OSHA Publishes Guidance Documents for Pandemic Influenza

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have published five documents dealing with pandemic influenza. The documents are:

• “Healthcare Workplaces Classified as Very High or High Exposure Risk for Pandemic Influenza” – OSHA designed this fact sheet to assist healthcare workplaces and to protect these workers from exposure to pandemic influenza. Using the Occupational Risk Pyramid (at left) it defines who are very high or high risk and recommends engineering controls, administrative controls, work practices, and PPE to protect these workers.
• “What Employers Can Do to Protect Workers from Pandemic Influenza” – this fact sheet recommends engineering controls, administrative controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
• “Protect Yourself Pandemic Flu Respiratory Protection” – this quick card defines who needs a respirator based exposure risk, defines minimum level of protection as N95 respirator, states that surgical masks are not respirators, and OSHA requirements for a respiratory protection program.
• “How to Protect Yourself in the Workplace during a Pandemic” – this quick card lists suggested precautions and actions workers should take to reduce risk of becoming ill with pandemic influenza.
• “Respiratory Infection Control: Respirators Versus Surgical Masks” – this fact sheet defines the difference between respirators, such as filtering facepiece (used to be known as dust masks) and half mask respirators, and surgical masks, which are a physical barrier to protect users from hazards, such as splashes of large droplets of blood or body fluids. NIOSH certifies all respirators, including filtering facepieces, visit their website for recent warnings for respirator users (www.niosh.gov). NIOSH does not certify surgical masks to prevent inhalation of small airborne contaminants. Only surgical masks cleared by the Food and Drug Administration have been tested for their ability to resist blood and bodily fluids.

NYC Deadline Approaching Regarding OSHA Training Requirement

Starting July 1, 2009, all workers at major building projects in New York City are required to complete a 10-hour course in construction industry safety and health approved by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Local Law 41 of 2008 requires the site safety plans of major buildings must include a statement that all workers have completed this course.

H1N1 Flu

H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. Other countries, including Mexico and Canada, have reported people sick with this new virus. This virus is spreading from person-to-person, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. Click on the title and visit the CDC website to answer your questions regarding the H1N1 Flu.

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.

Could multiple chemical exposures be the problem with Chinese Wallboard (Sheetrock)?

CNN, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, and Indoor Environment Connections have all reported on the concern regarding imported Chinese Wallboard. It seems once the Chinese wallboard gets wet or damp it off-gases a rotten-egg stench made of sulfur-based gases. Homeowners claim these gases can corrode metals, and may cause headaches and aggravation of respiratory systems, such as asthma. Many of these reports quote health departments as saying that levels are not elevated enough to suggest an imminent or chronic health hazard. However, there should be a concern regarding the potential for multiple chemical exposures, their cumulative effect, and the potential for long exposures to low levels of the compounds on the occupants.

The Chinese wallboard problem may affect over 35,000 homes and so far, is in states with high humidity and temperature levels where homes were constructed or renovated between 2004 and 2008. These homes and buildings, because of the shortage of domestic wallboard (also called sheetrock, drywall, and gypsum board), were installing Chinese-imported wallboard (not all Chinese wallboard is a problem). Up until this point, the reports regarding the tests on the drywall, quoting one health department “has not identified data suggesting an imminent or chronic health hazard at this time.” Some reports actually say levels found in the affected homes are not elevated enough to be of concern. One report gave hydrogen sulfide levels of .05 to .07 parts per million (ppm). Another report detected “carbon disulfide levels of approximately 5 parts per billion – all samples were less than 15 parts per billion.” The same report also reported carbonyl sulfide in the same levels. Chamber testing of the Chinese wallboard emitted carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, and hydrogen sulfide, while other tests of the wallboard found in addition sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies all these compounds as toxic compounds. However, the levels found are below many of the standards used for worker exposure. This is the crux of the problem, the limitations of using worker exposure standards to evaluate indoor air quality have been known for a long time and a professional would use them with limitations, typically dividing them by a factor of 10 to 100. For example, the OSHA permissible exposure limit for carbon monoxide is 50 ppm, while the indoor air quality industry uses 5 ppm to 10 ppm as a guide for evaluating air quality in office buildings.

Exposure research is very limited when looking at exposures to multiple chemicals or to long term exposures to low levels of compounds. Since this research is so limited to the point of nonexistent it is hard to say what the impacts of multiple chemical exposures or long term low level exposures would be. The limited knowledge we have points to potential moderate or minimal effects on individuals based on the compounds they are exposed to. Exposure to the multiple sulfur gases for long periods or low levels could be causing the headaches; sore throats; repeated nose bleeds; breathing problems; respiratory infection; wheezing; sinus problems; and various other respiratory ailments that occupants have complained about. Our health departments should be erring on the side of health but too many times they side on convenience.

Keeping Your Family Safe - Healthy Homes

Monday, March 30, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Pam Meyer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dr. Peter Ashley of the U. S. Department of Housing Urban Development (HUD) for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). Our discussion was about the Healthy Homes Program. CDC is the nation’s primary public health agency and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC provides information to help the public make informed decisions and take actions to promote health and wellbeing. HUD makes affordable housing available to low income households, and supports community development and home ownership. Dr. Meyer and Dr. Ashley discussed how CDC and HUD were working together to promote Healthy Homes. Healthy Homes is a century-old concept that promotes safe, decent, and sanitary housing as a means for preventing disease and injury. In our program, we covered the following points:

• CDC and HUD support Healthy Homes by providing grants to fund research on Healthy Homes
• Increasing amount of scientific evidence linking health outcomes, such as asthma and unintentional injuries, to substandard housing
• CDC has a few cooperative agreements with state or local health departments to take a healthy homes approach
• HUD’s focus is not health research so they rely heavily on reviews, such as the National Academy of Sciences
• HUD recently has funded some research, for example Cuyahoga County Grant – home interventions to address mold/moisture problems resulted in significant improvements in the health of asthmatic children & Seattle Grant – studied new green built public housing units on the health of asthmatic children after they moved into the units (breathe easy homes)
• Discussion on research on allergies & asthma in regards to triggers, unintentional injuries, and poisonings

This was our final show for this period, we hope those of you who listened enjoyed the programs. Remember you can continue to access the podcast of the programs at our host page at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ or on our website http://www.keepingyourfamilysafe.net/ under each topic ticker or http://www.futureenv.com/ under the Training tab in the online training section.

Keeping Your Family Safe - Underground Storage Tanks

Monday, March 23, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Lee Wasserman, founder and President of LEW Corporation and Mr. Larry Graf, Grounds Division General Manager of LEW Corporation, headquartered in Mountainside, New Jersey for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at www.voiceamerica.com on the Green Talk Network). Our discussion was about Underground Storage Tanks (UST). LEW Corp. is a full service environmental consulting company who has managed tank installations, closures, and subsurface investigations from Maine to Maryland, from 275 gallon oil tanks to 12,000,000 gallon storage tanks. LEW Corp. has handled hundreds of soil remediations regarding leaking oil tanks. LEW Corp. is licensed in New Jersey for tank installation, closure, and subsurface investigation. Mr. Wasserman and Mr Graf discussed handling and managing Underground Storage Tanks. In our program, we covered the following points:

• The Federal government does not regulate residential USTs
• State government may regulate them in specific instances, but generally do not
• Residential USTs are primarily regulated by local Counties, Towns, or Villages
• Home Insurance plays an important role regarding USTs
• Homeowners want to ensure they hire specifically licensed UST installers, and removers
• Individuals that test the tanks for leaks, to avoid conflict of interests, are required to be independent of the installers and removers.

This Monday, March 31, 2009, at 2 PM Eastern Time we will be discussing HUD’s Healthy Homes Program with Dr. Peter Ashley, a senior environmental health scientist with Housing Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control and Dr. Pamela Meyer, of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Keeping Your Family Safe - Audubon at Home

Monday, March 16, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Aaron Virgin, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center (www.ny.audubon.org/CentersEdu_TRoosevelt.html) for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). The Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center was established in 1923 as the first Audubon Songbird Sanctuary in the nation and is one of the largest providers of environmental education in the New York metropolitan area. Mr. Virgin discussed the Audubon At Home Program (www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/index.html). In our program, we covered the following points:

• Together Green (http://www.togethergreen.org/) and what it is all about
• Healthy Yard Pledge
• How the Audubon at home program works.
• Eliminating or reducing the use of pesticides
• Conserving water
• Protecting water quality
• Removing exotic plant pests
• Planting native species

This Monday, March 23, 2009, at 2 PM Eastern Time we will be discussing “Underground Storage Tanks” with Lew Wasserman, President, and Larry Graf, Grounds Division General Manager of the Lew Corporation.

2009 PACNY Environmental Conference

On February 26-27, 2009, the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) held their 13th annual Environmental Conference at the Turning Stone Casino and Resort in Verona, New York. If you have attended this conference before you already know that PACNY does a great job of inviting individuals to speak on current contractor/consultant issues and/or current regulatory issues. In what has become a tradition for the conference, the focus of the second day was the New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) and what was affectionately referred to as the Chris Alonge Road Show.
Over 200 people attended the conference this year, not a bad number considering the condition of the economy. However, this year the absence of downstate contractors/consultants was particularly noticeable. It was too bad, because this year’s conference was one of the best. The Mohawk Room had nearly 30 vendors including Grayling Industries, DiVal Safety, Aramsco, and Fiberlock Technologies. Aramsco‘s booth was showcasing a new piece of equipment, a floor buffer with an attachment for a HEPA vacuum, that could be used under the NYS DOL Applicable Variance A-3. This floor buffer with the attachment for a HEPA vacuum would allow a contractor using it to perform mastic removal work with a remote decontamination facility.
All the presentations were held in the Oneida Room. One of my favorite presentations was a two part presentation between Mr. Dale Lesinski, Vice President of DiVal Safety and Mr. Eric Giguere. Mr. Eric Giguere was buried alive in a construction accident and told us his story of survival and his life since his near-death experience. Before Mr. Giguere’s presentation, Mr. Lesinki set the audience up with a Behavior Based safety presentation that worked well with Mr. Giguere’s presentation. The presentation created a powerful 1-2 punch for worker safety. This presentation was so powerful we saw several audience members, including myself, wiping tears away.
The other presentations included:

• Dr. Bruce Lippy’s, of The Lippy Group, presentation on lessons learned from Ground Zero and Boca Raton Anthrax Cleanup. Interesting points: (1) Hazwoper procedures should be an integral part of disasters; (2) Better management of critical incident stress among workers; (3) Better management of the transitions from Rescue to Recovery to Cleanup; (4) Most fatalities involved with work zone safety; (5) Better understanding of the linear relationship between extended work schedule and worker risk of injury: (a) 18 hours of sustained wakefulness produces a performance impairment = 0.05% of blood alcohol content; (b) 24 hours of sustained wakefulness produces a performance impairment = 0.10% of blood alcohol content.


• Mr. Aaron Hilger’s, of the Rochester Builders Exchange, presentation on the recent changes to Wick’s Law (Nassau/Suffolk –increase to threshold from $50,000 to $1.5 million) and the economic climate for the construction industry. His discussion also included current view of the stimulus bill and impact of health care reform.


• LeChase Construction/Eastman Kodak’s presentation involved four speakers (Raymond LeChase, Jr., Darren Yehl, Jim Gerek, & Edward Slovak) point of view of the Eastman Kodak’s Footprint Reduction Program. The program consisted of the remediation – demolition of 80 structures totaling over six million square feet.

On the second day the Oneida room presentations included:

• IAQ Technologies’ Mr. Bob Krell did a presentation on Indoor Environments and Green Buildings that was primarily a mold presentation.


• Lawyers from NYS DOL & Mr. Chris Alonge then discussed: (1) The “Asbestos Successor Legislation” that went into effect in July 2008; (2) The Guidance Document version 2.0; (3) Proposed changes for the Emergency Rule Making of Industrial Code Rule 56.


• The final presentation was a panel discussion including Mr. Chris Alonge. This panel discussion was a Q&A session for the panelist to discuss directly with Mr. Alonge. Audience participation was restricted until after the panelist finished their questions.

All in all the conference was very informative and well worth the trip. It was a pleasure to get together with old friends, make some new ones, and reacquaint with some friends we had not seen in years (Special hello to Patty Kirkland of EMSL). Bravo to the PACNY organization and the committee that put this year’s conference together, they did a great job. We look forward to next year’s conference and hope to see you there next year.

Keeping Your Family Safe - Dangers in the Basement

Monday, March 9, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Bob Krell, President and Certified Indoor Environment Consultant for IAQ Technologies for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at www.voiceamerica.com on the Green Talk Network). IAQ Technologies is an indoor environmental and building performance firm offering consulting, mitigation, and training services to a variety of clients throughout the country. Mr. Krell discussed various dangers we can find in basements that homeowners should be aware of and some ways to protect themselves. In our program, we covered the following points:

• Asbestos
• Radon
• Mold and Bacteria (Differences between black, grey, and clear water)
• Better Building Materials and Dehumidification to help prevent mold growth

This Monday, March 16, 2009, we will be discussing “Audubon at Home” with Aaron Virgin Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about Drinking Water

Monday, March 2, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Richard Humann, P.E., Vice President and Chief Water Resources Engineer for H2M, for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). H2M, headquartered in Melville, NY, is a multi-disciplined engineering and architectural consulting firm that has worked in the field of public water supply for the past 75 years. Mr. Humann discussed drinking water safety and the processes municipal water suppliers go through to provide us with safe drinking water. In our program, we also covered the following points:

• Municipal water suppliers must test the drinking water to meet Federal, State, and local requirements (State and Local requirements must be as strict or stricter than Federal requirements).
• All municipal water suppliers must test drinking water for a minimum of 150 parameters.
• Treating water contaminated with MTBE is challenging to municipal water suppliers.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has guidance documents for testing drinking water once it gets to our faucets.
• Water suppliers are required to continuously monitor the pH (corrosiveness) of water to ensure that the water does not cause the leaching of metals from the plumbing.
• Most municipal water does not need filtering or treatment at home. Chlorine taste or smell can be eliminated by putting the water in the refrigerator.

This Monday, March 9, 2009, we will be discussing “Dangers in the Basement” with Mr. Bob Krell, President of IAQ Technologies.

NYC DEP Releases Draft Revision to Asbestos Regulations

New York City Department of Environmental Protection has released a draft revision to Title 15 - Asbestos Regulations. Visit out Future Environment Designs Discussion Group (click on the title to go to the website) files for a copy of the draft regulation. A big Thank You to Gloria Schmitt from Hazard Elimination Corp. for giving us a copy of the draft.

Keeping Your Family Safe - Home Safety

Monday, February 23, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Fritzi Gros-Daillon, Certified Senior Advisor, Founder, and President of Transitions USA for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at www.voiceamerica.com on the Green Talk Network). Transitions USA (visit there website at www.transitionsusa.com) is a leading senior move management firm headquartered in Huntington, New York. Ms. Gros-Daillon discussed home modifications and safety that homeowners could make to help seniors remain in their homes. In our program, we also covered the following points:

• How do the concepts of universal design come into play with home modifications?
• The role technology is playing in adapting the home environment
• The need for home modification assessments as senior’s abilities change.
• Suggested modifications for different parts of the home

This Monday, March 2, 2009, we will be discussing “Water Safety” with Mr. Rich Humann, P.E. Vice President, and Chief Water Resources Engineer with H2M.

PACNY Conference Opens on Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's 13th Annual Environmental Conference starts on Thursday, February 26 and runs until the 27 at the Turning Stone Casino, in Verona, New York. As usual Mr. Christopher Alonge from the NYS Department of Labor, writer of Industrial Code Rule 56, will be there to discuss the new Guidance Document and the recently announced Emergency Rule making regarding changes to Industrial Code Rule 56. In addition, Alyssa Talanker, Esq, Legislative Counsel - NYS Dept. of Labor will be discussing “Asbestos Successor Legislation – Implications for New York
Abatement/Remediation Contractors”. We look forward to going and hope to see some of you there.

Keeping Your Family Safe - Knowing Your Safety Equipment

Monday, February 16, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Karen Meyer, Certified Industrial Hygienist and Executive Vice President of Eco Advisors for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). The Eco Advisors is a professional environmental consulting firm headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Ms. Meyer discussed safety equipment that homeowners could use to protect themselves from various environmental hazards. In our program, we also covered the following points:

• Protective clothing and its proper use.
• Gloves – different types and which type to select
• Respirators – selection issues and proper fit
• HEPA vacuums – proper selection

This Monday, February 23, 2009, we will be discussing “Home Safety – Not Just Ramps and Grab Bars” with Fritzi Gros-Daillon founder of Transitions USA.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Sustainable Homes

Monday, February 9, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Marilyn Black, founder of the Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). The Greenguard Environmental Institute (visit there website at http://www.greenguard.org/) is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the Greenguard Certification Program. Dr. Black discussed Greenguard Certification Program and its impact on building materials and furnishings. In our program, we also covered the following points:

• The Greenguard Certification Program allows manufacturers to voluntarily certify their products, with a third party organization, as emitting low levels of various contaminants. Some contaminants cannot be present at all, while others have to meet recognized federal, state, local, or in some cases industry standards.
• There are no regulations requiring products to be tested, or for that matter what contaminants to test for or for the levels to test at.
• In developing an environmental footprint, you can find the best calculators on the internet.
• We discussed the impact that energy efficiency can have on indoor air quality.
• We discussed indoor air quality concerns with phthalates, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, mercury, and multi-chemical exposures.
• Concerns in sustainable homes with bamboo products and compact fluorescents.

This Monday, February 23, 2009, we will be discussing “Home Safety – Not Just Ramps and Grab Bars” with Fritzi Gros-Daillon founder of Transitions USA.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about NYC Guidelines

Monday, February 2, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Chris D’Andrea, an Environmental Scientist, and Certified Industrial Hygienist who oversees the Office of Environmental Investigations with the New York City Department Health and Mental Hygiene for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). Mr. D’Andrea is the editor of New York City’s “Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments. In our program, we discussed the guidelines and covered the following points:

• The differences between the current update and the previous guidelines.
• The importance of the visual inspection.
• The different cleaning methods of soap or detergent, disinfectants, fogging, and anti-microbials.
• Importance of removing the mold.
• Health effects appendix of the standard.
• Importance of removing moisture intrusion and its potential health effects.
• Changing remediation to three sizes versus four.
• Addition of the EPA table as a reference.

This Monday, February 9, 2009, we will be discussing Making a Sustainable Home Healthy with Dr. Marilyn Black founder of Greenguard Environmental Institute that oversees the Greenguard Certification Program.

NYS DOL Announces Guidance Document

New York State Department of Labor has released Guidance Document version 2.0. It has approximately 340 questions that NYSDOL is providing guidance on. Click on the title for the link.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about IAQ And Mold Certifications

Monday, January 26, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Charles Wiles, the executive director of the American Indoor Air Quality Council for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). In our program, we discussed the certification in the indoor air quality and mold industry. We covered the following points:

• Someone who is looking for a professional in the indoor air quality and mold industry should ensure the individual is licensed by federal, state, or local regulations. Since there are only a few states requiring licensing or certification (ie, MD, FL, TX), the individual you hire should have a voluntary certification.
• If the individual voluntarily certifies, the individual’s certification should be an industry certification versus a curriculum-based certification.
• An industry certification that meets the highest standards and qualifications must be issued by an industry organization that is accredited by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards, follow the International Standards Organization standard 17024, and is independent from the training providers.
• The American Indoor Air Quality Council has a number of certifications that meet these requirements visit there website at http://www.iaqcouncil.org/

This Monday, February 2, 2009, we will be interviewing Mr. Chris D’Andrea, a Certified Industrial Hygienist who oversees the Office of Environmental Investigations with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, regarding revisions to the City’s current guidelines on mold assessment and remediation.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about Mold Sampling

Monday, January 19, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Harriet Burge, formerly from Harvard’s School of Public Health and the current Director of Aerobiology at Environmental Microbiology Laboratories for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). In our program, we discussed the mold (microbial) sampling. We covered the following points:

• General discussion on fungi and molds.
• The most common health effect of molds is an allergic reaction.
• Other health effects include infections and fungal sinusitis. Health effects of mycotoxins are controversial.
• Fungi need water and food to grow. When fungi grow in places we do not want them we call them molds. Fungi and molds spread by spores.
• Three types of sampling (bulk, surface, and air).
• There are no standards.
• Each method has advantages, but air is the only way to document exposure.
• Viable (culturable) versus nonviable (particulate).
• Culturable sampling are strongly biased.
• Particulate sampling can be a very powerful tool.
• There are new methods but not commonly used yet.
• A number of samples are needed to get representative results and document exposure

This Monday, January 26, 2009, we will be interviewing Mr. Charles Wiles the executive director of the American Indoor Air Quality Council regarding certification in the indoor air quality and mold industry.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about Asbestos

Monday, Jan. 12, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Linda Reinstein, the Executive Director and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe" (see below for the website information). In our program, we discussed the dangers of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials. We covered the following points:

• More than 10,000 Americans die of asbestos caused diseases every year.
• India has the highest exposure to asbestos and is the second largest importer of asbestos.
• Worker exposure also affects family members at home.
• Asbestos – there is no ban, and has been listed as a human carcinogen for over 30 years.
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Health Organization, and the International Labor Organization, all believe that there is no safe exposure level to asbestos and that asbestos kills.
• Asbestos has a long legacy because it is virtually indestructible.
• Friable is a measure of asbestos’ ability to become airborne. Though an asbestos-containing building material may not be friable, that material can still release asbestos if homeowners work on it.
• Over 3,000 products contain asbestos.
• Once asbestos enters the body, especially the lungs, it is difficult to get the asbestos out of the body.
• Health effects – non-malignant and malignant diseases. Asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung, gastro-intestinal, and kidney cancers, pleural thickening, and pleural plaques all are life threatening. All reduce the ability to breathe.
• Construction and building trades are typically exposed to asbestos.

For more information download the podcast at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ click on the Green Talk Network and find the Keeping Your Family Safe host page. There you can download the podcast of the show and listen to it at your leisure.
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) (visit there website at http://www.adao.us/) is an all volunteer organization dedicated to offering education, resources, and support to asbestos awareness. The ADAO is working hard on establishing a ban on asbestos (visit the following website to join the ban or for more information http://www.banasbestos.us/). In addition, the ADAO is sponsoring the 5th Annual Asbestos Awareness Day Conference on March 27-29, 2009 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott, California (visit the following website for more information http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/). This Monday, January 19, 2009, we will be interviewing Dr. Harriet Burge of the Harvard School of Public Health regarding microbial sampling.

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about Lead Paint

Happy New Year everyone. On Monday, January 5, 2009 I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Eileen Franko, the Director of the Bureau of Occupational Health within the New York State Department of Health on my radio program "Keeping Your Family Safe." The interview was on lead paint hazards and we discussed the use of lead in paint, the health effects, the laws and regulations, and proper procedures for working with lead paint hazards.
During our interview Dr. Franko and I discussed:

• In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reduced the amount of allowable lead in homeowner, interior, exterior, furniture, and toy paints and varnishes to less than 0.06%.
• However, prior to 1978 paints and varnishes had lead added to them while paints and varnishes prior to 1950s could be up to 50% lead.
• Intact lead paint is not a hazard.
• Any activity that generates particles, dust, or debris can cause lead exposure.
• Lead exposure typically happens by ingesting (through contaminating food or drinks, and hand to mouth exposure primarily for children) or inhalation (breathing in the dust or particles).
• Lead exposure health effects for children include brain damage,nerve damage, reduced intelligence (IQ), learning problems, hearing problems, behavorial issues, and death. 2002 was the last death of a child from lead poisoning.
• Lead exposure health effects foradults include infertility, high blood pressure, teratogen effects, and lead can cross the placenta causing poisoning of the unborn child.
• Any blood lead is too much lead and the only way to determine the amount of lead in the body is through a blood test. Over 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood is considered elevated for kids and adults. For workers working with lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a construction industry standard of 50 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), OSHA, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have regulations on handling lead based coatings.
• Before performing work on buildings built prior to 1978, owners, occupants, and tenants should consider lead paint. Those considerations should include:
  - minimizing dust utilizing wet methods and practices to limit the creation of dust.
  - dust collection with vacuums with HEPA filtering.
  - the use of protective equipment such as respirators with HEPA filters, disposable suits and gloves.
  - use plastic to protect areas where dust is unwanted or to limit dust into areas where work is being performed.
  - remove furniture and other items to limit what is contaminated with lead dust.

Our next program will be Monday, February 12, 2009 at 2 PM eastern time. We will be interviewing Mrs. Linda Reinstein, the Executive Director of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, discussing the asbestos hazard. We hope you will join us.