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Showing posts with label PCBs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PCBs. Show all posts

Friday, February 17, 2017

Is It Really Here Again! The 21st Annual PACNY Environmental Conference Starts March 1, 2017.

This year the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Conference seemed to sneak up on us.  It's only two weeks away.  The first day of the 21st Annual PACNY Environmental Conference is on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 11:30 AM.  To register for the conference visit PACNY's website.  The conference will start with lunch from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, with Kevin Malone of New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) kicking off the presentations.  Mr. Malone is in charge of the division that regulates asbestos training providers.  Next up will be Don Pierce from NYS Department of Labor (NYS DOL) updating us on the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) auditing (an EPA grant allows NYS DOL to perform the auditing for Environemtal Protection Agency (EPA)).  Then the first day of the conference will end with a Variance Writing Workshop led by Kevin Hutton of Cornerstone Training.

Dival's Booth at PACNY
The second day of the conference has another great lineup of speakers.  Dr. Marty Rutstein returns speaking about "Talc with Tremolite and Other Amphiboles"; and Tom Laubenthal also returns speaking about "Using ASTM E2356 to Meet "Thorough Inspection Requirements" Prior to Renovation and Demolition Activities".  Dival Safety will be doing Fall Protection Demonstration, considering OSHA's emphasis on fall hazards it will be intereasting to see the different equipment avalable.  Ed Stuber of Galson Laboratories will update us on the OSHA Silica standard; Dr. Chris Goulah will discuss "Legionella"; Jim Redmond will update us on OSHA; and Jim Haklar will discuss PCB Case Studies.  Brent Kynoch of the Environmental Information Association (EIA) eill update us on EIA and the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA).  Then Cole Stanton of Fiberlock Technologies will update us on Mold/Fire/Water.  That will close out the second day bringing us to the Vendor Reception and Happy Hour!

Vendor Reception
Angelo Garcia, III of Future Environment Designs, Inc (FEDTC) will start the last day of the conference.  "Changes Are A Coming" is the title of our presentation and it will be about all the changes occurring in our industry this year.  We will hand off to Jack Springston of TRC who will speak about the "Pitfalls with Doing Mold Clearance Sampling as Part of a Post-Remediation Verification"  We are very much looking forward to Jack's presentation!  Then the culmination of the conference with the NYSDOL panel consisting of Dr. Eileen Franko - Director of Division of Safety and Health; Kirk Fisher - Licensing and Certification; Ed Smith, PE - Engineering Services Unit; and James Meacham, PE - Asbestos Control Bureau.  There is a rumor going around that the release of the new Industrial Code Rule 56 (ICR56) might happen at this meeting.  As usual, we are excited about the event and several people behind the scenes do a significant amount of work to make the conference such a success each year.  Very big thank yous to Lisa Brown and Deborah Sanscrainte for all the work they do to keep everyone focused and moving forward in putting this event together!

Deborah Sanscrainte Welcoming Everyone to PACNY
Future Environment Designs is a sponsor of the event and we will have our booth in the vendor hall.  Kimberly Granmoe and Sheryl Esposito will be ladying booth 19 (next to Dival Safety Supplies) as they have in the past.  So come and visit us.  Our Twitter feed for the conference will be #FEDTCPACNY, we will tweet photos and major speaker points during the conference.  We hope to see you at the conference! 

Kimberly Granmoe, Sheryl Esposito, Veronica and Angelo Garcia, III

Monday, March 21, 2016

Another Great Conference! PACNY Does It Again! - Part One

This year, 2016 in the Chinese New Year is the year of the Monkey.  Monkeys are witty, intelligent and have a magnetic personality.  Well that description pretty much describes the 20th Annual Environmental Conference held by the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) this year.  The three day conference started with the Third Annual Proficiency Day on Wednesday, February 24 and finished on Friday, February 26 with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) panel led by Dr. Eileen Franko.  Each day was a wealth of information and networking.  With such a strong line-up there were quite a few people from all over New York State, New York City and Long Island at the conference (several people we haven't seen for quite a few years). This year's conference was the most attended conference ever.
    
Mr. Kevin Malone Presenting Asbestos Training Stats for 2015
The Third Annual Proficiency day, which had 105 attendees versus last year's 72 attendees, started with Mr. Kevin Malone, Director of the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Asbestos Training Program, giving us an update on the asbestos training program and the goals of the program to "bring consistency to training, elevate training standards, and ensure a competent workforce".  Dr. Eileen Franko of NYSDOL, followed with an update on the NYS mold training program.  Dr. Franko's update included clarifications of mold law and emphasizing that the law is a "consumer protection law."  Ms. Theresa Bourbon of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explained the changes to the Renovation, Repair, & Painting (RRP) Training Program regarding hands-on component training and violations cited in Fiscal Year 2015.  Those violations included: "93% of cases involved "paperwork" violations, 69% of cases involved firm certification, and 40% of cases involved "work" violations.  Finishing the day was Mr. Doug Miller of the Rochester Institute of Technology an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Education Center discussing the Outreach program and new OSHA outreach cards that will be issued (for construction, general industry, & maritime).  The President's reception (the current President is Mr. Sean Hart of Energy and Environment President's reception) was entertaining and featured "Dan the Magic Man!".

Ms. Deb Sanscrainte of Aramsco, Chairwomen of the PACNY Conference
The Technical Sessions began on the second day of the conference, with the hall holding 227 attendees versus last year's 197 attendees.  Ms. Deb Sanscrainte of Aramsco, chairwomen of the conference, welcomed everyone.  Opening Remarks from Mr. Brent Kynoch of the Environmental Information Association (EIA) and Mr. Thomas Meade, the Executive Director of PACNY followed.  The first session was Mr. Ed Cottingham of the Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust discussing the history of the trust and how it is paying for the removal of zonolite attic insulation.  The next presentation was on Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in building materials presented by Dr. Dan Leftkowitz followed by Mr. Steve Fess of Xerox Corporation discussing an update on the American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA) "Guidance Document on PCBs in the Built Environment."  After a break in the Vendor Hall, the next presentations were on silica by Dr. Michael Lax, MD of Upstate Medical University, discussing diagnosis treatment & prevention of silica related disease; Mr. Jeff Prebish, CIH of OSHA, discussing OSHA's proposed respirable crystalline silica rule; and Mr. Jim Sorel, CIH of Industrial Hygiene Consulting Services, discussing silica sampling methods and protocols.  The set-up of the sessions for the silica presentation was outstanding and assisted with information gathering.  At this point, the conference broke for a buffet lunch.  While PACNY held a meet & greet session just after lunch, to encourage membership in PACNY.  The conference continued after lunch and in our next post will discuss the rest of the conference.  

Thursday, June 09, 2011

EPA Announces the Second Phase of Historic Hudson River Cleanup Underway

Lakes Entrance Dredger April HamerImage via Wikipedia (Glens Falls, N.Y. – June 6, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that the dredging of sediment contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has resumed in the Upper Hudson River, marking the start of the second and final phase of the Hudson River cleanup.  The historic dredging project targets approximately 2.4 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment from a forty-mile section of the Upper Hudson River between Fort Edward and Troy, NY.  PCBs are potentially cancer-causing in people and build up in the fat of fish and mammals, increasing in concentration as they move up the food chain.  The primary risk to humans is the accumulation of PCBs in the body from eating contaminated fish.  General Electric (GE) is conducting the cleanup work with EPA oversight, under an agreement with the Agency.  This final phase of the cleanup project is expected to take five to seven years to complete.

During the 2011 dredging season, mechanical dredges will collect buckets of PCB-contaminated sediment from a 1.5-mile stretch of river just south of the town of Fort Edward.  Four to six dredges will work 24 hours a day, six days a week through the summer and fall to remove approximately 350,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment from 100 acres of river bottom.  Dredging will begin in the western channel of Roger’s Island and move south in the main stem of the river.  Between 1947 and 1977, an estimated 1.3 million pounds of PCBs were discharged into the river from two GE capacitor manufacturing plants located in Fort Edward and Hudson FallsInformation about the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site can be found at http://www.epa.gov/hudson.

People seeking general information about the project are encouraged to contact Larisa Romanowski at (518) 747-4389; romanowski.larisa@epa.gov.   Residents who have questions or concerns related to dredging operations should call GE’s 24-hour dredging information phone line at (518) 792-4087, or, toll-free (888) 596-3655.
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Friday, March 04, 2011

Remedial Investigation of Gowanus Canal Identifies Widespread Contamination, Health and Ecological Problems

Looking south along Gowanus Canal from Gowanus...Image via WikipediaOn February 2, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release regarding the results of the remedial investigation of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York.  This investigation confirmed the widespread presence of more than a dozen contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and various metals, including mercury, lead and copper, at high levels in the sediment in the Gowanus Canal. PAHs and metals were also found in the canal water. PAHs are a group of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic substances. PCBs were used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment. PCBs are suspected carcinogens and can have neurological effects. PAHs are also suspected carcinogens.  The investigation also identified characteristics of the canal that will influence future plans for a cleanup.  A companion human and ecological risk assessment found that exposure to the contaminants in the canal poses threats to people’s health and the environment.


“The findings of the investigation of the Gowanus Canal confirmed that contamination of the urban waterway is widespread and may threaten people’s health, particularly if they eat fish or crabs from the canal or have repeated contact with the canal water or sediment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck. “The next step is the review of options for cleaning up the Gowanus, so we can move ahead with a full-scale cleanup of the canal that will result in a revitalized urban waterway.”
Based on the results of the investigation and the human and ecological risk assessment, EPA will commence work on a study that will outline all of the options for addressing contamination in the Gowanus Canal.  This study, called a feasibility study, will take place over the coming months.  It is anticipated that a draft feasibility report containing an assessment of all options will be completed by the end of this year.  
During the investigation, EPA collected and analyzed more than 500 samples of sediment from the Gowanus Canal and more than 80 water samples for the presence of various contaminants. EPA also collected more than 200 fish, including striped bass, eel, white perch and blue crab, to analyze their tissue for contaminants. Air samples were collected at street level and at heights at which people would breathe while boating on the canal.
For more nformation visit EPA's website at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/gowanus/

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

NYC Schools In The News Again for PCBs.

An intact ballast from a typical pre-1979 fluorescent light fixture.
Yesterday's Wall Street Journal reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found three more schools in New York City with leaking polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) lighting ballasts.  The agency took 14 samples from light fixtures at an East Harlem School complex consisting of P.S. 206, P.S. 37 and P.S. 112 and found that 12 were above the regulatory limit. The three schools are located at 508 E. 120th St, Manhattan.  This is the fifth school site testing positive for PCBs, other sites included Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Bronx.  According to Metro, New York City Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg said they’ve replaced all the toxic lights found by the EPA thus far, but the estimated cost for checking and/or replacing all the lights in public schools throughout the five boroughs is $1 billion, which NYC does not have.  EPA has been studying this problem for years and has produced a website covering the "Proper Maintenance, Removal, and Disposal of PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts".  The purpose of this website is to provide information to school administrators and maintenance personnel on the risks posed by PCBs in light ballasts, how to properly handle and dispose of these items, and how to properly retrofit the lighting fixtures in your school to remove the potential PCB hazards.  The website covers the following areas:
  • Why Should I Be Concerned about PCBs in My School?
  • What Are the Health Effects of PCBs?
  • Do My Fluorescent Light Ballasts Contain PCBs?
  • Should the Light Ballasts in My School Be Removed?
  • What Should I Do if My Fluorescent Light Ballasts Contain PCBs?
  • Is It Really Necessary to Retrofit the PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts in My School?
  • What Are the Risks and Potential Costs of Not Replacing the PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts in My School?
  • Are Students and Teachers in Danger if There are Leaking PCB-Containing Light Ballasts in Their School?
  • What Are the Special Procedures for Cleanup and Decontamination after a Ballast Leak or Fire?
  • How Do I Retrofit the PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts in My School?
  • What Type of Waste Will Be Associated with a Retrofit and How Do I Handle It?
  • What Are the Cost Savings Associated with a Retrofit?
  • What if a Retrofit Is Not Feasible in My Current Budget?
As EPA continues its investigation of NYC schools,  we are sure we will continue to see headlines like these well into the future. 
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Sunday, January 30, 2011

EPA & GE Agree On Next Phase of Hudson River PCB Cleanup


Dredging on Buriganga River BangladeshImage via Wikipedia
Dredging Boat in Bangladesh
On December 17, 2010, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented General Electric (GE) with the requirements for the next phase of the cleanup of the Hudson River.  The second phase of the cleanup should begin in May 2011.  This second phase would require GE to remove far more contaminated sediment from the river before sealing or "capping" any remaining polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).  On December 23, 2010, EPA commended GE for agreeing to conduct the second and final phase of the Hudson River cleanup .
In the first phase of the cleanup, nearly 37% of the area was capped due to the continued presence of contamination, despite multiple dredging passes that removed the great majority of the PCBs.  Capping in 15% percent of the area was unavoidable because of physical barriers in the river, leaving 22% percent capped in areas without these barriers.  While fish and other aquatic life are not exposed to the contamination in the capped areas, the EPA has determined that it is necessary in Phase 2 to set a stringent limit on what percentage of the total project area can be capped if dredging does not meet the cleanup goals.  This limit will be set at 11% of the total project area, not counting those areas where capping is unavoidable.  This limit represents a significant improvement from Phase 1 and will require GE to employ considerably more rigorous dredging procedures.

Dredging during the second phase will go deeper into the sediment and, by relying on better information and lessons learned during the first phase, will remove more contaminated sediment in fewer passes.  Phase two will require GE to remove an estimated 95 percent or more of PCBs from the areas designated for dredging.

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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

PCBs are Everywhere?

PCB 1Image via Wikipedia
It feels like lately, everywhere I turn I find a new article or seminar discussing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) issues.  In the Metropolitan New York Chapter of American Industrial Hygiene Association's newsletter I learned that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently holding a series of public meetings for the purpose of “Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the EPA potential reassessment of PCB use authorizations” (follow link from the title of this article for more information).  Even on this blog I have written several posts on PCBs (see my most recent post on 4/6/10).  Back in April, I attended the joint meeting of the New York Metro Chapter of the AIHA and the Long Island chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (see post on 4/20/10). Mr. Kristen Panella of New York Institute of Technology gave a very good presentation on dealing with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding transformers containing PCBs. The main points of the presentation were:

  • EPA does not allow “placard” transformers (meaning the transformer has pyranol on the label or placard) to be registered after 1998.  EPA’s reason for this is that General Electric’s pyranol transformers contain 50% PCBs be weight.
  • These placard transformers are required to be removed. The penalty is $24,000 for not removing them.
  • The removal process is a costly and very delicate process because any spill of the PCB oil makes the project a remediation (spill clean-up) having different requirements.
Then in the April 2010 issue of Indoor Environment Connections, Ronald Smith and Vincent Daliessio of EMSL wrote an article on “PCB in Caulk: A New/Old Indoor Contaminant” (http://www.ieconnections.com/pdfs/newsletter/2010/IEC-04-2010.pdf on page 18).  The main points from this article were:
  • PCB-tainted caulk with concentrations of 50 parts per million (ppm) or more can cause owners of buildings (including schools, etc.) to face EPA fines of $3,000 and $25,000 per day until the material is removed.
  • EPA regulations do not require schools to test for PCBs but EPA is encouraging schools to conduct air testing where PCB use is suspected.  This recommendation is inconsistent with other indoor air quality programs (i.e., asbestos or lead) that would first require identifying or testing to confirm the presence of the material prior to an air sampling regimen.  I suspect the reasoning for this is; unlike with asbestos or lead, if the school finds PCBs in the caulk above 50 ppm they are required to remove it, as per the above point.
  • There are a number of exposure guidelines and standards for chlorodiphenyl (54% chlorine in PCBs) in air:
    • ACGIH – TLV is 500 ug/m3
    • OSHA – PEL is 500 ug/m3
    • NIOSH – REL is 1 ug/m3
    • NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – Action Level is 0.5 ug/m3
    • EPA – Risk-Based Concentrations (RBCs) is 0.0043 ug/m3
  • Testing of caulk for PCBs is a unique method and should be discussed with your laboratory.  PCB air testing uses two methods, recognized by the EPA, TO-4A (high volume air) and TO-10A(low volume air).  EPA does not recognize NIOSH method 5503.
In addition, two recent EPA Region 2 news releases were also regarding PCBs.  On this blog, we have been following the dredging operations on the Hudson River.  EPA’s news release on April 26, 2010 announced that EPA agreed to pay the additional costs incurred by the towns of Halfmoon and Waterford to draw water from the Troy system until November 2012 because both towns used the Hudson River as their source of drinking water.  Some of the samples taken at the Thompson Island monitoring station were reported to have exceeded EPA’s drinking water standard of 500 parts per trillion (ppt) for PCBs, during dredging operations and off-season high river flows.  The second EPA region 2 news release was on April 30, 2010 and it too, discussed PCBs. PCBs are one of the contaminants they are investigating in the Gowanus Canal Superfund Site in New York City.

Even though Congress and EPA banned and phased out in 1979 all PCBs, we are still working on preventing further damage and cleaning up the old damage done to the environment are these future employment opportunities?
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Long Island ASSE/Metro NY AIHA Joint Meeting to Discuss PCBs

Wednesday April 21, 2010 at 5 PM, Mr. Kristen Panella, CSP of New York Institute of Technology will be discussing "Recent Compliance Issues with PCBs - Lessons Learned."  The meeting is a joint dinner with the Long Island American Society of Safety Engineers and the Metro Chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.  It is being held at the Hicksville-On The Border, 1401 Broadway Mall, Hicksville, NY 11801.
Mr. Panella is the Dir. of the Dep. of Environmental Health and Safety at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). Kristen has over 11 years of professional experience in the environmental health and safety field. With a background in geology and environmental management he has worked on numerous EPA Superfund sites as well as emergency hazardous material spill cleanup sites. Kristen joined NYIT as the Dir. of EH&S over 4 years ago and is accountable for all environmental health and safety issues that face their three campuses. His primary focus is on asbestos, lead and mold projects, hazardous waste disposal, medical waste disposal, the proper operation of the onsite wastewater treatment plant and OSHA related issues. Kristen is also utilizing his real world expertise to conduct classes in the Environmental Technology Masters and Continuing Education Programs. He is an active member of AIHA, ASSE, CSHEMA, SEHSA and NYIT’s Radiation Safety Committee, Animal Care Committee, Biosafety Committee and Sustainable Global Community. Join us for dinner and a great presentation. Registration and Networking will begin at 5 PM. Dinner @ 6 PM

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

EPA Submits Final Report on First Phase of Hudson River Dredging

This image comes from the Swedish encyclopedia...Image via Wikipedia
On March 8, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a detailed technical assessment of the first phase of the dredging operations on the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sediment in the upper Hudson River.  This assessment, along with General Electric's assessment, are being submitted to the panel of independent scientific experts for review.  In addition, to the report being submitted to the scientific panel, EPA is also soliciting comments from the public that will also be submitted to the panel.  The first phase of this project is being used as a test run for the far larger phase 2 of this project, which EPA hopes to start in 2011.  The technical report is 185 pages and covers a number of operations and discusses problems and recommended changes to reduce PCB air emissions and water resuspensions.  Needless to say EPA feels that the operation can be done successfully with a few changes and GE has some major issues with the process because of the PCB resusensions.  It will be interesting to see what the panel has to say.
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Monday, December 07, 2009

Hudson River PCB Dredging – the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Bear Mountain Bridge from the top of Bear Moun...Image via Wikipedia
On May 15, 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the start of dredging operations on the upper Hudson River. The goal of this project is to remove approximately 113,000 kilograms of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the river by 2015. General Electric Company’s (GE) Fort Edward and Hudson Falls plants legally released the PCBs into the river from 1944-1997. GE is conducting the dredging and related work under the terms of a November 2006 consent decree, after EPA ordered GE to dredge the tainted sediment from the river and dispose of it. The Hudson River covering a 200 mile stretch is the largest superfund site in the United States.
The Good – the ultimate goal of this dredging operation is to restore the health of the river, to enhance regional tourism and commercial opportunities, and improve commercial and recreational fishing in the Hudson River between Fort Edward and Albany currently prevented by the PCB contamination. The Hudson River dredging plan is based on a previous successful PCB dredging project along Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, NY. The plan includes daily water sampling downstream from the dredging operations, these sampling results must average below 500 parts per trillion of PCBs, which is the same as the drinking water standard, for dredging operations to continue. On August 5, 2009 dredging operations stopped because sampling results exceeded the standard. A review of the operations called for enhanced engineering controls. The enhanced engineering controls allowed dredging operations to resume on August 11, 2009. There have been no reported problems since.
The Bad – transporting the PCB sediment to its eventual resting place in Texas will take a 2,000 mile trip through a number of states. The PCB-sediment will be dewatered in Fort Edward packed onto a 81-car train and tightly wrapped in heavy-duty plastic. EPA deemed rail travel as the safest method of transporting the soil. The national rail traffic will determine the ultimate route of the train and it will take about five days to get to Texas. The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club notes in their release dated February 11, 2009, “that an environmental impact statement has not been prepared for the proposed rail shipment. The shipment poses a potential for serious accident hazards in or near dozens of urban areas and states through which trains would pass. One major rail accident could lead to a catastrophic contamination event if drums were breached and highly concentrated PCBs were released.” According to The Saratogian article “Hudson River PCBs en route to West Texas”; the Federal Railroad Administration’s safety data, 726 accidents involving trains carrying hazardous materials occurred in 2008, more than half of those in the rail yard. Everything from a slight bump in a rail yard to a major derailment qualifies as an “accident” in that report. Examples of the type of derailments covered by the report include, the 2 that occurred within 24-hours of each other on September 26 & 27, 2009 in Montana and Wyoming. These derailments involved minimal spillage and the cars remained erect. While other derailments like the one that occurred on January 22, 2002 that caused a toxic cloud of anhydrous ammonia near the town of Minot in North Dakota, still have an effect on the people who live there, even years later. That derailment required the digging up of 97,000 tons of contaminated soil and 25,000 square feet of river ice and more than 1,000 people affected according to USA Today. An Environmental Impact Statement would at least look at the possible consequences of a derailment and try to anticipate a derailment that would be catastrophic.
The Ugly – the final resting place for the estimated 2.65 million cubic feet of PCB-contaminated sediment is Waste Control Specialists (WCS) in Andrews, Texas. Rural Andrews County, Texas is a desolate desert county just over the New Mexico border and consists of 1500 square miles and a population of about 14,000 people. Andrews, the only incorporated city in the county, has a history more than a decade long of hazardous waste disposal. A study commissioned by the town and performed by the professors at Texas Tech University determined that hazardous waste disposal was a suitable industry for the city and county, because the red-bed clay found there is a natural impermeable liner and the area where WCS located their site does not overlap the Ogallala Aquifer. WCS as an EPA permitted toxic waste facility accepted the first load of PCB sediment on June 28, 2009. Prompting a backlash, from the people in the area, regarding the feasibility of dumping the PCB-contaminated sediment at the WCS facility. The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club wrote a letter to the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson urging a halt to the shipping of the PCB wastes to Texas. Is it a case of “not in my backyard” (NIMBYism)? Maybe not, there seems to be a disagreement on whether the WCS facility is over or close enough to the Ogallala Aquifer (a sensitive underground water resource). The claims range from 14 feet to 500 feet to the nearest water table. The Ogallala Aquifer stretches from South Dakota to Texas and is the largest aquifer in North America. It seems that the concerns of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club may be justified. It seems that EPA should have checked to make sure how close this waste facility actually was to the Aquifer.
Like all hazardous material/waste situations, cleaning up the problem brings up many questions some good, some bad, and some downright ugly. However, if we ask the questions and we look at the problems carefully and thoroughly, we can eventually solve these problems to the satisfaction of all concerned and involved.
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That Time of Year! Conferences, Posting Requirements, and OSHA Violations Increased!

It's that time of year again. We're between conferences.  February 15-16, 2024 was the Professional Abatement Contractors of New Yor...