Indoor Air Quality
What You Need to Know About MSHA’s Final Rule on Silica
Pit & Quarry by Zach Byers National – MSHA published its long-anticipated final rule on respirable crystalline silica for coal mines and metal/nonmetal mines in April. The final rule, titled, “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection,” contains a number of provisions identical to the proposed rule. Still, in its final rule, MSHA extends…
Read MoreWildfires: Here’s Who’s Most at Risk When the Air Quality Drops
CTV News by Patrick Rail Wildfires continue to impact air quality(opens in a new tab) across Western Canada with health experts and Environment Canada warning that the smoke from the blazes poses serious risks(opens in a new tab) to human health. “Mostly health issues are going to be immediate,” Jeffrey Brook, an expert in environmental health at the University…
Read MoreOne Resident Hospitalized After Ceiling Collapse, Mold Discovery at Hawthorne Home
NorthJersey.com by Lucas Frau Water leakage and a mold discovery in a Hawthorne residence led to one man being hospitalized and left the other residents questioning whether the three-family home is habitable, authorities said.Fire Department officials were dispatched to a house on Prescott Avenue on Sunday morning because water leaking from a boiler on the…
Read MoreNM Environment Department Issues Guidance on Administrative Compliance Costs
NMED Santa Fe, NM The New Mexico Environment Department issued Guidance on Administrative Compliance Costs to department managers on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. This document provides guidance for managers at NMED for the recovery of administrative costs necessary to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations governing NMED programs. Compliance is one of the key tenets by which…
Read MoreNew Analytical Approach to Detecting and Characterizing Unknown Types of PFAS in the Environment
Phys.org by Bob Yirka North Carolina – A combined team of chemists from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has developed a new approach to detecting and characterizing unknown types of PFAS in the environment. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their…
Read MoreEPA Proposes to Codify Changes to TSCA Risk Evaluations
JD Supra/EPA Washington, DC The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published proposed revisions of its procedural rule on risk evaluations under TSCA on October 30, 2023. The far-reaching changes are likely to affect all ongoing and future risk evaluations. Stakeholders likely to be affected by future TSCA risk management rules should comment by December 14, 2023.…
Read MorePFAS in Groundwater: State-by-State Regulations – October 2023
JD Supra by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner National – In the absence of federal cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in groundwater, several states have started the process of regulating PFAS in groundwater themselves. As a result, states have adopted a patchwork of regulations and guidance standards that present significant compliance challenges to…
Read MoreSummaries of the Latest Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Covid Research
Research Summaries Elevated PM2.5 levels indoors can detrimentally affect cognitive performance, even during short-term exposure. Building and Environment Mold inhalation can interfere with cognitive processing in different ways depending on the task and the presence of mycotoxins. Behavioural Brain Research Residential renovation and buying new furniture in prenatal and postnatal periods consistently increased odds of childhood airway…
Read MoreHazardous Mold Outbreak Triggers Army Order to Inspect All Barracks, Offices
USA Today by Tom Vandenbrook Washington, DC – The Army has issued an order to inspect all its buildings around the world for mold after outbreaks at bases have left barracks uninhabitable, forcing soldiers into temporary housing. The executive order issued by the Army headquarters at the Pentagon requires commanders to inspect 100% of barracks, family housing, and…
Read MoreCT Weatherization Program Will Tackle Mold, Asbestos, and Other Barriers
Energy News Lisa Prevost National – A new Connecticut program is expected to help cut energy bills and improve living conditions for low-income residents throughout the state. The Statewide Weatherization Barrier Remediation Program, overseen by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, will pay for the cleanup of mold, asbestos and other health and safety barriers that…
Read More