CSC Environmental Newsletter: July 2020

Clark Seif Clark

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Environmental Newsletter

August 2020

Every day, Clark Seif Clark professionals are deployed across the nation helping both large and small customers resolve health & safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and indoor air quality issues.

At a moment's notice, Clark Seif Clark can send their experts anywhere they are needed. No matter if it's in response to a hurricane, wildfire, flood, tornado or other natural disaster, Clark Seif Clark is ready to help and can respond in no time at all.

Back to School Brings COVID-19 Concerns and Indoor Environmental Quality Challenges

There are over 130,000 K-12 schools across the United States according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Over the coming weeks, countless students and teachers will be returning to classrooms, or to variations of online and in-person learning, to begin the new school year.

This year brings unique health and safety issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Infection control and social distancing will be the new norm in addition to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) concerns which have challenged so many school districts, including lead in drinking water, mold and other indoor air quality problems.

A top priority for school administrators will be the ongoing cleaning and disinfecting of their facilities. To help in these efforts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided guidance to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread. Recommendations include the following:

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces (e.g., playground equipment, door handles, sink handles, drinking fountains) within the school and on school buses at least daily or between use as much as possible. Use of shared objects (e.g., gym or physical education equipment, art supplies, toys, games) should be limited when possible or cleaned between use.
If transport vehicles (e.g., buses) are used by the school, drivers should practice all safety actions and protocols as indicated for other staff (e.g., hand hygiene, cloth face coverings). CDC also offers specific bus transit guidance for cleaning and disinfecting school buses or other transport vehicles.
Develop a schedule for increased, routine cleaning and disinfection.
Ensure safe and correct use and storage of cleaning and disinfection products, including storing products securely away from children. Use products that meet EPA disinfection criteria.
Cleaning products should not be used near children, and staff should ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using these products to prevent children or themselves from inhaling toxic fumes.

“In addition to COVID-19, another area of unease for many parents and teachers involves the growing use of portable classrooms, many of which have become permanent fixtures on school campuses,” said Franco Seif, President of Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “Portable classrooms can present unique infection control and IEQ issues. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the most common problems with portable classrooms include poorly functioning HVAC systems that provide minimal ventilation with outside air; poor acoustics from loud ventilation systems; chemical off-gassing from pressed wood and other high-emission materials; water entry and mold growth; and site pollution from nearby parking lots or loading areas. At CSC, our teams of IEQ professionals and industrial hygienists are assisting schools with environmental testing, training and consulting. These services help to ensure infection control initiatives are effectively mitigating coronavirus exposure risks and that building occupants are exposed to a healthy indoor environment.”

CSC has sponsored several online videos about COVID-19 exposure risks and recently provided their support for an educational production about portable classrooms and IEQ that can be seen below:

Portable Classrooms & Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

To learn more about this or other building science, infection control, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety services, please:

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Protecting Workers from Exposure to 1,3-Butadiene and Other Chemical Hazards

Back in 1988, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added 1,3-butadiene to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65. Sixteen years later, it was also added to the list for developmental and reproductive toxicity.

1,3-Butadiene is produced through the processing of petroleum and is a colorless gas that can also be condensed into a liquid. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), it is mainly used in the production of synthetic rubber, but is also found in smaller amounts in plastics and fuel.

OSHA reports that exposure to 1,3-butadiene primarily occurs in the workplace, in such industries as synthetic elastomer (rubber and latex) production, petroleum refining, secondary lead smelting, water treatment, agricultural fungicides, production of raw material for nylon, and through the use of fossil fuels. In addition, exposure can occur from polluted air and water near chemical, plastic or rubber facilities; cigarette smoke; and from ingesting foods that are contaminated from plastic or rubber containers.

Protecting workers in industries that could expose them to this chemical is important as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also classified 1,3-butadiene as a known human carcinogen. In addition to cancer concerns, exposure is also known to cause a number of other exposure issues ranging from decreased blood pressure and nausea to the possibility of increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Fortunately, there are standards to limit exposure to 1,3-butadiene in the workplace.

Dedicated to protecting workers from chemical and biological threats are the industrial hygiene professionals at CSC. They offer industrial hygiene testing, monitoring and employee training. They are also experts on the proper use of personal protective equipment, ways to utilize engineering controls for ventilation, and process modifications to mitigate exposure risks. CSC has even sponsored an educational video about 1,3-butadiene that can be seen below:

1,3-Butadiene & Potential Exposure Risks

To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, building science, occupational, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark: CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both the public and private sectors address environmental issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering making them the preferred environmental consultants to healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.