Staff Reporter

Feb. 28-March 4 is Flood Safety Awareness Week

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

By Patrick Lynn

As winter melts away to spring, it also marks a return to flood season. Flooding from melting snow or heavy rain is one of the most common and most costly natural hazards in Wisconsin.

To encourage everyone in the state to be prepared, Gov. Tony Evers has declared Feb. 28 – March 4 Flood Safety Awareness Week in Wisconsin. ReadyWisconsin and the Department of Health Services is asking everyone in the state to take this week to assess their flood risk and learn how to protect themselves before, during, and after a flood.

“Floodwaters can rise in a matter of seconds, creating a potentially life-threatening situation,” said Greg Engle, acting Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator. “People often underestimate the force and power of water. Since 2010, more than a dozen people in the state lost their lives during flooding. The more people heed warnings and avoid flooded areas, the more lives we can save.”

Much of Wisconsin is currently experiencing drought conditions, but heavy rainfalls can still produce flooding quickly. While you can’t always stop the waters from rising, the following tips can help improve safety for you and your community before a flood:

Know your flood risk. Assess the potential for flooding on your property if you live in a flood plain or near a body of water, or have a basement. Plan with your family for what you will do if the floodwaters begin to rise.
Build a “Go Kit.” Include items such as food, water, cash, medications, and copies of important documents (personal identification like passports and birth certificates, medical records, insurance policies, and financial documents).
Make an emergency plan — If you can’t make it home or need to leave quickly, identify a meeting place for your family. Make a list of emergency numbers and important contacts.
Keep water out of your house. Clean gutters regularly, direct downspouts away from your foundation, repair cracks in your foundation, improve grading so water flows away from your house, and cover window wells.
Investigate flood insurance. Standard insurance policies generally do not cover flooding. Most flood coverage requires 30 days to take effect. Find more information about flood insurance options at https://www.floodsmart.gov/.
Move valuables out of the basement. Store important records and documents in waterproof containers on upper levels of your home.

Follow these tips during and after a flood:

Stay up to date on the forecast. Identify multiple ways to receive alerts about dangerous weather conditions and potential flooding, such as a NOAA Weather Radio, trusted local news outlets, and mobile weather apps.
Never drive or walk through flooded areas — turn around, don’t drown! Just six inches of fast-moving water can sweep adults off their feet, while 12 inches can carry away a small car. Be especially careful while driving at night.

Take steps to protect your health:

Stay out of floodwaters, which can contain bacteria from human and animal waste, sharp objects, hazardous chemicals, downed power lines, and other dangerous items.
If your home floods, follow cleaning and disinfection guidelines to avoid mold growth.
If the power goes out for more than four hours, throw out refrigerated food or any food that came into contact with floodwater.
If your drinking water well is flooded, disinfect the well and test the water to make sure it’s safe before drinking it.
If you use a generator, keep it outside at least 20 feet from your home to avoid illness or death from carbon monoxide, which can occur in enclosed spaces.

For more information on Flood Safety Awareness Week, and for safety information throughout the year, go to http://readywisconsin.wi.gov.

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Originally Appeared Here

How to donate and help Support the people of Ukraine From NJ

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

It seems like the world is watching as the war in Ukraine continues and each day we see and hear about more innocent victims from the war are affected. Innocent citizens, of all ages, are being affected. Safe housing, food and drinking water is becoming harder to find and assistance is needed.

It has been nearly a week since Russia invaded Ukraine and each day more innocent families are being affected. Time Magazine published an article with many ways you can help here from New Jersey to aid the innocent people of Ukraine.

There are over a million Ukrainian-American residents here in the United States. New Jersey has the 4th largest Ukrainian-American population in America. There are nearly 75,000 Ukrainian-Americans here in the Garden State. New York is first, Pennsylvania is second, and California is third in Ukrainian-American population. So obviously there are many with close ties to Ukraine here in the Garden State.

Unsplash.com Chaiwat Hanpitakpong

Here are some of the larger donation sites highlighted by the Time Magazine article:

International Committee of the Red Cross

International Rescue Committee

UNICEF

Doctors Without Borders

According to TIME, “One simple step, experts say, is to remain informed about the conflict and to be cautious about the information that’s spread on social media. Disinformation is one of Russia’s favorite weapons of war, and accidentally amplifying it can harm civilians.”

So take a look and see if you can help as we keep the innocent people of Ukraine in our thoughts and prayers and hope for a quick end to this war. We thank you for taking time to look into options in this article and let’s all “Give Peace A Chance”.

As always thoroughly vet all fundraising organizations to get all their details before donating

Unsplash.com Yanny Mishchuk

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

KEEP READING: 15 Natural Ways to Improve Your Sleep

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Originally Appeared Here

See Sustainable Design Choices of a

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Lake City, Colo., Feb. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Green Builder Announces ReVISION House Austin’s Big Reveal!

The freshly remodeled ReVISION House Austin, built in the early 2000s, had the right bones but the wrong flow and finishes. Now, it has been completely upcycled into a fabulous green masterpiece.

Featuring a tightly insulated envelope, optimum indoor air quality, smart tech features, flawless durable floors, a dream “technicurean” kitchen and pantry, and much more, this house showcases the design and living ideas today’s millennial home buyers crave.

Owner Tiana Cooper, can now cook, entertain, and relax in complete style while limiting her impact on the planet. But we’ll let the story tell itself: Please click on this link to read our ebook on the project, which includes stunning photographs, a video of the house, and a buyers’ guide of products that new home buyers and house renovators will love.

To reprint this article, contact [email protected] for the story file and high-res photography with captions.

Sara Gutterman, Green Builder Media CEO, is available for interviews about millennial trends, including proprietary custom research on what this important demographic group thinks is important in a home. CR Herro, EVP Operations at Bettr Homes, is available for quotes and information on building science and high-performance home building. Contact Cati O’Keefe at [email protected] arrange.

Green Builder Media thanks the project sponsors, each of whom brought stylish, smart features to help paint a true picture of how today’s homeowners want to live. They include:

Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS)
LG HVAC
LG Solar
LX Hausys
Mohawk
Bocchi
GreenFiber
LiftMaster
Hayward
H-P Products

Click here for a walk-through of this beautiful green home.

Millennial Dream Kitchen
Savvy & Sustainable

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Originally Appeared Here

NIOSH Finds Evidence Supporting Universal Masking

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

While universal masking alone provided a reduced level of exposure to infectious particles, researchers with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found evidence supporting a layered approach—physical distancing, ventilation, and masking—to control the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Results of a study out of NIOSH’s Health Effects Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia, appear in the journal Indoor Air.

“Universal masking” means everyone in an indoor space, regardless of health, infection, or vaccination status, wears a mask. The NIOSH researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a three-ply cotton mask.

Universal masking reduced exposures to coughed or exhaled aerosol particles by over 77% compared with no masking.

Universal masking acts as a source control for infectious particles, blocking coughed or exhaled particles, rather than as a protective device for the wearer.

Researchers continue to study the role of respiratory droplets or aerosols in COVID-19 disease transmission. However, increasing evidence showing that asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals are responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in the community suggests that very fine droplets and aerosols factor into infections.

Factors affecting the effectiveness of masks for either protection or source control include variations in filtration efficiency, air flow resistance, mask fit, and user compliance.

The NIOSH team simulated very fine respiratory droplets and aerosol particles like those generated through breathing and coughing. The micron and submicron scale particles produced by breathing and normal speech can remain airborne for minutes to hours.

Loud speech and singing can increase the distances that droplets and aerosols travel.

A single symptomatic case of COVID-19 resulted in 32 confirmed and 20 probable cases following a 2 ½-hour choir practice at the start of the pandemic.

Coughing produces particles and aerosols that can travel up to 26 feet (8 meters).

The NIOSH team acknowledged the difficulty in evaluating the effectiveness of increased ventilation because ventilation is unique to each indoor space. The NIOSH researchers concluded that the layering of engineering and administrative controls remains an important intervention for reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmissions.

Current recommendations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) current employer guidance for COVID-19 recommends:

Facilitating employee vaccination by granting time off for vaccination and recovery from vaccine side effects;
Instructing infected workers or unvaccinated workers who have had close contact with an infected individual to stay at home to reduce workplace transmission;
Implementing physical distancing in shared indoor spaces;
Providing nonrespirator face coverings, such as surgical masks, for employees;
Informing employees of corporate COVID-19 policies and procedures;
Maintaining ventilation systems and following the recommendations of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE);
Performing routine workplace cleaning and disinfection; and
Requesting or requiring customers and visitors to wear face coverings.

OSHA established two emergency temporary standards (ETSs) last year for workplace COVID-19 exposures. The agency’s June 21, 2021, healthcare ETS expired in December, but the agency intends to pursue a permanent healthcare industry infectious disease standard that would include COVID-19, as well as measles, tuberculosis, and other diseases. The agency withdrew its vaccination and testing ETS after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of enforcement.

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Originally Appeared Here

Childcare gastro on the rise

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

The Department of Health has warned that viral gastroenteritis is on the rise in Victorian early childhood education and care services.

Youngsters mix and congregate closely with other children and adults in care settings, and readily pass the bugs on to others and bring them home to family members.

There have been 104 outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis in childcare centres up to February 23 this year. The average for the same period over the past five years is 63.

Health officials advise handwashing with soap and water is the best defence against the bug.

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said childcare workers, children and their families all had a role to play in limiting the spread of the virus.

Professor Sutton said children needed to be taught and reminded of the need for handwashing, and families needed to keep their children home from early childhood services until 48 hours after they recover.

“Gastroenteritis can spread quickly through settings such as early childhood education and care services, where children play and interact closely with each other and their carers and can readily spread their bugs,” he said.

“It is important that early childhood services have good hygiene practices in place and to respond quickly with thorough and appropriate cleaning and disinfection if any children become ill.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfecting hands with alcohol-based hand rubs has become routine, but these are less effective for gastro bugs.

“Handwashing with soap and water is still the best personal hygiene method to minimize the chance of spreading the virus.

“A good old-fashioned scrub with soap and warm water is the best way to remove the gastro virus from our hands and prevent passing it on to infect others.”

Another upsurge of viral gastro late last year saw 56 outbreaks in the six weeks to mid-December. At the start of 2021, after a COVID lockdown was eased, 389 outbreaks were detected in childcare settings up to the end of April – four times higher than the average for that time of year.

Viral gastroenteritis is highly infectious. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain, headache and muscle aches. They can take up to three days to develop and usually last between one or two days, sometimes longer. In rare cases it can develop into much more serious illness.

Infants or children in early childhood services or schools, as well as staff who develop vomiting or diarrhoea should stay at home for at least 48 hours after their symptoms have stopped. If symptoms are severe or they persist, people are advised to see a GP for advice and testing.

Anyone recovering from gastroenteritis should avoid visiting hospitals, early childhood services and aged care facilities to avoid spreading the infection to the most vulnerable.

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Originally Appeared Here

No GST on Supply of Desalinated Water for Distribution as Safe Drinking Water to Public: AAR

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

By Rasheela Basheer – On February 28, 2022 5:04 pm

The Chennai bench of the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) has held that GST is not applicable on the supply of desalinated water for distribution as safe drinking water to public.

The applicant, Chennai Water Desalination Limited, is engaged in the activity of sale simpliciter i.e., sale of potable water, obtained after the process of desalination of sea water. The applicant approached the AAR to determine the tax liability of the applicant.

The bench comprising K Latha (Member SGST) and T G Venkatesh held that potable water is never to be equated to ‘purified water’. In fact, the meaning of ‘purified water’ depends on what use of it people have in mind, like whether it is for washing, pharma use, industrial use or even to swim. In chemical terms, purified water is pure H2O and only contains Hydrogen and Oxygen and no minerals. Distilled water is the most common form of pure water.

“However, potable water has only one meaning, water fit for human and animal consumption and has dissolved minerals. In fact, from the performance standards spelt out in Schedule C of the agreement, the quality of potable water would itself indicate that it does not attain the nature and quality of a `purified water’ on any count. Therefore, it can be safely concluded that the supply of the appellant is of raw water, treated to become ‘potable water’ and nothing morel Once it is distinctly clear that the supply is of Water’ only, and NOT purified water, the same falling under the entry 99 of the notification no. 02/2017-CT (R) is qualified for the exemption,” the bench said.

Concluding the order, the bench held that “Thus it has been held that the intent and purpose of the supply determines the nature of supply. Here the agreement has been specifically entered into for the setting up of 100MLD sea water Desalination plant on DBOOT basis for supply of desalinated water to CMWSSB for distribution to public as safe drinking water. Hence going by the agreement and following the judicial discipline of adhering to the decision of the Appellate authority cited supra, we conclude that the desalinated water supplied by the applicant to CMWSSB for distribution as safe drinking water is not liable to tax under the entry at Sl.no.99of Notification no.02/2017- Central Tax dated 28t.06.2017 based on the discussions above.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Sharing The Main Advantages Of Diatomaceous Earth (I)

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Diatomaceous earth coating additive products, with large porosity, strong absorption, stable chemical properties, wear resistance, heat resistance and other characteristics, can provide excellent surface properties, volume, thickening and improve adhesion for coatings. Due to its large pore volume, it can shorten the drying time of the coating film. It can also reduce the amount of resin used and reduce costings. The product considered to be a good cost-effective coating matting powder products, has been used by many large international paint manufacturers as a designated product, widely used in latex paint, interior and exterior wall coatings, alkyd resin paint and polyester paint and other coating systems, especially suitable for the production of architectural coatings. products applied in coatings, paints, can balance the surface gloss of the coating film, increase the wear resistance and scratch resistance of the coating film, dehumidification, deodorization, but also purify the air, sound insulation, waterproof and heat insulation, good permeability characteristics.

Diatomaceous earth does not contain toxic chemicals

In recent years, many new indoor and outdoor coatings and decoration materials with diatomaceous earth have become more and more favored by domestic and overseas consumers . In china Diatomite is a potential development of diatomaceous earth indoor and outdoor coatings of a natural material, does not contain harmful chemicals, in addition to non-combustible, sound insulation, waterproof, light weight and heat insulation and other characteristics, but also dehumidification, deodorization, purification of indoor air and other effects, is an excellent environmental protection indoor and outdoor decoration materials

Jilin Yuantong Mining Co., Ltd. now has 42 employees, 18 professional and technical personnel with high and intermediate titles engaged in diatomaceous earth development and research, and more than 20 sets of advanced diatomaceous earth special testing instruments at home and abroad, and the testing items include crystalline silicon content, SiO2, A12O3, Fe2O3, TiO2 and other chemical components of diatomaceous earth products; Product particle distribution, whiteness, permeability, cake density, sieve residue, etc.; Food safety requirements for lead, arsenic and other trace heavy metal elements, soluble iron ions, soluble aluminum ions, PH value and other items of detection.

The above is all the content shared by Jilin Yuantong food grade diatomaceous earth manufacturers for everyone. if you want to know more information about food grade diatomaceous earth, calcined diatomaceous earth, diatomaceous earth filter aids, diatomaceous earth manufacturers, companies, etc., please to log on to our official website:

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Clean the air in your home in 2022

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Sure, electric air purifiers are great, but what about the original air-purifying “devices?” Good old air-purifying houseplants have been taking our carbon dioxide and other pollution and chemicals and turning it into oxygen since, well, the dawn of time. Whether you’re already a houseplant parent or are just getting into the indoor gardening hobby (welcome!), there’s an air-purifying plant perfect for sprucing up your indoor spaces.

Do air-purifying indoor plants really clean the air in your home?

Whether at home or at work (and doubly so if those are the same place), most of us spend the vast majority of our time indoors, so it matters if the air we’re breathing is clean. However, most of us can’t really tell whether our indoor air is clean or not, sans those living with asthma or other breathing conditions, perhaps.

But imagine if you were inside 100% of the time. And floating through oxygen-deprived outer space like, say, an astronaut. Then, clean air would absolutely be on the top of your list.

That’s the precise reason why NASA teamed up with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America in 1989 to research ways to clean the air in space stations. It was already well-known that plants could absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through the act of photosynthesis, but the researchers were hoping to find out if they could do even more.

According to NASA’s Clean Air Study, the initial testing of a dozen different potentially air-purifying indoor plants — including the peace lily, Chinese evergreen, bamboo palm, and gerbera daisy — found that certain plants may provide a natural way of removing up to 90% of volatile organic pollutants from our air by pulling them into and trapping them within their own roots and cells. They’re then broken down in the soil or simply stored in the plant.

The only caveat? You’d probably need hundreds of the best air-purifying indoor plants in your home to achieve maximum effectiveness. That may be a welcome challenge for some plant lovers, but it’s probably not ideal for most folks. However, every little bit helps, so having even a few of the best air-purifying plants could still have an impact. (Not to mention they’re more natural and cost-effective than electric air purifiers, too.)

What kinds of chemicals do air-purifying indoor plants take out of the air?

NASA’s initial study pumped benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene into small spaces with common house plants to see how the plants would be able to combat indoor air pollution and effectively remove these carcinogens — substances that can cause cancer in humans — from the air. While you probably (hopefully?) don’t have a cabinet full of these contaminants ready to spray around your home just for funsies, these volatile organic compounds (or VOCs) can be found within a lot of common household products — far more than you may even realize.

VOCs are man-made chemicals often used in and produced by the manufacture of things like paint, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. So you’d encounter these in your home when you’re painting, of course, but they can also be emitted when using cleaning supplies and pesticides. But even stuff like copiers, printers, Wite-Out, permanent markers, nail polish, air fresheners, photographic solutions, and craft materials such as glues and adhesives can emit VOCs, making air-purifying indoor plants a great fit for home offices and art hobby rooms.

Are there other benefits of air-purifying indoor plants?

NASA admits that more research is needed when it comes to plants eliminating or reducing VOCs. But researchers have found that air-purifying indoor plants can also effectively reduce mold, mildew, and bacteria by releasing phytochemicals that suppress them.

The presence of houseplants in our living and working spaces can also be incredibly soothing and stress-relieving — like nature’s little antidepressants. This therapeutic mood-boosting and fatigue-fighting effect can help us feel more productive, and may even enhance concentration and memory. This isn’t because they release anything special into the air, however, but simply because they’re nice to look at and care for.

So, not only do air-purifying plants do the heavy lifting to enhance our indoor air quality and make it better for us to breathe, but they also double as really incredible home decor, too! Beauty and brawn rolled into one? We love to see it.

What are some of the types of indoor plants that clean the air?

The best indoor plants for clean air include the peace lily, spider plant, snake plant, Boston fern, bamboo palm, golden pothos (aka Devil’s Ivy), aloe vera, Chinese evergreen, English ivy, rubber plant, flamingo lily, and money plant — or money trees. Chrysanthemum (aka “mums”) and gerbera daisy are also fantastic indoor plants that clean the air — and they’re quite pretty, to boot — but are more difficult to ship, so you may want to pick them up locally or grow them yourself with seeds.

Gerbera daisies, English ivy, and snake plants, in particular, have larger surface areas that are ideal for sucking the bad stuff out of the air. That said, any of the best air-purifying indoor plants that grow big and tall (or long) and/or have large leaves should be an effective choice to act as a natural air purifier in the home. Snake plants also tend to be really easy to care for — requiring just a little indirect light and water only when its soil is completely dry — so no worries if you haven’t got a green thumb.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a selection of the best air-purifying plants you can buy to combat indoor air pollution in your home. Whether your indoor conditions are chock full of direct sunlight and bright spaces or shaded corners and indirect light, you’re sure to find the perfect air-purifying indoor plants among this list of the best indoor plants for clean air.

See: https://allhealthyinfo.com/how-to-use-air-purifiers-to-clean-air-in-homes/

Originally Appeared Here

UMD students, faculty build low-cost air filtration devices

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

University of Maryland faculty and students are building and distributing cost-effective air filtration devices throughout the College Park area.

Since the beginning of February, students and faculty in the public health school have been making Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. The devices are box fans doctored up with cardboard, five furnace filters and “a lot of duct tape.” It comes together to improve indoor air quality and ventilation, said Kate McPhaul, an associate research professor in the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health who built Corsi-Rosenthal boxes with her students.

The idea to build Corsi-Rosenthal boxes at this university came from Dr. Donald Milton, a professor of environmental health at this university and expert in aerobiology of respiratory viruses, who used funding and resources from his recent MPowering the State award to build these boxes, McPhaul said.

[UMD invites community to provide feedback on new data privacy policies]

“He’s anxious, I think, to make sure that the research that we do is also very applicable to the populations that we’re studying and that we serve,” McPhaul said.

McPhaul said Milton has bought fans, furnace filters and duct tape in bulk, bringing down the price to build the boxes down to about $60. She said buying the materials for just one box comes out to about $100.

Though the cost to build a Corsi-Rosenthal box is significantly less than what it might cost to buy a ventilation system or filter, McPhaul said, “We didn’t want this to be just only [for] people who could afford the materials … for some people, $100 is going to be too much to buy their own materials.”

That’s where Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, a professor of health policy and management in the public health school, comes in.

Dr. Stephen B. Thomas holds a Corsi-Rosenthal box on Feb. 25, 2022. The filtration devices improve indoor air quality and ventilation. (Daryl Perry/The Diamondback)

Thomas teaches a class focusing on redesigning health care around community needs. He brought his class together to build the boxes, and as teams, create infographics explaining the importance of the boxes.

His class plans to distribute the boxes to community partners such as schools, churches, barbershops, beauty salons and funeral homes, Thomas said.

“We need to show more acts of kindness. That’s what this is about,” Thomas said, “It’s science, but it’s also about humility.”

On Friday, Thomas’ class traveled to the College Park Academy, a charter middle and high school that is a joint collaboration with this university — and where Thomas is also a board member — to beautify the Corsi-Rosenthal boxes before they are distributed over the coming weeks.

Thomas wanted the students to “make [the boxes] less industrial and make them fun. Turn something that is very instrumental into something that’s art.”

Along with middle schoolers, Thomas’ class used tape, markers, stickers and more to create designs ranging from themes of clean air, a mix of aquatic animals and Black historical figures, pride and inclusivity and even the elements of nature, which consisted of fire, water and goo.

[‘Changing a lot’: Prince George’s County residents worry about gentrification]

“It’s just a very colorful box. Before … it was just tape. Tape all around. At least now there’s some light to it, and it’s prettier to look at,” said Sreya Bommaraju, a senior public health science major at the event. “You can see how [the kids] put their heart into it.”

For Murielle Tembunde, a senior public health science major who helped some middle schoolers create designs incorporating air pollution, the overall experience was rewarding in more ways than one.

“It felt very rewarding building [the boxes] up and like, now seeing them decorated just feels amazing,” Tembunde said.

Matthew Mathai, who worked with another group of middle schoolers to design element-related drawings, said the experience allowed him to teach the younger students about community health.

“Anything regarding air pollution, especially something that’s easy that kids can build and put in their homes at such a young age, is awesome,” said Mathai, a senior physiology and neurobiology major.

Charlotte Diokhane, a senior public health science major, decorates one of the boxes on Feb. 25, 2022. The filtration devices will be donated to local churches, barber shops, salons and students in need. (Daryl Perry/The Diamondback)

Some boxes will remain in common spaces of the school, accompanied by infographics designed by Thomas’ students and a scannable QR code to help the College Park Academy community learn about the boxes, Thomas said.

“[Students are] really in touch with a lot of the current events that are going on in the world and they have a lot of great ideas,” said Steven Baker, College Park Academy’s middle school principal. “They’re the next leaders, right? So it’s our job to nurture that and make sure that they understand that their voice needs to be heard on all these important topics.”

The other boxes will be distributed to community members and businesses in the Lakeland community and College Park area over the next few weeks, Thomas said.

“We’re showing [that] in the midst of a pandemic, yes, there’ve been setbacks, but there’s also been opportunities to reimagine ourselves and what’s important,” Thomas said. “Bottom line is this: Creativity matters. Science matters.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Failed Varian cleanup raises questions | News

February 28, 2022 by Staff Reporter

BEVERLY — In September 2000, city officials wanted Varian to test the bedrock on a certain section of its former property to see if that could be a source of the toxic chemicals spreading to the nearby neighborhood. The company pushed back, saying the tests weren’t necessary.

In November 2021 — more than two decades later — those tests were finally conducted. They revealed levels of the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene at 600,000 parts per billion. Experts say concerns about indoor air are raised when levels reach 300 parts per billion.

The high number helped trigger a dramatic ruling last week by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection that Varian’s cleanup operation is not working, and in fact is in violation of state regulations. The agency ordered the company to develop a new plan and set a deadline of two years to solve the problem — or face fines if it doesn’t comply.

The turn of events raised obvious questions. Why weren’t those key bedrock tests conducted 20 years ago, and why did it take nearly three decades for state regulators to conclude that the cleanup, which began in 1992, is not working?

The answers lie in part in the state’s semi-privatized approach to cleaning up hazardous waste sites. Under a program passed by the state Legislature in 1993, businesses responsible for hazardous waste spills are required to hire private-sector engineers and scientists called “licensed site professionals,” or LSPs, to assess and clean up the mess.

The system essentially puts the polluters in charge of their own cleanup, with occasional oversight by MassDEP. Advocates of the program say it has worked well for the most part. But the interminable Varian cleanup, which has kept neighbors on edge for decades, has exposed flaws in the system.

The semi-privatized system, which was the first of its kind in the country, was intended to take the onus off an overwhelmed MassDEP staff. Advocates say the agency didn’t have the resources to handle the thousands of spills that occur every year, from small ones at gas stations and dry cleaners to large and complicated sites like the one at Varian.

Under the current system, businesses hire an LSP — there are 456 in Massachusetts — to do the work. According to MassDEP, more than 40,000 sites, an average of about 1,400 per year, have been cleaned up under the LSP program since 1993. Most of them take less than six years.

LSPs are licensed by a state board and are obligated to comply with state environmental regulations, according to Wendy Rundle, executive director of the LSP Association. But the LSPs are also paid by the companies that are responsible for the cleanup — companies that have an incentive to keep costs down.

Rundle acknowledged that there can be “tensions” between LSPs and their clients. But she also said LSPs make a commitment to protect the public’s health and safety, and that MassDEP and the licensing board provide oversight.

“While it might seem on the surface that there’s a conflict of interest, our experiences over 20 years show that the checks and balances in the system work,” she said.

The state LSP board, called the Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals, investigates complaints against LSPs and hands out discipline. It’s unclear, however, how often investigations are carried out — the summary of disciplinary actions listed on the board’s website was last updated in 2013.

The system of oversight has obviously been lax at the Varian site at 150 Sohier Road, where thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals were dumped in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The company and the state stopped holding public meetings on the cleanup years ago, while the LSPs working for Varian continued to file reports saying the cleanup is “progressing.”

It was not until two years ago, when the public began paying attention to the cleanup after a series of Salem News stories revealed that chemical levels were still high, that MassDEP began taking a closer look.

In the “notice of noncompliance” issued last week, MassDEP Deputy Regional Director Stephen Johnson pointed out several problems with the cleanup, including the fact that Varian had not tested the bedrock as the city had requested 20 years ago. He also said Varian has been using the wrong goal to measure its progress; using a treatment that the company once said was the “lowest rated” option; and injecting solutions to clean up the underground chemicals into the same wells it uses to monitor the chemical levels, a practice that can skew the test results.

Overall, Johnson concluded that the cleanup has failed to adequately characterize the extent of the contamination and to control or eliminate the sources of contamination — leaving residents to still worry whether the chemicals could get into their homes.

A MassDEP spokesman did not respond to questions for this story about why the agency did not discover those flaws earlier.

One other consequence of the privatized system is that the public has no idea how much money is being spent on a cleanup. MassDEP says it is not involved in the contract between the LSP and the “potentially responsible party” — in this case Varian Medical Systems — and the contract does not have to be submitted to the state.

Varian Medical Systems, one of three companies that split off from the original Varian, is the world’s leading provider of cancer-care equipment and software. Last year, the California-based company was acquired by Siemens Healthineers AG of Germany for a reported $16.4 billion.

A spokesman for Varian declined to say how much money the company has spent on the cleanup, other than to call it a “long, complex and costly process.” The company said it disagrees with MassDEP’s conclusion that the cleanup is not working, and said testing by both Varian and DEP has consistently shown “no significant risk to the neighborhood.”

“The health and safety of the area’s residents has always been our primary concern,” the company said.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

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