JAPAN - 5 DIE IN DEADLY FIRE

TSU — The Japan Coast Guard found five people dead Sunday inside a tanker that had burst into flames after colliding with another tanker on Friday in waters off Owase, Mie Prefecture, Coast Guard officials said. They are believed to be the five crew members who were earlier reported missing.

The Coast Guard found the five after its team boarded the 697-ton Kyokuyo Maru in the morning to ensure the fire had been extinguished and to check for flammable and poisonous gases inside the vessel. The collision occurred as the Kyokuyo Maru was heading with a load of 2,000 kiloliters of benzene for Matsuyama port in Ehime Prefecture. The Nikko Maru was bound for Chiba Prefecture, carrying 1,000 kl of creosote oil. (Kyodo News)

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NORWAY - OSLO E18 HIGHWAY CLOSED FOLLOWING GAS BLAST

Police blamed the explosion on a leak in an underground propane tank, that in turn was caused by a faulty vent. The blast blew three sewer covers into the air, some of them landing on the adjacent highway and one dangerously near a strawberry seller's stand along the road.Witnesses also told of smoke in the area, and that the loud explosion left bits of metal and concrete scattered on the road. It also blew out windows at the gas station itself.

The explosion occurred at a Shell station at Strand, and the main artery in and out of Oslo was closed from Strand to Høvik. Traffic was backed up for several kilometres in both directions, stranding motorists in their cars. That also led to severe congestion on local streets as motorists lucky enough to exit the E18 sought other ways of getting to their destinations.

There were no injuries, but police took few chances and evacuated local homes and businesses near the Shell station. A gas expert from Shell managed to stop the leak around 12:30am. The highway reo pended at 2am.

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USA – HARTFORD FIRE HOUSE COLLAPSES ON FIRE TRUCK

HARTFORD CITY, Ind.
Fire crews in Blackford County met with a little resistance when they tried to respond to a run Sunday night. Witnesses said the west end of the building collapsed on the truck as it tried to pull out of the station. Authorities said no one was hurt in the accident. Fire officials told RTV6 the accident was caused by a compartment door that had been left open on the fire truck. Officials said when the truck was pulled out of the garage, the door caught on the building, pulling the front portion down.

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USA – TOWER LADDER ROLLS IN BROOKLYN

A firetruck lies overturned in Brownsville, Brooklyn, yesterday after it rolled while turning a corner. Above: Firefighters tend to their injured comrades from Ladder Co. 120 after yesterdays accident. A firetruck flipped three times as it raced to a blaze in Brooklyn yesterday, leaving six firefighters injured. The smoke-eaters from Ladder Co. 120 were taken from the wreckage on stretchers and were listed in serious but stable condition at Kings County Hospital yesterday. "It looked like something out of a movie," said stunned witness. "I saw it coming down the street and it was going pretty fast. It went to make a left and just flipped over and smashed through a fence and into a disused lot." The firetruck was heading to a fire at 180 Powell St. in Brownsville at around 12:30 p.m. when the accident happened.

It is unclear what caused the crash, but witnesses say it was traveling at speeds over 70 mph. As it made a left turn from Sutter Avenue into Powell Street, the driver appeared to lose control and the vehicle went over onto two wheels. "They had to be going 75 mph. It was like a skid, then a boom. It sounded like a bomb," said another eyewitness. "It flipped three times. People just climbed out. They were trying to get other people out." Another firetruck following behind screeched to a halt, and firefighters began to help their stricken colleague clamber out. "It looked like something deadly was going to happen when it turned over," said yet another eyewitness. "It was laying on its side. The guys on the inside tried to get out from the cab. "One of the firemen pushed the door open, and I saw two or three firemen get out on top. It was something Ive never seen before. He was going too fast, it happened so quickly. "There was another firetruck behind them. The men jumped out and tried to help."

An FDNY spokesman, who said they were looking into the cause of the accident, added: "Six firefighters were injured. They are all in a serious but stable condition."

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UK – BOMB FIRE CREW HAD TO ABANDON PROCEDURES

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK)
Fire-fighters faced a scene of utter devastation as they arrived at what they thought was a routine call to a smoke filled tunnel only to discover hundreds of soot-covered commuters walking out of the tube in almost complete silence. He said the process they had been trained to adopt when dealing with a terror attack with possibly contaminated casualties was quickly dumped as they were confronted with dozens of the badly injured "obviously dying."

Now a week after the London bombings the emergency services are to review their tactics in case they have to face such a serious crisis again as the frontline firecrews admitted "there are an awful lot of lessons to be learned". The fire-fighter, who asked not to be named, was among the first on the scene in the tunnel close to Aldgate tube station. He said rescue workers were had not expecting to be dealing with a terrorist attack when answering the first 999 calls last Thursday and decontamination equipment was delayed in heavy traffic. The fireman said: "We got the call at nine, twenty seconds after nine o'clock. The bomb must have gone off 10 minutes before that. We got called to smoke in the tunnel, which is a pretty standard call - we get a lot of that. "There are various things that set the alarm off. It's usually a small trackside fire or the brakes overheating that sets the detectors off. We just sort of turned up expecting that. “As we turned up behind another crew, they were throwing out hose. There were various people sitting down by the entrance to the tube station in various states of injury, and a lot of people milling around, blackened from soot. Some people had flash burns. "At that point I thought, there is either a serious fire down there or there had been a train crash."

As he went with another fireman to survey the scene, they were discussing how to stop the fire escalating. He said: "We were about to go into the tunnel. One of the walking wounded said 'There's no fire down there, mate.' He had obviously overheard me. He said 'there has been a huge explosion in the second carriage.' We shot down there with the crew. "Hundreds of people were just walking, walking out in a column. There was hardly any noise at all. Hardly any hysteria. "A few people were crying quietly. Some had horrific injuries. Some were being carried by other passengers. A few had had their clothes completely blown off them." When he arrived at the train the scene was even more horrible. He remembered: "Some were still trapped in the wreckage and needed to be cut out, which we did. "There were a couple of doctors who just happened to be passing by. There was no equipment, just First Aid kits. We have got burns patches. But some of the injuries were so horrendous they needed ambulances which weren't getting through in the traffic. "We don't carry stretchers, but we improvised. We carry three-piece short extension ladders - we stretchered people out on them. "People were dying in front of us. People who when we got there had huge injuries were dying. The doctors were saying there was nothing they could do." As teams of doctors arrived at the scene, the fire crews and medics began quickly co-operating. The fireman said: "About four Subaru cars turned up packed full of doctors, lit up with day glo stickers. They were incredibly quick. They were in orange jump suits, with portable operating theatres almost. "Then they jumped back in their cars and went off to another site. "We were down there three or four hours, until the last live person was extricated."

And he revealed that since the attacks the fire service has begun reviewing their procedures if faced with a similar attack. The training in relation to a terrorist attack specifically looked at the possibility of a dirty bomb or chemical attack but since last Thursday "lessons have been learned.". The fire-fighter said: "We call it step 1 2 3: if there is one person injured we treat them as we would normally. If there are three or more people injured we don't approach them and wait for the specific decontamination test to see if there is any radiation effect. "It's in case they have used a dirty bomb. We have done an awful lot of training in this. "The thing with decontamination is you have to contain everyone. They are not allowed to be exposed to anyone else. "But the experience we had last Thursday was that there was no way we could do that." He continued: "There is no way you could say 'Just wait there until the decontamination unit arrives.' There were just far too many people that needed desperate help. "There were people that were obviously dying because of the state of their injuries - people with massive wounds, People with hands blown off that needed instant attention. You couldn't say 'I'm waiting for the traffic.' A lot of stuff wasn't getting through. "You had hundreds of people who have received some injury and an awful lot of people wanted to get out of that tunnel. "We tried to contain them once they came out in the bus station for treatment. I think at the back of everyone’s' minds was 'we don't want them disappearing.' "You couldn't say 'You aren't going to hospital' when there were people dying in front of us. "Now that we have experienced an attack there are an awful lot of lessons to be learned."

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CHINA, SHANXI PROVINCE, TAIYUAN, JULY 14 2005. OIL TANKER EXPLODES, KILLING TWO IN SHANXI

Two people were killed in an oil tanker explosion in a suburban village of Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, at around 7:00 p.m. Thursday, local police said. Two people were killed in an oil tanker explosion in a suburban village of Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, at around 7:00 p.m. Thursday, local police said. The blast also ignited five other cars and all the six automobiles were completely destroyed by fire. Two persons were burnt to death on the spot. Local firemen confirmed the existence of other victims, whose conditions were not immediately available at press time. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

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UK, PORT TALBOT, JULY 15 2005. GAS LEVELS HIGH IN FURNACE BLAST

Excessively high hydrogen levels before a furnace blast killed three men, an inquest has heard. But managers who could have stopped people from working in the danger area at Port Talbot's Corus plant were not aware of the dangerous circumstances. An area technician, told the Swansea inquest how gas levels then appeared to drop, masking the problem.

The jury heard that hydrogen levels in the blast furnace had been excessively high for a prolonged period, three hours, on the afternoon of the explosion in November 2001. But the problem, a sign that water was leaking into the furnace, was not fully known to managers who had held an urgent meeting an hour before the blast, the area technician told the inquest.

Twelve other workers were injured when the furnace exploded earlier this week, the jury heard that a decision had been made at that meeting to forge ahead with efforts to repair the blast furnace. The area technician said that he had ordered workers to locate and repair a water leak which the team had become aware of on that day. But by the time the team met to discuss problems with the furnace, the hydrogen level had dropped again, disguising what may have been a fatal problem.

A lawyer representing the three families of the steel men killed in the explosion, suggested to the area technician that that the water leak may not have been repaired because it appeared to have gone away. He went on to suggest that the water may have been "slagged up", leading the hydrogen level to drop when, in reality, the problem was left unresolved. The lawyer asked the area tecnician Mr Humphrey: "If someone had said that to you and the decision had been yours, would you have closed down the furnace?" the area technician replied: "I would have, yes."

'Ball of gas'

The lawyer: "So if there had been an explosion there would not have been anyone there?" "That is right," the area technician answered. He also explained to the jury how he had been caught up in the blast. "I was turning on the ball of my foot and I caught something out of the corner of my eye," he said. "one of the victims was standing next to me. Then I got lifted off my feet in what I believe was the ball of gas that was emitted from the furnace. "I remember going up and coming back down. I was told by other people that I was spinning through the air." He said that he managed to crawl to safety.

Explosion

Earlier in the week, the inquest heard that maintenance had been carried out on the furnace the day before the explosion. On the day of the blast, water was found to be flowing into the furnace and, at a meeting, it was a decided to discover the source of the leak. It was later decided to close the furnace down until the problem had been solved. The explosion happened about one hour, 15 minutes later. The inquest was adjourned until Friday.

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TURKEY, MERSIN PROVINCE, MERSIN CITY, JULY 12 2005. 40 PERSONS POISONED BY LEAKING AMMONIA GAS IN MERSIN

A total of 40 persons, including police officers and firefighters, were poisoned on Tuesday by ammonia gas which leaked from a burst pipe in a fertilizer factory in southern Mersin city.

An explosion took place in AK Fertilizer factory's pipes on Monday night due to an unknown reason. Although the workers cut the ammonia flow, 40 people were poisoned by the ammonia gas that leaked from the pipes. Officials said that the days of 38 of them were not in danger, but two of them were still in critical condition. An investigation into the explosion is underway.

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USA, TX, PEARLAND, JULY 15 2005. LIGHTNING BLAMED FOR OIL TANK EXPLOSION NEAR PEARLAND

A tank that exploded after possibly being struck by lightning Friday morning, lays on its side, still smoking Lightning is believed to have caused a fuel tank explosion near Pearland in Brazoria County Friday morning.

According to Iowa Colony Fire Chief when his crew arrived at the scene of the explosion, the tank was fully engulfed in flames. "I was toned out this morning at 6:24 for a lightning strike on this oil tanker and when we got here, it was fully engulfed and blown up, so we had to wait and get my resources together. Once I did that, then we went in and put it out," says the Chief . The Fire Chief says the explosion was heard for miles around. He was not sure what was in the tank, but suspected that it was fuel of some sort. There was a thunderstorm in the area at the time, and he says that is why he thought the explosion was the result of a lightning strike.

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AUSTRALIA, NSW EPA - RADIATION PUBLICATIONS AND CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS – EPA PUBLICATIONS

• Radiation Guideline 1 - Monitoring devices.
• Radiation Guideline 2 - Preparation of radiation safety manuals.
• NSW Radiation Series No. 5 - Recommendations for Radiation Safety Officers and Radiation Safety Committees.
• Radiation Guideline 6 - Registration requirements & industry best practice for ionising radiation apparatus used in:
• Diagnostic imaging.
• Part 1: Mammography.
• Part 2: Fluoroscopy & radiography.
• Part 3: Dentistry (including maxillofacial).
• Part 4: Veterinary science.

• Part 5: Computed tomography & bone mineral densitometry.
• Part 6: Test protocols for parts 2-5.
• Guideline for the operation of the Mutual Recognition legislation for licensing and accreditation under the Radiation
• Control Act 1990.
• Information on whole body scanning.
• Regulatory Impact Statement: Proposed Radiation Control Regulation 2003.
• Title page, contents (radrisprelims.pdf 411 kb).
• Regulatory Impact Statement (radregris03.pdf 250 kb).
• Proposed Radiation Control Regulation 2003 (propradreg03.pdf 160 kb).

Complete list of radiation publications: here

USA, WASH, DALLESPORT, JULY 21 2005. PROPANE TANK LEAK SETS OFF FIRE, INJURES ONE

Gas from a leaking 500-gallon propane tank set off a brush fire Wednesday that shut down a stretch of highway along the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon, authorities said.

The fuel was ignited by the hot exhaust on a nearby vehicle. The site of the truck explosion One worker, who was not immediately identified, was injured and was evacuated to the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Ore., for treatment of burns. The leak occurred mid-afternoon when three workers tried to move the tank and its valve broke off, spilling an unknown amount of fuel on the ground and into the air, said County Sheriff's Sgt.

By evening, the fire was being tended by the volunteer fire department in Dallesport, a community of 1,200 people. Concerns remained about three additional 500-gallon tanks at the site. Six 30,00-gallon tanks and a 30,000-gallon rail car at the site were not considered in jeopardy, theCounty Sheriffs Sgt. said. At its height, the brush fire shot flames 50 feet into the area and belched black smoke. About 5 miles of Highway 197 were shut down, including the Dalles Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River into north-central Oregon. By early evening, the brush fire was contained between the AmeriGas facility, which covers about an acre, and another burned-over area, the County Sheriff's Sgt. said.

It was not clear how much damage was caused by the fire. The County Sheriff's Sgt. said there may have been vehicles on the AmeriGas property. He said there did not appear to have been an explosion. The propane distributor AmeriGas, based in King of Prussia, Pa., has roughly 1.3 million residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and motor fuel customers in the United States. It's a subsidiary of UGI Corp. in Valley Forge, Pa. Dallesport is directly across the river from The Dalles.

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AUSTRALIA – NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY COMMISSION – HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES INFORMATION SYSTEM IMPORTANT NOTE

This is the first publicly available version of the Hazardous Substances Information System. NOHSC welcomes feedback on the operation of this version. It is expected that a refined version of HSIS will be released later in 2005.

The HSIS is an internet database that allows you to find information on hazardous substances that have been classified in accordance with the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances [NOHSC:1008(2004] 3rd Edition and/or have National Exposure Standards declared under the NOHSC Adopted National Exposure Standards for Atmospheric Contaminants in the Occupational Environment [NOHSC:1003(1995)] or subsequent updates. The HSIS provides access to two data sets, one for hazardous substance information and the other for exposure standard information. The data for substances that are common to both data sets are linked. Both data sets can be searched using a range of search criteria. Search results (including the full data sets) can be printed or saved electronically.

Using HSIS

Click on one of the links in the HSIS Navigation Bar on the left of the screen to access the search areas, user instructions and other HSIS features.

Background to HSIS

The National Model Regulations for the Control of Workplace Hazardous Substances [NOHSC:1005 (1994)] are the basis for hazardous substance regulations in commonwealth, State and Territory jurisdictions. Under the National Model Regulations manufacturers and importers of substances supplied for use in workplaces are required to determine whether they are hazardous to health before supply.

The basis for determining whether a substance is hazardous, is the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances 3rd Edition [NOHSC(1008:2004)] (the Approved Criteria). The criteria included in the Approved Criteria are adopted from European Community (EC) legislation for classifying dangerous substances. In order to help manufacturers, importers and suppliers apply the Approved Criteria, NOHSC has previously published the List of Designated Hazardous Substances (the List), which is a list of the more commonly used workplace hazardous substances.

The last edition of the List, [NOHSC:10005(1999)], was published in hardcopy in 1999. The Hazardous Substances Information System is a new tool to support the hazardous substances regulatory framework and is effectively a comprehensive update of the List that integrates information from the Adopted National Exposure Standards for Atmospheric Contaminants in the Occupational Environment [NOHSC:1003(1995)] and subsequently declared National Exposure Standards. For detailed information on the source of data included in the HSIS (including references to the relevant EC legislation) refer to the Guidance Material on the Search Hazardous Substances page.

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USA, CONN, RIDGEFIELD, JULY 12 2005. A TANKER EXPLOSION IN RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT HAS CLOSED A PORTION OF ROUTE 7.

A tanker explosion in Ridgefield, Connecticut has closed a portion of Route 7. Newscopter Seven was over the scene and joins us live with the story.

The incident happened about 3:30 p.m. just south of Route 35. The tanker was traveling north when an SUV apparently darted out in front of the tanker. When the tanker swerved to avoid the vehicle and ended up on its side, bursting into flames. Smoke could be seen for miles. The Ridgefield Fire Department tells us the tanker is believed to have been fully loaded, though its precise capacity, origin and destination is unknown. The fate is the driver is unknown. That part of Route 7, near Route 35, is closed indefinitely and a state bridge inspector is en route to the scene to determine the integrity of the bridge. The fire is contained and a large hazmat cleanup is underway.

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AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, JULY 13 2005. CALTEX SHUTS KURNELL REFINERY AFTER POWER FAILURE

Petroleum refiner Caltex Australia has temporarily closed its refinery in the Sydney suburb of Kurnell after a power failure. Caltex said the failure was caused by damage to a power line supplying the Kurnell peninsula that occurred while work was being carried out by EnergyAustralia on Tuesday night. As a result, production of finished products including petrol, diesel and jet fuel had been interrupted. Caltex is awaiting sufficient power to be restored to allow the refinery to restart operation, which is not expected to occur before Thursday night. The company said it hadnot been necessary to limit supply from terminals to service stations and that it was working to maintain normal supplies.

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MEXICO, JULY 12 2005. TABASCO GAS PIPELINE RUPTURES KILLING 2, INJURING 13 IN MEXICO

A gas pipeline in Mexico's Tabasco state belonging to state oil company Pemex ruptured last Friday evening, the company said in a statement. The 48-inch pipeline, which has a transport capacity of 118 million cubic feet a day, runs 36.7km from Dos Bocas to La Trinidad, passing through the municipalities of Paraíso, Comalcalco, Jalpa de Méndez and Cunduacán.

Pemex extinguished fires and cut the gas supply nearly four hours after the leak began, the statement said. Toxic amounts of gas were not released into the atmosphere. To date 13 people have reported injuries and two deaths have been confirmed. Pemex estimates compensation payments to be in the order of 18mn pesos (US$1.68mn). Pemex has requested a 130bn-peso budget increase over the next three years to invest in maintenance of the company's existing infrastructure following a spate of similar accidents this year, PEP upstream director said in the statement. Over the last three years Pemex has invested a total of 75bn pesos in infrastructure maintenance, PEP upstream director said. A 30-inch, Nuevo Teapa-Poza Rica oil pipeline in Cuatotolapan municipality in Veracruz state has ruptured twice in the same area since last December.

USA, ARIZONA, TUCSON, JULY 13 2005. MAN DIES AFTER FALLING INTO ACID TANK AT WORK

A man died after falling into a 250-gallon tank of acid at his workplace in Marana, authorities said. Two co-workers jumped into the 6-foot-deep tank Tuesday to try to save the victim after they saw some equipment knock him head-first into the trivalent chromate, an acid that's used to coat circuit boards and other metal products.

Authorities said the victim, was pulled out of the tank and rushed to University Medical Center with injuries to his chest and spine and for extreme chemical burns to 70 percent of his body but later died. Officials at Automation Plating Corp. declined comment on the accident. Inspectors from the Arizona Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the accident to determine if there were any safety violations.

USA, GA, ARCADE, JULY 6 2005. OXENDINE: OIL MIXTURE CAUSED FATAL EXPLOSION

The explosion at an oil recycling business that killed an employee was caused when a mixture of oil and either gasoline or diesel fuel ignited, the state's fire commissioner said. Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine said officials do not know exactly what was in the mixture but that it was not what it should have been. "From a scientific standpoint, there was something else in there with it," Oxendine said. "I think it was used motor oil along with something else." Truck driver Scott Dwayne Brown, 42, was killed in the June 19 explosion at Joe Sikes Oil Service. Oxendine's office and the Arcade City Council have since shut down the business, which

Oxendine says was operating illegally. "This facility had never been approved by us," he said. "We basically didn't know about it." Owner Joe Sikes met with Oxendine in Atlanta on Tuesday to discuss the investigation. Oxendine told Sikes his company would not be allowed to reopen because the facility does not comply with state fire codes. Sikes was arrested Saturday and charged with six felony counts of making terroristic threats toward Arcade Mayor Doug Haynie and five members of city council. Sikes was apparently angry with local authorities for revoking his business permit. He is currently free on bond.

USA, WASHINGTON, JULY 7 2005. REPORT: LETHAL CHEMICALS STORED NEAR LARGEST POPULATION CENTERS

Experts call it one of the worst-case scenarios in a terror attack: a cloud of lung-melting gas or a toxic fireball ripping though a U.S. city.

Potential casualties: 1 million or more. At least 100 chemical plants nationwide could be targeted to produce such devastation, according to congressional researchers in a report that was to be released Wednesday. The tally of plants possessing large amounts of 140 toxic and flammable chemicals was compiled by the Congressional Research Service using Environmental Protection Agency data from May, the most recent available. It represents one of the first public state-by-state breakdowns of how close potentially deadly facilities are located to the nation's largest population centers. "Chemical facilities are at the top of the terrorists' target list, and I thought it would be helpful for the full picture to be presented," Rep. D-Massachusetts, said in an interview Tuesday.

The survey provided state-by-state figures but did not specify the names of the facilities or the cities in which they are located. However, researchers called it "unlikely" that the entire population would be affected by a single chemical release. A 2003 database compiled by environmental watchdog groups said chemical facilities near major American population centers include the AMVAC America plant in Los Angeles, the Infineum USA Bayway Chemical Plant in northern New Jersey, and six plants that store chlorine and sulphur dioxide in Houston.

The EPA refuses to release its own list of detailed locations of the chemical manufacturing plants, oil refineries and storage facilities for fear doing so could aid terror plans. Environmental watchdog groups have compiled incomplete or outdated tallies of chemical facilities. "Nobody wants us handing out information that people with nefarious things on their minds would use to their advantage," said EPA a spokesman.

The report also tallied the numbers of chemical plants in smaller and rural areas. About one-fifth of the nation's chemical facilities -- which exceed 10,000 -- are close to population centers. Experts said the number of injuries or deaths caused by emissions of chemical explosives or toxic gases would depend largely on unpredictable factors like wind current or the extent of the leak. But they agreed the report highlights the continued danger of questionable security practices at plants. If released, the toxic chemicals can "cause poison gas clouds to kill people," said a chemical industry watchdog at the National Environmental Trust. "It's violent deaths you're talking about -- it melts your lungs, essentially." The report, completed at Markey's request, comes as the Homeland Security Department considers tougher federal regulation of the chemical industry, which has largely policed its own security procedures. Last month, Homeland Security Acting Undersecretary told congressional committees that "it has become clear that the entirely voluntary efforts of these companies alone will not sufficiently address security for the entire sector." Homeland Security Acting Undersecretary also estimated that fewer than 10,000 people would be killed and 40,000 sickened in a worst-case chemical release.

Homeland Security officials have said only a small number of facilities -- perhaps as few as a handful -- have the capacity to cause widespread damage. Several industry representatives contacted Tuesday declined immediate comment. The report estimates at least 106 and as many as 111 plants are located near population centers of 1 million people or more. Congressional researchers could not provide a single number of facilities in question because they said they lack updated information in some cases, such as the types and volumes of chemicals produced.

Up to 29 of the plants were located in Texas -- more than twice as many than in any other state. Illinois and California each had up to 13 such plants, Ohio had eight, and Florida and New Jersey had seven apiece. Kemery, the EPA spokesman, and environmental experts agreed that the overall estimate represents a drop from 123 plants five years ago -- partially because of industry efforts to use alternatives to the deadly chemicals or to move away from densely populated areas. But the Rep said the industry still has not gone far enough to seek safer alternatives, test its security measures and protect employee whistleblowers. Nor has the Bush administration pushed hard enough to demand those precautions, he said. The administration "still has refused to put its money where its mouth is and commit to any meaningful upgrades," the Rep said.

USA, TX, EL PASO, JULY 7 2005. TANKER FIRE SHUTS I-10 SIX HOURS - CLEANUP AFTER INCIDENT SNARLS WEST SIDE TRAFFIC

Firefighters cooled a fuel truck with foam and water Wednesday after a rear tire caught fire on Interstate 10 West at the Sunland Park on-ramp. The fire and cleanup shut down westbound lanes for several hours. Motorists had to find alternative routes to the West Side and found themselves delayed by an hour or more.

A fuel tanker that caught fire after a tire blowout Wednesday was the cause of an almost six-hour closure of a stretch of Interstate 10 West. Fire Department officials said that around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Flying J tank truck caught fire after one of the rear tires burst, causing the driver to slam on the brakes. "That caused the bearings to overheat, and it started the fire," said a spokesman for the El Paso Fire Department. El Paso police closed off the westbound lanes of I-10 between the Executive Boulevard and Sunland Park Drive exits, snarling traffic on both sides of the freeway for almost six hours.

Although the fire was quickly extinguished, the spokesman said, two Fire Department pumpers were on standby in case the fire flared up again. A second fuel tanker was called to the scene to remove the gasoline from the damaged tanker, but officials later found that the second tanker was too small, further delaying the reopening the freeway. Many motorists had to find alternative routes into the West Side and found themselves delayed by an hour or more. "Our signs were advising of the incident to give an opportunity for the traveling public to go a different route," said a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation. The routes available to motorists were Stanton and Mesa streets and Paisano Drive, and the heavy traffic on those streets at times came to a standstill.

CHINA, HEBEI PROVINCE, QINHUANGDAO, JULY 8 2005. OIL TANKER BLAST INJURES 3 IN HEBEI

An oil tanker caught fire and explosion partially at 2:00 a.m. Friday on a port in the city of Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province, leaving three injured.

The local government immediately mobilized tens of fire engines and three fireboats to the site. The fire was brought under control two hours later. The oil tanker is from Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

USA, MO, MARSHALL, JULY 8 2005. $135,000 FINE PROPOSED FOR FATAL FIRE; COMPANY DISPUTES OSHA FINDINGS

A bulk fuel truck driver for MFA Oil, died from injuries suffered in an explosion and fire Jan. 7 at the MFA Oil bulk fuel facility just north of Marshall.

Six months to the day after an explosion touched off Marshall's worst fire in a decade, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the findings of its inspections. The Jan. 7 incident at the MFA Oil Company bulk fuel facility just north of Marshall occurred as the truck driver victim of Ashland was off-loading unleaded gasoline into a 12,000 gallon aboveground storage tank. The tank ruptured, causing a loss of contents followed by an explosion and fire that left the victim with burns over 90 percent of his body. The victim, 64 at the time, died Jan. 19 at University Hospital in Columbia.

According to an announcement released Thursday, OSHA issued four citations to MFA Oil Company of Columbia and proposed penalties totaling $135,000 for alleged failure to protect workers from fire and explosion exposure. OSHA Regional Administrator said the citations against MFA alleged two willful and two serious violations of safety standards. Willful violations are those committed with an intentional disregard of, or indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations.

Serious violations occur when there is probability of death or serious physical harm and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. The first willful citation alleges the company exposed workers to hazards by not having the tank vehicle off-loading area separated from above-ground storage tanks that contained flammable liquids. The second willful violation concerned failure to conduct inspections and maintenance of the tank pressure vent/overfill alarm and emergency vent. The OSHA Regional Administrator said inspections of the pressure vent / overfill alarm and emergency vent are required to ensure they are unobstructed and operational during loading and off-loading operations. This is especially important during freezing weather conditions due to icing. Obstruction of pressure vents can lead to tank structural damage, resulting in product spill, personal injury, property damage, fire and explosion.

OSHA issued the serious citations for MFA's use of valves and fittings constructed of low melting materials without protection from fire exposure and the company's lack of an emergency response plan. MFA Oil Company was given 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply with them, request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director or contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

In a statement issued Friday, MFA indicated that it disputes OSHA's findings, particularly that the alleged violations were willful. The company has initially requested an informal conference and has initiated the process of formally contesting the proposed citations and fines. MFA President said the accident and the victim's death have been difficult for the company and its "close-knit" employees. As a result, the company is in the process of examining any additional steps which would further protect the safety of its employees.

USA, IND, DUPONT, JULY 5 2005. DEADLY TANKER CRASH KILLS DRIVER, CLOSES ROAD FOR HOURS

After nearly 12 hours, crews have cleared the scene of a deadly accident Jefferson County, Indiana. It happened early Sunday morning in Dupont when a truck carrying gasoline ran off the road and burst into flames.

WAVE 3 reports on the challenges emergency crews faced and how local residents were affected. Charred trees and burnt grass now line this stretch of State Road 7 in Dupont, Indiana. Seventy federal, state and local crews descended on the scene at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

A tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline was traveling on State Road 7 heading to Madison from Indianapolis when it ran off the road, flipped over and exploded in a raging fireball. "I would surmise that the driver probably fell asleep. It was 3:40 this (Sunday) morning, lonely road, driving down through here. He probably dozed off," said an Indiana state fire marshal. Rescue crews couldn't save the driver. Their next focus was containing the hazardous gasoline. "We had a great deal of runoff of gasoline into a stream. That has been diked now to prevent the fuel from going anywhere and contaminating any fish or wildlife," the Indiana state fire marshal told WAVE 3 News. The explosion also caused a power outage to 50 customers and a water leak. That was because a water main underneath the bridge melted due to the intense heat from the fire. No evacuations were necessary.

Crews said thankfully there were no nearby residents and a school along the road was not open at the time. "With the proximity of the school, had this been during a school period, it would've been a different story. We would've had to evacuate everyone at the area," said the Indiana state fire marshal. To avoid contamination, fire crews decided to let the fire burn instead of using foam to put it out. Ironically, crews were called out to a tanker fire exactly seven years ago. "It's almost irony that two of these have taken place on the same road, on the eve of the boat race at the Madison Regatta," said the Indiana state fire marshal. The driver in that fire met a less tragic fate than this one. "Good Lord willing, he didn't know what happened," said the fire marshal. The Jefferson County, Indiana coroner's office has not yet identified the driver.

Late Sunday afternoon, State Road 7 was reopened to traffic in the Dupont area.

CHINA, BEIJING, JULY 11 2005. 66 DEAD IN CHINA MINE EXPLOSION

At least 66 miners have died and another 17 were missing after an explosion in a coal mine in northwest China, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Four people survived the blast, which struck the Shenlong Coal Mine in Xinjang Uygur province at 2:38 a.m. (2:38 p.m. Sunday ET), the agency reported on Tuesday. "The remains of the 66 miners killed in the gas blast have been hoisted to the ground," Reuters news agency quoted Yu Zhengui, deputy secretary-general of the Xinjiang government, as saying, adding the chance of finding the missing 17 alive was slim. The mine is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Urumqi in the Shenlong Coal Mine.

Four rescue teams were dispatched to the area, the agency said. Last year, more than 6,000 miners in China were killed in explosions and accidents nationwide, according to Reuters reports. China has pledged to clean up the industry, but with the economy reliant on coal for about 70 percent of its energy needs, it has proved an uphill battle. China produces about double the amount of coal official media say it can safely mine.

CHINA, SHANGHAI, JULY 5 2005. OVER 60 POISONED AS TOXIC LIQUID TANK EXPLODED IN SHANGHAI

Hot weather can be detrimental to health, and can also lead to accidents. We have all read reports of people working outdoors suffering from heatstroke, but high temperatures may also trigger serious accidents, a fact that is often overlooked until disasters happen.

On Monday, a steel canister full of toxic liquid ammonia exploded on the back of a truck near a residential area in Nanhui District of Shanghai, injuring and poisoning about 100 people, most of them children and old people. Three remain in a critical state. The local production safety bureau came to the conclusion that the blast was caused by the high temperature, which hit 38.7 degrees C, making the substance expand and eventually explode out of the container.

Scientists said liquid ammonia expands with increased temperature. It is therefore justifiable for the bureau to come to its conclusion. But the investigation of the disaster should not stop there. As sweltering heat washes over many provinces, we should be reminded of the urgent necessity to care for everyone, especially outdoor workers. But production safety, which may not be of such great importance in cooler weather, deserves equal, if not more, attention. Some types of equipment and facilities are adversely affected by high temperatures. Fireworks factories, for instance, are another potential source of danger in scorching weather. Special attention should be paid to abiding by proper production and transportation procedures. This may not completely avoid peril, but should significantly reduce the risk of hazards. In the Shanghai case, the explosion occurred after the truck was stopped outside a restaurant at noon, when the sun was burning. Whether it is sensible for a truck carrying such a dangerous substance to be in such a position without protective measures being taken is a matter for lawmakers, safety production officials and enterprises to reflect upon.

Should the truck have been passing through a busy residential district during the day, exposing a large number of people to potential harm? According to media reports, there were more than 20 people dining at the restaurant when the explosion occurred. Some old people were resting under trees. Trafficking dangerous materials under these conditions probably cannot be all stopped, but should at least be strictly controlled to avoid further such accidents. Ammonia trafficking has caused numerous accidents in recent years. Leaks of the toxic substance have claimed a number of lives and seriously damaged the environment. Experience should have shown us that something must be done. Making and transporting any hazardous material must be conducted under controlled conditions. Proper production and trafficking procedures and manuals are indispensable and must be strictly conformed with. Such accidents do not tend to claim as many lives as large fires or coal mine explosions partially explaining ignorance of safety rules or their loose implementation.

PAKISTAN, KARACHI, JULY 3 2005. FIRE NEAR NATIONAL REFINERY EXTINGUISHED

A huge fire that broke out in the lubricant manufacturing plant of the Pakistan State Oil near National Refinery at Korangi Industrial Area here was extinguished by the fire brigade after six hours long operation with the help of 50 fire tenders. Four firemen were injured in the operation. Governor of Sindh has ordered investigation of the incident.

The fire erupted at 10:45 on Saturday night at the PSO lubricant manufacturing plant adjacent to the National Refinery near Bilal Colony in Korangi Industrial Area. Fireworks in a wedding ceremony in nearby locality reportedly caused the fire, which rapidly spread due to gusty winds with 20- meter large flames. Fire tenders from entire metropolis, were called to control the huge fire after the security staff failed to douse the blaze. Thick black clouds of smoke surrounded the area as the fire tenders reached to the scene on 11:05 pm. It was an accident, said the PSO chief security officer. Police and district administration officials reached to the scent after receiving the news, chief security officer PSO Lubricant Plant Major ® Masood told.

To control the huge fire authorities also called fire tenders of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force. According to a spokesman of Pakistan Navy, the operation room of the Commander Karachi was set off to meet the situation. No loss of life was reported except injuries received by four firemen i.e. Habib, Mohammed Rafique, Bashir and Fahim, fire brigade’s deputy chief said. The National Refinery was adjacent to the plant that caught fire, while a congested settlement is located about 150 feet distance from the place.

ANHUI PROVINCE, HEFEI, JULY 2 2005. FOUR INJURED IN EAST CHINA CHEMICAL EXPLOSION

Four people were injured in a chemical explosion in east China's Anhui Province Friday, local police said on Saturday.

A tanker, bearing a number plate of northern Hebei Province, exploded and caught fire while being unloaded of epoxy propane at a chemical plant in the city of Bengbu at 10:20 am Friday, the police authorities told Xinhua. The blaze lasted for nearly an hour and destroyed the factory's refrigeratory and two warehouses. Twelve fire engines and 84 firemen were mobilized to put it out. The four injured, all factory employees, are being treated at the No. 3 People's Hospital in Bengbu.

CHINA, TAICHUNG CITY, JULY 4 2005. SMOKE FROM CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE ENGULFS TAICHUNG - CITY GOVERNMENT URGES RESIDENTS TO STAY INSIDE DUE TO DANGER FROM TOXIC FUMES

A fire raged through a chemical plant in Taichung City yesterday, injuring at least 18 people and stirring concerns that the potentially toxic fumes that shrouded the area could pose a health risk. The fire erupted in a factory owned by fertilizer manufacturer Sunko Chemical and Pharmaceutical, with thick white, yellow and black smoke billowing into the sky and blanketing much of the city.

Firemen on the scene attributed the multicolored smoke to the different chemicals being stored in the plant. Because of the toxic nature of some of the facility's chemicals, the Taichung City Government quickly urged residents in areas neighboring the factory to stay home and close their doors and windows to avoid inhaling the potentially dangerous gases set off by the flames. A witness said the fire erupted following an explosion at around noon yesterday, and almost immediately engulfed the factory.

Over 100 members of the Taichung City and County fire brigades and 53 chemical personnel from an army brigade were called in to assist in containing the blaze. Five helicopters and several chemical fire engines were also sent to the scene. The fire brigades and chemical units spent five hours fighting the fire, but there continued to be minor explosions and smoldering ashes and materials as of late last night because of the remaining chemicals in stock.

At least eighteen people, including 10 civilians, two firemen and a TV cameraman were hospitalized for burns or dizziness after inhaling the gases. The TV cameraman felt ill after staying on the scene for more than three hours. Of the 10 residents needing medical treatment, eight were workers from a gas station near the factory, which is located in the Taichung Industrial Park. The smoke also created visibility problems on the No. 1 North-South Expressway, which runs through the western part of Taichung. Fortunately for the city's residents, the situation could actually have been worse. The Environmental Protection Administration said last night after inspecting the toxic chemicals at the site that the fire only engulfed the sodium nitrate but not other dangerous chemicals, including hydrochloric acid. The amount of ammonia, ethylene and methyl alcohol that were detected on the scene during the fire had also decreased substantially as of 6 p.m. yesterday evening, the EPA disclosed. The agency also indicated that air quality tests showed that the blaze did not worsen the air in the city to a degree that could harm human health. But a chemical expert inspecting the scene warned residents in the area to beware of acid rain in the coming days because of the residual gas remaining in the air. "It is better to bring an umbrella while going out in the next few days in case there's acid rain, which can hurt human skin and lead to baldness," said a chemistry professor from Chaoyang University of Technology.

While the EPA eased residents' fears on air quality, the agency suggested that the sodium nitrate caught in the blaze could lead to water pollution, pointing specifically to the runoff from the water used by the fire brigade yesterday afternoon. "It is better to monitor the water (that was used for putting out the fire) and dispose of it properly or it could produce pollution once it flows (to the environment)," the EPA suggested in its inspection report released yesterday evening.