from an exploding container. 

Rob Clark, director of operations for Incertec Plating, says the evacuation was ordered mostly as a precaution. He says an undisclosed material under pressure blew at Incertec's Fridley facility.

Clark, who is based out of Incertec's Kansas facility, says no one was seriously injured but that three people who were nearest the incident were taken to the hospital for evaluations.

Authorities say two chemicals were improperly mixed causing the explosion. They do know what those chemicals were at this time.

Cedar Rapids authorities say hot ashes from a charcoal chimney starter likely caused a house fire in Cedar Rapids on Sunday.

Emergency personnel responded to 1708 23rd Street NW on Sunday around 7:15 p.m. for reports of heavy black smoke coming from a garage. A fire extinguisher hanging on the wall where the fire started exploded during the fire, spreading dry chemical throughout the garage and possibly suppressing the flames.

Investigators say the damage was confined to the wall of the garage. The vehicles in the garage may have sustained minor smoke damage. There were no injuries.

Cedar Rapids Fire Department authorities urge residents that grilling materials should be completely cooled before storage and shouldn’t be placed next to combustible materials.

Caledonia and SouthShore Firefighters responded to a hazardous material call Sunday after 800 gallons of anhydrous ammonia leaked into the air at 12:03 p.m.

While applying fertilizer in a field in the 4300 block of County Hwy H, a farmer was pulling a tank behind a tractor when a coupling released and struck a supply line on the tank.  The chemical billowed into the air causing a white toxic vapor cloud, according to a report by the Caledonia Fire Department.

Jeff Henningfeld, battalion chief with the Caledonia Fire Department, said no one was injured and no one was evacuated. Firefighters were able to “knock down” the toxic vapor cloud by spraying it with water.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Things were back to normal Saturday night at the Hilton Americas hotel downtown after two floors were evacuated due to a chemical spill.

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According to the Houston Fire Department, a strong odor was reported around 2pm Saturday at Hilton Americas on Lamar in downtown Houston.
Firefighters say a worker was picking up empty chlorine drums this afternoon in the basement of the hotel. That's when they say the worker tried to pour some remaining chlorine into another drum and spilled it.

Two employees had to go to the hospital with minor eye and lung irritation, officials said.

Haz-Mat crews cleaned up the spill. The first and second floors were evacuated so they could be ventilated.

MENDON, Mass. -- Police in Mendon are investigating after two buildings were targeted by someone throwing bottles full of an explosive liquid.

One of the bottle bombs was thrown out in front of a home on Park Street Friday evening. The family heard a loud explosion and then found remains of the bottle and chemicals on their driveway.

“They heard a large explosion outside in the front yard,” Detective David Kurzcy said. “They didn’t really think much of it for some reason -- ended up going to bed, didn’t call us. The next morning they were out washing their car, went to the end of the driveway, noticed the device.”

Around the same time, another bottle filled with chemicals was thrown in front of Alicante Mediterranean Grille where employees were wrapping things up for the night. One of their servers had a very close call.

“It was real warm chemical, little pellets inside of it, so I...curiosity trying to figure out what it was, until Joe said you probably should get rid of that,” Darren Johnson said. “We threw it into the trash receptacle over here, I took probably two steps away from there, and it blew up, so it was pretty close to being in my hand at the time that it had blown up.”

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - Residents of Holyoke aren’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet. Police have arrested a man suspected in connection with the suspicious containers being left around the city, but it's not clear still where they are originating.

The city of Holyoke is trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle. There have been 18 suspicious containers left around Holyoke.

The locations extend from each end of the city. From Whiting Farms road up to Canal Street it's over 3 miles apart.

This all started around two weeks ago when the first suspicious container showed up. Holyoke Fire, Police, and state hazardous materials teams came in and tested the liquid inside the one gallon milk jugs. Results came back that the majority of the containers had residual from a chemical combination that is very dangerous.

TULSA, Okla. — Police in Tulsa say children uncovered a methamphetamine lab while exploring a creek at a park in west Tulsa.

Tulsa television station KJRH reports the children came upon the meth lab at about 10 p.m. Saturday at Reed Park.

Police say one of the children looked through the chemical containers and told his father about what he saw.

Police arrived to find the meth lab and drug paraphernalia.

A hazardous materials unit was summoned to clean up the site.

KANSAS CITY -- Kansas City police say a man who was cooking methamphetamine inside a closed hospital suffered third-degree burns when the lab exploded.

The injured man was taken to a different hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after police received a call around 9 a.m. Saturday.

WDAF-TV reports officers found the man running from the old Trinity Lutheran Hospital near Liberty Memorial. Police say he told emergency responders he and another man had been cooking meth inside the building.

CHARLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- State Police in Embreeville are investigating after a hazmat situation turned fatal on Saturday.
It happened at an unoccupied office/warehouse facility and communications tower in the 1000 block of Valley Hill Road in Charlestown Township.
Police said the victim and three co-workers were contracted to remove mechanical equipment and scrap metal from the building, and had been working at the building for the past week.
They said when the group arrived to work on Saturday, two people were exposed to fumes believed to have come from a mechanical room housing air conditioning cooling units.
Police said the victim collapsed, and the other worker was able to call for help. The three workers tried rescuing the victim, but were overcome by the fumes.
All four were transported to Paoli Hospital for treatment, and the victim was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Several emergency crews arrived on scene to secure the building and area surrounding it. It was determined to be safe after being ventilated.
Police said a preliminary investigation showed the victim's company was in the early stages of removing the cooling units. An inspection of the units showed they were still pressurized and several of the valves were opened, allowing freon gases to escape.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.— A man is recovering from third degree burns after being burned during a meth lab explosion. It happened on Saturday morning near 31st & Baltimore in Kansas City, Mo. The victim set up the lab in an abandoned building that is the old Trinity Lutheran Hospital near Liberty Memorial.

PORTSMOUTH — A Motel 6 employee was taken to the hospital Thursday morning after being overcome by fumes from a chemical reaction.

Portsmouth Fire Capt. Bernie Marvin said his department was called to 3 Gosling Road at 10:12 a.m. for a hazardous materials incident causing a medical emergency.

Marvin described the employee as a man in his 60s. The man was working in the motel's laundry room on the first floor of the east wing of the building when the incident occurred.

"It appears he was transferring chemicals from one container to the next," Marvin said. "There was a chain reaction where he was overcome."

The motel did not need to be evacuated as a result of the incident.

HOLYOKE – Another plastic milk container was found containing an unknown liquid prompting authorities to close part of Lyman Street for 90 minutes Friday.

But Fire Department Lt. Thomas G. Paquin said tests so far are inconclusive as to whether the liquid is the same as the chemical that was found in more than a dozen containers around the city last week and prompted responses from hazardous-materials teams.

Authorities believe the liquid in the plastic milk jugs last week could be a byproduct from the illegal production of methamphetamine, a stimulant drug that can lead to addiction and brain damage.

SAN DIEGO — Utility and hazardous materials crews, fire and police officials cordoned off a two-block area of Paradise Hills Friday evening while investigating a possible natural gas leak.

Nearly five hours later, they determined the scent of methane was coming off soil that had surrounded old sewer pipes for years, until contractors recently started digging it up.

Residents on Childs Avenue reported smelling some kind of odor, possibly gas, around 5:30 p.m. A construction crew had been in the area earlier, digging a trench, but there was no sign that they had broken a natural gas line, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials said.

MANCHESTER -- Manchester Police said a resident of Richville Road found a suspicious container on the roadside at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

After Cpl. PJ Owens responded and discovered the canister was consistent with the type used in making methamphetamine, an illegal drug, he felt ill, police reported. He was taken as a precaution to Rutland Regional Medical Center for examination.

Manchester firefighters and rescue personnel responded and dealt with the situation as a hazardous materials situation. The Manchester Fire Department determined that the container did not hold hazardous materials, but there was an indication its purpose was some sort of incendiary device, police said.

Officials are asking that all inquiries related to the hazmat incident be directed to Fire Chief Phillip Bourn and police-related inquiries to Lt. Michael Hall.

PORTSMOUTH — A hotel maintenance worker was transported by ambulance to the hospital Thursday after inadvertently mixing cleaning chemicals which, when combined, created a chlorine vapor.

The accident occurred at 10:12 a.m. at the Motel 6 on Gosling Road, said Assistant Fire Chief Steve Achilles. The call was initially reported as a hazardous materials incident which created medical problems for the hotel worker, he said.

Firefighters found the worker on the first floor where he was experiencing “non life threatening respiratory irritation,” said Achilles. An odor of chlorine was detected by firefighters wearing protective clothing who checked for toxicity and ventilated the area, he said.

Eighteen guests staying at the hotel were allowed to remain in their rooms after it was determined that the chemical vapor was isolated, said Achilles.

Firefighters determined the chlorine vapor was released when the worker poured a cleaning solvent from a larger container into a smaller one which contained residue of another incompatible chemical. The incident was “purely accidental,” said Achilles.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Three Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies were overcome by fumes when they emptied an "amnesty box" of items surrendered at courthouse security.

Officials said some sort of vinegar-based chemical was released. West Palm Beach Fire-Rescue responded for aid. The deputies were taken to St Mary's Medical Center as a precaution and the first floor of the county courthouse was evacuated.

They do not believe the chemical release was a criminal act.

The amnesty box is where people must put things that they are not allowed to bring into the courthouse.

Kelowna Assistant Fire Chief Jason Brolund says they got a call about a number of people complaining of sickness.

From there a Hazmat team was sent in to investigate the Canada Post building on Baillie Avenue.

"We came to learn that the postal carriers are routinely issued animal spray, as a part of their work. It's our suspicion that some of the spray may have been discharged inside the building."

Brolund says the risk was considered low but they always treat incidents like this very seriously.

Kathi Neal, a communications Manager with Canada Post says they were fortunate that the situation was handled so well.

"Luckily the emergency responders came on site so quickly and did a thorough investigation. So we felt comfortable to allow our employees back in a round 10am Tuesday morning. Now they did lose some work time, however we really are not expecting any delays of mail at this time."

Neal says two letter carriers were taken to hospital but both have been discharged and no one was hurt.

A minor chemical spill resulted in the evacuation and temporary closure of the Vandalia Rec Center last Thursday. The trouble started a little bit after 8 a.m. when some Muriatic acid that was being transferred from a large contain to a small container via a pumping mechanism accidentally leaked on to the ground. Vandalia Communications Manager Rich Hopkins elaborated on the details of the mishap.

"Somehow, the hose connecting the large container to the small container became dislodged," Hopkins said. "Whenever you're working with corrosive chemicals like Muriatic acid, you run the risk of that happening."

Muriatic acid is a powerful inorganic acid that is produced through the absorption of hydrogen chloride in water.

It is among one of the most corrosive acids and is used to etch concrete, clean brick, and purify swimming pools.

Two men injured in an explosion at Kaiwaka may have been making cannabis oil when volatile chemicals used to make the drug blew up, police say.

Fire and St John Ambulance services were called to a house at 9Marshall Rd, Kaiwaka, about 18km northwest of Wellsford, at 3.38pm last Thursday after reports of an explosion at the property.

When they arrived two men, aged 19 and 20, were found with serious burns and flown to Middlemore Hospital by the Northland Electricity rescue helicopter.

The men were understood to have burns to their faces, arms, torso and legs.

A Howard County motel was temporarily evacuated Saturday night after rescue personnel discovered high levels of potentially lethal carbon monoxide there, a county fire and rescue spokesman said.

Responders were called to the Sleep Inn on Second Street in North Laurel about 8:32 p.m. to check a report of a possible chemical leak, and found five children complaining of headaches and nausea, according to Battalion Chief Eric D. Proctor. Monitoring equipment detected high levels of poisonous carbon monoxide gas in the air, prompting authorities to evacuate 30 motel occupants and take 11 of them to hospitals in Laurel and Columbia. All were released after evaluation, Proctor said.

Ann Arbor— Officials at an Ann Arbor hospital have declared an end to a hazmat situation that developed when a patient swallowed rodent poison, leaving authorities to fear he would emit harmful gases.
Officials at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital today isolated the patient to one room, where Washtenaw County hazmat teams monitored air quality. As of 4:50 p.m., hazmat teams had left the hospital and officials said gas readings were within safe levels.
Hospital spokeswoman Lauren Jones said a machine would take environmental samples over the following 24 hours.
"The levels are not at explosive or flammable levels," Jones said in a statement earlier in the afternoon. "The air has been tested and confirmed for low levels."
Hospital units remained open to the public, other than the specific unit where the patient was being treated, officials said.

Officials with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office suspect a small methamphetamine lab was to blame for the wildfire Wednesday east of A-1 Mountain.
A number of materials associated with making the drug were found at the scene, officials said.
At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, a pilot flying a private plane spotted the fire burning near a Forest Service road on state trust land and reported it to the Flagstaff Airport control tower. Crews from the Coconino National Forest responded to the area and were able to contain the fire to a half-acre.

There was panic at St Luke’s Hospital on Tuesday as the Hospital Internal Emergency Plan was activated in Kilkenny.

The plan was activated in response to a chemical reaction incident in a room adjoining Surgical Ward 2. Nobody was injured although the fire brigade was called to deal with the episode.

It understood that the incident did not relate to a chemical spill but rather an incident involving fumes in a chemical waste bin.

The bin was located in a washroom next to the surgery ward. Fire services were able to remove it from the hospital before treating it outside by pouring water on it.

The chemical is said to have been chlorine which is used for disinfection and it’s believed that it reacted with something else in the bin.

BRICEVILLE - A fire that destroyed a mobile home on Briceville Highway this morning appears to have erupted when a clandestine meth lab inside ignited, according to an Anderson County Sheriff's Department report.

Blue flames that indicate burning chemical fuels were seen in the bathroom area, and several articles burned beyond recognition were found in the bathtub, Sgt. Robert T. Mansfield reported.

The out-of-state owner told the sergeant the trailer hadn't been rented since early winter, the report states.

Flagstaff AZ - On April 20, 2011 at about 2:00 pm, Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a wild land fire on State Trust Land off of Forest Service Road 515 near A-1 Mountain.

The fire was originally reported to the Flagstaff Airport Control Tower by a private aircraft flying over the area. Numerous fire engines with the Coconino National Forest initially responded to the fire. Their crews were able to contain the fire to approximately ½ acre in size. During the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire suspicious items were discovered indicating the fire was started from a “one pot” methamphetamine lab. Numerous plastic containers and other items consistent with those found at methamphetamine labs were also collected from the scene.

The New Orleans Fire Department on Thursday responded to a "level one" hazmat incident at a city-operated health clinic in Central City.
chemical2056.jpgTed Jackson, The Times-PicayuneA New Orleans EMS paramedic talk to a woman outside the the Edna Pillsbury Health Clinic in Central City. A spill of formocresol, a medication used in root canal procedures that can cause eye and skin irritation, forced the clinic's closure for the day.

The incident at the Edna Pillsbury Health Clinic, 2222 Simon Bolivar Avenue, was called in about noon, the New Orleans Fire Department said.

Health Commissioner Dr. Karen DeSalvo said about an ounce of formocresol, a nerve-deadening agent, leaked out. Three employees came in contact with the agent and were treated.

Officials on Thursday afternoon closed the clinic for the day to decontaminate it since the chemical can become airborn, DeSalvo said. It will reopen Monday, she said.

Over 30 patients were temporarily moved from a ward of St Luke’s General Hospital in Co Kilkenny following a chemical scare this afternoon.

The incident happened shortly after 1.15pm when a chemical reaction in a bin containing cleaning agents caused alarm over the spreading of fumes. The 31 patients were moved as a precaution after the hospital’s internal emergency plan was enforced and the services of the fire brigade sought.

A spokesman for Kilkenny fire brigade said the chemical was contained in a bin in a washroom next to the surgery ward. Fire services were able to remove it from the hospital before treating it outside by pouring copious amounts of water on it.

He said the chemical in question was a type of chlorine used for disinfection that had reacted with something else in the bin.

DENVER - The fire department evacuated a highrise apartment building at 16th Street and Glenarm Place after a person who lived on the 11th floor committed suicide using the chemical agent hydrogen sulfide.

Phil Champagne with Denver Fire says there was a major discharge of the chemical and the 11th and 12th floors were immediately evacuated.

Champagne described the gas as a highly concentrated sewer gas.

Two neighbors found the man that committed suicide. The man and woman were taken to Denver Health after they were sprayed down and decontaminated. 9News is working to find out how they are doing.

A CHEMICAL spill caused panic this morning at a popular child's water playground on Cairns Esplanade.

The spill occurred at Muddy's Playground at 9.30am, forcing an emergency response from fire crews, council and an external contractor.


Initial reports are of no injuries after an un-named person, thought to be a worker, mixed 4l of bleach with hydrochloric acid.

The toxic mix can decay the skin and eyes.

Cairns mayor Val Schier said "accidents happen" and no one was harmed.

She reassured people the spill had been cleaned up and the playground, dominated by a water fountain that sprays children, will reopen this afternoon.

"A mistake had been made mixing chemicals with the water," Cr Schier.

On Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, a St. Petersburg, Florida church was evacuated after people became sick during service.  Approximately 2,000 people were evacuated from the St. John Vianney Catholic Church located in St. Pete Beach at approximately 10:30 am.  Eight people were transferred from the service to a local hospital where they were treated for symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and dizziness. 

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Hazmat crews arrived on the scene to investigate the cause of the mysterious illness.  By late afternoon, it was suspected that a sewer line had backed up causing low levels of methane gas to permeate through the building, though tests are still inconclusive.

The church service, led by Father John Blum, was continued in the church’s Parish Hall.  By Sunday evening, all had been released from the hospital.  No serious injuries were reported and testing is still underway to determine the exact cause of the illness.

LEAGUE CITY, Texas – Police and hazmat crews were called to Walter Hall Park Friday afternoon after a body was found in the passenger seat of a parked car.

The vehicle was found around noon in a parking lot near the 800 block of Highway 3.

Police said there were three notes taped to the outside of the windows.

One of the notes said "Hydrogen sulfide gas. Do not attempt entry. One breath can kill, Call hazmat! DANGER."

Another had a skull and crossbones graphic with the word "POISON" beneath it.

Officers and fire personnel immediately evacuated and closed the park while they waited for a Houston hazmat team to arrive.

The identity of the man was not released.

An ammonia spill in a Wellington Hospital laboratory sparked a small evacuation this morning.

Under 10 litres of the hazardous substance was spilt on level 6 of the Clinical Services Block at about 10am this morning, fire service spokesman Mike Wanoa said.

A hospital spokeswoman said workers on the level were evacuated for about 45 minutes as the fire service and hospital staff cleared the spill.

A Norfolk village was brought to a standstill today when an agricultural worker walked into a medical practice after being contaminated with a toxic chemical.

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Staff at a medical practice and the emergency services were praised for their quick actions after a farm worker triggered a major chemical alert.

The man walked into the East Harling Surgery, near Thetford, at about 11am today after coming into contact with a toxic pest-control substance.

Fears were raised that patients and staff at the practice had also been contaminated by the aluminium phosphide and 35 people were contained in the building.

The farm worker, who was complaining of respiratory problems and was taken to hospital for monitoring, was also isolated by medical staff.

Paramedics, fire crews from Thetford, East Harling, Attleborough, a chemical incident support unit from Sprowston and an NHS Hazardous Area Response Team from Cambridgeshire attended, which closed the main road through the village for more than two hours. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was also placed on major incident standby.

Firefighters evacuated 20 employees from a Mira Loma business Monday after someone brought a container of hazardous chemicals to a fire station.
Cal Fire officials said a small container of calcium carbide was dropped off at Station 17 in the 10400 block of San Sevaine Way in Mira Loma at 4:49 p.m.

The substance can be used to make acetylene gas and is flammable when it comes in contact with water, Cal Fire officials said.

Firefighters evacuated a neighboring business as a precaution. The workers were near the end of their work day and were sent home.

Hazardous materials personnel removed the container from the fire station.

PLYMOUTH - Several prisoners at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility were reportedly exposed to mercury Tuesday afternoon, September 21, 2010.

According to emergency broadcast reports from the scene, 19 people were exposed to approximately 3 ounces of mercury as well as an unidentified powder.

Rescue personnel transported the prisoners involved in the Hazmat situation to a decontamination site at the jail.