Health Care Facilities Conserve Budgets And The Environment By Conserving Water.
Institutional practices waste far more water than other countries thanks to a series of bad choices. As important as is conserving water, a sound water use policy brings significant savings.
– By Isaac Rudik
When you think of it, no one should really be surprised that hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities and other health care providers are among the country’s largest users of water.
Beyond the obvious such as a significant number of people simply drinking water there is – hopefully – frequent hand washing by doctors, nurses and other employees, washing enormous quantities of bed linens and patient gowns or pyjamas every day as well as cleaning floors, walls and rooms in large buildings, preparing meals and cleaning dishes, and using water in various lab tests and other procedures.
Even a relatively small hospital in a remote community may consume a disproportionately large amount of H2O given its size and the population base it serves.
The fact is that reducing the amount of water a health care facility uses can lead to major savings by reducing both lower water and sewer bills. Moreover, many simple water conservation steps can be linked directly to reduced energy usage, resulting in even greater cost savings.
Preserve And Protect
Fresh water is one of Canada’s most-highly valuable national resources. A reliable supply of clean water is necessary to both sustain our population and our way of life.
Yet our industrial and institutional practices are far more wasteful than other countries thanks to a series of bad choices based on the erroneous perception that fresh water would always be available in unlimited supplies no matter how large the population grew or how much water society would demand.
The fact is, health care – let alone government and businesses – have not invested in efficient equipment and many institutional habits and practices still reflect the wasteful attitudes of decades ago.
Rinsing and cleaning supplies, materials, equipment and food tend to use the most amount of water. While these procedures are necessary, it’s very wasteful as currently done. While there aren’t fines for running the tap too long, water conservation and responsible environmental policies to reduce water usage avoids wasting fresh water.
As important as the inherent value of conserving water, a sound water use policy brings significant savings back into an organization, whether it’s in the private or public sector.
One Small Step
A simple way for hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers to start is by making an easy, inexpensive fix to how devices from dinner plates to lab equipment is rinsed.
The Niagara Commercial Pre-Rinse Sprayer is endorsed by the Green Restaurant Assn. This commercial "power spray" washer in stainless steel boasts a vigorous spray pattern that significantly increases performance and water-saving efficiency.
Among its many features, the sprayer boasts that:
• It provides high performance and hot water savings by using only 1.28gpm at 60 psi compared to the standard 2-to-6gpm.
• It is certified by the Food Service Technology Center (FSTC).
• Reduces water use by up to 80%.
• Offers savings of up to $1,300 per year per unit.
• Passes the FSTC Cleanability Test using 16% less water than all other low-flow valves tested.
• Solid brass fittings mean no leaks.
For example, if a hospital has 10 power sprayers installed around the facility – and large city hospitals are likely to have many more – it will save as much as $13,000 annually simply by updating this one piece of widely-used equipment. The up-front investment is only around $1,000 for the 10 sprayers, a substantial return-on-investment.
New advances in equipment means that it is now as easy to keep Canada green as it is to keep it clean.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Avoiding The Landfill Saves Money – And The Environment
Avoiding The Landfill Saves Money – And The Environment
The more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that lowers operating costs adds to the bottom line.
By Isaac Rudik
Not long ago, a 70-year old Ontario hospital was to be razed – right down to the footings and foundation – before being rebuilt. A simple job except the hospital told the contractor that at least 50% of the material had to go somewhere other than a landfill.
Once hazardous material was removed, the demolition contractor physically inspected the property, prioritizing and marking items for reuse. A detailed waste management plan identified a schedule of activities and workers were instructed in proper techniques and workmanship. Materials were handled carefully, maximizing reuse and recycling opportunities.
Eventually, the hospital reused or recycled nearly everything from its old building: Newer windows, door frames and hardware, numerous structural elements and bricks were among the most-common components that found a second life. Over 5,000 red bricks from the hospital were salvaged, cleaned and donated to the hospital, which sold them for $10 each in a fundraising drive, netting more than $50,000 for the organization. The remaining 55,000 salvaged bricks sold for 40-to-60 cents each. A useable generator was sold for $50,000.
In all, the hospital not only reused, recycled or sold off more than half of the old structure, it reduced the cost of the new medical complex that replaced the old building. Best of all, it kept hundreds of tons of perfectly good, useable material from being dumped in landfills.
Practical Recycling
Few businesses tear down an old facility to build a new one but the hospital serves as a vivid – if unusually large – example of how recycling can bring green economies to a company.
Once garbage arrives at a landfill, it is dumped and covered by a layer of dirt. Some of it decomposes over time but water can filter through the waste, picking up metals, minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other toxic materials. Contaminated water, called leachate, can travel from the site to contaminate ground and surface water for miles in every direction.
Landfill hazards don’t stop with ground water and soil contamination; they also release pollution-causing methane and greenhouse gas emissions.
Ontario is a recycling pioneer, the birthplace of the Blue Box. Avoiding disposal fees should be one of the primary goals of a recycling program.
Still, the more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that decreases operating costs adds to the bottom line.
Readily Available
When recycling containers are stationed throughout a workplace, people get in the habit of using them – just as they'll find a trash can rather than toss litter on the floor.
Even better for managers and so-called Green Committees, recycling bins finally come in a wide variety of sizes so the container can fit the workspace where it is used: Smaller bins in offices, larger ones in break rooms or lounges and locker areas, humungous sizes on the shop floor. And if workers congregate in outdoor areas on breaks, savvy companies are stationing handy blue bins to collect newspapers, discarded cigarette packs, drink bottles and other recyclables.
With careful planning and execution, companies of all sizes can create solutions to a growing landfill problem. Selecting products manufactured with the smallest foot print creates sustainability from start to finish. For example, Bullseye Trio bins are made from recycled plastics and offer convenient, one-stop disposal for paper, waste and cans/bottles an all-in-one station.
Because businesses get charged for garbage removal based on the amount, recycling programmes can be built around cost avoidance rather than potential recycling revenues. While the relatively small revenue generated may help offset some costs, it is unlikely they will support the entire program.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
The more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that lowers operating costs adds to the bottom line.
By Isaac Rudik
Not long ago, a 70-year old Ontario hospital was to be razed – right down to the footings and foundation – before being rebuilt. A simple job except the hospital told the contractor that at least 50% of the material had to go somewhere other than a landfill.
Once hazardous material was removed, the demolition contractor physically inspected the property, prioritizing and marking items for reuse. A detailed waste management plan identified a schedule of activities and workers were instructed in proper techniques and workmanship. Materials were handled carefully, maximizing reuse and recycling opportunities.
Eventually, the hospital reused or recycled nearly everything from its old building: Newer windows, door frames and hardware, numerous structural elements and bricks were among the most-common components that found a second life. Over 5,000 red bricks from the hospital were salvaged, cleaned and donated to the hospital, which sold them for $10 each in a fundraising drive, netting more than $50,000 for the organization. The remaining 55,000 salvaged bricks sold for 40-to-60 cents each. A useable generator was sold for $50,000.
In all, the hospital not only reused, recycled or sold off more than half of the old structure, it reduced the cost of the new medical complex that replaced the old building. Best of all, it kept hundreds of tons of perfectly good, useable material from being dumped in landfills.
Practical Recycling
Few businesses tear down an old facility to build a new one but the hospital serves as a vivid – if unusually large – example of how recycling can bring green economies to a company.
Once garbage arrives at a landfill, it is dumped and covered by a layer of dirt. Some of it decomposes over time but water can filter through the waste, picking up metals, minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other toxic materials. Contaminated water, called leachate, can travel from the site to contaminate ground and surface water for miles in every direction.
Landfill hazards don’t stop with ground water and soil contamination; they also release pollution-causing methane and greenhouse gas emissions.
Ontario is a recycling pioneer, the birthplace of the Blue Box. Avoiding disposal fees should be one of the primary goals of a recycling program.
Still, the more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that decreases operating costs adds to the bottom line.
Readily Available
When recycling containers are stationed throughout a workplace, people get in the habit of using them – just as they'll find a trash can rather than toss litter on the floor.
Even better for managers and so-called Green Committees, recycling bins finally come in a wide variety of sizes so the container can fit the workspace where it is used: Smaller bins in offices, larger ones in break rooms or lounges and locker areas, humungous sizes on the shop floor. And if workers congregate in outdoor areas on breaks, savvy companies are stationing handy blue bins to collect newspapers, discarded cigarette packs, drink bottles and other recyclables.
With careful planning and execution, companies of all sizes can create solutions to a growing landfill problem. Selecting products manufactured with the smallest foot print creates sustainability from start to finish. For example, Bullseye Trio bins are made from recycled plastics and offer convenient, one-stop disposal for paper, waste and cans/bottles an all-in-one station.
Because businesses get charged for garbage removal based on the amount, recycling programmes can be built around cost avoidance rather than potential recycling revenues. While the relatively small revenue generated may help offset some costs, it is unlikely they will support the entire program.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Swine Flu, Workplace Air Pollution And Employee Health: An Inseparable Trio.
Swine Flu, Workplace Air Pollution And Employee Health: An Inseparable Trio.
Swine flu headlines are gone but many businesses are flooded with calls from “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
– by Isaac Rudik
The news media was all agog the last few months over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. While much of the coverage was blown way out of proportion – another example of much sound and fury signifying little – it inadvertently highlighted a connection between the H1N1 flu strain, workplace air pollution and employee health. In many respects, they are an inseparable combination.
Even with screaming headlines and yammering jackals on cable news fading into memory, many businesses are still being flooded with calls and visits from so-called “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
Why?
Businesses with adequate air pollution prevention solutions in place are well on their way to having a plan to prepare for a pandemic, no matter how unlikely. The common thread is preventing “bad” air particles from circulating in the workplace and avoiding emitting these same particles into the outside air. There’s just one difference between what companies do to control air pollution and containing the spread of a deadly flu virus: Pollution sources are machines and processes while preventing germs from spreading also involve what employees do.
Easy Steps
The first step is to have an infection control plan in place – just in case. After all, a plant may never have a fire but it has an evacuation plan, and common sense dictates the same for situations such as a wide-spread, possibly deadly, flu.
The first step should be using HEPA filters.
A HEPA filter is easily installed in a workplace. There are available in countless models, sizes and price ranges. For example, Air Exchangers offers models ranging from the very basic to the gold standard deluxe, depending on a company’s specific situation and need. Like all HEPA filters, Air Exchangers offers specific benefits to a company:
• It reduces waste from disposing of used masks and gloves.
• It reduces the cost of buying cases of N95 approved medical mask; each pack contains 20 masks and sells for $199 but there is a six-to-eight week delay because of the swine flu scare.
• Meanwhile, employees work in comfort because they don’t have to wear masks or gloves.
• They’re designed for indoor installation.
• They save operating costs by decreasing electrical energy consumption and reducing the use of heating equipment considerably.
• Most major parts can be replaced within seven minutes, meaning little downtime.
At the same time, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently during flu season is the first line of defence against a workplace being felled by flu.
Beyond The Obvious
Telling workers to wash their hands may seem obvious but few companies bother doing it, figuring adults know how to wash. They may, but they may not wash regularly.
But there are also easy-to-implement ideas that go beyond the obvious.
• Provide hand sanitizers, boxes of tissues and encourage their use.
• Remind staff to not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery, and ensure they are washed in soap and hot water after each use.
• Remove magazines and papers from waiting areas or common areas.
• Clean an employee’s workstation if they have an identified influenza
• Ensure ventilation systems work properly.
Whether or not Ontario suffers a swine – or other – flu pandemic during the next flu season, it makes sense to do some simple, low-cost things now to ensure that there isn’t a major problem down the road.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Swine flu headlines are gone but many businesses are flooded with calls from “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
– by Isaac Rudik
The news media was all agog the last few months over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. While much of the coverage was blown way out of proportion – another example of much sound and fury signifying little – it inadvertently highlighted a connection between the H1N1 flu strain, workplace air pollution and employee health. In many respects, they are an inseparable combination.
Even with screaming headlines and yammering jackals on cable news fading into memory, many businesses are still being flooded with calls and visits from so-called “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
Why?
Businesses with adequate air pollution prevention solutions in place are well on their way to having a plan to prepare for a pandemic, no matter how unlikely. The common thread is preventing “bad” air particles from circulating in the workplace and avoiding emitting these same particles into the outside air. There’s just one difference between what companies do to control air pollution and containing the spread of a deadly flu virus: Pollution sources are machines and processes while preventing germs from spreading also involve what employees do.
Easy Steps
The first step is to have an infection control plan in place – just in case. After all, a plant may never have a fire but it has an evacuation plan, and common sense dictates the same for situations such as a wide-spread, possibly deadly, flu.
The first step should be using HEPA filters.
A HEPA filter is easily installed in a workplace. There are available in countless models, sizes and price ranges. For example, Air Exchangers offers models ranging from the very basic to the gold standard deluxe, depending on a company’s specific situation and need. Like all HEPA filters, Air Exchangers offers specific benefits to a company:
• It reduces waste from disposing of used masks and gloves.
• It reduces the cost of buying cases of N95 approved medical mask; each pack contains 20 masks and sells for $199 but there is a six-to-eight week delay because of the swine flu scare.
• Meanwhile, employees work in comfort because they don’t have to wear masks or gloves.
• They’re designed for indoor installation.
• They save operating costs by decreasing electrical energy consumption and reducing the use of heating equipment considerably.
• Most major parts can be replaced within seven minutes, meaning little downtime.
At the same time, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently during flu season is the first line of defence against a workplace being felled by flu.
Beyond The Obvious
Telling workers to wash their hands may seem obvious but few companies bother doing it, figuring adults know how to wash. They may, but they may not wash regularly.
But there are also easy-to-implement ideas that go beyond the obvious.
• Provide hand sanitizers, boxes of tissues and encourage their use.
• Remind staff to not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery, and ensure they are washed in soap and hot water after each use.
• Remove magazines and papers from waiting areas or common areas.
• Clean an employee’s workstation if they have an identified influenza
• Ensure ventilation systems work properly.
Whether or not Ontario suffers a swine – or other – flu pandemic during the next flu season, it makes sense to do some simple, low-cost things now to ensure that there isn’t a major problem down the road.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Don’t Drink The Untested Water
Don’t Drink The Untested Water
Even without neglect, cost-cutting or carelessness, a private company or government body can get enmeshed in accidental water pollution. Nearly every organisation using water for more than drinking is at risk of causing environmentally damaging water pollution.
– by Isaac Rudik
It seems that every week, the news media carries another report of how either a community water treatment facility or an industrial plant discharge contaminated water either because of equipment failure, improper or inadequate treatment and inspection, or simple carelessness.
The tragic story of what happened in Walkerton, Ontario is a case study on how to do everything wrong. But even without neglect, cost-cutting or carelessness, a private company or public organisation can become enmeshed in creating water pollution by accident.
Take the case of Beaverlodge, British Columbia, a small town not far from Whistler.
It was fined $20,000 after more than 12,000 fish died when an algal bloom feeding on the town's sewage outflow contaminated a stream. In addition, the community was required to install an aeration system at a cost of over $1-million. The algal bloom went unnoticed during regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance.
Likewise, an Ontario food manufacturing plant was fined after accidentally discharging by-products from disinfectants used in the processing line into a sewage system. At the same time, provincial inspectors found that waste left over during processing also were being disposed of improperly, creating an additional water pollution risk.
In fact, nearly every business or government body that uses water for more than drinking is at risk of causing environmentally damaging water pollution. And although clean-up can be costly, complex and lengthy, preventing the problem from occurring is relatively inexpensive, easy and readily do-able.
Multisource Problems
So many organic and inorganic compounds can cause water pollution that they can be easy to overlook.
Organic water pollutants include:
· Detergents;
· Disinfection by-products;
· Food processing waste;
· Insecticides and herbicides;
· Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels and lubricants;
· Industrial solvents;
· Chlorinated solvents; and
· Various chemical compounds found in personal hygiene and cosmetic products
As if this isn’t a long enough list, a raft of inorganic water pollutants also pose a hazard:
· Acidity caused by industrial discharge;
· Ammonia from food processing waste;
· Chemical waste as industrial by-products;
· Fertilizers; and
· Heavy metals from motor vehicles.
Yet simple sampling and testing can detect potential hazards although the most-common form – so-called “grab sampling” – is considered unreliable by scientists. Scientists gathering this type of data often employ auto-sampler devices that pump increments of water at either time or discharge intervals.
Other common sampling methods include biological testing, checking water temperature and the concentration of solid material, as well as checking for pH levels, nutrients in the water, metals, oil and grease, pesticides and hydrocarbons.
Cost-Effective Avoidance
Many basic tests are available in kit form. While not always conclusive, they do provide a kind of early warning on any problems that might be emerging.
At the same time, industrial facilities can reduce the risks by installing safe storage containers for compounds that can cause pollution if they leak. Safe handling procedures are a must as is training employees on the proper way to work with potential contaminants. Spill containment devices are both effective and inexpensive – especially when compared to the cost of fines and lawsuits. Finally, it’s incumbent on plant safety officers to monitor spills, report them immediately if one occurs and take fast action to keep a spill from trickling out of control.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Even without neglect, cost-cutting or carelessness, a private company or government body can get enmeshed in accidental water pollution. Nearly every organisation using water for more than drinking is at risk of causing environmentally damaging water pollution.
– by Isaac Rudik
It seems that every week, the news media carries another report of how either a community water treatment facility or an industrial plant discharge contaminated water either because of equipment failure, improper or inadequate treatment and inspection, or simple carelessness.
The tragic story of what happened in Walkerton, Ontario is a case study on how to do everything wrong. But even without neglect, cost-cutting or carelessness, a private company or public organisation can become enmeshed in creating water pollution by accident.
Take the case of Beaverlodge, British Columbia, a small town not far from Whistler.
It was fined $20,000 after more than 12,000 fish died when an algal bloom feeding on the town's sewage outflow contaminated a stream. In addition, the community was required to install an aeration system at a cost of over $1-million. The algal bloom went unnoticed during regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance.
Likewise, an Ontario food manufacturing plant was fined after accidentally discharging by-products from disinfectants used in the processing line into a sewage system. At the same time, provincial inspectors found that waste left over during processing also were being disposed of improperly, creating an additional water pollution risk.
In fact, nearly every business or government body that uses water for more than drinking is at risk of causing environmentally damaging water pollution. And although clean-up can be costly, complex and lengthy, preventing the problem from occurring is relatively inexpensive, easy and readily do-able.
Multisource Problems
So many organic and inorganic compounds can cause water pollution that they can be easy to overlook.
Organic water pollutants include:
· Detergents;
· Disinfection by-products;
· Food processing waste;
· Insecticides and herbicides;
· Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels and lubricants;
· Industrial solvents;
· Chlorinated solvents; and
· Various chemical compounds found in personal hygiene and cosmetic products
As if this isn’t a long enough list, a raft of inorganic water pollutants also pose a hazard:
· Acidity caused by industrial discharge;
· Ammonia from food processing waste;
· Chemical waste as industrial by-products;
· Fertilizers; and
· Heavy metals from motor vehicles.
Yet simple sampling and testing can detect potential hazards although the most-common form – so-called “grab sampling” – is considered unreliable by scientists. Scientists gathering this type of data often employ auto-sampler devices that pump increments of water at either time or discharge intervals.
Other common sampling methods include biological testing, checking water temperature and the concentration of solid material, as well as checking for pH levels, nutrients in the water, metals, oil and grease, pesticides and hydrocarbons.
Cost-Effective Avoidance
Many basic tests are available in kit form. While not always conclusive, they do provide a kind of early warning on any problems that might be emerging.
At the same time, industrial facilities can reduce the risks by installing safe storage containers for compounds that can cause pollution if they leak. Safe handling procedures are a must as is training employees on the proper way to work with potential contaminants. Spill containment devices are both effective and inexpensive – especially when compared to the cost of fines and lawsuits. Finally, it’s incumbent on plant safety officers to monitor spills, report them immediately if one occurs and take fast action to keep a spill from trickling out of control.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Don’t Fool Around With Soil Contamination
Don’t Fool Around With Soil Contamination
Many industries use potential soil contaminants in a wide range of manufacturing processes. Yet prevention it is relatively easy, doesn’t require major investment and can be averted with properly trained personnel using the right equipment.
– by Isaac Rudik
Admittedly, it is an extreme example but last July’s discovery of a small amount of loose yellow uranium in the soil under Cameco’s uranium hexafluoride conversion plant near Toronto added another chapter to an ongoing story. Cameco admitted at a public hearing in April that a leak from its plant reached a nearby harbour, groundwater was contaminated and the soil under its parking lot was contaminated, as well.
Yellow cake is nothing to fool around with but, fortunately, few companies deal with radioactive material. Yet many industries do use potential soil contaminants in a wide range of manufacturing processes. For example, in Ottawa in late April, the National Capital Commission closed a portion of Stanley Park near New Edinburgh when lead contamination was discovered in the soil, the site of a former landfill.
The problem with soil pollution is three fold.
First, it makes its way into the ecosystem and food chain when everything from small insects to large animals feed from plants growing in the contaminated soil.
Second, soil contamination can seep well beyond the original contamination site, leaking into ground water and adjacent surface areas.
Third, cleaning it up is incredibly expensive; Cameco is facing the possibility of regulators making it tear down its plant to clean the uranium-contaminated soil under the facility.
Yet preventing soil pollution is relatively easy, does not require a massive investment and can be averted with properly trained personnel using the right equipment.
Many Causes
There are numerous ways soil becomes polluted.
One is solid waste seepage and landfill leaking. Discharging industrial waste into the soil is another method. Applying fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are another cause of soil pollution.
But the most common chemicals causing soil to become contaminated are solvents, pesticides, heavy medals and petroleum by-products. Other pollutants include metals, organic chemicals, oils and tars, gases, biologically active materials and combustible materials. Problems from these substances arise most often from disposing of industrial waste in landfills or uncontrolled dumps.
Unlike yellow cake and other radioactive material, these components are widely used by industry. And every one of them can make workers sick as well as people living in surrounding areas.
Simple Prevention
There are simple ways to prevent soil contamination from industrial use of hazardous substances.
Organic waste matter requires proper containers and safe storage until it can be disposed of properly at a licensed and regulated treatment facility. Storage units come in countless sizes and many are designed for handling specific types of materials.
Inorganic matter such as paper, plastic, glass and metals should be reclaimed and recycled. While nearly every business has a “blue box” programme – indeed, most municipalities now require one – special recycling containers holding toxic materials need to be used and kept separate from bins full of soda cans and discarded photocopy paper. Their recycling requires special handling or the supposedly empty container can still contaminate the soil.
Industry is being held more accountable by government and consumers alike when it dumps industrial waste into the soil as well as into the air and water. That’s why prevention is cheap and easy; clean-up is hugely expensive and time consuming.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Many industries use potential soil contaminants in a wide range of manufacturing processes. Yet prevention it is relatively easy, doesn’t require major investment and can be averted with properly trained personnel using the right equipment.
– by Isaac Rudik
Admittedly, it is an extreme example but last July’s discovery of a small amount of loose yellow uranium in the soil under Cameco’s uranium hexafluoride conversion plant near Toronto added another chapter to an ongoing story. Cameco admitted at a public hearing in April that a leak from its plant reached a nearby harbour, groundwater was contaminated and the soil under its parking lot was contaminated, as well.
Yellow cake is nothing to fool around with but, fortunately, few companies deal with radioactive material. Yet many industries do use potential soil contaminants in a wide range of manufacturing processes. For example, in Ottawa in late April, the National Capital Commission closed a portion of Stanley Park near New Edinburgh when lead contamination was discovered in the soil, the site of a former landfill.
The problem with soil pollution is three fold.
First, it makes its way into the ecosystem and food chain when everything from small insects to large animals feed from plants growing in the contaminated soil.
Second, soil contamination can seep well beyond the original contamination site, leaking into ground water and adjacent surface areas.
Third, cleaning it up is incredibly expensive; Cameco is facing the possibility of regulators making it tear down its plant to clean the uranium-contaminated soil under the facility.
Yet preventing soil pollution is relatively easy, does not require a massive investment and can be averted with properly trained personnel using the right equipment.
Many Causes
There are numerous ways soil becomes polluted.
One is solid waste seepage and landfill leaking. Discharging industrial waste into the soil is another method. Applying fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are another cause of soil pollution.
But the most common chemicals causing soil to become contaminated are solvents, pesticides, heavy medals and petroleum by-products. Other pollutants include metals, organic chemicals, oils and tars, gases, biologically active materials and combustible materials. Problems from these substances arise most often from disposing of industrial waste in landfills or uncontrolled dumps.
Unlike yellow cake and other radioactive material, these components are widely used by industry. And every one of them can make workers sick as well as people living in surrounding areas.
Simple Prevention
There are simple ways to prevent soil contamination from industrial use of hazardous substances.
Organic waste matter requires proper containers and safe storage until it can be disposed of properly at a licensed and regulated treatment facility. Storage units come in countless sizes and many are designed for handling specific types of materials.
Inorganic matter such as paper, plastic, glass and metals should be reclaimed and recycled. While nearly every business has a “blue box” programme – indeed, most municipalities now require one – special recycling containers holding toxic materials need to be used and kept separate from bins full of soda cans and discarded photocopy paper. Their recycling requires special handling or the supposedly empty container can still contaminate the soil.
Industry is being held more accountable by government and consumers alike when it dumps industrial waste into the soil as well as into the air and water. That’s why prevention is cheap and easy; clean-up is hugely expensive and time consuming.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Cancer In The Workplace: Water Pollution Poses A Threat To Workers And The Community.
Cancer In The Workplace: Water Pollution Poses A Threat To Workers And The Community.
This is the second in our series on how workplace health and safety can elevate cancer risks, and how to control potential problems. This article focuses on water pollution.
– by Isaac Rudik
For years, industries facing the problem of exposing workers to high levels of benzene have been doing a lot to prevent inhalation. For example, the problem is a serious risk to coke oven workers in the steel industry, printers, rubber workers, shoe makers, laboratory technicians, firefighters and gas station employees and a massive effort was needed to reduce the risk of contamination.
But benzene poses risks in other ways, as well, and companies need to begin looking at preventing the compound from contaminating water, a common way for benzene to spread the risk of cancer beyond the factory walls.
Benzene enters the local water supply through rain, snow, the air and even humidity. Ironically, taking a shower after work allows benzene contamination to hit local water supplies. Scientists say this is even more dangerous than “working protected” with benzene because the shower mist is both easily inhaled in workers –penetrating the lungs deeply – before running off in drain water and entering a community water supply cycle.
Massive Legal Exposure
Benzene water and soil contamination are serious concerns.
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that there are more than 100,000 sites across the country dealing with some type of benzene soil or groundwater contamination as a result of industrial seepage. Proportionately, the problem is believed to be about as great in Canada.
Ingesting Benzene shows up in a number of serious effects, including vomiting, nausea, stomach irritation, sleepiness, dizziness, convulsions and even death.
Companies dealing with benzene or benzene-laden materials not only must ensure the safety of their employees, they have a proactive legal responsibility to ensure that the community’s water supply is kept safe from contamination. Failing to take adequate steps is considered negligence, resulting in enormous provincial fines as well as liability in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. The potential legal exposure is massive and the ensuing bad publicity can be even more damaging to a business.
Pounds Of Prevention
Controlling benzene contamination in the workplace and the surrounding community can be a complex problem. Unlike, say, a powdered carcinogen that can be confined to a small area that is readily isolated, benzene can escape into the atmosphere just by a window being open on a muggy day or the shower drain in an employee locker room.
Still, there are ways to minimize and even eliminate the risks:
· Install a self-contained treatment filter to capture drain water from showers and wash basins, removing benzene from water before it re-enters a community’s treatment and supply system.
· Contain benzene and other liquid carcinogens that generate aerosols in a suitable containment device such as a fume hood.
· Capture vapours or aerosols produced by analytical instruments through local exhaust ventilation at the production site in a Class I biological safety cabinet.
Some of this is simply common-sense, some is already required by law and some – such as installing osmosis water treatment at the plant site – is under serious consideration by regulators. An audit of a workplace where there might be a benzene risk will reveal ways to minimize the risk.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
This is the second in our series on how workplace health and safety can elevate cancer risks, and how to control potential problems. This article focuses on water pollution.
– by Isaac Rudik
For years, industries facing the problem of exposing workers to high levels of benzene have been doing a lot to prevent inhalation. For example, the problem is a serious risk to coke oven workers in the steel industry, printers, rubber workers, shoe makers, laboratory technicians, firefighters and gas station employees and a massive effort was needed to reduce the risk of contamination.
But benzene poses risks in other ways, as well, and companies need to begin looking at preventing the compound from contaminating water, a common way for benzene to spread the risk of cancer beyond the factory walls.
Benzene enters the local water supply through rain, snow, the air and even humidity. Ironically, taking a shower after work allows benzene contamination to hit local water supplies. Scientists say this is even more dangerous than “working protected” with benzene because the shower mist is both easily inhaled in workers –penetrating the lungs deeply – before running off in drain water and entering a community water supply cycle.
Massive Legal Exposure
Benzene water and soil contamination are serious concerns.
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that there are more than 100,000 sites across the country dealing with some type of benzene soil or groundwater contamination as a result of industrial seepage. Proportionately, the problem is believed to be about as great in Canada.
Ingesting Benzene shows up in a number of serious effects, including vomiting, nausea, stomach irritation, sleepiness, dizziness, convulsions and even death.
Companies dealing with benzene or benzene-laden materials not only must ensure the safety of their employees, they have a proactive legal responsibility to ensure that the community’s water supply is kept safe from contamination. Failing to take adequate steps is considered negligence, resulting in enormous provincial fines as well as liability in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. The potential legal exposure is massive and the ensuing bad publicity can be even more damaging to a business.
Pounds Of Prevention
Controlling benzene contamination in the workplace and the surrounding community can be a complex problem. Unlike, say, a powdered carcinogen that can be confined to a small area that is readily isolated, benzene can escape into the atmosphere just by a window being open on a muggy day or the shower drain in an employee locker room.
Still, there are ways to minimize and even eliminate the risks:
· Install a self-contained treatment filter to capture drain water from showers and wash basins, removing benzene from water before it re-enters a community’s treatment and supply system.
· Contain benzene and other liquid carcinogens that generate aerosols in a suitable containment device such as a fume hood.
· Capture vapours or aerosols produced by analytical instruments through local exhaust ventilation at the production site in a Class I biological safety cabinet.
Some of this is simply common-sense, some is already required by law and some – such as installing osmosis water treatment at the plant site – is under serious consideration by regulators. An audit of a workplace where there might be a benzene risk will reveal ways to minimize the risk.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
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