New Asbestos Regulation Goes Into Effect

September 5, 2006, the new Asbestos Regulation for New York State, Industrial Code Rule 56, went into effect. While we were in Plattsburgh training, in one of the refresher classes we heard that NYSDOL gave violations to the asbestos contractor and the asbestos consultant working in the area doing asbestos floor tile removal. The contractor's violations involved not removing all the asbestos material, and mastic remover leaking out from containment. The violations to the asbestos consultant were not being onsite while air sampling, and not performing the visual inspection properly. The interesting violations are the ones to the asbestos consultant, because this indicates they will be reviewing the visual inspection and the requirement that the air sampler be onsite while air sampling is being performed. This is the first we are hearing how enforcement of the new regulation may occur. Especially since the new regulation is much stricter than the old regulation. We already know that site specific variances must be submitted by certified Project Designers that have Asbestos Company Licenses from September 5, 2006 on. It will be interesting how many other parts of the regulations they will enforce.

"The Pollution Within" from Plattsburgh, NY

This week I'm in Plattsburgh, New York for asbestos awareness and refresher classes. On the way up, on the train, I read an interesting article in the October, 2006 issue of National Geographic. The article's name is "The Pollution Within" written by David Ewing Duncan (learn more about this article at http://ngm.com/0610). It certainly seems lately their is a theme on the information I've been reading or exposed to lately. "The Pollution Within" is an article about the chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis and their ability to enter our body and possibly accumulate in the body. It is very interesting reading especially after seeing the 911 movie we discussed in our previous blog.
An interesting point the article makes is that many of the chemicals we are exposed to everyday, have little or no scientific research on their effects on humans. Some of these chemicals show varying effects in animals, such as impacts on neurodevelopment, thyroid function, and reproduction. But very little is known about their effects on humans. Our exposure to these chemicals can come from the food we eat, the plastics we use for wrapping and storing food, our clothes, furniture, and cosmetics. Though there are potential health risks, using these various chemicals have saved lives (such as fire retardants) and may be worth the risks.
From this article we learned that in 2005 the European Union gave initial approval to a measured called REACH - Registration, Evaluation, & Authorization of Chemicals requiring companies to prove the substances they market or use are safe, or that benefits outweigh any risks. Needless to say the bill is opposed by the Chemical Industry and the US Government. The measure would encourage companies to find safer alternatives to suspect flame retardants, pesticides, solvents, and other chemicals. This bill would give a boost to the green chemistry movement.
The United States should not be opposing this measure, but should consider how we can support this measure and update our own laws to meet the challenge of achieving safer chemical use. The United States Government should be promoting and exporting our environmental protection and conservation expertise. As Green Building movement picks-up momentum, more data will come out on how these buildings pay for the extra costs with reductions in energy, and maintenance costs, and their ability to attract occupants that are willing to pay premium prices for the apartments, condos, or offices.
We need a better understanding on the various effects that chemicals have on our bodies and the potential effects that the interaction of multiple chemicals have on our bodies. Let's hope if the US doesn't get its act together regarding chemical exposures, we might get information from the European Union or data from the Green Movement to assist us with a better understanding of these effects.

The Toxic Clouds of 9/11

On Sunday, September 17, we went to see the film "The Toxic Clouds of 9/11" at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY (http://www.cinemaartscentre.org/september/911.html). After the film, their was a panel discussion, which brought new information to light regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's response during the clean-up and the fact that NYC Emergency Medical Technicians that responded to 9/11 are being left out of the loop on compensation for their illnesses. The film was produced and directed by Alison Johnson who has written several books on multiple chemical sensitivity and Prevention is the Cure (www.preventionisthecure.org) was the sponsor for this program.
Several points we took way from the film and panel discussion:

• It's taking too long to compensate NYC EMTs (Unsung Heroes-Helping Heroes www.unsunghhh.org is an organization trying to remedy this problem) and other workers that worked at Ground Zero in the toxic dust.
• Many chemicals being used have very little or no data on their effects on humans.
• No surprise here, EPA lied about the air quality at Ground Zero.
• Workers at Ground Zero were only provided N95 filtering facepieces.
• No effort was made to contain the toxic dust to Ground Zero and prevent its spread to other parts of the City.
• The health effects that Ground Zero workers are experiencing are similar to the reactions of multiple chemical sensitivity victims. These reactions have been seen in Gulf War Veterans, workers that worked on Exxon Valdez oil spill, and starting to see in workers that worked on cleaning up after the Hurricanes Rita & Katrina.

Considering the health effect information coming out regarding the handling of various catastrophies, it certainly seems we need better work procedures to protect first responders and the workers during these clean ups. We also need to make sure we provide adequate compensation for first reponders and the clean-up workers who work at these catastrophies and then get sick because of their work.

Welcome

Welcome, to the first posting of the Future Environment Designs blog. We will discuss the safety and health regulations and information we are getting regarding asbestos, mold, lead, and project safety (both general industry and construction). We look forward to working with this medium and see where it leads.