Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On June 30, 2007, workers at a Little General gas station and convenience store in Ghent, West Virginia, were transferring propane from an existing propane tank (that did not meet safety codes) to a new propane tank (that did meet safety codes). During the transfer, the old tank began to leak flammable propane vapor. The […]
Terry Reynolds, a 55-year-old Kansas homeowner, just wanted to relight the pilot light of his propane water heater on August 6, 2009. Unfortunately, the propane tank was leaking heavier-than-air propane gas into the water heater’s enclosure, and instead of lighting the pilot, Reynolds blew his house off its foundation and suffered burns over more than […]
Small manufacturers tend not to have the staff or resources that larger manufacturers do when it comes to bowing to pressure to make products and processes greener. We at the Advisor are always on the lookout for tips and suggestions to help small companies and manufacturers make their operations more environmentally friendly. Today we offer […]
An environmental monitoring system called IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) is an environmental justice tool available to folks in California communities for reporting environmental concerns. What is IVAN? The partnership among local, state, and federal agencies and community groups, which started in 2009, has been implemented in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles, the Imperial […]
A refrigerant formulator was recently fined $300,000 by the EPA and the Department of Justice for violations of SNAP regulations. First, let’s look at what the pertinent regulations say, then at what the company allegedly did, and finally what the fix will be. Note: Under SNAP, a “producer” is any person who manufactures, formulates, or […]
Many refrigerants have been determined to be ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and have been targeted for phaseout under the Montreal Protocol. Chemicals used in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning industrial sector is one group for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed and identified substitutes under the Clean Air Act’s (CAA) Significant New Alternatives Policy […]
In this case, a foundry coke manufacturer in northern New York State will pay $2.75 million for alleged CAA, CWA, and EPCRA violations—and that is just the fine. ‘Citizen Scientists’ Complained A critical point in this case is that federal and state inspections came in response to local citizen complaints. The community even did their […]
The Senate Majority Leader is itching to pass legislation that allows your state to opt out of the Obama administration’s CPP rule. Some states are trying to pass laws so that their legislatures will be able to veto the rule, and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin recently issued an Executive Order prohibiting the state’s Department of […]
So, should you wash, dry, or toss your solvent-contaminated rags? How About Dry? We can tell you right away, don’t hang your solvent-contaminated wipes out to dry. Let’s take that one off the table. Never mind the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations you would be facing, you will also have great big headaches […]
What are nanoscale materials? Nanomaterials are chemical substances that have structures with dimensions at the nanoscale—approximately 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). To get an idea of their size, a human hair is approximately 80,000 to 100,000 nm wide. The thinking is that nanomaterials may have properties different from the same chemical substances with structures at […]