If there is a silver lining to infer from the generational transcending destruction from Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina, it’s the absence of a coinciding hazardous material incident on the natural disaster bingo card for the region. Cataclysmic chemical incidents invariably follow most natural disasters. Although most storm-stricken residents immediately notice the absence…
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We have an important message from the chemical storage industry: zombies and noxious fumes are spiking gas detectors in your vicinity! But we’re not talking about the putrid walking dead who are rotting from the inside out, longing for one last gasp of life beyond the grave. However, this lingering chemical threat lurking from the…
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Battery storage fires are like the Energizer Bunny – once they start, they just keep going and going. Lithium-ion battery fires have become so problematically enigmatic that some communities are considering moratoriums on future battery storage construction. Towns’ energized fears of battery thermal runaway aren’t unwarranted. Firefighters evacuated hundreds of Escondido, Ca. residents last week…
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Protecting our children should be a top priority for every community. Schools were once a sanctuary for precocious youth acquiring the necessary life skills for a successful transition from youthful dalliances to the maturity of adulthood. Unfortunately, these hallowed halls have become mired with persistent threats of violence and chaotic weather. With an uptick in…
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Which industries require compliant chemical storage? While oil refineries, auto manufacturing, and construction are the more common industries requiring on-site chemical storage, the list is not exhaustive. Almost every sector of the economy is affected by chemical storage. Hazardous chemicals are any substance that poses a threat to the environment or human health. Dangerous chemicals…
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Tropical Storm Ernesto is spinning up big trouble in the Caribbean. The developing storm comes on the heels of powerful Hurricane Debby, which brought widespread flooding in the Deep South and one tornado-related fatality in North Carolina. While Ernesto will unlikely impact the United States, his quickly-approaching ascent to hurricane status in the recent wake…
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Who tells lawmakers to change or tweak chemical storage laws? Apparently, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which has some heavy sway on EPA and OSHA operations, is becoming more vocal these days. Recently, the board released a new study on “Remote Isolation of Process Equipment” in chemical facilities. After carefully studying several…
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Who is your favorite fictional movie serial killer? Are you a diehard slasher fan who gets goose bumps when the haunting ‘Halloween’ piano riff cues up before Michael Myers’ signature death-crawl gait comes into view? Maybe wrinkled posters of Freddie Krueger’s smelted face still adorn your childhood bedroom. Millennial moviegoers might still have a soft…
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A second Trump presidency could be disastrous for policy initiatives fighting Climate Change. Under a series of collective policies proposed in Project 2025, conservative think tanks have hinted at “systematically dismantling” the Environmental Protection Agency while more closely aligning federal regulations that favor the fossil fuel industries. While Trump has distanced himself from the conservative…
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The fallout from the February 2023 East Palestine train derailment continues to shock lawmakers and environmentalists long after the darkened plume of toxic chemicals bellowed skyward from the carnage below. Researchers say there is “clear evidence” that the train wreck’s toxic plume of contaminants and pollutants spread as far as Wisconsin and North Carolina. While…
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