TURI has all hands on deck to help companies, small businesses and communities in Massachusetts reopen safely amid the coronavirus. Along with testing and
guidance on safer cleaning and disinfecting products and procedures
, TURI offers services that help companies reduce toxics, many of which can lead to chronic illnesses that make workers and the public more vulnerable to diseases such as COVID-19.
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TURI Lab to Test Effectiveness of Safer Disinfecting Alternatives
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The TURI Lab is planning to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of chemical and technology alternatives offered as COVID-19 disinfection options. The research will be done in collaboration with Associate Professor Nancy Goodyear of the Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences Department at UMass Lowell.
Using a surrogate virus for COVID-19, MS2 bacteriophage, the research team will evaluate various options, including steam cleaning, hypochlorous acid, UV light, electrostatic sprayers and fogging chemicals.
Lab Reopening for Toxics Use Reduction Services
The lab received approval from the TURI co-directors and UMass Lowell to reopen for industrial testing three days a week. With the high volume of companies in need of testing, we have developed a priority list to continue assistance during the pandemic. We will contact each Massachusetts company with a status update by the end of June. If you have not worked with TURI in the past, please submit an
Online Test Request Form.
Lab Staff is also Available Virtually
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Webinar and New Tools Available to Help Companies Reopen
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TURI hosted a
webinar
on May 28th that attracted more than 150 attendees interested in learning how to reopen businesses using safer cleaning and disinfecting products. We received a lot of questions and plan on following up with more webinars, documents and tools. In the meantime,
view current guidelines
and bookmark this page.
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New Asthma and Chemicals Fact Sheet
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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased use of cleaning, disinfecting and sterilization chemicals. Some of these chemicals can cause asthma in people with no prior history of the disease. Some can also trigger asthma attacks in individuals who already have asthma.
This
two-page fact sheet
provides a brief summary of the links between chemicals and asthma, and options for using safer alternatives.
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Register for the Riverdale Mills Virtual Demo on June 25
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Riverdale Mills of Northbridge, a manufacturer of welded wire mesh that employs more than 200 people, received a TURI industry grant to reduce the use of hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide in their coating process.
During this presentation and demonstration, Process Engineer Shuai Duo will describe how he reduced the use of toxic chemicals at the facility. Using ingenuity and by isolating the problem, Riverdale has been able to reduce their use of all three chemicals, saving money and reducing worker exposure in the process. Shuai will walk us through a video of facility operations as well as the solution in action at the tanks.
Thursday, June 25, 1 to 2 p.m. EST
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Reminder: Submit Your Grant Proposal by June 22
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We continue to be optimistic that we will be able to fund some grants this fiscal year. We encourage you to contact us with your ideas and submit proposals. We will prioritize projects that address the pandemic, such as outreach or implementation of safer cleaning and disinfecting.
Read more about our grant programs and response to COVID-19.
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Industry Grants
of up to $30,000 are for manufacturing facilities to improve processes or install technology that results in reducing toxics.
Learn more.
Contact Joy Onasch.
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Small Business Grants
of up to $10,000 are for businesses that provide services directly to consumers to change processes or replace toxics with safer alternatives.
Learn more.
Contact Joy Onasch.
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Please note: Grant funding is limited, and awards are contingent on the funding received by TURI in the new fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2020). TURI will make every effort to award grants as in past years; however, it is likely that available funds and the timing of the grants will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Online TURA Reporting Workshops Available
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In lieu of the annual in-person Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) and Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) workshops, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has created an eight-part online training to help you with your TURA planning and reporting obligations. TURA Continuing Education credits are available for those who take a quiz following review of all eight modules. The topics include:
- Overview of TURA eDEP Online Reporting
- Logging into eDEP
- Form S: Production Units
- Form S: Throughput
- Forms R & A: State-Only Chemicals Codes
- Planning Form
- Fee Form
- TUR Planner Certification
The training modules, presented via GoToWebinar, focus on the various elements of TUR reporting via the eDEP online filing platform, as well as TUR Planner certification. Most modules are under 10 minutes.
Please note that you will be prompted to register with your name and email address before viewing each session.
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