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New Large Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards from EPA

New standards were announced on October 25th from the DOT and EPA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in heavy-duty trucks and buses. The standards, which are set to be phased in on new vehicles in 2014, will include requirements to improve fuel efficiency which benefits businesses, the shipping industry, and cities and towns.

Getting Good Field Data without a Workout

Dave Tomsey

When I was first introduced to perimeter air monitoring, I walked in circles for days, literally.  Every half hour I recorded a reading in my field book and moved to the next assigned point. This necessary, tedious process continued for days, weeks, and months. At the end of each day I watched an entire job crew file through the gates to the parking area as I stood by in envy.  After a deep breath of annoyance and gloom,

Teamwork in HazMat Response

Capt. John DeFillippo, CHMP, EMT-B

I recently reviewed a student HazWOPER field exercise. I’ve seen good execution many times, but this class was not one of them. Why not? Poor planning. It always comes down to planning. Whether you are working together for the first time or are a part of a regular response team, what you do before you suit up definitely dictates the outcome.

“If you fail to plan, you better plan to fail”

I was told that phrase many

Understanding Employee Safety Affects the Corporate Bottom Line (as demonstrated by Upper Big Branch Mine)

Paula Kaufmann, CIH

National Public Radio (NPR) recently reported their findings of an investigation of safety issues at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia.  I was listening to the report while enjoying my morning walk in a nearby park.  It stopped me in my tracks!

As part of their investigative report, NPR discovered that there were situations at the mine when the methane gas monitors on continuous mining machines were disabled because

EPA: Air Monitoring at Schools…the Results are IN

Lee Bishop, CIH

Have you ever wondered if the air your kids are breathing at their school is safe?  Well, so has the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).

The US EPA has completed sampling outside air at 63 elementary, middle, and high schools in 22 states.  Even better yet, they have completed the analytical work associated with these samples and have uploaded more than 22,500 results to the EPA website.

The EPA is now analyzing

Could a Bhopal Disaster Happen Here?

Dian Cucchisi, PhD, CHMM

The Bhopal Disaster has been in the news again with the eight former company executives getting convicted of negligence.    A court in the Indian city of Bhopal returned the verdict on June 7, 2010, more than 25 years after the incident

What was the Bhopal Disaster?

For those of us old enough to remember, the words “Bhopal, India” brings to mind the very tragic events of December 2, 1984.  On that day a

Learning from H1N1 – Employers Need to Consider Continued Pandemic Threats

Genya Mallach – CSP
Most recently, we have had to educate ourselves on the wide-spread outbreak of influenza virus, H1N1, and the precautions necessary to break the pandemic, which is far from over. Not to downplay the risk of the H1N1 virus, a virulent, drug resistant form of Tuberculosis (TB) has appeared in the United States. This disease is so ancient that it has been found in the spine of a 4,400-year-old Egyptian mummy. Tuberculosis is still the

My Immunity, No More

Losing a (Once Winning) Battle with Poison Ivy
Paula Kaufmann – CIH

For years I was the “go to person” when poison ivy was spotted in a yard – I was the neighborhood “poison ivy abatement expert”. I could always remove (yank out) the vines and clean up the debris with no rash appearing on my skin. I thought I was immune to the allergic response of the poison ivy sap. But, I was wrong.

As an industrial hygienist,

Top 10: Know Heat Stress

Top Ten Things You Need to Know About…HEAT STRESS
Paula Kaufmann – CIH

1. Our bodies get stressed by heat and then are unable to cool down by sweating.
2. An overload of heat is often caused by a combination of high temperature and high humidity, which can be made more “stressful” by no breeze moving by our skin, direct sun, and physical exertion
3. Heat-related illnesses are heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
4. Heat rash, prickly heat is caused by