Future Environment Designs Training Center specializes in asbestos, indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, and occupational safety training programs. We offer New York State asbestos and mold certification courses. We design, develop, and maintain the various indoor air quality, asbestos, and safety programs that are Keeping Your Employees Safe.
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Problems With 9/11 Health Bill
Their has been alot of discussion regarding the 9/11 health bill (known as the Zadroga Bill) that was supposed to provide medical care for first responders exposed to the various hazards at the World Trade Center site. However, the bill did not cover cancer treatments. The commission running the fund, has had hearings on this issue and have stated they will look at cancer treatments once the science indicates a link between the 9/11 exposure and cancer. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as they usually do, makes us see the ridiculousness of this position. We hope with a recent study by Lancet, "Early assessment of cancer outcomes in New York City firefighters after 9/11 attacks: an observational cohort study", indicating a modest excess of cancer cases among NYC firefighters exposed at 9/11, that the commission will consider covering cancer medical care. This is the least the federal government could do for the first responders, considering the misleading information given to these individuals during their time at the site.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Future Environment Designs Sponsors Health Effects of Mold Exposure Video
Future Environment Designs is proud to sponsor a new informational video on the Health Effects of Mold Exposure. This video is designed as a public service awareness video on the health effects of mold exposure.
Related articles
- Mold Exposure Has Greater Impact on Infants (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- Future Environment Designs sponsors Bacillus anthracis and Anthrax Video (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- EPA Issues Press Release On Reducing Asthma Attacks During Summer (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- What kinds of health problems can mold cause? (zocdoc.com)
Friday, September 09, 2011
Chemical Accidents Sickens 54 in Bohemia, NY
Image via Wikipedia
Just before the Hurricane, the above headline was in Newsday, on August 19, 2011, regarding a chemical accident where two cleaning chemicals were accidently mixed causing 54 workers to become ill and requiring some of them to be hospitalized. Workers were treated for symptoms including convulsions, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath and vomiting. Unfortunately, the report does not discuss the specific chemicals that were mixed. It does mention that the company was using a new chemical for cleaning and did not fully purge the old cleaning chemical out of the system.This incident highlights the importance of providing training to staff when a new chemical is added to the facility. This will ensure the hazards of the new chemical will be understood and any problems that may occur with mixing chemicals are fully understood. The most important part of this training is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). The MSDS is created by the manufacturer to warn the users of its chemicals about the dangers of the chemical, the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed, first aid necessary if exposed, the path of exposure, and other important information. The training on the new chemical should be on the specifics of handling the chemical including any PPE needing to be used when using the chemical, the first aid procedures should an exposure occur, proper storing of the chemical, and any other chemicals that should be avoided or prevented from coming into contact with the new chemical. Maybe if this training was done the individuals responsible for purging the system would have been more cautious.
Related articles
- NY cellphone workers sickened in cleaner mishap (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Chlorine Leak Sickens 20 at Sacramento Water Park (shoppingblog.com)
- Fumes at McDonald's leave 2 unconscious, sicken 9 (ajc.com)
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Future Environment Designs Sponsors Vapor Intrusion Video
Future Environment Designs is proud to sponsor this informational video on vapor intrusion. This video is designed as a public service awareness video on the dangers and concerns regarding vapor intrusion. We hope this video is helpful and informative.
Related articles
- Future Environment Designs sponsors Bacillus anthracis and Anthrax Video (futureenv.blogspot.com)
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Schools Required to Manage Asbestos
Image via WikipediaUnder the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) regulation all public and private schools (with a few exceptions) were required in 1989 to develop management plans for managing the asbestos installed in their buildings. The AHERA regulation required the schools to update these asbestos management plans every three years. This management plan requirement included notifying workers and building occupants, or their legal guardians, at least once each school year about inspections, response actions, and post-response action activities, including periodic reinspection and surveillance activities that are planned or in progress. Such notification must be done in writing and a copy placed in the management plan. Suggested notification methods may be through the publication of an article in a school district newsletter or through a separate written notice distributed to staff and sent home to a student's parent or legal guardian. Since a new school year is upon us, it is important to remember what is required in this notification. The New York State Education Department - Facilities Planning website has a Annual AHERA Notification section discussing what is required.
In addition, schools are required to make the management plans available for inspection to representatives of EPA and the State, the public, including parents, teachers, and other school personnel within 5 working days after receiving a request for the inspection. The local education agency (LEA) is also required to notify in writing parent, teacher, and employee organizations of the availability of management plans and shall include in the management plan a description of steps to notify such organizations, and a dated copy of the notification. In the absence of any such organizations for parents, teachers, or employees, the local education agency shall provide written notice to that relevant group of the availability of management plans and shall include in the management plan a description of the steps taken to notify such groups and a dated copy of the notification. The LEA asbestos designee for the school district is to oversee that these AHERA required notifications occur each school year. The school may determine when to do AHERA notification, as long as it occurs at least once each school year.
Enforcement of this requirement is done by the EPA's Region II office. They have been very active inspecting New York State schools for compliance with AHERA (in addition, New York State Deaprtment of Health, had received a grant from EPA to perform these inspections on their behalf). Schools which lack required elements in the AHERA management plan, including the notification documentation outlined above, will be issued an EPA Notice of Noncompliance. Subsequently, the school has thirty days from the Notice date to correct the violations. Schools which do not comply with the Notice within thirty days are subject to additional EPA enforcement action, which may result in civil or criminal penalties.
Related articles
- NYS Education Department Issues Clarification on Asbestos Material Testing (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- NYS Senate Considering Asbestos Notification Fee Changes (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- Asbestos Found At Plattsburgh, NY Site (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- ADAO to Livestream the film "Breathtaking" (futureenv.blogspot.com)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
ADAO to Livestream the film “Breathtaking”
Image via Wikipedia
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) recognizing the global and negative impact of the Canadian asbestos industry, has partnered with Ontario filmaker Kathleen Mullen, the directer of Breathtaking, to hold a first-ever, international livestreaming of Breathtaking on September 26th, 2011 at 6:30 pm EST from the ADAO website. The 45 minute screening will begin with a short introduction from Mullen and conclude with a fifteen minute question and answer session via Twitter with the filmmaker and ADAO President and Co-Founder, Linda Reinstein.Breathtaking addresses the asbestos industry through a moving and personal investigation into the death of Mullen’s father, and the baffling present-day use, pubic mining, and incessant export of asbestos in spite of decades of scientific evidence that asbestos kills people. Commercially mined since the Industrial Revolution, asbestos was nicknamed the ‘magic mineral’ for its fabric-like, and fire retardant properties and has been used in everything from brake pads to oven mitts. Although it has been discovered to be carcinogenic, and asbestos use has been banned in many countries and limited in others. However, Canada, Russia and several other countries, still mine asbestos and export it for use in developing nations.
Related articles
- Canada Blocks Asbestos's Placement on UN's List of Hazardous Substances (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- Doctors ask doctor-MP to stop Canadian asbestos exports (canada.com)
- When did people find out that asbestos caused mesothelioma (wiki.answers.com)
- NYS Education Department Issues Clarification on Asbestos Material Testing (futureenv.blogspot.com)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
CDC Hurricane Website Has Helpful Hints
Image via Wikipedia
As the east coast prepares for Hurricane Irene, it is important to remember that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a Hurricane Helpful Hints website. The current topic is "What You Need to Know When the Power Goes Out Unexpectedly." This topic covers food safety, safe drinking water, extreme heat or cold, first aid for electrical shock, powerline hazards and cars, avoid carbon monoxide, safety at work during power recovery, be prepared for an emergency, and the impact of power outage on vaccine storage. If your looking for a list of emergency supplies you should have on hand, the CDC and Red Cross put together a list at the CDC website for Emergency Preparedness and Response - Get a Kit. From that website is the following list of items you should assemble:
- Water—one gallon per person, per day (3day supply for evacuation, 2week supply for home)
- Food—nonperishable, easytoprepare items (3day supply for evacuation, 2week supply for home)
- Flashlight
- Batterypowered or handcrank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
- Extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Medications (7day supply) and medical items
- Multipurpose tool
- Sanitation and personal hygiene items
- Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
- Cell phone with chargers
- Family and emergency contact information
- Extra cash
- Emergency blanket
- Map(s) of the area
Related articles
- CDC Providing Resourses for Hurricane Preparedness (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- Hurricane Irene Batters Smaller Islands Of Bahamas (huffingtonpost.com)
- How to prepare for a hurricane (news.blogs.cnn.com)
- Bloomberg to NYers: Plan ahead for Hurricane Irene (sfgate.com)
- Staying Ahead Of The Storm: What You Need To Know If Severe Weather Hits (newyork.cbslocal.com)
- OSHA's Tornado Preparedness & Response (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- If a Natural Disaster Occurred, Are You Ready to Help?" (futureenv.blogspot.com)
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