- Clandestine Lab Inspections and Consulting (Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Heroine)
- Asbestos and Lead Based Paint Inspections
- Environmental Sites Assessments (ESA) – Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III (design)
- Indoor Air Quality Investigations
- Mold Inspections
- Radon Gas Inspections
- Environmental Training
- AHERA O&M Plans and Reinspections
Month: December 2016
When Do You Need an Environmental Inspection?
- To comply with EPA & OSHA regulations in your industry or facility
- Prior to the demolition of a building
- Prior to the renovation of a structure or facility
- For a property or vacant land ownership transfer
- In response to employee or tenant concerns/ complaints
- In response to a notice of violation of environmental laws
- To document the completion of an abatement or decontamination
- In response to a hazardous or regulated materials release.
- Verifying the healthiness of a workplace or home
- To meet banking or insurance requirements
- In response to possible Workman’s Compensation cases
Download the document Qualifications for Rhoades Environmental (REIS) (PDF, 252k)
Fracking Boom Leaves Texans Under a Toxic Cloud
Texas – The regulation of oil and gas extraction falls primarily to the states, whose rules vary dramatically. States are also responsible for enforcing the federal Clean Air Act, an arrangement that is problematic in Texas, which has sued EPA 18 times in the last decade. For the past eight months, the Center for Public Integrity, Inside Climate News and The Weather Channel have examined what TX, the nation’s biggest oil producer, has done to protect people in the Eagle Ford from the industry’s pollutants. What’s happening in the Eagle Ford is important not only for TX, but also for PA, CO, ND and other states where horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have made it profitable to extract oil and gas from deeply buried shale.
US Insurer Won’t Cover Gas Drill Fracking Exposure
Albany, NY – Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has become the first major insurance company to say it won’t cover damage related to a gas drilling process that blasts chemical-laden water deep into the ground.
Health and environmental groups claim fracking can contaminate drinking water. The gas industry says it’s safe if done properly. Nationwide said risks involved in fracking operations “are too great to ignore”.
Fracking Industry Coming Up Short on Voluntary Disclosures
National – The fracking industry’s purported willingness to disclose the chemicals it uses at active drilling sites across the U.S. in an industry-maintained online database is coming under question. According to a Bloomberg report this week, that database is riddled with omissions and inaccuracies.
New High-Performance Building Standard
A proposed high-performance building standard and a stronger version of Standard 90.1, both being released next year, together will provide a total green resource for local and state governments looking to set building code requirements to reduce energy use. Proposed Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is being developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The standard is slated to be the first code-intended commercial green building standard in the United States when published early in 2010. It covers key topic areas typically included in green building rating systems: site sustainability, water use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources.
New Santa Fe Convention Center Being Built in Most Responsible Manner
The new Santa Fe convention center is being built in the most responsible manner best practices allow, while being designed to exceed the needs and expectations of national and local meeting planners, their clients, and groups. From the initial archeological survey of the site to the anticipated LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification of the final structure, Santa Fe has strived to limit both the environmental impact of the construction and future operation of the center, while maximizing the building’s functionality and flexibility.
New Eco-Friendly “Green” Paint
Major paint manufacturers are developing and marketing new interior paint products sporting the “green” label, appealing to customers interested in environmentally friendly paints or simply trying to reduce potential allergens in their homes. Low odor and the reduction or elimination of VOC’s or volatile organic compounds reduces vapors in the air than can impact indoor air quality.
H1N1 Flu Virus Is a Huge Problem on College Campuses
(New York Times) There are now more than 2,000 swine flu victims on college campuses, according to an American College Health Association survey. And as colleges welcome students back this month, they are keeping those infected with the H1N1 virus at a safe distance. On top of dispensing face masks, circulating lists of warning signs and encouraging contagious students to stay home, many campuses are roping off sick-student-only zones. Carnegie Mellon University designated a vacant sorority house for the infected. St. John’s University set aside a gymnasium. And Princeton did the opposite, reserving spaces for healthy students, so sick roommates can sleep in solitude. Swine flu is most prevalent at colleges in the Southeast and Northwest, according to the health association survey, with the largest outbreaks at campuses in Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington. Of the 189 colleges that responded to the survey, more than half had experienced a swine flu case in the last week of August.
MRSA Infection a Major Public Health Problem
Eco-Rx, producer of proprietary air purification products, commented upon the editorial in the New York Times on November 20, 2007 entitled “Another Very Scary Germ.” The editorial concludes that, “The discovery that MRSA is more prevalent than anyone thought reinforces the need for an aggressive, multi pronged approach to curb the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.” The conclusion reached in the October 17, 2007 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) stated, “Invasive MRSA infection affects certain populations disproportionately. It is a major public health problem primarily related to health care but no longer confined to intensive care units, acute care hospitals, or any health care institution.”