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Staff Reporter

EPA Reaches Settlement with a Montague, Mass. Food Manufacturing Company for Clean Water Act Pretreatment Violations

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December 20, 2021

BOSTON (December 20, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Greenleaf Foods, SPC (also known as Lightlife Foods) to address alleged violations of the Clean Water Act pretreatment regulations by its soy-based food production facility in Montague, Massachusetts.

Clean Water Act pretreatment regulations require industries to ensure that wastewater discharges into a municipal sewer system do not damage the collection system or inhibit/bypass treatment at the municipal wastewater treatment facility. As a result of EPA’s settlement, Lightlife Foods has installed a wastewater pretreatment system that is now achieving compliance with the pretreatment regulations and has agreed to pay a $252,000 penalty to resolve claims that the company discharged low-pH wastewaters into the Town of Montague’s sewer collection system.

“EPA’s settlement with Lightlife Foods has ensured that wastewater discharges leaving their facility are no longer damaging the Town of Montague’s wastewater infrastructure,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deb Szaro. “The Clean Water Act allows EPA to protect our critical infrastructure and waterways, and cases like these highlight that mission.”

Lightlife Foods soaks soybeans in lactic acid to prepare its products and uses acidic cleaners to sanitize its equipment. Wastewaters including these acids are discharged to the sewer system. Discharge of low-pH wastewaters to sewers is prohibited under the Clean Water Act pretreatment regulations because of the potential to corrode piping. Sewer pipe corrosion can cause disruptions in service, leakage of raw sewage to ground and surface waters, require the replacement of sewer lines and pumping stations, and create a dangerous environment for sewer workers. Lightlife Foods’ new wastewater pretreatment system controls the pH of the wastewater that the facility discharges into the Montague municipal sewer system.

This action reflects EPA’s commitment to support municipalities’ efforts to implement industrial pretreatment programs with the goals of protecting infrastructure and reducing pollutant releases to the environment.

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Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: EPA

EPA and City of Fall River Agree on Five-Year Plan for Fixing Wastewater Infrastructure and Reducing Combined Sewer Overflows into Local Waterways

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December 20, 2021

BOSTON (Dec. 20, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City of Fall River have signed an Administrative Order on Consent committing the City to continue implementing an agreed-upon five-year plan to reduce and treat combined sewer discharges coming from city wastewater pipes into the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay

“We are so happy to have an agreement with the City of Fall River to reduce wastewater discharges into the local waterways by implementing a five-year integrated infrastructure plan,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. “These wastewater infrastructure upgrades are important for ensuring the residents of Fall River have clean waterways. The integrated planning process is a smart way for cities to prioritize projects and develop a manageable spending plan that regulators agree to.”

Fall River’s wastewater system serves 90,000 residents from Fall River and portions of Westport and Freetown, Massachusetts, and Tiverton, Rhode Island. The system includes many areas of combined sewers, with regular overflows into the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay. EPA expects that the infrastructure projects Fall River plans to do under the Integrated Plan will improve water quality and will benefit the downstream communities using them. The proposed settlement is also consistent with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) directives to strengthen enforcement of violations of cornerstone environmental statutes in communities disproportionately impacted by pollution, with special focus on achieving remedies with tangible benefits for the community.

Since 1992, the City has been addressing Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) under a federal court order resulting from a case brought by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF). EPA is not currently a party to the settlement. The City has spent over $200 million to address CSOs, including a 38-million-gallon storage tunnel, multiple sewer separation projects and Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion. The work to date has significantly reduced the number and volume of CSO discharges, but many remain. 

Fast forward to 2015, and there are still several wastewater infrastructure challenges- both CSOs and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs)- causing wastewater to discharge directly into Fall River waterways and causing flooding within the City. Additionally, there was an aging wastewater treatment plant that required rehabilitation and upgrades to meet pollution reduction goals. To manage the infrastructure needs and cost, Fall River needed a plan for prioritizing work and meeting requirements. In 2015 they drafted an Integrated Plan which evaluated all the City’s Clean Water Act obligations and prioritized them, focusing on projects with the most environmental benefits considering cost. The City revised the spending plan in 2019 and in 2020 the City and EPA agreed on a modified five-year plan focused on infrastructure improvements from 2020-2025.

The Order we have agreed upon today requires the City to implement the first five years of its Integrated Plan. Fall River estimates it will spend about $20 million per year to:

  • Implement specific CSO separation, CSO storage, and infiltration/inflow reduction projects;
    • Upgrade pump stations and other sewer facilities (expected to reduce inflow and optimize operation to reduce overflows);
    • Implement specific projects to rehabilitate and upgrade the WWTF (the upgrades are designed to allow adding nitrogen removal in the future);
    • Optimize the operation of existing CSO chlorination facilities, including specific monitoring of chlorine and bacteria levels in the discharges;
    • Study the effectiveness and feasibility of new CSO screening/disinfection facilities (potentially including non-chlorine disinfection), and
  • By 2025 create a revised IP addressing future CSO, WWTF and collection system projects.

Overall, the City will spend $126.8 million implementing the first six years of its Integrated Plan.

Definitions:

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO): A combined sewer system (CSS) collects rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater into one pipe. Under normal conditions, it transports all of the wastewater it collects to a sewage treatment plant for treatment, then discharges to a water body. The volume of wastewater can sometimes exceed the capacity of the CSS or treatment plant (e.g., during heavy rainfall events or snowmelt). When this occurs, untreated stormwater and wastewater, discharges directly to nearby streams, rivers, and other water bodies. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) contain untreated or partially treated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris as well as stormwater. They are a priority water pollution concern for the nearly 860 municipalities across the U.S. that have CSSs.

Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO): Sanitary sewer systems collect and transport domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewater and limited amounts of stormwater and infiltrated ground water to treatment facilities for appropriate treatment. Sanitary sewers are different than combined sewers, which are designed to collect large volumes of stormwater in addition to sewage and industrial wastewater. Occasionally, sanitary sewers will release raw sewage. These types of releases are called sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). SSOs can contaminate our waters, causing serious water quality problems, and back-up into homes, causing property damage and threatening public health.

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Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: EPA

Pollution and Purification of Indoor Air

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Are you a mountaineer? What do you do once you reach the top of a mountain? Many people will open their arms and close their eyes to take in a deep, relaxing breath. This is what makes fresh and clean air so special. It’s like you can pause and inhale fresh air. We have been exposed to several coronavirus outbreaks over the past year. We have been warned of a new wave of the virus. Clean air is becoming more important every day. This article will explain why indoor air quality is so important.

The effects of pollution on indoor air

Poor quality will always be a problem no matter where you are. Polluted air can still affect anyone, even if they live alone. Air pollution causes more than 1,000,000 deaths each year.

Some reports claim that India is one of the 10 worst countries for air quality. People spend more than 90% of their time indoors, which makes the effects of polluted atmosphere even more apparent. A second research study showed that residents are more at risk for covid-19.

Indoor air pollution is a growing problem. Indoor and closed space pollution can be up to five times more. Most pollutants are invisible to the naked eye so you might not be aware of the dangers posed by dirty air.

Common household items like cleaning agents, paint, cooking fuel, and furniture polish can cause indoor air pollution. Other than that, common sources include domestic appliances like heaters and refrigerators.

Air pollutants can easily enter homes because they aren’t airtight. Through your doors and windows, pollutants such as smog, smoke, mold spores, dust, and other substances can easily get in. You can cool your rooms with air conditioners. However, they can increase the spread of pollutants throughout your home.

How can you purify indoor air?

Air purifiers are basic devices that filter dirty air. There are hundreds of air purification devices on the market today. These units are built on many different technologies. They come in different sizes to fit different rooms.

HEPA technology is the basis of most air purifiers. This technology was first introduced in the 40s to remove pollutants from the air. These filters can be used to filter particulate matter but may not be as effective in eliminating volatile organic compounds.

If you are concerned about your health, you should consider purchasing a device with a HEPA filter. These units will make it easy to filter your indoor air. These devices can be counted on to ensure that your home has clean indoor air.

Fresh air is essential for your health.

 

Covid Trauma Means Schools Facing Mental Health Issues with Students

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As students return for a third school year affected by the coronavirus pandemic, trauma and grief support are top of mind among educators addressing the wide-reaching impacts of the crisis.

For many students, loss due to the pandemic hits close to home. More than 140,000 children in the U.S. lost a primary or secondary caregiver, such as a live-in grandparent or another family member, in a COVID-19-associated death, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention obtained by ABC News in late July. More than 640,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

Most, if not all, students may have experienced loss in other ways, from financial or housing instability to a prolonged disruption to their sense of normalcy or routine.

In Georgia, Atlanta Public Schools plan to screen over 30,000 pre-K to 12th grade students on their social-emotional behavior this fall.

“Many of our students had been at home and participating virtually since March of 2020,” Shannon Hervey, director of student support and interventions for Atlanta Public Schools, told ABC News. “We don’t know what our students may have faced, and so we wanted to take a proactive approach and say, ‘Let’s get to know our students more so that we can determine what their needs are and help to provide for that.'”

Students sit separated by plastic dividers during lunch at Wyandotte County High School in Kansas City, Kan. on the first day of in-person learning, March 31, 2021.

The district will be screening for external behaviors like hyperactivity or aggression, and internalized risks like depression and anxiety. From there, they hope to determine what students’ needs are and how the school can support them. The district also added 25 new school social workers and plans to train employees in trauma-informed practices this year, among other measures, to address the mental health needs of its students this year.

Other school districts are also looking to bolster support around trauma and grief due to the pandemic. Chicago Public Schools had previously announced a $24 million, multiyear plan to invest in mental health and trauma support programs for students and staff. Miami-Dade County Public Schools has provided staff with social-emotional learning and mental health awareness trainings as they welcomed students back, as well as hiring 45 mental health coordinators.

Identifying and accommodating students impacted by trauma and grief are key, as those who have experienced significant loss may need long-term support in the classroom, said Maria Collins, the head of New York Life Foundation’s Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative, a program that provides resources and tools for school communities to support grieving students.

“Grief can have a serious impact on learning, academic performance, social withdrawal, behavioral issues, if not supported,” Collins told ABC News. “It’s really understanding and acknowledging that the loss exists, and this impacts how they learn and also how present they are in the classroom.”

While educators largely recognize the importance of supporting students’ emotional needs, most don’t feel they have the training to do so. A 2020 survey by the New York Life Foundation and American Federation of Teachers found that only 15% of educators said they feel comfortable addressing grief or trauma tied to the pandemic.

The Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative has seen an “increasing need” for support during the pandemic, Collins said, with nearly 100 schools and school districts reaching out in the past year. The organization has also partnered with the National Parent Teacher Association to help provide similar resources and support for parents.

“We’re educating new generations; we’re educating educators, parents and children about grief and grief support,” Collins said.

Dr. David Schonfeld has also seen an increase in interest from schools for grief support during the pandemic, particularly for younger students. As the director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, which provides schools with crisis, trauma and grief support, he’s done over 200 trainings, workshops and presentations since the pandemic started. Much of the center’s work focuses on grades K-12, though they have seen “lots of demand” at the preschool level, Schonfeld said.

The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement has shifted most of its training to focus on how to support students during the pandemic, which has “heightened” grief, he said.

The pandemic has “raised people’s interests and importance” of grief and trauma support, he said, “but also made it very challenging for them to find the time and have the capacity to schedule the training. Schools are frankly overwhelmed by everything they need to do. Opening the door is now a big challenge.”

Educators have also often questioned how to best support students when they themselves may be struggling with grief or trauma, Schonfeld said.

“A lot of people say, ‘What are we supposed to do? We’re grieving or we’re struggling or we’re exhausted,'” he said. “What I try and tell them is we’re really not asking classroom teachers to counsel children over the death of their parents. We’re not asking them to do therapy. We’re asking them to show sympathy and be present for the child and show concern and then maybe make accommodations to help them learn.”

Collins advocates for schools to become “grief-sensitive” and have a specific bereavement plan that can help connect families with local resources.

“We’re not saying that educators need to be grief specialists,” she said. “They just have to have the awareness and know where to refer and have the resources to give to the parents.”

For Schonfeld, the impacts of the pandemic are so wide-reaching that staff may need to support all students on some level.

“We need to figure out how to help everyone and still keep our eyes open for those who need more,” he said. “If educators know how to provide universal support, they will be better prepared to know when someone needs more than that.”

 

Exercise Training through Telemedicine Improved Liver Function

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In individuals with metabolic syndrome, a 6-month lifestyle intervention based on exercise training with specialized telemonitoring-based supervisions can help improve liver inflammation and fibrosis, according to study results published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.

Metabolic syndrome is a major global health concern and risk factor for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease. The increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease require technology-aided interventions to fortify long-term compliance with physical activity and lifestyle changes.

Previously, a team of investigators conducted a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03293264) in employees with metabolic syndrome using a 6-month lifestyle intervention to monitor reduced disease severity.

In this current secondary analysis, the investigators assessed whether the intervention, which included exercise training with individualized telemonitoring-based supervision, could also improve liver parameters and reduce the risk for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease.

Volunteers who had metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to either a 6-month lifestyle intervention or a waiting-list (control) group. Of the 314 employees who were included in the study, 274 completed the intervention: 132 patients in the intervention cohort and 142 in the control cohort.

During the 6-month intervention, exercise activity increased more for participants in the exercise group than in the control group. There were no differences reported between groups for energy intake, macronutrient intake, and alcohol consumption at baseline. Although the exercise group had a reduction in total energy intake, as well as fats and carbohydrates, no significant differences were noted between the 2 groups over time. Blood parameters and renal function were also similar between the 2 groups.

At baseline, both cohorts had slightly increased levels of alanine aminotransferase; however, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels significantly decreased after 6 months of physical activity intervention in the exercise group compared with the control group. In addition, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferases significantly decreased in the exercise cohort. These levels did not decrease for the control cohort, thereby significantly increasing the differences between the cohorts over time.

Changes in body mass index were associated with changes in alanine aminotransferase (P <.01) and aspartate aminotransferase (P <.01) in the exercise group. Improved exercise capacity was also linked to improved aminotransferase levels for patients in the exercise cohort.

“We observed that the activity duration and intensity as well as applied telemonitoring systems were well accepted, with attrition rates in line with those commonly observed for exercise programs,” the researchers wrote. “As [metabolic syndrome] and [metabolic-associated fatty liver disease] also carry a large economic burden with rising prevalence, a telemonitoring-guided intervention might also be a cost-effective approach to support treatment of both diseases independent of residence or workplace,” the investigators concluded.

 

 

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Promotes Screening in Men

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September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the US.

It occurs mainly in older men and more often in African American men.

Doctors encourage men to use this month to take better care of their health.

“Men in general tend to overlook their health in a lot of ways. So I think that it’s very important, especially during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, that men’s health in general, for men to really take ownership of their own bodies and do their best to optimize them. And to live their best and healthiest life moving forward,” said Dr. Adit Shah from Crossroads Hospital.

The National Cancer Association says prevention helps lower the chance of cancer and suggests talking to your doctor about getting screened.