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Showing posts with label contamination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contamination. Show all posts

Friday, July 11, 2014

CDC Laboratory Safety Errors: The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

After watching newly released The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I viewed the announcement from the the Director of the US Center for Disease Control about the CDC's recent safety errors flowing from cross contamination of viruses.

One cannot miss the "CDC" logo on the vehicles all over the movie and references to the mutated laboratory virus that was accidentally released and killed most the US population.

The CDC reported today:

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report today that reviews the early June incident that involved the unintentional exposure of personnel to potentially viable anthrax at the CDC’s Roybal Campus. The report identifies factors found to have contributed to the incident; and highlights actions taken by the agency to address these factors and prevent future incidents. Based on a review of all aspects of the June incident, CDC concluded that while it is not impossible that staff members were exposed to viable B. anthracis, it is extremely unlikely that this occurred. None of the staff who was potentially exposed has become ill with anthrax."

Bottom line is that CDC cross contaminated deadly pathogens and potentially exposed workers subjecting both them and the population at large to deadly viruses.

Scary as it sounds, it happened. Safety protocols of all laboratory workers need dramatic improvement. That improvement should begin with our Government setting a better example for all of us to follow.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

There Are 1,401 Uninspected High-Risk Oil and Gas Wells. Here's Where They Are.

Today's post was shared by Mother Jones and comes from www.motherjones.com

In May, the Government Accountability Office estimated that an even larger share of new wells on federal land—57 percent—were not inspected. While the revised 40 percent figure, which was first reported by the Associated Press, is lower, it's "still not a very good number," acknowledged BLM spokesperson Bev Winston.

Between 2009 and 2012, the BLM tagged 3,486 new oil and gas wells as "high-priority," meaning they are deserving of special scrutiny because of their proximity to ecologically sensitive areas like watersheds and forests, or because they tap into geologically volatile formations that increase the likelihood of an explosion or toxic gas leak. The data includes both conventional and unconventional wells and does not indicate how many of the wells were hydraulically fractured, or fracked.

"We're scattered, and you can't be everywhere at once," a top BLM official said.

According to the GAO report, the agency's own rules call for all high-priority wells on federal and Native American land to be inspected during the drilling stage. That's the only time when key facets of a well's construction—whether the well casing is properly sealed, or whether a blowout preventer is correctly installed, for example—can be adequately inspected. Once the well is drilled, retroactive inspection becomes difficult or impossible, according to a BLM engineer.

Because the window for drilling inspections at any given well opens and...
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Monday, September 23, 2013

Breathe Deep....on the airplane OR not?


Welcome sulfur dioxide,

Hello carbon monoxide
The air, the air is everywhere
Breathe deep, while you sleep, breathe deep
Lyrics from HAIR, The Broadway show

This post is shared from OH-world.org.

A review of chemical exposures associated with "fume events" on aircraft hears about two UK studies that found low levels of organophosphate contamination.


I attended a meeting of the UK Committee on Toxicity (COT) of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment to discuss our work on oil contamination in aircraft. This was one of a number of projects that were commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) following an earlier review, which included: a pilot study to scope methods for measuring air concentrations, analysis of data on the occurrence of fume events in British commercial aircraft, the main study measuring contaminant levels in cabin air and our study of residues on surfaces in aircraft.

Back in 2007 the COT reviewed information submitted by the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) about the possible effects on aircrew health from hydraulic fluid smoke/fume contamination incidents in commercial aircraft. These incidents occur infrequently because of small leaks in the engine, which result in a very fine oil mist being carried into the aircraft ventilation system. A key concern is the small amounts of organophosphate compounds present in the hydraulic oils. In their review the COT concluded there was insufficient evidence to show there was a causal association between cabin air exposures, either generally or following incidents, and ill-health in commercial aircraft crews.


Read more:
Oil contamination in aircraftA review of chemical exposures associated with "fume events" on aircraft hears about two UK studies that found low levels of organophosphate contamination.http://johncherrie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/oil-contamination-in-aircraft.html 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

EPA Proposes Plan to Address Contaminated Soils and Ground Water at Maywood Chemical Company Superfund Site in Maywood and Rochelle Park, New Jersey: Cleanup Estimated to Cost $17 Million

Some industries leave a legacy of illness and pollution. Building factories near the waterfront even complicates the clean-up further. The Passaic River in NJ provided a sewer in the past for industrial pollution, NJ has had to cope with Super Fund cleanups.Today's post was shared by US EPA News and comes from yosemite.epa.gov

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a plan to address contaminated soil at the Maywood Chemical Company Superfund site in Maywood and Rochelle Park, New Jersey.
The EPA was directed to set standards for radi...
Photo credit: Wikipedia)


Previous industrial activity at the site resulted in contamination of the soil and ground water with volatile organic compounds, radioactive waste and metals. Exposure to these pollutants can have serious health effects, and in some cases, increase the risk of cancer. The EPA proposal calls for a combination of removing and treating contaminated soil.

"The cleanup plan proposed by EPA will address the contaminated soil and reduce the risk posed by the contamination to people’s health and the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “The EPA encourages the public to attend the Maywood Chemical Company Superfund site meeting and share their views on the proposed plan.”

The EPA will hold a public meeting on September 9, 2013, to explain the proposed plan and is encouraging public comments. The meeting will be held at the Maywood Public Library, Trinka Hall (lower level) at 459 Maywood Avenue, Maywood, New Jersey, from 7:00-9:00pm. Comments will be accepted until September 23, 2013.Operations at the former Maywood Chemical Works began in 1895 and from 1916 to 1955 included thorium processing, which produced radioactive waste. Other...

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Jon L.Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Cancer Alley: NJ Meadowlands to be Tested for Cancer Causing Substances

The area around the NJ Turnpike has long been called "Cancer Alley," the the US EPA is now going to investigate past dumping of cancer causing substances in the New Jersey Meadowlands near the Hackensack River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a legal agreement with

Apogent Transition Corp., Beazer East, Inc., Cooper Industries, LLC and Occidental Chemical Corporation to conduct a study of the contamination at the Standard Chlorine Chemical Company, Inc. Superfund site in Kearny, New Jersey as part of the cleanup plan for the site. The site, which is in the New Jersey Meadowlands and is next to the Hackensack River, is contaminated with a number of hazardous chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin. The study of the nature and extent of the contamination and an evaluation of potential cleanup methods are essential steps in the cleanup process. The estimated value of the study work is $750,000. The companies will also pay for the EPA’s costs in overseeing the performance of the study.

Fish consumption advisories have been issued for the Hackensack River due to the PCBs and dioxin contamination, originating in part from the Standard Chlorine site. PCBs are likely cancer causing chemicals and can have serious neurological effects. Exposure to dioxin can also result in serious health effects, including cancer.

“This agreement marks an important step in the cleanup of the Standard Chlorine Chemical site,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Today’s agreement illustrates how the Superfund law works to make polluters, not taxpayers, pay to clean up sites like this one.”

The 25-acre site was formerly used for chemical manufacturing by various companies from the early 1900s to the 1990s. Operations at the site included the refinement of naphthalene for use in the production of certain industrial products, the processing of liquid petroleum naphthalene and the manufacturing of lead-acid batteries, drain-cleaner products and the packing of dichlorobenzene products. The soil, ground water and two lagoons were contaminated with dioxin, benzene, naphthalene, PCBs and volatile organic compounds. The site was originally littered with tanks and drums containing hazardous substances including dioxin and asbestos. Prior to placement on the Superfund list, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection sampled and studied the site and partially cleaned it up along with instituting measures to contain the pollution in the short-term. At the request of the NJDEP, the EPA added the site to the Superfund list in September 2007.

EPA Adds the Riverside Industrial Park in Newark, New Jersey to the Superfund List

Seven Acre Site along the Passaic River Contaminated with PCBs and Volatile Organic Compounds

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added the Riverside Industrial Park in Newark, New Jersey to the Superfund National Priorities List of the country’s most hazardous waste sites. After a 2009 spill of oily material from the industrial park into the Passaic River, the EPA discovered that chemicals, including benzene, mercury, chromium and arsenic, were improperly stored at the site. The agency took emergency actions to prevent further release of these chemicals into the river. Further investigation showed that soil, ground water and tanks at the Riverside Industrial Park are contaminated with volatile organic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).


Benzene, mercury, chromium and arsenic are all highly toxic and can cause serious damage to people’s health and the environment. Many volatile organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals and can cause cancer in people. Polychlorinated biphenyls are chemicals that persist in the environment and can affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and are potentially cancer-causing.

EPA proposed the site to the Superfund list in September 2012 and encouraged the public to comment during a 60-day public comment period. After considering public comments and receiving the support of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for listing the site, the EPA is putting it on the Superfund list.

“The EPA has kept people out of immediate danger from this contaminated industrial park and can now develop long-term plans to protect the community,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “By adding the site to the Superfund list, the EPA can do the extensive investigation needed to determine the best ways to clean up the contamination and protect public health.”

Since the early 1900s, the Riverside Industrial Park, at 29 Riverside Avenue in Newark, has been used by many businesses, including a paint manufacturer, a packaging company and a chemical warehouse. The site covers approximately seven acres and contains a variety of industrial buildings, some of which are vacant. In 2009, at the request of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the EPA responded to an oil spill on the Passaic River that was eventually traced to the Riverside Avenue site. The state and the city of Newark requested the EPA’s help in assessing the contamination at the site and performing emergency actions to identify and stop the source of the spill. 

The EPA plugged discharge pipes from several buildings and two tanks that were identified as the source of the contamination. In its initial assessment of the site, the EPA also found ten abandoned 12,000 to 15,000 gallon underground storage tanks containing hazardous waste, approximately one hundred 3,000 to 10,000 gallon aboveground storage tanks, two tanks containing oily waste, as well as dozens of 55-gallon drums and smaller containers. These containers held a variety of hazardous industrial waste and solvents. Two underground tanks and most of the other containers were removed by the EPA in 2012. 

The EPA periodically proposes sites to the Superfund list and, after responding to public comments, designates them as final Superfund sites. The Superfund final designation makes them eligible for funds to conduct long-term cleanups. 

The Superfund program operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. After sites are placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated waste sites, the EPA searches for parties responsible for the contamination and holds them accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. The search for the parties responsible for the contamination at the Riverside Industrial Park site is ongoing.
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For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.  Click here now to submit a case inquiry.

Read more about the EPA:
Apr 19, 2013
"U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action officials did not complete planned corrective actions under its Libby Action Plan in a timely manner. This occurred because the scope of the work was larger than originally ...
Feb 21, 2013
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined six Arizona school districts a combined total of $94,575 for Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) violations. More than 15,000 children attend the 25 ...
Mar 07, 2013
Today the PBS NEWSHOUR airs a documentary, EPA Contaminated by Conflict of Interest, on how the chemical Industry is quietly delaying implementation of regulation of Chromium VI. The compound, hexavalent chromium, ...
Mar 14, 2013
Poisoned Water: Chromium IV - What the EPA Hasn't Done. Corporate water pollution in the US is the subject of a current PBS-TV (Public Broadcasting Network) series. In part one of a two-part series, PBS NewsHour Science ...