The Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy almost a week ago.  As the search for survivors, sadly, winds down, the efforts to pump the large reserves of fuel and oil off of the ship ramp up. 

The ship is carrying around 2,400 metric tons of diesel fuel and lubricating oil, an amount comparable to a small oil tanker.  The fuel tanks appear to be intact currently, but as the ship continues to lie half-submerged in uncertain ocean waters, there is no telling what could change, or when. 

The method being used to remove the fuel is a process referred to as “hot tapping.” 

Since the oil and fuel are so thick, they must be heated up before being removed.  This is accomplished by pumping steam into the storage tanks to make the oil or fuel more liquid.  They can then be siphoned off into a waiting tanker as sea water is pumped in to maintain the ship’s precarious balance. 

This will need to be done for 13 external fuel tanks and 10 internal tanks. 

Corrado Clini, Environment Minister of Italy, said it would take about a month to extract the fuel for the external tanks but had no estimate on the internal tanks, which are much harder to access.

Clini also said if the ship does sink deeper, it would be better for the fuel tanks to rupture and for the fuel to float to the top of the ocean. 

While this would look scary, it would make the fuel easy to see and recover.  If the fuel leaks out slowly it would take years to clean up and create more long term damage.

No matter where in the ocean an oil/fuel spill occurs or has the potential to occur it is bad news for the environment.  But in this case, a spill would affect not only the environment, but the livelihoods of many nearby residents. 

The Costa Concordia ran aground off of Giglio Island, a renowned diving site and home to diverse plant and animal species.  Tourism is the number one industry in Giglio, and residents and business owners are rightfully concerned that the cleanup proceeds quickly and cleanly. 

Massimiliano Botti, owner of a restaurant in Giglio said, “If there is a massive fuel spill, we might as well close everything down, throw away the key and come back in 10 years.” 

It has yet to be decided what will be done with the ship itself once all of the fuel has been removed.  It is likely that it will be cut up and hauled away for scrap—a process that will adversely affect the marine environment no matter how carefully it is done.

While there are many unanswered questions—how did this happen?, who is responsible?, what are the long-term ramifications?—what is certain is that this is a tragedy, one that could have been much worse, but also one that didn’t need to happen at all. 

Hopefully the cleanup will go as quickly and smoothly as possible, justice will be served where it is due and the plants and animals that live around Giglio Island will be impacted as little as possible.

Toxics Released by Industry Up 16 Percent from 2009

On January 5, 2012, the US EPA released its 2010 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis, its annual report displaying the agency's interpretation of the most recent TRI data, which outlines national and local trends in toxic chemical disposal into the environment. The report provides the American public with vital information about toxic materials in their communities.

Now in its 25th year, the TRI program helps citizens, emergency planners, public health officials, and others protect human health and the environment by providing them with toxic chemical release and other waste management data. The information can be used in decision-making processes that affect public safety and welfare.

Facilities must report their toxic chemical releases to the EPA by July 1st of each year under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires information on waste management activities related to TRI chemicals.

The report indicates that in 2010, TRI facilities generated more than 21.82 billion pounds of toxic chemicals in production-related wastes. Of this total, nearly 17.85 billiion pounds were recycled, burned for energy recovery, or treated; the remaining 3.97 billion pounds were disposed of or otherwise released into the environment.

The data reflects on- and off-site or other releases into land, air or water, or releases injected underground. For 2010, the total releases of TRI chemicals into the environment are higher than the previous two years, but are lower than 2007 and prior-year totals. The 3.93¹ billion pounds of toxic chemicals released nationwide represents a 16% increase from 2009.

• Total air releases decreased 6%,
• Releases into surface water increased 9%, and
• Releases onto or into land increased 28% since 2009.

Most of the releases (41%) came from the Metal Mining sector, and is reflective of changes in the industry. A small change in the chemical composition of ore being mined may lead to large changes in toxic releases. The sector contributed 1,622.6 million pounds in 2010 versus 1,271.7 million in 2009, a 27.5% increase. Since 2001, however, the Metal Mining sector decreased TRI chemical release levels by 29%, or 652 million pounds. In both years, ±98% of the disposal was onto land.

Running second was the Electric Utility sector, which contributed 18% of TRI chemical releases in 2010 up from 12% in 2009, although the actual poundage was down: 702.4 million pounds in 2010 versus 801.6 million in 2009. In 2010, 88% was released into the air and land versus 91% in 2009.

In all, 7 of the 26 industry sectors originated 92% of all disposal or other releases of TRI chemicals.

The EPA has made improvements to this year’s TRI report by adding new information on facility efforts to reduce pollution and by considering whether economic factors could have affected the TRI data. With this report and EPA’s Web-based TRI tools, the public has access to information about toxic chemical releases that occur locally.

¹Note that the two metrics related to disposal or other releases are different, i.e. 3.97 and 3.93. One key source of the difference is that adjustments are made to the aggregated quantities to ensure that transfers of TRI chemicals sent off site to other TRI facilities are not counted twice.

It has been two years since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake leveled large areas of Haiti, including much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.  Since that time, despite billions of dollars of international donations and aid, there has been little headway made in recovery and reconstruction efforts. 

Many people complain that the government is at fault. 

The new president, former Carnival singer “Sweet Micky” Michel Martelly, was sworn in in May, promising to bring change to the country.  Things are starting off slow, however.  Fighting a parliament filled with his political opponents, it took him five months just to get a prime minister appointed. 

The government in Haiti is certainly not known for its strength or integrity. 

This may be why, out of the billions of dollars of donations and aid that Haiti has received, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private contractors and other non-state service providers have received 99 percent of that aid.  Even before the earthquake, NGOs provided much of Haiti’s healthcare and education. 

The strength of these NGOs has created what an article in The Huffington Post titled “Is Haiti Doomed to Be the Republic of NGOs?” calls an “…alternative infrastructure for the provision of social services, creating little incentive for the government to build its capacity to deliver services.”

In a statement released marking the 2 year anniversary of the earthquake, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) special envoy to Haiti, Michaëlle Jean said, “The absence of laws and regulations to standardize construction works, for want of a provident government willing to use its authority to enforce standards, this is what made nearly 300,000 people dead.” 

It also seems to be playing a role in the slow pace of clean-up and reconstruction. 

The Huffington Post article proposes that the Haitian government (and the NGOs that are committed to supporting it) focus on core aspects of government including security, core infrastructure and legal and regulatory reforms.  These are key areas that would greatly improve the chances of the country achieving a sustained recovery and perhaps less future dependence on NGOs. 

I recall there being much talk immediately following the earthquake that this was a chance for Haiti to really rebuild itself, and its infrastructure, from the ground up.  Two years later and, unfortunately, it is not looking promising. 

I know these things are not simple tasks, and that they take time.  I hope that we can look back in two more years and say, “What a great job Haiti has done rebuilding itself!”

Dr. David Weissman, Director of the Respiratory Disease Studies Division for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Max Kiefer, Director of the NIOSH Western States Office, have recommended protection for workers who may be exposed to erionite, a naturally occurring mineral found in volcanic ash altered by weathering and ground water.

In its fibrous form, erionite can be problematic when it is disturbed and becomes airborne. Erionite fibers pose an inhalation hazard, which research has shown to be 100 to 800 times more lethal than asbestos.

Residents of Cappadocian villages in Turkey use erionite-containing rock to construct homes. The inhabitants have been found to have a very high risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Erionite is also quite prevalent in the sedimentary rocks of the Western United States.

Until recently, erionite was not considered a hazard in North America, because little risk for exposure was foreseen; however, evidence linking exposure to erionite with serious adverse health effects suggests that some workers have a greater potential for exposure than previously recognized.

The first North American case of erionite-related lung disease was observed in 1981. The victim was a Utah construction worker who lived in an area rich in zeolite deposits. He had extensive parenchymal and pleural fibrosis, and a lung biopsy revealed the presence of fibrous and nonfibrous particles that had compositions consistent with erionite.

Erionite-related disease has most often been reported in road construction and maintenance workers who have occupational exposures to erionite-containing gravel used in road surfacing.

Erionite has been designated a known human carcinogen and the US Geological Survey found that erionite fibers from Turkey, North Dakota, and Oregon were chemically and morphologically similar.

Precautions to protect workers by limiting the generation and inhalation of erionite-contaminated dust should be in place, yet there are neither regulatory or consensus standards, nor occupational exposure limits for airborne erionite fibers. The 14 steps recommended by NIOSH below are nonobligatory, but represent a sensible preliminary step in addressing the hazards of erionite exposure.

A good approach to protecting workers would be to utilize the precautions described in OSHA's guidance for working with asbestos (29 CFR 1910.1001). Weissman and Kiefer have also made the following risk-reduction recommendations in an attempt to limit exposure to gravel or soil that may contain erionite:

1. Train workers about the hazards of erionite and control methods for reducing exposure.
2. Know where erionite containing material may be encountered prior to beginning work.
3. Avoid the use of erionite containing aggregate whenever possible.
4. Use wet methods to reduce dust generation for road and other work where erionite is present; use machinery with dust collection systems.
5. Limit the number of workers who will be engaged in work with erionite.
6. Establish decontamination protocols including changes of clothing, showering before leaving the worksite, and appropriate cleaning and disposal of personal protective equipment.
7. Ensure that work clothing is not washed at home to prevent erionite fibers from being brought home on clothes and footwear.
8. Prohibit dry sweeping, the use of leaf blowers or compressed air for cleaning.
9. Protect employees with personal protective equipment, including respiratory protection.
10. Prohibit eating, drinking, or smoking in dusty work areas where erionite fibers may be airborne. Workers should move away from the work area for breaks and wash their hands and face before eating, drinking, or smoking.
11. Establish protocols for vehicle use on erionite-containing roads (drive slowly, vents closed, windows up).
12. Wet-wash equipment and vehicle exteriors, and wet-clean using High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter vacuuming of vehicle interiors.
13. Follow the EPA procedures for proper disposal of waste and debris containing erionite.
14. Prevent visitors and workers from standing in work areas where erionite fibers may become airborne.