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Significant Developments and Activities Report

LAND AND CHEMICALS DIVISION
Weekly Significant Developments and Activities Report
May 23, 2008

All-States Meeting for Region 5 Underground Storage Tanks/Leaking Underground Storage Tanks Program

Region 5 held its UST/LUST All-States Meeting on May 14-15th. Representatives from the Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin UST/LUST programs, Region 5 management and staff, and OUST participated. Topics discussed included reporting requirements, budget issues, state fund soundness, LUST remediation and backlog reduction efforts, Automatic Line Leak Detector requirements, Abandoned Tanks. The states also discussed their current progress and plans in meeting the Energy Policy Act requirements with a focus on meeting the 3 year inspection cycle as well as what efforts each state is taking to develop an Operator Training program.
Contact: Dale Meyer, (312) 886-7561

Mercury in Gymnasium Floors Panel at Illinois Association of School Business Officials Conference

Maryann Suero, Children's Health Program Manager, participated on a panel, "Mercury in Gymnasium Floors: Health Risks and Management Strategies" at the annual conference of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO), St. Charles, IL, on May 15, 2008. Panel attendees included school facilities managers and risk managers from districts throughout Illinois.

Dr. Suero provided an overview of children's environmental health, including children's unique susceptibilities and exposures. She also discussed the forms of mercury and their potential health effects. In addition, she discussed various mercury exposures associated with schools, including those related to elemental mercury spills. Robert Rottersman, a Certified Industrial Hygienist who chairs the IASBO Facilities Managers workgroup, then described mercury exposures associated with polyurethane flooring materials to which mercury was added as a catalyst, believed to have been in use from the late 1960's to the mid-1980's. He also described concerns for exposure to students and staff as the floors degrade and the management techniques that can be used to reduce those exposures. Mr. Rottersman also described hazardous waste considerations when the floor is removed.

Participants were also introduced to EPA School programs, including the Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool, which can help school facilities managers’ work smarter to make their schools healthier and safer places for children.
Contact: Maryann Suero, (312) 886-9077

National EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

Lucy Stanfield of the Land and Chemicals Division and Noel Kohl, Tom Brody, and Carmen Masó of the Office of Information Services, attended the May 13-16 National EPA GIS Workgroup meeting at EPA Region 2 offices in New York City . Topics included:

Presentations will be made available on the web shortly.
Contact: Lucy Stanfield, (312) 886-1121

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