Dynamics of radiocesium in forests after the Fukushima disaster: Concerns and some hope

(PHY.ORG)
....Considering the massive threat posed by 137Cs to the health of both humans and ecosystems, it is essential to understand how it has distributed and how much of it still lingers. This is why the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently published a technical document on this specific issue. The fifth chapter of this "Technical Document (TECDOC)," titled "Forest ecosystems," contains an extensive review and analysis of existing data on 137Cs levels in Fukushima prefecture's forests following the FDNPP disaster.

The chapter is based on an extensive study led by Assoc. Prof. Shoji Hashimoto from the Forestry and Forestry Products Research Institute, Japan, alongside Dr. Hiroaki Kato from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, Kazuya Nishina from the National Institute of Environmental Studies, Japan, Keiko Tagami from the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Japan, George Shaw from the University of Nottingham, UK, and Yves Thiry from the National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA), France, and several other experts in Japan and Europe.

The main objective of the researchers was to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of 137Cs flow in forests. The process is far from straightforward, as there are multiple elements and variables to consider. First, a portion of 137Cs-containing rainfall is intercepted by trees, some of which is absorbed, and the rest eventually washes down onto the forest floor. There, a fraction of the radiocesium absorbs into forest litter and the remainder flows into the various soil and mineral layers below. Finally, trees, other plants, and mushrooms incorporate 137Cs through their roots and mycelia, respectively, ultimately making it both into edible products harvested from Fukushima and wild animals.

Considering the complexity of 137Cs flux dynamics, a huge number of field surveys and gatherings of varied data had to be conducted, as well as subsequent theoretical and statistical analyses. Fortunately, the response from the government and academia was considerably faster and more thorough after the FDNPP disaster than in the Chernobyl disaster, as Hashimoto explains: "After the Chernobyl accidents, studies were very limited due to the scarce information provided by the Soviet Union. In contrast, the timely studies in Fukushima have allowed us to capture the early phases of 137Cs flow dynamics; this allowed us to provide the first wholistic understanding of this process in forests in Fukushima."

Read on from source:

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-dynamics-radiocesium-forests-fukushima-disaster.html

New TSCA Restrictions for 5 PBT Chemicals

LION - TSCA, as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21^st Century Act (LCSA), requires EPA to evaluate the risks of chemicals on the TSCA inventory.

The law also directs EPA to take expedited action to address the risks of some specific substances that had been identified in a previous TSCA Work Plan. These include persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals that EPA believes pose a high or moderate risk to human health of the environment.

EPA recently completed risk evaluations and established new regulatory management programs for five PBT chemical substances. For many of these chemicals, EPA will prohibit all manufacture, import, processing, and distribution in commerce.

All five Final Rules take effect on February 5, 2021.

The five PBT chemicals for which EPA issued new rules are:

• Pentachlorothiophenol (PCTP)
• Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD)
• Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE)
• Phenol, Isopropylated Phosphate 3:1 (PIP 3:1)
• 2, 4, 6-tris(tert-butyl)phenol (2, 4, 6-TTBP)

The five new rulemakings illustrate EPA's broad authority under TSCA to restrict how chemicals are made and used in order to protect human health and the environment. Read on for details about new restrictions EPA has put in place for these chemicals.

Please read on at:

https://www.lion.com/Lion-News/January-2021/New-TSCA-Restrictions-for-5-PBT-Chemicals

EPA Clarifies New PFAS Restrictions

LION - To inform businesses using materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), EPA released the Final Guidance document, clarifying the application of its July 2020 PFAS rule.

The new guide, Compliance Guide for Imported Articles Containing Surface Coatings Subject to the Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylate and Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonate Chemical Substances Significant New Use Rule, was published on January 19, 2021 to address compliance issues that may arise among US businesses.

Specifically, the guide defines "surface coating," identifies which articles and businesses are subject to the regulation, describes the actions that are required and those that are prohibited, and summarizes the notification requirements of the Significant New Use Rule.

Read the complete PFAS guide now.

By publishing the guide, EPA seeks full compliance with the Significant New Use Rule among chemical and electronics manufacturers, carpet and rug mills, home furnishing wholesalers, and other retailers that may be affected.

Please read full at:

https://www.lion.com/Lion-News/January-2021/EPA-Clarifies-New-PFAS-Restrictions

Firefighters Battle an Unseen Hazard: Their Gear Could Be Toxic

NY Times - Every day at work for 15 years, Sean Mitchell, a captain in the Nantucket Fire Department, has put on the bulky suit that protects him from the heat and flames he faces on the job. But last year, he and his team came across unsettling research: Toxic chemicals on the very equipment meant to protect their lives could instead be making them gravely ill.

This week, Captain Mitchell and other members of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the nation's largest firefighters' union, are demanding that union officials take action. They want independent tests of PFAS, the chemicals in their gear, and for the union to rid itself of sponsorships from equipment makers and the chemical industry. In the next few days, delegates representing the union's more than 300,000 members are expected to vote on the measure — a first.

"We're exposed to these chemicals every day," Captain Mitchell said. "And the more I looked into it, the more it felt like the only people who were saying these chemicals were safe were the people who make it."

The demands come as the safety of firefighters has become an urgent concern amid the worsening effects of climate change, which bring rising temperatures that prime the nation for increasingly devastating fires. In October, two dozen firefighters in California — where a record 4.2 million acres burned across the state last year — filed suit against 3M, Chemours, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and other manufacturers, claiming that the companies for decades knowingly made and sold firefighting equipment loaded with toxic chemicals without warning of the chemicals' risks.

"Firefighting is a dangerous occupation, and we don't want our firefighters to burn up. They need that protection," said Linda Birnbaum, the former director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. "But we now know that PFAS is in their gear, and it doesn't stay in their gear."

Please read full at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/climate/pfas-firefighter-safety.html

Job opening Safety Specialist (Milwaukee, WI)

Job Summary:
Responsible for designing policies and procedures that help prevent harm to workers and property. Inspects machines and air quality, designs safe work spaces, and creates policies for workers to follow that minimize job-related hazards. Must have union experience in a manufacturing setting.

Primary Responsibilities:
- Create ways to keep workers and the general public safe from harm.
- Design safe workspaces.
- Inspect machines and test for faults.
- Remove defective equipment.
- Test air quality.
- Investigate complaints.
- Reduce absenteeism and equipment downtime.
- Lower insurance premiums and workers' compensation payments.
- Prevent government fines.
- Conduct safety inspections.
- Impose fines.
- Design programs to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury.
- Search for and identify biological, chemical, and radiological hazards.
- Advise workers on proper lifting techniques.
- Inform an organization's management of areas not in compliance with State and Federal laws or employer policies.
- Advise management on the cost and effectiveness of safety and health programs.
- Devise and implement health programs.
- Provide training on new regulations.
- Demonstrate how to recognize hazards.
- Develop methods to predict hazards.
- Evaluate current equipment, products, facilities, or processes and those planned for future use.
- Uncover patterns in injury data.
- Evaluate the probability and severity of accidents.
- Write accident reports.
 

To apply or inquire about job please contact
Donovan Harris
donharris(at)aerotek.com
414-214-6036 Phone 

US Department of Labor issues stronger workplace guidance on coronavirus

OSHA – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a coronavirus prevention program and better identify risks which could lead to exposure and contraction. Last week, President Biden directed OSHA to release clear guidance for employers to help keep workers safe from COVID-19 exposure.

"Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace" provides updated guidance and recommendations, and outlines existing safety and health standards. OSHA is providing the recommendations to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.

"More than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions of people are out of work as a result of this crisis. Employers and workers can help our nation fight and overcome this deadly pandemic by committing themselves to making their workplaces as safe as possible," said Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Labor M. Patricia Smith. "The recommendations in OSHA's updated guidance will help us defeat the virus, strengthen our economy and bring an end to the staggering human and economic toll that the coronavirus has taken on our nation."

Implementing a coronavirus prevention program is the most effective way to reduce the spread of the virus. The guidance announced today recommends several essential elements in a prevention program:

• Conduct a hazard assessment.
• Identify control measures to limit the spread of the virus.
• Adopt policies for employee absences that don't punish workers as a way to encourage potentially infected workers to remain home.
• Ensure that coronavirus policies and procedures are communicated to both English and non-English speaking workers.
• Implement protections from retaliation for workers who raise coronavirus-related concerns.

"OSHA is updating its guidance to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus and improve worker protections so businesses can operate safely and employees can stay safe and working," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick.