Welder sues after becoming covered in chemicals

Welders need to protect them-
selves from dangerous fumes.
Welding is an important yet dangerous job in itself - the heat, the intense light, the poisonous gases and fumes.

But it becomes even more dangerous if welders have to work on containers with hazardous materials - especially if they don't know about it.

This is allegedly what happened to a welder, who has filed a claim against a chemical company. The worker claims he was not warned by the company that the tank he was cutting contained chemicals.

Samuel P. Chaisson filed suit against Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc. n/k/a Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. and Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. on April 21 in federal court in New Orleans.

The alleged incident occurred on April 22, 2010.

According to the complaint, the tank contained chemicals which spilled out of the tank and knocked Chaisson off his feet. Chaisson states he sustained severe and disabling injuries when he was knocked down and covered with the chemical.

The defendants are accused of negligence, malice and a conscious indifference to the rights and safety of Chaisson.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for physical pain and mental anguish, lost earnings, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement, physical impairment, medical expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of household services, interest, court costs and punitive damages.

For more information about the case, read the article in the Louisiana Record.

Fume extractors capture toxins at the source

Electrocorp's Fume Extractor Series
with source capture arm.When it comes to choosing the right air purifier or fume extractor for welders, an industrial-strength activated carbon + HEPA filtration system has been proven to counteract harmful toxins and particles.

Electrocorp’s specially designed air filtration systems for welding fume extraction feature portable, powerful units that capture many toxic fumes at the source, directly at the work station. They adsorb gases and chemicals in a deep bed of activated carbon, using 40 to 80 pounds of this efficient filtration media.

The units are designed for TIG, MIG and arc welding operations and they feature a spark arrestor, flexible arm and optional custom carbon blends. Electrocorp also offers air purifiers specifically designed for soldering applications, including a tabletop unit with an intake hood and a smoke particle filter as well as an activated charcoal filter.

Air purifiers by Electrocorp can easily be modified and converted to purify the air in any industrial and commercial environment.

View the original article here

EPA releases information on hundreds of chemicals

EPA released two databases to inform
scientists and the public about the toxicity
of certain chemicals.Searchable databases on chemical toxicity and exposure data now available

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making it easier to find data about chemicals.

EPA is releasing two databases — the Toxicity Forecaster database (ToxCastDB) and a database of chemical exposure studies (ExpoCastDB) — that scientists and the public can use to access chemical toxicity and exposure data.

Improved access supports EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities of protecting Americans’ health by assuring the safety of chemicals and expanding the conversation on environmentalism.

“Chemical safety is a major priority of EPA and its research,” said Dr. Paul Anastas, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development.

“These databases provide the public access to chemical information, data and results that we can use to make better-informed and timelier decisions about chemicals to better protect people’s health.”

ToxCastDB users can search and download data from over 500 rapid chemical tests conducted on more than 300 environmental chemicals.

ToxCast uses advanced scientific tools to predict the potential toxicity of chemicals and to provide a cost-effective approach to prioritizing which chemicals of the thousands in use require further testing. ToxCast is currently screening 700 additional chemicals, and the data will be available in 2012.

ExpoCastDB consolidates human exposure data from studies that have collected chemical measurements from homes and child care centers. Data include the amounts of chemicals found in food, drinking water, air, dust, indoor surfaces and urine.

ExpoCastDB users can obtain summary statistics of exposure data and download datasets. EPA will continue to add internal and external chemical exposure data and advanced user interface features to ExpoCastDB.

The new databases link together two important pieces of chemical research — exposure and toxicity data — both of which are required when considering potential risks posed by chemicals.

The databases are connected through EPA’s Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR), an online data warehouse that collects data on over 500,000 chemicals from over 500 public sources.

Users can now access 30 years worth of animal chemical toxicity studies that were previously only found in paper documents, data from rapid chemical testing, and various chemical exposure measurements through one online resource.

The ability to link and compare these different types of data better informs EPA’s decisions about chemical safety.

More information about the databases:
ToxCastDB: http://actor.epa.gov/actor/faces/ToxCastDB/Home.jsp
ExpoCastDB: http://actor.epa.gov/actor/faces/ExpoCastDB/Home.jsp
ACToR: http://actor.epa.gov

View the original article here