NFL Lawsuit regarding Indoor Air Quality

FAIRFIELD, Conn., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Former NFL center LeCharles Bentley's lawsuit against the Cleveland Browns raises new awareness and concerns about air quality in professional sports training facilities, locker room and stadiums, says Steve Levine, President and CEO of AtmosAir Solutions.
Bentley sued the Browns on July 22nd over a career-ending staph infection he says he contracted at the team's training facility.
"Assuring NFL facilities have clean air is not only crucial for a player's health, but when a team spends millions of dollars on its athletes, it's just a very smart way to protect your investment," says Levine, whose company already works with the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs.
Staph infections at athletic training facilities are often traced to contact with bacteria. Treating surfaces is generally temporary. A more permanent fix is installing air purification ionization systems, like those developed and installed by AtmosAir. They rid the root of these infections over extended time and help insure athletes remain healthy and germ free.
The AtmosAir bi-polar system (which can be integrated into HVAC systems in homes and buildings or used as standalone portable units) lets air pass through a patented ionization tube, which energizes the air to form bi-polar (or positive and negative) air ions. The airflow then distributes the ions into all of the spaces served by the duct system. There's no continual maintenance, no filters to keep changing or collector cells to constantly clean. The only maintenance required in most cases is a once yearly replacement of the ionization tube.
Bentley's attorney, Shannon Polk, said the lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court seeks at least $25,000 in damages for alleged fraud and negligent misrepresentation. Polk said Bentley nearly died from the infection while he was rehabbing from a knee injury. The Browns declined to comment.
The Chicago Cubs minor league facility at Fitch Park in Mesa, AZ. recently installed an AtmosAir system and has reported positive results.

ASHRAE Publishes 2010 Residential IAQ Standard

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2010, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the only nationally recognized indoor air quality standard developed solely for residences. It defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable indoor air quality in low-rise residential buildings. The 2010 standard encourages home retrofits to improve indoor air quality through allowance of alternative methods for meeting the standard’s requirements regarding kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. The standard currently requires fans in those rooms. “This change makes the standard much easier to use in home retrofits, which is very important considering massive federal and state government efforts in this area,” Steven Emmerich, committee chair, said. “For example, installation of new equipment in some existing homes can be a barrier in terms of expense and practicality. Under the alternative compliance path, the overall whole-house ventilation rate can be increased to compensate for insufficient or non-existent bathroom exhaust.” The overall approach to residential ventilation in the standard has not changed since the 2007 version was published, such as whole house mechanical for most houses, local exhaust in baths and kitchens and some source control measures. Additional improvements to the standard include more accurate factors for intermittent whole-house systems; changes to better limit unintended (potentially contaminated) air transfer from garages, leaky ducts, adjacent housing units, and other such spaces; and deletion of an exception for certain climates that had allowed the use of windows instead of fans given that studies have shown that windows are not used enough and are unreliable for ventilation. The cost of Standard 62.2-2010 is $54 ($46, ASHRAE members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore. ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education

Improving Indoor Air Quality

(NAPSI)-If you like to think of your home as a safe haven to escape pollution, you may want to take a deep breath before stepping through your front door.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor pollution levels are two to five times greater than those found in the outdoor air.
While this can be a serious problem for those suffering from asthma, allergies or emphysema, it's not healthy for anyone, especially small children. Because they breathe in 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults, children are more vulnerable to the effects of pollution.
Efforts to rid your home of dust, dirt and allergens could even make things worse, as many poorly sealed and filtered bagless vacuums add to the pollution by releasing lung-damaging particles back into the air.
Here are a few tips to help reduce indoor air pollution.
• Properly maintain heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, changing filters regularly.
• Use only nontoxic household detergents and cleaning agents.
• Open the windows when weather permits.
• Clean up water leaks that can lead to the formation of mold.
• Choose a vacuum cleaner with a filtering dustbag and reputation for providing superior dust retention and filtration. Bagless vacuum cleaner bins can be an environmental hazard when emptied into the garbage. Dust poured from a bin emits fine particles back into the air. That's also true for any open bag that's pushed into a garbage bag.
A recent independent scientific study shows that some vacuums with HEPA filters do not effectively protect a home's air quality and unfiltered air may escape, releasing as much as 2−14 million lung-damaging particles per minute into the air on average.
These particles can pollute indoor air quality for hours after the vacuum is turned off.
The scientific study showed that the Miele vacuum, with its Sealed System engineering, equipped with a unique AirClean Filter-bag and certified HEPA filter, had significantly lower rates of particle emissions than competitive models. The vacuums captured and retained over 99.9 percent of harmful and lung-damaging irritants, making them a serious cleaning tool for maintaining an allergy-friendly environment.

First Call: TSCA Inventory Update – June 1 to Sept 2011

Craig A. Calvert, Ph.D., C-CHO
August 2, 2010
Welcome to the August issue of the Industrial Safety Newsletter. As the current year starts passing us by and we start planning for next year, one important report is due – the TSCA Inventory (Form U submissions). In short if you…“manufacture (including import) 25,000 pounds or more of a chemical substance at a single site during calendar year 2010, you may need to report under the Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) regulation 40 CFR Part 710 subpart C” (USEPA). Please note that there are exceptions, so consult a TSCA expert to determine your exact requirements. This issue of the safety newsletter will review the reporting process. We hope that you find this newsletter useful and look forward to providing you with the quality service and information that has made Fuss & O'Neill EnviroScience successful.
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Ÿ TSCA was enacted to prevent particularly toxic chemicals from being produced*
Ÿ Part of TSCA is the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory, which tracks chemicals produced in the US.
§ The information is gathered to monitor the chemicals produced in the US
Ÿ The definition of a chemical substance is:
“any organic or inorganic substance of a particular molecular identity, including: (i) any combination of such substances occurring in whole or in part as a result of a chemical reaction or occurring in nature, and (ii) any element or uncombined radical.” (EPA) Note: This includes certain microorganisms and there are exceptions.
Ÿ Generation of the 2011 Report is based on 2010 manufacturing quantities
§ The next IUR submission period is currently planned for June 1 - September 30, 2011
§ Changes are expected from the 2006 reporting procedure
§ Note to inorganic chemical manufacturers:
Inorganic chemicals are no longer partially exempt from the IUR rule
The partial exemption was a one-time exemption for 2006 reporting only
Ÿ A summary of the data from the 2006 inventory is available in an EPA report*
Ÿ EPA is working on a number of changes for 2011 reporting
§ Making the electronic reporting easier and more accessible to all potential reporters
§ Redesigning the electronic IUR reporting software
§ EPA is deliberating on changes to the specific reporting requirements
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Fuss & O'Neill is a multi-disciplined industrial hygiene and environmental engineering firm that has provided a wide variety of regulatory reporting services. Our experts will work with your facility to ensure safe, timely, and legal submission of your Form U. In this process we will lead you through the process or take the lead for you. The goal of our service is to provide timely and correct submission of your TSCA regulated chemicals.
*For more information and for copies of the referenced documents contact:
Craig A. Calvert, Ph.D., C-CHO
ccalvert@fando.com
(860) 646-2469 x5571

For more information on TSCA visit: www.tscaconsulting.blogspot.com/

Addressing your needs with professional, safe, innovative, responsive, and economical solutions.

Chatfield School PCB cleanup to cost $500G

SEYMOUR — The discovery of “trace amounts” of PCBs at Chatfield School will not halt the planned expansion, but it will cost a half million dollars to eradicate the toxins from the school’s exterior windows and brickwork.Chatfield School Building Committee Co-Chairman Don Smith updated the Board of Selectmen Tuesday on the $32.5 million project that will add 50,000 square feet of space, and renovate 38,000 square feet of existing space to the 44-year-old elementary school on Skokorat Street.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PCBs have caused cancer and have other adverse health effects on the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.At Chatfield School, PCBs were found in the caulking around some of the outside windows. Indoor air quality tests have been done to ensure the air is safe when students and staff return to school this fall. Smith said the committee is awaiting the results of those tests.Smith said a plan to remove the PCBs has been approved by the EPA and state Department of Environmental Protection. The plan includes the replacement of all affected windows, which Smith said was already planned in the project expansion, as well as removal of the affected brickwork and soil below the windows, where Smith said the PCBs migrated.The $500,000 price tag to eradicate the problem, Smith said, is available in the project’s contingency fund.As part of the abatement plan, Smith said the committee must apprise residents of the discovery of the PCBs, and have a detailed remediation plan to rid the facility of the toxins.“It’s not that extensive (the amount of PCBs found),” Smith said. “But we are on the leading edge of it, and will have everything removed.”Smith also said that the state recently approved Seymour’s 60.36 percent reimbursement rate. With construction documents complete, Smith said they will be sent to the state Department of Facilities Review Unit for approval. Smith hopes to break ground in October.The project, which residents approved at an October 2008 referendum, includes a two-story addition with 37 classrooms, and will accommodate students from Chatfield and LoPresti schools. The gymnasium will also be expanded, the entire building will be air conditioned and heating will provided by an energy-efficient geothermal system.Smith expects the project will go out to bid next month. The new classroom wing should be ready for occupancy in September 2011, while other renovations should be done by October 2011. LoPresti students are slated to occupy the school in September 2012.

NAHB to Sue EPA Over Lead Paint Regulations

The Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (LRRP) applies to homes constructed before 1978 when lead paint was banned. Its opt-out provision, which expired July 6, let consumers allow contractors to bypass extra preparation, clean-up and recordkeeping requirements in homes where there were no children under 6 or pregnant women, thus avoiding additional costs.
"Removing the opt-out provision more than doubles the number of homes subject to the regulation," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "About 79 million homes are affected, even though EPA estimates that only 38 million homes contain lead-based paint. Removing the opt-out provision extends the rule to consumers who need no protection."
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association joined NAHB in filing the petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The group will challenge EPA's action on the grounds that the agency substantially amended its LRRP regulation without any new scientific data and before the regulation was even put into place on April 22, 2010.
"Even under the original rule, the opt-out provision was not available in homes where small children or pregnant women live," Jones said. "That shows that this change provides no additional protection to the people who are most vulnerable to lead-based paint hazards."
Remodelers' and other contractors' estimates of the additional costs associated with the lead-safe work practices average about $2,400, but vary according to the size and type of job. For example, a complete window replacement requires the contractor to install thick vinyl sheeting to surround the work area both inside the home and outdoors - with prep time and material costs adding an estimated $60 to $170 for each window.
"Consumers trying to use rebates and incentive programs to make their homes more energy efficient will likely find those savings eaten up by the costs of the rule's requirements. Worse, these costs may drive many consumers - even those with small children - to seek uncertified remodelers and other contractors. Others will likely choose to do the work themselves - or not do it at all - to save money. That does nothing to protect the population this rule was designed to safeguard," Jones said.

Radon in the United Kingdom

HPA targets cancer causing natural gas
Reporter: Dave PartonDate online: 08/07/2010
A new initiative to reduce concentrations of radon in UK homes has been launched today (8 July) by the Health Protection Agency. Radon is responsible for an estimated 1,100 lung cancer deaths a year. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps from the ground into all buildings and is the biggest source of human exposure to ionising radiation in the UK.
Concentrations of radon depend on a number of factors, including geology, the type of foundation, the positioning of service pipe work and internal ventilation levels. After reviewing the latest scientific evidence along with the costs and benefits of radon reduction measures, the HPA is keeping its Action Level of 200 Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq m-3), however, it is introducing a new Target Level of 100 Bq m-3. The reviews follow recent advice and improved evidence on the risks from radon issued by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Target Level has been introduced after research published since 1990 gave scientists a greater understanding of the risks to health from exposure to radon below 200 Bq m-3. Furthermore, the HPA now has significantly more experience of the efficiency of remediation measures. Although low level exposures can still lead to lung cancer, the risks at these levels are low and can be further reduced by simple improvement measures designed to increase under floor ventilation. Dr John Cooper, director of the HPA’s Centre for Radiation, Chemicals and Environmental Hazards, said: “We are retaining the Action Level of 200 Bq m-3 so that our efforts can be firmly focussed on those at greatest risk. “However, the new Target Level of 100 Bq m-3 will enable us to ensure people are aware that even below 200 Bq m-3 there are still risks to health and simple remediation measures can be taken to reduce these. “The HPA recommends that people in homes where radon levels have been recorded between the two figures should think carefully about preventative action to protect their health. “Together with our previous recommendations to Government on the inclusion of basic radon protective measures in all new buildings, the new advice is an appropriate practical response based on good scientific evidence of the risks of lung cancer from radon exposure.” The HPA recommends that Target and Action Levels should be applied to other buildings where members of the public spend more than 2,000 hours per year and specifically, to all schools. Radon measurement programmes are arranged from predictions of the probability that homes and other buildings in different parts of the country will have radon concentrations exceeding the Action Level. HPA recommends that householders in intermediate and higher probability radon areas should have measurements made of indoor radon concentration in their home. Householders can find out the likelihood that their home is above the Action Level at www.ukradon.org.

PCBs at Umass

AMHERST (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - The University of Massachusetts is scrambling to complete the removal contaminants from the school's largest student housing area in time for the start of fall classes.
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were discovered in the concrete and caulking of the concourse at the Southwest Residential Area during renovations in the spring. Southwest consists of 16 dorms, including five high rises, housing about 5,500 students.
That's about 44 percent of those who live on campus. UMass is nearing the end of a multiyear project to update the concourse's electrical system and replace the concrete with vegetation. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports the task of removing the PCBs is expected to delay finishing the project to summer 2011.
PCBs have been linked to health problems, including cancer.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a commonly used chemical found in many consumer products and building materials. It can be found in such products as plywood, carpeting, paint and insulation to name a few items. Formaldehyde is also a by-product of combustion and other industrial processes. In new construction, and in recently remodeled buildings, the new building materials, coatings and furnishing often off-gas high levels of formaldehyde and other VOCs. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen. The health effects associated with elevated levels of formaldehyde exposure have been closely studied in recent years and have brought to light the dangers from prolonged and repeated exposure. Exposure to elevated levels of formaldehyde can also trigger asthma attacks, nausea, watery eyes, headaches and difficulty breathing as well as other health problems. The current “permissible exposure limits” (PELs) for formaldehyde in the workplace are 0.75 parts per million (ppm) as an 8 hour time-weighted average (TWA). This means that exposures for an 8 hour work day should not exceed 0.75 ppm PEL. “The length of exposure to formaldehyde, or to other VOCs, and the overall health of those being exposed are all factors that determine how building occupants will react when exposed,” reported Ed Chambers, President of EC2, Inc. (ec2). “Residential and commercial property owners in the greater Chicago area and Northern Illinois call on ec2 as the experts when problems with indoor air quality, formaldehyde or other VOCs occur.” EC2, with over 4,000 IAQ investigations successfully resolved to date, has the experience and knowledge to quickly solve clients’ IAQ problems.