No WhiteWash!

In its most sweeping effort to determine whether toxic chemicals permeate the air schoolchildren breathe, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce plans today to monitor the air outside 62 schools in 22 states. Texas and Ohio have the most schools on the list, with seven each; Pennsylvania has six.

The plan will cost about $2.25 million and includes taking samples outside schools in small towns such as Story City, Iowa, and Toledo, Ore., and in large cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston. It comes in response to a USA TODAY investigation that used the government’s own data to identify schools that appear to be in toxic hot spots.

FULL COVERAGE: Toxic Air and America’s Schools

PEACE OF MIND: Schools glad to have EPA sample air

LIST OF SCHOOLS: Where EPA will monitor for air quality

TELL US: Has the USA TODAY toxic schools report helped you?

Read more via EPA to monitor 62 schools’ air – USATODAY.com.

The following collection schedule is organized chronologically for only those counties hosting an event this season. If your county does not have an event scheduled please check back for updates or contact your local HHW representative for more information about year round collection opportunities of BOPAE (batteries, used oil, paint, antifreeze, and electronic scrap) and more.   Mobile collection events are open to all Tennessee citizens, unless otherwise noted.  See the following links for additional information.

• Household Hazardous Waste Program
• Acceptable and Unacceptable Products
• Frequently Asked Questions About Household Hazardous Waste

Schedule

On March 12, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an Immediate Compliance Order to A & E Salvage, Inc., its President, Elisa J. Guevara Smith, Vice-President Mark Sawyer, and other officers, directors and employees requiring them to cease violations of federal asbestos regulations and to clean up and properly dispose of asbestos contamination at the former Liberty Fibers Rayon plant in Morristown, Tenn. The Order alleges that A & E Salvage violated the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Asbestos under the Clean Air Act, and also violated the terms of a consent agreement entered into by A & E Salvage and EPA on Aug. 8, 2008. Under the agreement, A & E Salvage agreed to thoroughly inspect the property, and develop and carry out plans for removal and proper disposal of asbestos waste materials that had been improperly disposed around the facility. Continue reading “A and E Salvage, Inc. Ordered to Cease Violations of Federal Asbestos Laws and to Clean Up Contamination at the former Liberty Fibers Rayon Plant in Morristown, TN” »

The latest amounts of potentially toxic material released from businesses and power plants in communities throughout Tennessee and the nation has been made available by the EPA.

The 2007 information that was just made public can be looked up within a zip code, county or state on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

The top 10 counties listed below have the largest “Total on and off site disposal or other releases”

The breakdown of Sullivan County, TN Toxic Chemical Release for 2007 by companies is below.  Eastman and Domtar are the largest contributors of Toxic Releases in Sullivan County.  Both of these two firms are located in Kingsport, TN

(Dallas, Texas – March 16, 2009) More than one trillion gallons of water are wasted in U.S. homes each year from easy-to-fix leaks. That’s why the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program is sponsoring “Fix a Leak Week,” March 16-20, 2009.

This week is an opportunity to improve the water efficiency of America’s homes by checking for and fixing leaks, which waste an average of 11,000 gallons of water per home each year. That’s more than enough water to fill up a backyard swimming pool. Here’s how to identify and address leaks around your home: 

• Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
• Search for toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl without flushing first, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately to avoid staining the tank.)
• If you decide it’s time for a new commode or faucet, look for WaterSense labeled products, which use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models. The vast majority of leaks can be eliminated after retrofitting a household with new WaterSense labeled fixtures and other high-efficiency appliances.

“Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water,” said Miguel Flores, EPA Region 6 Water Quality Protection Division Director. “By making a few small changes to our daily routines, we save a significant amount of water and help conserve water supplies for future generations.”

In the last year, WaterSense labeled products helped consumers save more than 277 million gallons of water and $1.6 million in water and sewer bills. The associated energy reduction from pumping and treating less water was 910,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. This is equivalent to eliminating 710 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The average home, retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures and appliances, can save 30,000 gallons per year. If one out of every ten homes in the U.S. upgraded to water-efficient fixtures, it could save more than 300 billion gallons and nearly $2 billion annually.

Visit the WaterSense Web site to learn more: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak More about activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6 EPA audio file is available for 30 days at http://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/mar2009.html</A

Listed below are the areas and counties that are not in compliance for EPA ozone levels.   Tennessee officials recommended they be placed on a watch list. The EPA could ask each county to come up with a plan to clean up their air.

TN Ozone Design EPA Transmittal Letter (letter to EPA from Tennessee)

TN Ozone NAA Designation (see the details for the counties}

Sullivan County

• Recommendation: Nonattainment.
• Air Quality Data: Hill Road monitor in violation of the standard (2006-08 design value – 0.081 ppm)
• Emissions: 16,878 tons per year of NOx and 20,849 tons per year of VOC (2005 NEI). The majority (63%) of the NOx emissions are from point sources. Mobile NOx sources account for (33%) and area NOx sources account for (4%) of the rest of the emissions. VOC emissions are generated from area sources at (50%), point sources at (30%), and mobile sources at (20%) of total emissions respectively.
• Population: 153,519 people (2007) and 371.7 people per square mile.
• Traffic: High VMT (4,393,590 VMT/day).
• Growth: The population grew 0.3% between 2000 and 2007. The VMT grew 11% between 2000 and 2007.
• Meteorology: The winds are climatologically from the west, west-southwest, and southwest.
• Geography/topography: Rural area with urban centers. Ridge and Valley topography covers the western portion while Unaka Smoky Mountains cover the eastern portion of the county.
• Jurisdictional boundaries: Entire County stays as part of the existing Kingsport-Sullivan MSA.
• Level of control of emissions sources: There are five major point sources in the county that reported for the 2005 NEI. They are: Eastman Chemicals (source 82-0003), Seaman Corp. (source 82-0007), Holston Army Ammunition Plant (source 82-0018), Microporous Products (source 82-0153), and City of Kingsport (source 82-0021). Emission units at these facilities are controlled for NOx and VOC emissions. Employed NOx control technologies including thermal oxidation, condensing, and flaring. VOC controls including thermal and catalytic oxidizers, wet scrubbers, packed bed scrubbers, activated carbon adsorbers, and condensers. City of Kingsport emission unit is now closed. Since 2005, the TAPCD requires the application of low NOx burner (LNB) technology at new and certain modified sources for NOx control. There is currently no I/M program for mobile emissions. Stage I vapor recovery is required for gasoline dispensing facilities.

Sullivan County Summary

1. Largest emissions for both VOC (20.8 TPD) and NOx (16.9 TPD) in the KB/JC CBSA.
2. Hill Road monitor violates the 8-hour ozone standard using 2006-08 (design value – 0.081 ppm).
3. Largest population in the area (153,519).
4. Largest annual VMT in the area (1.6 billion VMT/year).
5. Meteorological analysis is supportive of frequent contribution.
6. 0.3% population growth rate predicted between 2000 and 2007.
7. Located in the current 8-hour ozone maintenance area.
8. Emission reductions have been realized from previous VOC/NOx control requirements.

EPA has released a new online database that collects information on more than 500,000 man-made chemicals from over 200 public sources. The Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR) database allows access to hundreds of data sources in one place, providing a new level of transparency and easy access for environmental researchers, scientific journalists and the public. Sources of information include EPA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies; state databases, Health and Environment Canada, the European Union, the World Health Organization and other international groups; and non-governmental organizations, private companies and universities.

ACToR was developed to support the ToxCast program of the EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT). ToxCast develops faster methods to evaluate the potential toxicity for thousands of chemicals using computer modeling and advanced molecular biology techniques. ACToR was used to analyze toxicity information on almost 10,000 chemicals regulated by EPA and to identify data gaps to be addressed by ToxCast, which will greatly help EPA prioritize future testing of chemicals. Key findings are that while acute toxicity data is available for 59 percent of the surveyed chemicals, detailed testing information is much more limited. Twenty-six percent of the 10,000 chemicals have carcinogenicity testing data, 29 percent have developmental toxicity testing data, and 11 percent have complete reproductive toxicity test results.

More information on the ACToR database: http://actor.epa.gov/actor

EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology: http://www.epa.gov/ncct

Read more via 03/12/2009: EPA Releases Comprehensive Database on Environmental Chemicals.

It is good news that the taxpayers will not have to pay for the clean-up.  The bad news is, it will most likely be the customers of TVA that will end up paying for the clean up.

The state of Tennessee has ordered the Tennessee Valley Authority to pay the bill for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s response to the catastrophic fly ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant and to submit a formal plan for the cleanup.

That’s on top of the $1 million a day TVA officials say they are spending on the cleanup effort.  Read more on TVA cleanup

The recent problems with the spills that TVA has had recently has gotten TVA much publicly that they wish they didn’t have.

You should be aware that Kingsport, Tennessee has an industrial landfill that is owned by Eastman Chemical.  This landfill below is situated near Eastman Chemical and is accessible from Moreland Drive.  It also is east of the John B. Dennis Hwy (93) and almost directly behind the Wal-Mart on Fort Henry Drive.

In the photo below, you can see this is not a little landfill and It has at least four holding ponds.  The landfill is surrounded by the river on three sides.

One can also see an area that has a black substance dumped onto it.  What is this black substance?

In the case of the holding ponds, what happens if they overflow or burst?  What is in these holding ponds and why does earlier photos not show the ponds?  Was there a problem with run-off before the ponds and what was the impact on the environment?  How much run-off and seepage has reached the river since the landfill has been in operation?

Is this the only landfill that Eastman Chemical has used since George Eastman founded Eastman Chemical in 1920?  If not where were the others?

In the top left in the photo below is Eastman Chemical and John B. Dennis Hwy (93).

See previous posts: Eastman Chemical

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Most home-fire casualties occur at night when people are sleeping. The smoke and toxic gases generated by a fire can cause you to sleep more deeply, making the chances of survival slimmer. Here is what some experts recommend regarding smoke alarms:

• Smoke alarms should be installed in every sleeping room, outside of every sleeping area and on each level of the home. Make sure that everyone can hear the alarm and knows what it sounds like.
• Smoke alarms need to be maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Test the alarms monthly and replace batteries at least twice a year. The beginning and end of daylight saving time are good times to replace them.
• The smoke alarms themselves should be replaced every 10 years.
• Have a fire escape plan and practice it with your children.
• When the smoke alarm sounds, exit the home at once and meet at a set location. Read more on smoke alarms