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.

This week's post was written by guest blogger Fu Lu, Senior Environmental Regulatory Specialist with ESD China Limited, an associate of Inogen Environmental Alliance.

Released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on September 17, 2010, and effective November 1, the Interim Measures on the Assessment and Review of Energy-Saving of Fixed Asset Investment Projects (the Measures) are designed to curb excessive increases in energy consumption and raise energy use efficiency across China.

According to the Measures, all new investment projects (including new construction, renovation and expansion projects) must undergo independent assessments and government reviews on whether they are energy-saving or not before being approved by regulators. Independent institutions will carry out the energy-saving assessments while government departments will take charge of the review work. Any fixed asset investment project that fails to meet the energy-saving requirements will be vetoed. Those projects that pass the energy-saving assessments and reviews will be subjected to strict supervision of their actual energy consumption.

According to the Measures, projects with an annual energy consumption of over 3,000 tons of coal equivalent must submit an energy-saving assessment report to government regulators. Projects with an annual energy consumption between 1,000 tons and 3,000 tons of coal equivalent will have to submit an energy-saving assessment form. Projects that consume less than 1,000 tons of coal equivalent annually will only have to submit a government energy-saving registration form. Both the assessment report and assessment form must be completed by independent institutions and reviewed by government regulators, while the registration form can be filled out by the project owner and does not need to go through a government regulator’s review.

Before the Measures took effect, there were no such compulsory restrictions on the country's new fixed asset investment projects. The implementation of the new Measures will ensure only projects that pass the energy-saving assessment and review can be approved for construction. This will restrain excessive increases in energy consumption for all new investment projects and thus help China achieve the new target of 16% reduction of per unit GDP energy consumption during 2011 - 2015.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rolling out a new plan this year to promote the use of green infrastructure. 

They will focus on cities and towns, and plan to work with the private sector to encourage the use of green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff.

According to the EPA’s website, green infrastructure is “an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.”  Sounds like a win-win-win situation!

The website goes on to elaborate that, “Green Infrastructure management approaches and technologies infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies.” 

Green infrastructure can exist on many scales, and indeed works best when applied at multiple scales. 

From a building with a green roof to the preservation or restoration of floodplains and wetlands – all of these things help to reduce the amount of water that enters a city’s sewer system, thereby reducing the amount of wastewater processed at treatment plants, which ultimately results in lower operating costs, and subsequently lower cost to taxpayers. 

From the perspective of private entities, green infrastructure just makes sense, especially if you are constructing new buildings (though it is just as easy to incorporate green infrastructure into existing structures). 

Green roofs can reduce energy costs by 10-15 percent by providing increased insulation, resulting in lower heating and cooling costs.  Permeable paving materials used in parking lots or even walkways can help control localized flooding during rains as well as helping to filter the water and keep it from entering sewer systems. 

If a green roof isn’t an option, consider a rain harvesting system for your roof.  The amount of rainwater that can be collected from one storm can be substantial, and can be used to water surrounding landscapes, thereby reducing your water bill. 

Planting trees increases the aesthetic value of a property in addition to resulting in energy savings from shading and windblocking.

It seems likely that building codes will start to reflect the movement towards green infrastructure at some point in the future.  Why not get a jump on the game and start now?