EPA obtains warrant to cleanup over 1000 unlabeled or improperly labeled drums and containers in NJ

Ongoing Investigation Reveals Presence of Hazardous Materials 

Photo: EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has obtained a federal warrant to do the necessary cleanup work at the Superior Barrel & Drum company facility in Elk Township, New Jersey, where more than a thousand unlabeled or improperly labeled drums and other containers have been left in a state of disrepair.

Many of the drums are leaking their contents onto the ground and are exposed to wind and rain. The EPA and the NJDEP are currently investigating the drums and containers at the site under a warrant that was previously issued by a federal judge when the facility owner refused to give the EPA access to the facility. The EPA is working with Elk Township, the local fire and police departments and the NJDEP on the investigation and cleanup of the facility.

“This facility contains a large number of barrels that need to be addressed. The EPA intends to do everything necessary to ensure that hazardous materials at the facility do not harm the public,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "The EPA’s top priority is preventing a release, fire or explosion that could endanger the community or pollute the environment.”

“Conditions at this facility are inexcusable,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said. “The DEP will continue to work with the Environmental Protection Agency on the categorization and safe removal of these materials, as well as soil testing and monitoring to ensure the environment and public health are protected. We will also support any legal or enforcement actions deemed necessary to restore this site and protect the public.”

The EPA began its investigation on August 30, 2013. Field tests indicate that some drums contain hazardous materials, including corrosive and flammable chemicals. The preliminary results of samples sent to the laboratory show the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and other hazardous substances such as lead. Exposure to these pollutants can have serious health effects. Benzene is known to cause cancer and lead is a toxic metal that is especially dangerous to children because their growing bodies can absorb more of it than adults. Lead in children can result in I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems.

Once it completes its investigation, the EPA will work with state and local agencies to take appropriate steps to remove the hazardous waste and protect the public. The EPA is monitoring the air near the work areas. The EPA will secure the materials and make arrangements for their transport and proper disposal out of the area. Prior to removal of any of the hazardous materials, the EPA will develop a contingency plan to ensure that the removal of the chemicals is done safely. Fire department and hazardous materials response teams will be consulted and prepared to respond to the site if necessary. Throughout the cleanup, the municipal government and local community will be kept informed.
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What's in the air in your neighborhood? Few of us know exactly what we're breathing that's why cleaning our indoor air has become so important. AllerAir air purifiers remove 99.97% of airborne dust, particles and the chemicals and odors that other air cleaners leave behind. Connect with us at www.allerair.com.

The pros and cons of HEPA air purifiers

HEPA or High Efficiency Particulate Arresting air purifiers use a fibrous filter to trap ultrafine particles. HEPA filtration was actually born from an infamous and historically significant event; the development of the atomic bomb. It was created to prevent the spread of minute radioactive particles. Today, HEPA plays an equally important role in home air purifiers, filtering dangerous particles from air pollution and smoke that have been linked to heart disease, cancer and respiratory illnesses. While widely recommended, HEPA-only air purifiers have a significant disadvantage; they cannot filter out other worrisome modern-day pollutants like chemicals, gases and odors.

What exactly is HEPA?

HEPA filters are comprised from tightly arranged fibres that trap hazardous fine particles that could otherwise be inhaled and settle in the body. To be classified as HEPA, the filter must remove at least 99.97% of all particles greater than 0.3 micrometers. Air purifiers that claim to be "HEPA-type" or “HEPA-like” may not have been adequately tested and could provide inferior air filtration. 

Why can’t HEPA air purifiers filter all types of contaminants?

While the design of the HEPA filter is ideal for trapping ultrafine particles, other pollutants like gases, fumes, chemicals and odors pass right through.  Air purifiers that trap a wider range of contaminants combine HEPA filtration with another filtration media. 

Air purifiers with activated carbon

The most efficient filter material for trapping gaseous pollutants is activated carbon. Like HEPA, activated carbon was developed by the military, and then commercialized for residential use.  It’s so effective, that activated carbon is widely used by heavy industry to trap toxic chemicals and is also used in water filtration. As home air quality concerns shift to dangerous airborne chemicals, some manufacturers have unfortunately used carbon as marketing ploy. These types of inefficient air purifiers use only a thin carbon mesh and claim their units can remove odors and chemicals. The adsorption capacity of carbon-mesh is so limited that these types of filters may be full within only weeks or days of use, depending on the level of pollutants in the environment. Only air purifiers with pounds of deep-bed activated carbon can provide lasting adsorption of chemicals, gases and odors.

How does activated carbon work?

The carbon used in air purifiers has been specially treated to open up millions of microscopic pores that attract and trap chemicals, gases and odors. Only a handful of granular activated carbon has a surface area larger than most suburban shopping malls. 

Hybrid Air Purifiers

The most effective air purifiers for today’s air quality challenges combine both of these excellent filtration methods into one unit.  When used together, a HEPA and deep-bed activated carbon air cleaner can remove a wider range of airborne contaminants including allergens like dust, pollen and dander as well as smoke, cleaning chemicals, VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and strong odors.

Learn More

For more information on hybrid HEPA-carbon air purifiers speak with an AllerAir air quality expert at 1-888-852-8247 or connect via the live chat link at www.allerair.com.

VIDEO: AT&T developing sensor to warn asthmatics of chemical triggers in the air

AT&T researchers are developing a sensor that can alert asthma sufferers when there are high levels of chemical triggers in the air.

“The increasing prevalence of asthma due to plastics, cleaning chemicals, and other airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the home and elsewhere are a likely cause,” notes AT&T Labs researcher Bob Miller.

The telecommunications giant, previewed the sensor, called Asthma Triggers, at a health summit in Maryland last week. It measures volatile organic compounds (known as VOCs) - a class of chemicals that tend to aggravate sensitive lungs. VOC's are found in everything from shower curtains to paint.




Looking to reduce chemical triggers in the air? AllerAir manufactures one of the only home air purifiers for asthma that removes both chemical airborne triggers and common allergens like pollen and dust. Connect with us to learn more www.allerair.com or 1-888-852-8247.

Allerair AirMedic named best air purifier for asthma by Buy.O.Logic TV on the Oprah Winfrey Network!

Sources: Press release and mobihealthnews.com

VIDEO: Natural Gas & Air Pollution



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This is an interesting video report done for the New York Times on the concerns of local residents living in the shadows of natural gas development.

Touted as a "greener" energy source, natural gas production has had an explosion of growth all over North America.

Opponents argue that producing  it spews serious pollutants into the air like VOC's and other toxins that may have serious long-term health effects. One former EPA employee says the industry has been given a pass on environmental laws.

Are you concerned about natural gas, VOC's and your air quality? AllerAir is the industry leader in heavy-duty chemical and odor control air cleaners for residential use.

Our units use deep-bed activated carbon air filters (the same material often used in gas masks) to remove airborne chemicals, gases and odors.

To learn more about our products and cleaner indoor air quality, connect with us:

Visit our website: http://www.allerair.com/

Start a live chat session with an indoor air quality expert

Follow us on twitter

E-mail or phone 1-888-852-8247

Basement reno projects and chemical off-gassing

So thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of sweat equity later,
we finally refinished our basement...only to learn that our beautiful new family space was virtually unusable!

The vast amounts of chemical off-gassing leaching from the new drywall, flooring and paint wasn't completely evident at first. It just had a "new" sort of smell - like that new car smell. Surprisingly, that distinctive odor actually means the air is filled with VOC's and other chemicals from the resins, glues and bonding agents in the building materials.

Soon our whole family was experiencing headaches and a variety of other symptoms - our amazing new space was making us sick. For security reasons, we didn't feel comfortable leaving the basement windows open for extended periods of time, but it was clear the air quality needed attention.

When I asked one of our air quality experts how long I'd be living with this off-gassing, I was stunned to hear that it could be YEARS before the materials fully out-gassed...leaving my family exposed to airborne chemicals on a daily basis. 

Armed with that warning, I reluctantly took the AllerAir Air Medic air purifier from my bedroom and moved it to the basement where it remains turned on 24/7. AllerAir is one of the only air purifier manufacturers that uses a significant amount of activated carbon that works like a gas mask to soak up chemicals, gases and odors for at least 2 years in typical home environment. My unit also has a medical-grade HEPA filter for dust and other particles.

After 24 hours we noticed a big difference in the basement, but now I have another problem...I'm sneezing again in my bedroom!