The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently spearheaded a pilot study of dust removal in the area surrounding Ground Zero of New York City. Massive amounts of dust resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) have been found to contain high levels of asbestos, requiring specialized removal, said Mary Mears, EPA spokesperson for the New York City office.

The study, based in the 110 Liberty building near Ground Zero, is designed to help New York facilities remove dust most effectively by administering a comprehensive test of cleanup techniques. The building is a five-story multi-use facility that contains 12 apartments and six commercial spaces. According to the EPA, windows and storefronts facing the WTC were blown out resulting in heavy dust loads in those units.

Much of the building was cleaned professionally shortly after the disaster. However, it became re-contaminated by dust raised during WTC recovery work. Rooms are being tested specific to the interiors of each unit; special attention is being paid to dust-catching items such as carpets, drapes and curtains.

Cleaning techniques and methods that will be evaluated by the EPA include:

    — Household (non-HEPA) vacuum cleaners

    — Retail HEPA vacuum cleaners

    — Commercial HEPA vacuum cleaners

    — Air filtration devices

    — Wet vacuuming

    — Steam carpet cleaning

    — Wet wiping and washing

“The EPA has certain recommendations for removing contaminant dust,” said Mears. “In this case, however, initial cleaning was done that was not recommended by the EPA and we’re trying to evaluate that.”

For example, the EPA would not recommend using household vacuum cleaners for severe dusting that requires industrial cleaning equipment. But because household vacuums were used by many people initially, the EPA is trying to determine what effect that cleaning might have on the cleaning environment.

“A lot of these buildings are very heavily dusted,” said Mears. “We know for a fact that WTC dust does potentially contain asbestos. About a third of the samples we took had asbestos, so that’s our main concern right now.”

Ordinarily, asbestos removal requires adherence to specific guidelines. However, the September 11 disaster was cause for asbestos removal unlike any situation the EPA had experienced previously.

In addition to asbestos, the EPA has sampled other contaminants including lead, dioxins, silica, calcite/gypsum, fibrous glass and PAHs (Plynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons), common by-products of combustion.

“There are still people who are frightened that their own cleaning methods were not adequate. So we’re doing pre-sampling and post-sampling of cleaning methods to get an accurate picture,” said Mears.

Although emphasis in particulate cleaning has trickled down to the jan/san industry, there is still a big difference between industrial cleaning and disaster relief, says Jeff Bishop, chairman of the certification board at the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), Vancouver, Wash.

Manufacturers in the jan/san industry often use the term HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) for vacuums too lightly, he says. “The only real measure of a HEPA vacuum is that it can remove 99.97 percent of particles down to .3 microns.” The EPA is trying to separate the definitive dust particulate removers from the rest.

“A study like this will probably not bring a lot of new information that we haven’t seen in the past 15 years of studying dust remediation,” says Bishop, “but it shows the growing concern people have in wanting to make sure dust particles are actually being are removed, not just released into the air.”

—Alex Runner

World Trade Center Provides Disaster Cleanup Lessons

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ended its sampling of outdoor pollutants related to the World Trade Center fires and now has launched a multi-agency, comprehensive program to ensure that individual homes in the area have been properly cleaned. The EPA had been monitoring pollutants at the outdoor sites including asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxin, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals — pollutants similar to those found after other major industrial fires, earthquakes or floods.

“Companies need to go in understanding that it’s not a simple school cleanup,” says Steve Ashkin, president of the Ashkin Group, a company that helps businesses implement environmentally friendly cleaning strategies. “It’s not just a fire remediation. It’s everything all at one time in a highly charged environment.” Companies cleaning the World Trade Center disaster area will be under the magnifying glass of government and public scrutiny, he adds.

Cleaning companies must protect their workers and the building occupants from high levels of contaminants. Proper safety equipment is essential, and other precautions also may be necessary. For example, the ventilation system may need to be shut down to prevent pollutants from circulating within the building, Ashkin explains. Asbestos, metals, and other potentially hazardous substances must be disposed of appropriately.

Specific cleaning supplies depend on the building type and on the kinds and quantities of contaminants present. “Every piece of furniture is different, and every wall is different. In our room alone we probably have 250 different products that we use,” says Lyle Harris, operations manager at Emergency Restoration Services Inc., Chicago, a company that restores buildings and residential homes damaged by natural disasters. Products can range from mold prevention agents, to deodorizers and degreasers, to chemical sponges for removing soot from walls.

To help cleaning companies avoid mistakes, “distributors should have a specific knowledge of every cleaning product they have: what you should use it on and what you shouldn’t use it on,” says Harris.

— Jenna Harris

Death Tax Repeal Defeated

The U.S. Senate chose in a close vote not to side with the House of Representatives on whether to permanently repeal the Federal estate or “death” tax.

Current Federal estate tax law, enacted one year ago as part of President Bush’s tax relief bill, calls for a complete a phase-out of the death tax in the year 2010, but reinstates the levy in 2011. President Bush supports permanent repeal of the estate tax, and on June 6th the House of Representatives passed legislation to make repeal permanent.

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) and the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) were disappointed with the outcome and accused the Democrat-majority of the Senate of not being as interested in the needs of business as the Republican-led House.

“Several Senators who voted one year ago for the President’s tax bill just voted against making repeal of the death tax permanent,” said NAW president Dirk Van Dongen. “Voters are going to see this for what it is: legislative game-playing.”

State Lawmakers Increase Pesticide Fees

The state legislatures in Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin have all passed laws raising pesticide registration fees. Florida’s fees have been increased from $225 to $250; Michigan’s fees have been raised from $20 to $40 and Wisconsin has raised all fees collected under the state’s complex registration fee schedule.

All companies who market and sell pesticide products, including all antimicrobials, disinfectants, and sanitizers, are required to register their products and pay a registration fee in every state in which the products are marketed and sold. This is a requirement for both manufacturers and distributors of all pesticides.

As a whole, distributors who sell private label products are responsible for paying the required state fees, while distributors selling national brand products are advised to check with the product manufacturer or supplier to ensure that the product has been registered and the fee has been paid.

Paper Refund Coupons M.I.A.

After continuous delays, settlement coupons due to paper distributors from a 1997 price-fixing case against paper manufacturers still have not been delivered.

Distributors who were eligible for paper products coupons received a letter on April 4, 2002, apologizing for more mishaps in the payment process — the letter pointed to errors in printing the settlement coupons.

According to the letter from the prosecuting law firm, Heffler, Radetich & Saitta, “The settling defendants’ printer made an error in printing the coupons. Although the error was discovered quickly, it was not discovered until a small number of claimants, including you, were sent coupons.”

The most recent delay is not the first one. Since May 3, 2001, distributors have received three letters explaining why coupons have not arrived on time.

“The fact that these coupons had to be reprinted is a fiasco to me,” says Douglas Fink of SettlementCoupons.com, the company involved with making sure that coupons are traded properly once received.

Fink explains that the website for coupon trading is waiting along with distributors for manufacturers to deliver the correct coupons. “We want people to know that the trading website is not responsible for the delays.”

California IAQ Law Fails in Assembly

The California bill (AB 2332) that would have required the California Air Resource Board (CARB) to regulate indoor air quality was defeated on the floor of the California State Assembly by a vote of 31 to 35.

The bill would have established air pollution standards for products used indoors that emit chemicals. In an attempt to pass the bill, assemblyman Fred Keeley (D-Boulder Creek), the author of the bill, eliminated consumer products from those that would be regulated.

Nevertheless, according to Assembly representatives, businesses were in strong opposition to what were considered unnecessary regulations. According to the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), one of the organizations most closely involved in initial scrutiny of the bill, AB 2332 might have inadvertently worsened indoor air quality by limiting the use of products that play a substantial role in improving and protecting indoor environments.

The association called for a more specific definition of the term “pollutants”and requested that most cleaners, sanitizers, disinfectants and certain pesticides be exempt in addition to consumer products because they may actually improve the quality of air.

When the bill was amended to exclude consumer products, the CSPA took a neutral stance, changing from its stance of being firmly resistant. However, the proposed bill looked to remain a threat for the industrial cleaning industry, despite Keeley’s statements that the bill was more directed at giving clean-air protection authority to the proper area of government than increasing the severity of standards.

“AB 2332 was introduced to establish clear authority for the CARB to regulate indoor air quality (IAQ),” said Keeley.

News Makers

The Southern California Sanitary Supply Association (SCSSA) held its 24th annual trade show at Hollywood Park & Casino, Hollywood, Calif., last month.

Georgia Pacific Corp., Atlanta, has filed an initial public offering for its yet-unnamed consumer products, packaging and pulp spinoff. G-P said it would sell up to $1 billion in stock in the spinoff now identified as CP&P.

The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) has announced that it will conduct a Department of Transportation (DOT) hazmat refresher training program in conjunction with the 2002 ISSA convention in Las Vegas.

The 3M Co., Duluth, Minn., was awarded the Voluntary Protection Program Star from the Occupational Health & Safety Agency for its occupational health & environmental safety division.

The British Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) has released evidence that there is a likely link between airborne particles and causes of heart disease.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor recently reported that 56 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates of at least 6.5 percent in April, up from last year’s number of 25 metropolitan areas.

Mergers & Acquisitions

The Malish Corp., Willoughby, Ohio, has announced the acquisition of Hygrade Products, a co-manufacturer of a broad line of quality brushware and cutting boards primarily used in the foodservice and food processing markets.

Cascades, Kingsey Falls, Canada, has announced that the American Bankruptcy Court recently approved the previously announced purchase of a tissue paper mill, two conversion sites and a paper machine from American Tissue Inc., a manufacturer of tissue and fine paper. The transaction is valued at $3 million.

Novozyme, Salem, Va., recently announced the acquisition of George A. Jeffreys, another Salem-based manufacturer of enzyme-enhanced biological products. Novozyme is owned by Novozymes A/S, Denmark.

Regulatory News

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Boise area office and the Idaho Consultation Program at Boise State University have joined to publish a Small Business Resource CD.

The CD can be used interactively with the Internet and provides access to standards, directives and publications available from BSU and the OSHA websites.

The CD also contains sample written programs to assist employers on compliance with OSHA standards such as hazardous communication, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment assessment, energy control (lockout/tagout), hearing safety, bloodborne pathogen hazards and other safety guidelines.

Free Small Business Resource CDs may be obtained by calling (208) 321-2690.




POSTED ON: 7/1/2002