VISIT QUANTEM AT AIHce' 2011

Portland, Oregon  May 16-18

Booth# 1040

March 2011

QuanTEM Chronicle

An informative Newsletter for Environmental Professionals

Message from John Barnett, President 

John Barnett, President
John Barnett, President.

 Hello from Savannah, Georiga!

 

The Environmental Information Association (EIA) is having its annual conference this week.  So far, I've been impressed with the effort the staff is putting forth to ensure the sessions are relevant and of value to the attendees.

 

Session tracks include detailed information on the RRP Rule.  They also include the state of the environmental industry, updates on new laws concerning asbestos and several new areas where consultants can pursue expanded avenues for revenue growth.  One of the sessions I enjoy is the round tables.   They allow open discussions between attendees about areas of concern to them.  A lot of good information gets passed around in these sessions. 

The most important part of this conference is the people who attend.  Venders and attendees alike make this a conference enjoyable and a place you want to come back to year after year.  As always, you can't forget the annual social gathering which includes dinner and a live band down on the square in downtown Savannah. 

These are always a great opportunity to spend time with the other attendees, clients and potential customers.  If you haven't been to an EIA conference lately you should consider including in your plans next year in San Diego, CA! 

Sincerely,

John Barnett,
President, QuanTEM Laboratories, LLC

Texas Republicans vow to fight EPA in Congress

Posted by Bloomberg Businessweek on Tue. March 22, 2011

Retreived March 23, 2011 online.

 

 

Republican lawmakers representing Texas in Congress say they will fight attempts by the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce tougher rules.

A Houston, TX Factory 

U.S. Representatives Joe Barton and John Carter accused the EPA of being too tough on Texas following a meeting with state leaders.

They said recent steps by the agency to reduce the state's regulatory powers are a clear case of federal overreach. They vowed to introduce legislation to stop the EPA from enforcing stricter pollution rules.

Miles of garbage collect upon the Gulf shores of Texas.

 The EPA and the Obama administration have repeatedly said that Texas is not properly enforcing federal law.

When the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it would not act on EPA instructions, the agency took away the state's power to grant pollution permits.

Dallas, TX under a thick cloud of smog

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dispute began when President Barack Obama took office.

 READ MORE.

In This Issue
Texas Republicans vow to fight EPA in Congress
Montana Nearing Settlement with Libby Asbestos Victims
City drags its feet on antiquated light fixtures containing dangerous PCB's
Interiors: Carpet Cleaning a must for healthy air
Barbara's Corner: New Lead Chain of Custody

Editors Note

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Montana Nearing Settlement with Libby Asbestos Victims

Published Sunday, March 6, 2011 by:  Lynnette Hintze

Retreived March 23, 2011 online from Daily-Inter-Lake

 

 

The state of Montana is in the final stages of negotiating a $43 million settlement with Libby asbestos victims, according to legal papers obtained by the Daily Inter Lake.

 

Asbestos
Asbestos

In exchange for releasing the state and various state agencies from future claims related to the former vermiculite mine in Libby, more than 1,100 claimants with asbestos disease would get a portion of the settlement. Court approval is required before the settlement is final.

Road Sign in Libby, Montana
Road Sign in Libby, MT

 

A confidential letter sent to clients by Kalispell attorney Jon Heberling noted that the state of Montana signed a memorandum of understanding for the proposed settlement on Oct. 19, 2010.

 

The state's insurance company reportedly has signed a parallel agreement with the state.

Terms of the settlement to satisfy the tort claim won't be divulged until the court has approved the deal. Heberling said he can't comment on the pending settlement.

 

Bill Gianoulias, an attorney with the state Risk Management and Tort Defense Division, also declined to comment because it's ongoing litigation.  READ MORE.

  
City drags its feet on antiquated light fixtures containing dangerous PCB's in schools.

Retreived March 29, 2011 from http://www.nydailynews.com

By:  Jennifer Cunningham Posted February 23, 2011

 

All nine city schools spot-checked for PCBs in antiquated lighting fixtures this year had elevated levels of the potentially cancer-causing chemical, officials said.

At Public School 45 in Brooklyn, the most recently tested school, all 19 samples showed levels up to 670,000 parts per million - well above the federal limit of 50 parts per million.

T12 light fixtures containing PCB's

 

The federal Environmental Protection Agency's findings could be just the tip of the iceberg, because there are more than 564,000 of the outdated "T12" lights in 772 school buildings across the city, a letter from city Education Department officials to the EPA says.

All leaking light fixtures have been removed, and the remaining fixtures from PS 45 are to be replaced in the near future, Education Department

 

Polychlorinated biphenyl

The EPA, which began the testing for the banned chemicals last month, is at loggerheads with the city over how to handle the contaminated fixtures.

City officials say there's no immediate health risk to students and teachers, and that removal of the fixtures, which the federal government began phasing out six years ago, would cost $1 billion.  READ MORE.

 

 

Interiors: Carpet Cleaning a must for healthy air.
Indoor air quality is 10-100 times worse than outdoor air.

  By: Rosemary Sadez Friedman:  Scripps Howard News Service

Published: March 11, 2011

Retreived March 25, 2011 from The Courier Press online. 

 

Like all things in the home, carpets need cleaning. Yes, vacuuming often helps keep the carpet clean, but it also needs a more thorough, perhaps professional cleaning on a regular basis. Twice a year is ideal, particularly if you have children and/or pets. Once a year is the absolute minimum.

Did you know that indoor air quality is usually 10 to 100 times worse than outdoor air quality? Getting the carpet professionally cleaned not only helps the appearance of the rug, but it is beneficial to our health as well.

Carpets act as a filter that holds soil, dust mites, pollen, debris and other contaminants. Vacuuming helps pull up a good amount of that stuff, but not all.  A dirty carpet is the ideal place for bacteria and germs to multiply and grow. Sounds like a horror film, but think about it: Doctors tell us that dirt and dust are the primary causes of most allergies. Over time, the contaminants will build up -- and you can imagine what all that will do to your health as you daily breathe in those nasty microorganisms. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also recognizes the effect of unhealthy indoor air and the link it has with carpet cleaning.

Routine maintenance of your carpet not only helps to keep indoor air clean, it also extends the life of the carpet.  While waiting in between professional cleanings, be sure to change the filter in your vacuum often.  On a side note, if you are selling your home, be sure to have the carpet professionally cleaned before that first open house. A dirty carpet can turn buyers off, and if there are pet, smoke or other odors in the carpet, many a buyer will walk out before viewing the rest of the houseREAD MORE

Barbara's CORNER
Barbara Holder, Customer Service Manager
Barbara Holder, Customer Relations Manager

New Chain Of Custody

 

QuanTEM has been in the process of revising our chain of custodies. We now have the Lead Chain-Of-Custody ready for our clients. It is in a PDF format that is interactive and information can be entered on the chain. If you have any problems with it let us know so we can make adjustments.

The Microbiology COC is next in line so give me a call if you have any ideas that would like to see on the new COC.

 

DOWNLOAD OUR NEW INTERACTIVE LEAD CHAIN OF CUSTODY

QUANTEM LEAD CHAIN OF CUSTODY

 

Barbara Holder has been with QuanTEM since October 2004 as our Customer Relations Manager. Barbara plays an active supervisory role with all customer interactions with QuanTEM.

QuanTEM Chronicle Newsletter
Produced & Edited by
Scott Leavell, Business Development Director 
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Disclaimer

Any publication included in this News Letter and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of QuanTEM Laboratories, LLC but remain solely those of the author(s). Such publications have been included only for ease of reference and academic purposes.
 
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