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Toxic pollutants in fracking county air

New study finds fracking releases cancer-causing chemicals into the air many times higher than the EPA considers safe

The fracking process releases toxic chemicals into the air.

Emissions generated by fracking operations may be exposing people to some toxic pollutants at levels higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for long-term exposure, according to scientists from Oregon State University and the University of Cincinnati.

The researchers took air samples in Carroll County, the home of 480 permitted wells––the most in any of Ohio's 88 counties.

The team found chemicals released during oil and gas extraction that can raise people's risk of cancer and respiratory ailments.

Researchers caution they don't want to create undue alarm with their findings, but they say they hope the results will highlight the urgent need to conduct more in-depth studies of fracking emissions and the potential effects on human health.

"What we see here suggests that more needs to be known about the risks people face when exposed," said study co-leader Erin Haynes, a University of Cincinnati scientist.

Based on the data collected, researchers calculated the cancer risk posed by airborne contaminants in the Carroll County study areas.

For the worst-case scenario––exposure 24 hours a day over 25 years––they found that a person anywhere in the study area would be exposed at a risk level exceeding the threshold the EPA deems acceptable.

The lifetime cancer risk in the study area estimated for maximum residential exposure was 2.9 in 10,000, which is nearly three times the EPA's acceptable risk level of 1 in 10,000, according to the study.

Anderson cautioned that the study numbers are worst-case estimates and can't predict the risk to any individual.

The EPA did not respond to questions about the findings.

The study focused on pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These are organic compounds containing carbon and hydrogen, found in fossil fuels.

The study mirrored other research conducted in heavily fracked areas of the country, including Texas and Pennsylvania, that have focused on volatile organic compounds. These chemicals, including benzene and toluene, also are carbon-based chemicals in the same chain as those studied in Ohio––and they present similar dangers to human health.

With fracking on the rise across the country, the study authors and other scientists say there are simply too many unknowns about the potential health effects associated with the toxic chemicals released from oil and gas operations.

'Growing Concerns and a Lot of Questions'

The study got its start when a group of citizens approached Haynes, a public health expert at the University of Cincinnati, seeking information about health risks from natural gas extraction near their homes.

None of those people said they were sickened by breathing the air, but they wanted to know more about the potential consequences, Anderson said.

"There was some concern with all of the wells that were starting to go in around their homes," Anderson said. "People want to know; wanted to get answers about how all the [fracking] activity might be affecting them."

Anderson and her associates teamed with Haynes to design a study that relied on volunteers to collect air samples in Carroll County, which is home to about 30,000 people.

After volunteers were recruited through a community meeting and word-of-mouth, air samplers were placed on the properties of 23 volunteers; they lived or worked at sites ranging from immediate proximity to a gas well to a little more than three miles away.

The aluminum box monitors contained specially treated material that absorbed contaminants. The volunteers were trained in proper handling of the samplers and documenting data.

At the conclusion of the study, the samplers were sealed in airtight bags and returned to Anderson's lab at OSU for analysis.

The samplers picked up high levels of pollution associated with fracking in the areas studied, according to the report. Levels taken within one-tenth of a mile of a well were highest; they decreased by about 30 percent in samples taken a little more than three miles from a well.

Source: Inside Climate News 
This article has been edited for length.

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Toxic chemicals skyrocketing near fracking sites

A study found dangerous chemicals such as
benzene and formaldehyde near wells.

Oil and gas wells across the country are spewing “dangerous" cancer-causing chemicals into the air, according to a new study that further corroborates reports of health problems around hydraulic fracturing sites.

“This is a significant public health risk,” says Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany-State University of New York and lead author of the study, which was published Thursday in the journal Environmental Health.

“Cancer has a long latency, so you’re not seeing an elevation in cancer in these communities. But five, 10, 15 years from now, elevation in cancer is almost certain to happen.”

Eight poisonous chemicals were found near wells and fracking sites in Arkansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wyoming at levels that far exceeded recommended federal limits.

Benzene, a carcinogen, was the most common, as was formaldehyde, which also has been linked to cancer. Hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs and can affect the brain and upper-respiratory system, also was found.

The health effects of living near a fracking site have been felt elsewhere, according to separate research.

A study published last month by researchers from the University of Washington and Yale University found residents within a kilometer of a well had up to twice the number of health problems as those living at least 2 kilometers away.

For Carpenter's study, trained volunteers living near the wells conducted air measurements, taking 35 “grab air” samples during heavy industrial activity or when they felt symptoms such as dizziness, nausea or headaches.

Another 41 “passive” tests – meaning samples were taken during a designated period, not merely when levels spiked – were conducted to monitor for formaldehyde. The tests were then sent to accredited labs.

Not every sample exceeded the recommended limits. But in those that did – slightly less than half the samples taken – benzene levels were 35 to 770,000 times greater than normal concentrations, or up to 33 times the exposure a driver might get while fueling his or her car.

Similarly, hydrogen sulfide levels above federal standards were 90 to 60,000 times higher than normal – enough to cause eye and respiratory irritation, fatigue, irritability, poor memory and dizziness after just one hour of exposure.

Excessive formaldehyde levels were 30 to 240 times higher than normal, which a statement on the study described as “more than twice the formaldehyde concentration that occurs in rooms where medical students are dissecting human cadavers, and where most students report respiratory irritation.”

A law passed in 2005 by Congress included what's commonly known as the "Halliburton loophole," which exempts oil and gas companies from federal regulations involving the monitoring and disclosure of fracking chemicals.

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving, the longer you’re exposed to these things,” says Wyoming resident Deb Thomas, who saw a well open across the road from her in 1999 and helped collect air samples for Carpenter’s study.

“I had an asthmatic episode – I’ve never had any asthma, I don’t have a history of asthma. I ended up at the hospital where they gave me breathing treatments. I’ve had really bad rashes.”

Thomas has come across similar symptoms at other unconventional oil and gas sites across the country, where as executive director of the nonprofit group ShaleTest, she’s helped take air samples for low-income families and communities affected by fracking.

“We see a lot of cognitive difficulties,” she says. “People get asthma or breathing difficulty or nose polyps or something with their eyes or their ears ring – the sorts of things that come on very subtly, but you start to notice them.”

However, it’s difficult to determine which health issues are a result of oil and gas operations and which stem from other factors, because symptoms often start only gradually and government air quality studies have proved limited in scope.

“It’s really hard to say what’s from the actual exposure,” Thomas says. “It’s very scary. It’s very hard to get information about what the development is. One minute you’re living your normal life, the next, people start to get really sick and they can’t get any answers.”

Occupational risks for workers

The chemicals may pose major risks to oil and gas workers, too.

“The occupational exposures we’re not even talking about,” Carpenter says. “If anybody is exposed at the levels our results show, these workers are exposed at tremendous levels.”

The American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industry’s largest trade and lobbying group, and America’s Natural Gas Alliance, which represents independent gas exploration and production companies, both declined to comment ahead of the study’s release.

Spokesmen at each group referred questions to another industry organization, Energy In Depth, which dismissed the study's methods and conclusions as "dubious."

"Their commitment to banning oil and gas development, and their ideological position that fracking can never be adequately regulated, is clearly why this report comes to such harsh conclusions," says Energy In Depth spokeswoman Katie Brown, referring to the group that trained the volunteers, Global Community Monitor. "They were probably determined before the project ever began."

The study's findings came as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo weighed whether to end a state moratorium on fracking. Cuomo, a Democrat, had delayed the release of a state health department study on the industry until after elections.

As a professor and researcher in the New York state capital, Carpenter says he hopes his study “does influence the debate.”

“There’s certainly economic reasons to explore fracking,” he says. “I’m not religiously opposed to fracking. While I prefer renewable fuels, we’re a long way from that. I just want it done safely. There’s been debate about how safe or unsafe it is, and our results say there is a problem.”

Source: US News

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Gas workers may be exposed to dangerous levels of benzene: Study

Gas well workers exposed to benzene
have a higher risk for blood
cancers like leukemia, researchers say.

A new study this month reveals unconventional oil and natural gas workers could be exposed to dangerous levels of benzene, putting them at a higher risk for blood cancers like leukemia.

Benzene is a known carcinogen that is present in fracking flowback water. It’s also found in gasoline, cigarette smoke and in chemical manufacturing.

As a known carcinogen, benzene exposures in the workplace are limited by federal regulations under OSHA. But some oil and gas production activities are exempt from those standards.

The National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) worked with industry to measure chemical exposures of workers who monitor flowback fluid at well sites in Colorado and Wyoming.

A summary of the peer-reviewed article was published online this month on a CDC website. In several cases benzene exposures were found to be above safe levels.

The study is unusual in that it did not simply rely on air samples. The researchers also took urine samples from workers, linking the exposure to absorption of the toxin in their bodies. One of the limits of the study includes the small sample size, only six sites in two states.

Dr. Bernard Goldstein from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health says the study is the first of its kind. Goldstein did not contribute to the study’s research, but he has conducted his own research on benzene. And he’s treated patients exposed to the carcinogen.

“These workers are at higher risk for leukemia,” said Goldstein. “The longer, the more frequently they do this, the more likely they are to get leukemia particularly if the levels are high.”

The study looked at workers who use a gauge to measure the amount of flowback water that returns after a frack job is initiated. A spokeswoman for NIOSH says none of their studies draw any conclusions about exposures to nearby residents, but focus specifically on workers.

But Dr. Goldstein says it shows that there could be potential risks to residents as well.

“We’re not acting in a way to protect the public who are at high risk,” said Goldstein. “And we can’t even tell you who is at high risk. Yet we’re rushing ahead in a situation where all of the data are telling us that there are risks.”

Authors of the NIOSH benzene study said that more research with larger sample sizes should be done, especially since there was so much variation in the levels observed at different times and well sites.

The researchers also listed a number of recommendations for industry to take to reduce benzene levels on the job site. These include changing tank gauging procedures, training workers, limiting exposure times, carrying gas monitors, using respiratory and hand protection, and monitoring exposure levels.

Source: StateImpact

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Two chemicals banned from iPhone assembly factories

Apple is banning the use of benzene and
n-hexane in the production of iPhones.

Apple is banning the use of two potentially hazardous chemicals during the final assembly of iPhones and iPads as part of the company's latest commitment to protect the factory workers who build its trendy devices.
The decision comes five months after the activist groups China Labor Watch and Green America launched a petition drive calling on Apple Inc. to abandon the use of benzene and n-hexane in the production of iPhones.

A four-month investigation at 22 factories found no evidence that benzene and n-hexane endangered the roughly 500,000 people who work at the plants, according to Apple.

No traces of the chemicals were detected at 18 of the factories and the amounts found at the other four factories fell within acceptable safety levels, the Cupertino, California, company said.

Nevertheless, Apple decided to order its suppliers to stop using benzene and n-hexane during the final assembly of iPhones, iPads, iPods, Mac computers and various accessories.

What's more, Apple is requiring all its factories to test all substances to ensure that they don't contain benzene or n-hexane, even if the chemicals aren't listed in the ingredients.

Benzene is a carcinogen that can cause leukemia if not handled properly and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage. The substances are often found in solvents used to clean machinery and electronics.

Apple is still allowing use of the two chemicals during the early production phases of its products — activities that primarily take place at hundreds of other factories besides the ones responsible for the final assembly of the devices.

As an additional precaution, Apple is lowering the maximum amount of benzene and n-hexane that can be present in the materials used during those earlier phases of production.

Green America's petition drive collected nearly 23,000 signatures urging Apple to phase out benzene and n-hexane.

Neither chemical is unique to Apple's manufacturing process. They are also used in the production of electronics products sold by other large technology companies that have also been criticized for their practices.

Source: San Jose Mercury News
This article has been edited for length.

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UPDATE: 
Other technology giants still using hazardous chemicals, Greenpeace says. Read the full article here. 

Urban air cleaner than ever: EPA

EPA report shows progress in reducing urban air toxics across the United States

Urban air toxics have been reduced, but they
still  pose a threat to public health, experts say.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Second Integrated Urban Air Toxics Report to Congress - the final of two reports required under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to inform Congress of progress in reducing public health risks from urban air toxics.

“This report gives everyone fighting for clean air a lot to be proud of because for more than 40 years we have been protecting Americans – preventing illness and improving our quality of life by cutting air pollution - all while the economy has more than tripled,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

“But we know our work is not done yet. At the core of EPA’s mission is the pursuit of environmental justice - striving for clean air, water and healthy land for every American; and we are committed to reducing remaining pollution, especially in low-income neighborhoods.”

Using national emissions and air quality data, the Urban Air Toxics Report shows the substantial progress that has been made to reduce air toxics across the country since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

• A 66 percent reduction in benzene;
• A nearly 60 percent reduction in mercury from man-made sources like coal-fired power plants;
• An 84 percent decrease of lead in outdoor air, which slows brain development in children;
• The removal of an estimated 1.5 million tons per year of air toxics like arsenic, benzene, lead and nickel from stationary sources and another 1.5 million tons per year (about 50 percent) of air toxics from mobile sources. This is significant because air toxics (also referred to as hazardous air pollutants or HAPs) are known or suspected of causing cancer and can damage the immune, respiratory, neurological, reproductive and developmental systems;
• And, approximately 3 million tons per year of criteria pollutants, like particulate amtter and sulfur dioxide, have been reduced from cars and trucks as co-benefits of air toxics reductions.

EPA is working with state, local and tribal agencies to promote area-wide and regional strategies to address air toxics and support a number of community-based programs that help communities understand, prioritize and reduce exposures to toxic pollutants in their environment.

For example, in Indianapolis, the EPA is working with partners on the ground through an EPA grant for the “Building Lead Safe Communities” Project in the Martindale-Brightwood and Nearwest neighborhoods. They are addressing the risk of toxic lead exposure in children through outreach efforts and compiling block level soil lead data, identifying hotspots utilizing air sampling and developing synergistic local solutions.

Additionally, recent EPA actions will further address toxic pollution in communities. Since 2005, EPA has taken steps to address air emissions from stationary sources that include major reductions from boilers, power plants, and Portland cement facilities. For example, the 2011 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will prevent about 90 percent of the mercury in coal burned in power plants from being emitted to the air.

The 2007 Mobile Source Air Toxics rule is projected to reduce toxics emitted from highway vehicles and nonroad equipment, which are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health and environmental effects, by 330,000 tons in 2030, including 61,000 tons of benzene, and VOC emissions (precursors to ozone and PM2.5) by over one million tons.

The EPA expects reductions in air toxics from cars and trucks to grow to 80 percent by the year 2030 as newer, cleaner vehicles get on the road. The proposed updates to emission standards for petroleum refineries would reduce emissions from the 150 petroleum refineries across the U.S., many of which are located near communities.

It would also reduce emissions of chemicals such as benzene, toluene and xylene by 5,600 tons per year.  These efforts, along with the implementation and adoption of new and existing national rules for stationary and mobile sources of pollution, will improve public health for all Americans by providing further reductions in air toxics.

Source: EPA

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Family says drilling caused health problems

Those living near gas wells
say their health suffers.

Arguments are heating up in western Colorado and other areas over questions about human-health impacts from the region’s oil-and-gas industry.

In Texas, a jury recently awarded nearly $3 million to a family in Decatur, Texas, about 60 miles northwest of Dallas, over the family’s claims that nearby natural-gas extraction activities were making them sick.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, a Roaring Fork Valley doctor has conducted blood and urine tests on a family in Silt who also claim to have been made sick by nearby oil and gas activities.

In addition, Dr. John Hughes, of the Aspen Integrative Medicine group, who conducted the tests on the Silt family, confirmed on Thursday that testing is to be expanded and that he is seeking volunteers from among those living near natural-gas facilities in western Garfield County.

The oil-and-gas industry has long disputed claims that its activities make its residential neighbors sick, pointing to a lack of documentary proof of any such illnesses among those living near gas-drilling facilities.

And in Garfield County, air-quality-monitoring programs detected no violations of federal air-quality standards in 2013 other than “a slight increase in the amount of benzene detected in the air” compared with previous years, according to an April 21 article in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.

Still, the Colorado Health Department in February issued new rules for statewide regulation of air pollution by the oil-and-gas industry, and an array of those living near the industry’s wells and other facilities continue to maintain that their air is being fouled by industry activities.

Peggy Tibbetts, of Silt, along with her daughter, Ema, and 12-year-old granddaughter, Hailey, had their blood and urine tested in early April by a nurse working for Hughes.

The testing was done at the family’s expense, Tibbetts noted, saying it was an expensive process undertaken only after the family started showing symptoms that included upper respiratory infections, swollen glands, sore throat, congestion, coughing, sneezing, earaches, shortness of breath and itchy, watery, burning eyes.

The results of those tests have indicated that the family has been contaminated by what are known as volatile organic compounds, substances that are commonly associated with oil- and gas-extraction activities, according to data made available to Aspen Journalism by Hughes’ office.

VOCs in the blood

The samples were sent for analysis to a lab at Colorado State University, which detected the presence of volatile organic compounds — ethylbenzene and zylene — in the blood samples, Hughes reported.

The lab also detected metabolites — chemicals left over by the human body’s metabolic processes — of several volatile organic compounds in the urine samples.

The metabolites, according to the results sent to Hughes, indicated that the patients had been exposed to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, which together make up the BTEX group of volatile organic compounds, which often are associated with natural-gas activities and some of which are known to cause illness in humans.

Studies have concluded that exposure to certain BTEX compounds can result in skin and sensory irritation, depression of the central nervous system and effects on the respiratory system. Prolonged exposure to these compounds, researchers say, also can harm the kidney, liver and blood systems.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is sufficient evidence from both human epidemiological and animal studies that benzene is a human carcinogen. Workers exposed to high levels of benzene in occupational settings were found to have an increase in leukemia.

The family of Bill and Beth Strudley, who formerly lived on Silt Mesa, in 2010 began becoming ill, experiencing nosebleeds, skin rashes and other ailments.

They blamed their health problems on nearby natural-gas-drilling activity and have filed a lawsuit against the Antero Resources energy company that currently is before the Colorado Supreme Court.

Upon hearing about the Texas jury award, Tibbetts remarked, “It’s great news.”

Industry representatives have maintained that the facts of the case, which was filed as a “nuisance” suit under specific state laws, did not warrant the award, and Aruba Petroleum is likely to appeal.

According to the Law360 website, industry legal experts are worried that, even if the jury’s award is overturned on appeal, the jury’s findings could “give encouragement to plaintiffs considering bringing suit” over similar circumstances as those in Decatur.

Source: Aspen Times. The article has been edited for length.

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Smartphone factory workers exposed to dangerous chemicals

The number of victims of toxic chemical exposures keeps
rising, advocacy groups say.

Dangerous chemicals are killing workers in factories that assemble processor chips for Apple and Samsung smartphones, advocacy groups claim.

Worker representatives, advocacy groups and academics are demanding manufacturers lift their standards to eradicate the dangerous conditions causing occupational leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

With more than 100 victims and counting, they claim companies have so far turned a blind eye, and said that Samsung is actively subverting the victims' pursuit of compensation and justice.

The problem originates in 'clean rooms', dust-free environments where semi-conductors, used in electronics such as smartphones and LCD TVs, are produced.


Only armed with 'white bunny-suits' designed to minimise contamination, workers frequently handle and inhale chemical cocktails whose purpose is to sterilise materials, including wafers.

These chemicals include benzene, a carcinogen, and trichloroethylene, which are known to cause occupational leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

As the air is rapidly re-circulated, these enclosures incubate the cancer.

Toiling for prolonged periods every day, workers have contracted the disease just a few years after they started working at Samsung. Some died soon after.

In 2012, university researchers investigated 17 Koreans workers at Samsung's Giheung semiconductor plant who had contracted the cancers. They recommended all workers should immediately be protected from the potential exposures to chemicals.

However, they said more research was required to prove a formal link with cancer and semiconductor production, because Samsung hadn't granted access to the working conditions.

Samsung victims seek compensation

Korean-based worker rights group Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor Industry (SHARPS) is assisting more than 50 Samsung workers trying to claim workers' compensation from the government.

The first case was filed in 2007 and their ongoing efforts have achieved mixed results.

The government's workers' compensation fund initially refused to pay the victims, or their families, said SHARPS spokeswoman Dr Jeong-ok Yoo Kong. These decisions were subsequently overturned by the courts.

Now the government – with Samsung's help – is appealing to the country's High Court.

"Samsung has been joining the lawsuit to support the government as a 'name of reference' for the defendant," Dr Kong told Fairfax Media.

The victims want the government to pay compensation in order to set a precedent for all Samsung workers.

"They just want to open the door," she said.

The case will next be heard on May 15.

According to Korean reports, Justice Party representative Sim Sang-jung plans to introduce a bill into the South Korean parliament forcing Samsung to apologise and compensate the victims.

Kim Jun-shik, an executive vice-president of Samsung Electronics, last week told reporters in South Korea that the company is reviewing the proposals "in a sincere manner", and will make an official response soon. The company maintains a web page with information on benzene. It says it does not use benzene in its fabrication processes, but that researchers have found traces of it in its factories.

The United Nations International Labour Organisation has found serious chemical-related incidents happen in workplaces, and said there needs to be a global response by governments, employers, and workers to address the issue.

Global problem

The problems aren't limited to Korea's Samsung.

In China, 52 workers diagnosed with occupational leukaemia signed a declaration to ban benzene. Many of these worked at factories in Hubei where semiconductors are fabricated for the iPhone.

Apple has previously said it leads the industry in removing toxins from its products, and requires suppliers to meet, or exceed, American safety standards.

Ms White said occupational cancer is seriously under-diagnosed and subsequently under-reported by the government. It gives global brands a false sense of security and prevents workers from accessing the medical compensation they are owed.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald. This article has been edited for length.

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Indoor air quality tested with PTR technique

Emissions from paints and other
building materials contribute to
poor indoor air quality.

Human health is affected by the quality of indoor air and there are countless sources of airborne contaminants.

Emissions from adhesives in carpets, paint, wood fires, cooking, building materials and electronic devices like cell phones, TVs and computers are just some of the contributors. Being indoors, their effect is magnified because concentrations can build up if there is poor ventilation.

The quality of indoor atmospheres can be assessed by a technique called proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) due to the growing commercial availability of relatively small, mobile instruments that can be moved from location to location.

PTR is finding favor in a range of applications apart from air analysis, such as breath analysis for disease diagnosis and food analysis for sensory analysis and quality control.

In the simplest set up, H3O+ ions are produced by a hollow cathode discharge and are reacted with the pollutant molecules to give protonated molecules that are detected in a mass spectrometer.

The proton affinity of the target molecules must be greater than that of water for the reaction to proceed but this is the case for many common indoor pollutants. If not, other reagent ions like nitric oxide or krypton can be injected to produce the protonated reagents.

The ionisation technique is gentle, generally producing no other ions apart from the protonated molecules, but this is sufficient for monitoring purposes if the analytes are known.

Apart from detecting certain airborne pollutants, PTR-MS can also be used in a dynamic way to follow their levels over time. The viability of this approach has been demonstrated by European scientists who carried out a range of different experiments on different materials.

Applications of PTR-MS in Indoor Air:

1) Watching paint dry

2) Printing volatiles and building boards, including

• Laser printer operation
• Diffusion of toluene through a gypsum board (calculating diffusion coefficients)
• Measuring the emission of toluene 

These examples used PTR quadrupole mass spectrometers but another application used a PTR-time-of-flight instrument in which the high-resolution capabilities allowed compounds to be identified as well as measured. This ability was demonstrated by studying the steady-state emission of volatile compounds from an oriented strand board, a type of building board.

The research team recommend the use of PTR-MS for analysing processes and materials in test chambers, like those they used for the current experiments.

Having said that, they point out that the technique does have its drawbacks. Target compounds with low proton affinities could be influenced by the humidity of the surrounding air. In addition, calibration to determine the analyte concentrations can be difficult.

The positive points are the good time resolution, high sensitivity and robustness of the technique. The low mass resolution of PTR-MS on quadrupole instruments can be countered by the new generation of PTR-TOF mass spectrometers to give a broadly applicable technique for studying indoor volatile compounds.

Source: SpectroscopyNOW.com

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EPA to act on leaking containers at New Jersey facility

EPA obtains warrant to address over 1000 drums and containers at New Jersey facility; Ongoing investigation reveals presence of hazardous materials

Leaking drums and containers can
be a public health hazard.

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has obtained a federal warrant to do the necessary cleanup work at the Superior Barrel & Drum company facility in Elk Township, New Jersey, where more than a thousand unlabeled or improperly labeled drums and other containers have been left in a state of disrepair.

Many of the drums are leaking their contents onto the ground and are exposed to wind and rain.

The EPA and the NJDEP are currently investigating the drums and containers at the site under a warrant that was previously issued by a federal judge when the facility owner refused to give the EPA access to the facility.

The EPA is working with Elk Township, the local fire and police departments and the NJDEP on the investigation and cleanup of the facility.

The EPA is currently evaluating what substances are present in the drums and containers and assessing whether they could cause a chemical release or fire. The site is partially in a federally protected wetland.

Hazardous materials can cause health issues

The EPA began its investigation on August 30, 2013. Field tests indicate that some drums contain hazardous materials, including corrosive and flammable chemicals.

The preliminary results of samples sent to the laboratory show the presence of volatile organic compounds such as benzene and other hazardous substances such as lead.

Exposure to these pollutants can have serious health effects. Benzene is known to cause cancer and lead is a toxic metal that is especially dangerous to children because their growing bodies can absorb more of it than adults. Lead in children can result in I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems.

The EPA is continuing to sample the contents of containers and drums at the site. The first set of final laboratory data is expected in the next few weeks. The EPA has secured the facility by installing fencing, warning signs and round the clock surveillance.

Once it completes its investigation, the EPA will work with state and local agencies to take appropriate steps to remove the hazardous waste and protect the public.

For photos and information about the EPA’s work at the Superior Barrel & Drum site, click here.

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Gulfshore clean-up worker claims benzene exposure

Source: The Louisiana Record

A captain of a vessel assigned to clean-up the oil spill in the Gulf has filed a lawsuit claiming she was subjected to a hostile work environment and exposed to benzene.

E. Darlene Morgan-Hudson filed suit against Cal Dive International Inc. in federal court of New Orleans.

Morgan-Hudson was working for the defendants from December 2009 through July 24, 2011 as a master of various vessels. She claims she was subjected to a hostile and unsafe work environment while being “battered, harassed, intimidated, and threatened.”

The plaintiff claims she was called offensive names by co-workers, received reports that crew members would not work with her because of her gender, was isolated and ostracized at safety meetings because of her gender, was advised that she was inadequate and incapable of performing her duties as master because of her gender and was physically and psychologically battered by a co-employee.

In addition to the hostile work environment, in April 2010, Morgan-Hudson claims that she was required to captain the M/V American Fox into the oilfield and spread dispersants without the proper safety equipment for protection from benzene exposure. In June 2011, she became sick as a result of the harassment and exposure to the dispersants.

Morgan-Hudson claims she has been deemed medically “unfit” for return to offshore work as a Master in the Maritime.

The defendant is accused of negligence for failing to appropriately address, investigate and correct or act upon repeated complaints of sexual harassment and battery, negligence for failing to establish anti-sexual harassment protocol and for the negligence and unseaworthiness of the vessel.

The plaintiff is seeking an award of damages for loss of earning capacity, physical pain and mental anguish, medical expenses, interest, and court costs.

Former Power Plant Worker Says "Liquid Wrench" Gave Him Cancer

A former power utility plant worker has filed a benzene complaint against Radiator Specialty of North Carolina. Homer A. Lindsay says the defendant’s "Liquid Wrench" product caused his multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in the plasma cells and collects in the bone marrow.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Lindsay, says that as an employee of the New Orleans Public Services Inc., a power utility plant, he was exposed to benzene-containing products, specifically, Radiator Specialty’s Liquid Wrench. He used the product to perform maintenance, repairs, and the installation of instruments, controls and piping.

Benzene, a known carcinogen, enters the body through the skin, lungs, or digestive tract. 

A number of medical studies have indicated that long-term exposure to benzene and other industrial solvents may increase the risk of developing multiple myeloma.

(Source: www.harrismartin.com)

Worker files suits against Refineries in PA, NJ, OH, DE for benzene exposure

Source:HarrisMartin.com
A former independent laborer has filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania state court, claiming that his exposure to benzene-containing products lead to his acute myelogenous leukemia.

The suit contends that Andre Harvey’s work as an independently contracted laborer and boiler maker at several refineries in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Ohio exposed him to the chemical.

Benzene is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor. It is among the top 20 most widely used chemicals in the U.S. The EPA has classified benzene as a Group A, know.n human carcinogen and says people occupationally exposed to benzene have an increased incidence of leukemia




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Concerned about workplace chemical exposure? Contact an Electrocorp air quality expert for a customized solution. We specialize in industrial chemical, odor and particle removal.

Dangerous chemicals abound when working with cars

Auto body shops and garages often expose workers to toxic chemicals

Working with cars -
an occupational risk?

For those who love cars, repairing them sounds like a great job -- but the occupational health risks can be substantial.

For one former mechanic turned musical activist, more than three decades of working in the auto repair business have opened his eyes to the dangers of chemicals.

Randy Bigness blames his cancer on his long-time exposure to chemicals such as benzene, a common ingredient in fuel, oils and other petroleum-based products.

He also developed chemical sensitivities and allergic reactions to substances such as dust.

The former mechanic has dedicated his life to music and to raising awareness about chemical dangers in his industry, talking to auto shop workers everywhere he goes.

Slow to recognize health effects

Working in his auto repair shop, Bigness thought he was simply tired and says he didn’t realize his immune system was compromised. Only after multiple health issues that wouldn’t respond to antibiotics and an extreme sinus infection did he allow the possibility of a more serious problem.

Tests revealed he suffered from chronic myelogeneous leukemia (CML), a cancer caused by a genetic mutation acquired later in life.

The former mechanic says he worked with benzene all the time when he had to clean parts, breathing in the fumes and getting splashed with the solvent. Benzene is one of the most widely used solvents in the United States.

According to OSHA, benzene is a carcinogen. "With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia," the OSHA website states.

"Long-term exposure may affect bone marrow and blood production. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death."

Are you, or someone you know, a car enthusiast? Tell us what you think about these health hazards.

Source: Popono Record

Activated carbon air cleaners for benzene fumes

The AirRhino can accommodate
a 100 lb. activated carbon filter
to remove VOCs such as benzene.

Benzene vapors as well as diesel and fuel emissions and other volatile organic compounds found in auto repair shops and garages can be mitigated effectively with the right air filters.

Along with adequate ventilation and other protective measures, Electrocorp’s air cleaners for auto repair shops and garages offers deep-bed activated carbon filters to provide cleaner and healthier air.

The activated carbon removes those gaseous pollutants, odors and fumes in the ambient air that can affect the workers over time.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.

Follow this blog to show your support for green and healthy working environments.

Workplace exposure to solvents can affect thinking skills: Study

Less educated people may have cognitive problems later in life after working with solvents

More education may protect workers from the effects of
exposure to solvents and other chemicals over a lifetime.

Researchers found that people with less than a high school education may be affected by reduced thinking skills later in life if they have been exposed to solvents at work.

However, the same amount of exposure did not affect the thinking skills of people who have completed more education.

More education earlier in life may help build up a buffer for cognitive skills, the researchers theorize, building up a denser network of connections in the brain.

The study included more than 4,000 workers who were employed at the French national gas and electric company for most of their careers.

The researchers assessed their lifetime exposure to four types of solvents:

1. Chlorinated solvents
2. Petroleum solvents
3. Benzene
4. Non-benzene aromatic solvents

The participants’ thinking skills were tested when they were 59 years old. A total of 58 percent of the workers had less than a high school education, and 32 percent had cognitive impairment (problems with thinking skills), compared to 16 percent of workers with higher levels of education.

Non-benzene aromatic solvents showed the highest risk of cognitive problems, followed by benzene solvents and then chlorinated and petroleum solvents.

The study authors say that education earlier in life could serve as a protective shield against a variety of known and unknown exposures during a lifetime.

The study is published in the May 29, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Source: American Academy of Neurology

Air cleaners for airborne chemicals and VOCs

Solvents are a major source of exposure to chemicals and VOCs for workers that inhale them on a regular basis.

Along with other health and safety measures, a portable air cleaner with many pounds of the right type of activated carbon can help remove those airborne gases and chemicals and provide cleaner and healthier air.

Electrocorp manufactures highly efficient air cleaners for industrial and commercial applications that feature some of the largest adsorbent surface areas and longest lasting carbon filters.

Contact an Electrocorp air filtration expert for more information.
  

Fracking air pollution rules to curb airborne chemicals

Chemicals released by fracking wells may be harmful
to human health to varying degrees.

The Environmental Protection Agency has finally issued air pollution rules for fracking wells last week, regulating the smog-producing compounds and gases that are released when the wells are first tapped.

In the United States, some 13,000 wells are drilled every year to collect natural gas and oil from shale formations through a process called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.”

The rules will go into effect in about two months and apply during the first period after a well has been drilled when natural gas is venting but production hasn’t started.

Right now, drillers can burn off the gas, but in 2015 they will be required to collect it.

This phase-in of a green completion of new fracking wells will give enough time to companies to adjust, regulators say.

Right now, fracking wells release smog-related chemicals that have been linked to asthma, respiratory ailments and cancer and the new rules aim to curb that pollution.

Water is by far the largest component of fracking fluids. The initial drilling operation itself may consume from 6,000 to 600,000 US gallons (23,000 to 2,300,000 l; 5,000 to 500,000 imp gal) of fracking fluids.

Over its lifetime an average well will require up to an additional 5 million US gallons of water.

Chemical additives used in fracturing fluids typically make up less than 2% by weight of the total fluid. Still, there could be as many as 632 chemicals used in natural gas operations.

Some may be harmless, but others vary widely in toxicity. Some are known carcinogens, some are toxic, and some are neurotoxins.

Some of the potentially harmful chemicals include

• Benzene
• Ethylene glycol
• Methanol
• Boric acid
• And more

Source: USA Today, Wikipedia

Keep homes and business safe from airborne chemicals

Air and water monitoring may be necessary to know how fracking can impact the environment and people in the area.

But indoor spaces can benefit from a portable and highly efficient air cleaner with activated carbon and HEPA to remove airborne chemicals, VOCs, gases, odors and fumes as well as particles, biological contaminants and mold.

Electrocorp’s activated carbon + HEPA air cleaners feature large adsorbent surface areas and can remove chemicals such as benzene, ethylene compounds, and many more.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.

Study links air pollution from fracking with health risks

Chemical intruders? Living close to a fracking site
can be harmful to human health, researchers say.

Hydraulic fracturing, a booming oil and gas drilling method, may cause air pollution that may contribute to acute and chronic health problems for people living near natural gas drilling sites, a new study from Colorado School of Public Health shows.

Researchers monitored Colorado fracking sites for three years and found that the air near the wells was polluted with potentially harmful chemicals, including benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene.

Benzene is a known carcinogen and the other toxins have been linked to a wide range of symptoms.

Living within a half mile of a natural gas drilling site increased the health risks substantially. In Colorado, companies are allowed to drill for natural gas within 150 feet of homes.

Since hydraulic fracturing involves injecting water and sand laced with chemicals into shale formations in the ground, opponents have been focusing on the effect the process has on the underground and surface water.

However, the focus may now shift to the air pollution that comes with fracking sites and the potential health effects that those living close by may experience, including eye irritation, headaches, asthma symptoms and cancer.

The EPA is looking at new rules to curb air pollution at oil and gas drilling sites.

The study report will be published in Science of the Total Environment.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Filter out harmful chemicals with carbon air cleaners

Potentially harmful chemicals like benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene can be removed from the ambient air with the right granular activated carbon air filters.

Electrocorp works with environmental consultants and other professionals to help residents and companies close to fracking sites breathe cleaner and healthier air indoors.

Electrocorp’s air quality specialist will help determine the right carbon blend or impregnation to be the most effective for these chemicals.

For more information and recommendations, please contact Electrocorp today.
  
See also:

• Air purifiers for xylene and formalin exposure
• Occupational safety and health: Xylene exposure
• Doctor says studies needed on fracking health concerns

 

Toxic benzene leaking from gas fields

Leaks include benzene,
scientists say.

Air pollution from drilling operations much worse than thought, scientists say

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is warning about high methane and benzene gas levels escaping from oil and gas drilling operations in Colorado.

The scientists stumbled onto their discovery after setting up a routine tower-based monitoring system a few years ago.

When one tower recorded high levels of methane and benzene, they tried to find the source and traced it back to oil and gas production in northeastern Colorado’s Weld Country.

The gas operations were leaking double the amount of methane than previously thought and they also leaked other pollutants, including benzene, which is regulated by the EPA because of its toxicity.

The researchers were also concerned about other volatile organic compounds leaking out.

NOAA published its results in the Journal of Geophysical Research in late February.

Source: Summit Voice

Protect workers and residents from toxins near gas fields

The problem with high levels of gases and VOCs outdoors is that they may enter homes and buildings and affect workers and residents.

The best way to handle toxic compounds such as benzene is with activated carbon air filters, which can quickly and efficiently adsorb these gaseous pollutants.

Electrocorp offers industrial-strength air cleaners with the largest activated carbon filters and the most effective airflow and designs to help keep indoor air clean.

Electrocorp works with environmental consultants, government buyers and those looking to improve the indoor air quality in work spaces or buildings.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
 

Cancer-causing chemicals found in chip factories

Workers at chip-making lines may be exposed to
carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde.

A new study found traces of leukemia-linked carcinogens in semiconductor-producing factories and other chip makers, according to the Korea government.

The study was conducted between 2009 and 2011 at various factories and found low levels of benzene, formaldehyde and radiation.

While the levels were below those generally deemed a health hazard, this is the first time a study found evidence of these chemicals in chip factories, something that civic groups and employees have been saying for a long time.

At Samsung, workers became worried after some employees died of leukemia while or after working at the chip manufacturing lines, according to an article in the Korea Herald.

Benzene was found in 0.00038 ppm and 0.00990 ppm in two different chip-making lines ― both below the permitted 1 ppm.

The levels should not pose a health risk to workers exposed to them for eight hours a day over a lifetime, officials said.

The study also showed higher than permitted levels of arsenic, a carcinogen linked to lung cancer.

Source: Korea Herald

Remove airborne pollutants with industrial-strength air cleaners

No matter what the concentration of benzene, formaldehyde and other toxins, these chemicals can be harmful to human health.

An industrial air cleaner with the right air filters can help remove airborne chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde and help keep the air clean.

Electrocorp’s air cleaners for commercial and industrial applications feature the most relevant filtration media and the largest adsorbent surface areas for maximum efficiency.

The filtration system contains many pounds of activated carbon and can be filled with a variety of carbon blends to target specific pollutants, a HEPA filter for particle filtration, pre-filters and optional UV germicidal filtration.

For more information, contact Electrocorp today.
  

Site history an important factor when planning new schools

Children are susceptible to poor indoor air quality in school.

Having enough schools is important, but not every site is suitable.

This blog has featured tons of entries about schools plagued by vapor intrusion from contaminated land, water or air, the effect of nearby highways and industrial plants, mold, radon and other factors known to influence the indoor air quality in schools.

Building schools on suitable sites should be a priority, since children are so much more susceptible to environmental pollution. As they are still growing, they eat, drink and breathe more in proportion to their body size than adults do.

In one of the latest school-location dramas, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is planning to build an elementary school in a working class neighborhood that would mean polluted property, a high-traffic area, train tracks and towering industrial plants nearby.

School would sit on contaminated land

The proposed site previously housed a gas station and a car wash.

Preliminary testing revealed eight underground gasoline storage tanks (one of them leaking) and unsafe levels of the chemical benzene in the soil.

Benzene is often used as a solvent and can also be a gasoline additive. The final extent of the contamination won’t be known until more testing is done.

CPS bought the property “as is” and would have to pay for all cleanup costs before building a school on top of it.

The school district paid $1.1 million for the property, and officials say there is a desperate need for a new elementary school in the community.

Aside from the soil concerns, the area also suffers from poor indoor air quality because of a coal-fired power plant in nearby Hammond and thousands of trucks, cars and freight trains.

Poor air quality or contamination issues become a concern because pollutants can enter the building and build up indoors.

Parents are concerned about the proposed site and would have preferred an expansion to the existing schools.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Good IAQ a must in schools

RAP Series: Carbon
air cleaners.

Whether it’s an old or a new school, good indoor air quality is a must nowadays.

Studies have shown that indoor air pollution in schools can cause or aggravate asthma and respiratory disease, lead to poorer attendance and lower productivity as well as other serious health issues.

Proper upkeep of the building, good ventilation and in many cases air cleaning will help keep the indoor air quality in schools at the optimal level.

Electrocorp’s air cleaners for schools and universities feature a deep-bed activated carbon filter for the removal of harmful chemicals, gases and odors, a HEPA filter for fine particles, dust and allergens and optional UV germicidal filtration for the neutralization of bacteria, viruses and mold.

The air cleaners are stand-alone filtration systems or they can be attached to the ventilation system. They are designed to run around the clock on a low setting to keep a steady supply of clean air circulating in a room.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
  
Related Posts:

• Mold forces school closing in Montreal
• VIDEO: Indoor air pollution in schools
• Environmental exposures troubles schools