Archive for the ‘South Carolina’ Category

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will provide $25,000 in technical assistance for a Brownfields pilot study in Greenville, South Carolina. The EPA will also work with the city of Greenville in developing the Brownfields project.

The city of Greenville plans to convert a contaminated Brownfields site located within the city via a sustainable redevelopment project. Currently the site of a former service station and supermarket, the city plans to convert the site into a block of affordable housing.

Cleaning up the site will involve removal of a substantial amount of asbestos and lead paint, as well as removal of old tanks and demolition of buildings.

Contaminants such as asbestos and lead pain must be removed before demolition can be carried out, due to the hazards associated with exposure to these toxins. Other issues such as the removal of old tanks from the former service station require that the project be developed and implemented carefully.

Another issue is that Greenville plans to incorporated as many sustainable features and construction materials as possible in developing the new housing, with energy-efficient designs and use of specific types of construction materials.

Brownfield is the term used to describe sites which are federally designated as being contaminated sites. The Brownfield Redevelopment Program is designed to offer financial incentives for companies to redevelop old industrial and commercial properties which are contaminated with hazardous substances.

Brownfields sites are contaminated with hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead, heavy metals, solvents, and other chemicals. Many, including asbestos, are known human carcinogens.

According to EPA web site information on brownfields, “EPA’s Brownfields Program is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.”

“It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.”

“Brownfields grants continue to serve as the foundation of EPA’s Brownfields Program. These grants support revitalization efforts by funding environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training activities.”

Darlington, South Carolina - The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control last week informed residents of Darlington of plans to demolish the abandoned Milliken mill located in the area. The facility was once a cotton mill, but has changed hands several times and since been out of operation for more than a decade. The mill is now contaminated with asbestos and toxic chemicals, and demolition requires caution.

According to DHEC spokesperson Adam Myrick, the mill has been a problem since the early 1990s. “That’s when we began our investigation. In terms of recent involvement, we’ve had a responsible party step to the forefront and begin discussing some of their plans for the site.”

The group that is responsible for the Milliken mill is Vishay GSI Inc. The company has called in WSP, Inc., an environmental clean-up company, to assist in the removal of hazardous materials and then help demolish the mill. WSP, Inc., a Virginia-based company, specializes in removal of hazardous materials and contaminants from such sites.

The meeting at which DHEC informed the community of its plans was attended by many locals, including Darlington Mayor Tony Wilkins and assistant city manager Howard Garland. City officials are particularly interested in the timeline the DHEC plans for debris removal and demolition of the mill.

Judy Canova, the DHEC manager of the Milliken mill project, said that the clean-up of the mill will include both interior and exterior portions of the site. Sediment at nearby Swift Creek will also be cleaned up, as well as ground water and soil beneath the mill, and sediment in drainage ditches and storm sewers.

In addition to asbestos, a number of toxic chemicals have been found to contaminate the site, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), perchloroethylene (PCE), and trichloroethane.

Locals had plenty of questions about the removal and demolition process, but few Darlington residents have any opposition to the demolition. Some people hoped that the DHEC would have been able to preserve the mill, however, due to its historic value.

Judy Canova said the clean-up and demolition of the building was expected to take around six months, but that time frame did not include clean-up of ground water and soil. DHEC officials will monitor the clean-up over the length of the project.

Fort Jackson, South Carolina - A recent inspection of the Fort Jackson barracks in South Carolina have turned up several environmental and health problems, including asbestos and mold.

According to officials, fixing the problems at Fort Jackson-and other locations across the country-would require a significant amount of money.

Last week, images of Fort Bragg were posted online by the parent of a soldier at the facility. The images showed unsanitary and uncomfortable conditions, including a major sewage backup at the camp.

The publication of the images prompted the U.S. Army to visit several bases across the country, including Fort Jackson. A local news service also visited Fort Jackson last week.

WIS News talked to Commanding General Jim Schwitters, who said of the facilities, “What you see here is 50 years old. We’re not proud of the floor covering, but it is sanitary, it is functional and it is healthy.”

Commanding General Schwitters did admit, however, that keeping the Fort Jackson barracks sanitary as well as functional is difficult.

The 1950s-era barracks have rusted tiles, chipped paint, and stained walls, and with 50,000 soldiers coming through each year it’s difficult to stay on top of maintenance problems.

“Keeping ahead of plumbing problems, we’ve all encountered overflowing toilets, blocked drains, we deal with that every day,” said Schwitters.

Drainage and maintenance problems, as well as asbestos issues, will cost a significant amount of money to fix, and until then it’s likely that conditions may get out of hand, as shown in the Fort Bragg photos that were published online. Those images showed bathroom drains clogged with sewage, as well as severe cases of mold.

The Fort Jackson barracks are of a similar age to those at Fort Bragg, but officials say that the Fort Jackson barracks will be replaced. Newer-style barracks include a central hub with barracks surrounding it.

In the meantime, however, soldiers are living in simple-but functional-conditions that occasionally become unsanitary.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – A Food Lion grocery store located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that voluntarily closed down for an asbestos investigation has now reopened. The store was closed after it was discovered that asbestos dust may have been released in the store.

Myra Reece, Chief of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Controls Bureau of Air Quality said that the dust may have been released up to a month before the exposure risks were discovered. A contractor who began to remove floor tiles in February is believed to have done so using procedures that may have released asbestos fibers from mastic that was used to lay the tiles.

Myra Reece says that anyone who had visited the 3890 S. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach store between February 18 and March 25 should be aware that asbestos dust may have been present and a small amount of asbestos exposure may have occurred.

Asbestos—which was a very common component of a large range of construction materials between the 1940s and the 1980s—is the only known cause of asbestosis and mesothelioma, two incurable lung diseases. While asbestosis typically only occurs following repeated exposure, mesothelioma may only require a small amount of exposure. Mesothelioma is a cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs. The cancer usually develops between three and five decades after exposure to asbestos.

At the time, the DHEC concerned about the possibility that people who were in the store during those few weeks may have inhaled asbestos dust or fibers, or purchased items that had been contaminated with asbestos.

Air samples taken in the store while the renovation project was being carried out indicated there was no airborne asbestos. However other samples taken by the DHEC showed that chrysotile asbestos was present on some of the store’s surfaces.

DHEC state epidemiologist Erik R. Svendsen, PhD, said that people in the store between the noted dates may have been exposed to asbestos, but “the potential for long term health effects [was] low.”

The store hired a company to carry out supervised asbestos abatement. The project was supervised by the DHEC, according to Food Lion spokesperson Karen Peterson. The asbestos removal was completed quickly, and the company decided to take advantage of the closure to improve the store with additional renovations.

DHEC Public Information Director Adam Myrick said that it was extremely unlikely that anyone in the store—even between the dates of 18 to 25 March—will have any health problems result from asbestos exposure in the store.

Enoree, South Carolina - John Adams, of Enoree, South Carolina, is about to get a new neighbor: W.R. Grace & Company want to dig a six-acre vermiculite mine on land that borders his property.

John Adams and Larry Saylor, both of whom live adjacent to the land where the company hopes to dig the mine, are concerned because the presence of the mine will lower property values. More importantly, they’re concerned about the possible effects the mine might have on the health of people who live near it.

W.R. Grace & Company have already made one town sick with their vermiculite mining activities. More than 1,200 residents of Libby, Montana have developed asbestos-related diseases as a result of working in or living near the company’s vermiculite mine, which operated until 1990. The vermiculite mine in Libby is contaminated with asbestos.

The Libby vermiculite was marketed under the brand name Zonolite as an insulation, and under the name Monokote as a spray-on plaster coating. Both products were heavily used for decades. It is believed that asbestos-contaminated Zonolite insulation is present in millions of American homes.

The tragedy that occurred in Libby as a result of the asbestos contamination isn’t guaranteed to happen again. Not all vermiculite mines are contaminated with asbestos. But the devastating problems that have plagued that Montana town are serious enough to worry those who live near the planned mine site.

W.R. Grace & Company has been indicted by a federal grand jury for “knowingly endangering residents of Libby, Montana and concealing information about the health effects of its asbestos mining operations.”

The company already operates a vermiculite mine in Enoree, and has permission to dig in more than 30 other South Carolina locations. According to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, it’s not likely that vermiculite mines in the state are contaminated with asbestos because the geology is different from that in Libby.

A spokesperson for the agency said that they have told W.R. Grace & Company that they will need to test for asbestos at current and new vermiculite mining facilities to ensure there is no asbestos present.

W.R. Grace says the company is listening to residents who are concerned about health and safety issues. The company has an industrial hygiene program that involves testing vermiculite at three separate stages of production to ensure it’s safe for workers and the public.

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina - A Food Lion grocery store on S. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach has voluntarily closed during an investigation after asbestos dust was found in the building during renovation.

Myra Reece, chief of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Bureau of Air Quality, said in a news release that the asbestos may have been released when a contractor removed floor tiles from the store last week. According to Reece, the process used should have been done in a manner that limits the amount of asbestos released into the air for the protection of workers, store employees and customers. The source of the asbestos was most likely the mastic used to secure the tiles to the floor.

Reece said that the DHEC is concerned that people who were in the store between February 18 and March 25 may have been exposed to asbestos fibers, or purchased food products that have asbestos-containing dust on them.

Air quality samples that were taken during the renovation showed no asbestos in the air, but other DHEC tests on samples taken from store surfaces showed levels of chrysotile, one of the asbestos minerals.

Asbestos is the name given to fibrous minerals with long, thin fibers. The fibers are heat resistant, and are used for many industrial uses.  When released in the air, the tiny fibers can remain for long periods of time, and be inhaled by people in the area. Once inhaled, they may become lodged in the lung tissues and remain for years, causing illness and health effects decades later. Those health effects include several different forms of asbestos cancer, including mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and other organs.

Erik R. Svendsen, DHEC’s environmental epidemiologist says that while some shoppers at the store during the time period stated may have been exposed to asbestos fibers, there is a very small chance of long term health effects.

Most cases of asbestos related illnesses are diagnosed in people who have a history of long-term exposure in occupational settings, though there have been cases where the exposure to asbestos is far shorter.

The DHEC has prepared a fact sheet with answers for customers who may have visited the store during the period in question - February 18 to March 25. The fact sheet answers questions that customers may have about asbestos, the release and about what to do with food items that were purchased from the store during those dates. The information can be found at the DHEC website at  http://www.scdhec.gov.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – A “Food Lion” grocery store located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has voluntarily closed down for an investigation into the discovery of asbestos dust during renovations that are being performed in the building.

Myra Reece, Chief of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Controls Bureau of Air Quality says that the dust may have been released as long ago as last month. A contractor who began to remove floor tiles in February is believed to have done so using procedures that may have released asbestos fibers from mastic that was used to lay the tiles.

The procedure should have been carried out in a way that prevented or reduced the amount of asbestos dust and fibers that were released into the air, to protect people in the store from possible exposure.

Myra Reece says that anyone who has been in the store—located on 3890 S. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach—between February 18 and March 25 should be aware that asbestos dust may be present at the store and a small amount of asbestos exposure may have occurred.

The DHEC is concerned about the possibility that people who were in the store during those few weeks may have inhaled asbestos dust or fibers, or purchased items that had been contaminated with asbestos.

Asbestos—which was a very common component of a large range of construction materials between the 1940s and the 1980s—is the only known cause of asbestosis and mesothelioma, two incurable lung diseases. While asbestosis typically only occurs following repeated exposure, mesothelioma may only require a small amount of exposure. Mesothelioma is a cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs. The cancer usually develops between three and five decades after exposure to asbestos.

Air samples taken in the store while the renovation project was being carried out indicate that there was no asbestos present in the air. However other samples taken by the DHEC showed that chrysotile asbestos was present on some of the store’s surfaces.

DHEC state epidemiologist Erik R. Svendsen, PhD, says that people in the store between the noted dates may have been exposed to asbestos, but “the potential for long term health effects is low.”

The DHEC has issued a fact sheet for customers who have questions about the issue. The fact sheet also includes information about what shoppers can do with food items they purchased at the store during the important dates. The fact sheet is located at the DHEC web site at www.scdhec.gov.

Savannah, South Carolina – Workers at a Savannah, South Carolina nuclear facility have been added to the list of occupational groups at risk for asbestos exposure and related health conditions such as mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive and treatment-resistant type of pleural cancer. Nuclear materials have been processed at the Savannah River Site since the 1950s.

Those who are employed at the facility have higher-than-normal risks of developing certain types of cancers, as indicated by the results of a study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine in December 2007. The study was carried out by a team of researchers led by Dr. David B. Richardson at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The results of the study suggest that on-the-job exposure to carcinogens is responsible for the increased cancer risks for the Savannah nuclear plant workers. The study published by Richardson’s team notes that it is “plausible” that occupational hazards such as asbestos and ionizing radiation have contributed to the risks faced by workers at the facility.

A total of 18,883 employees of the South Carolina plant were included in the study. All of the included employees had been hired before 1987, and had been employed at the Savannah River Site for three months or longer.

The results of the study showed that death rates from many other causes were lower than national averages, and that the death rates for certain types of cancers were also lower. However, the death rates for certain cancers were higher than expected. Interestingly, the cancer rates differed for men and women.

For male workers at the facility, the risks of dying of leukemia and pleural cancer, a cancer of the lining of the lungs, were abnormally high in comparison to US averages. Female workers at the plant had abnormally high death rates from skin and kidney cancers.

Pleural mesothelioma of the kind the workers had developed is strongly linked to long-term asbestos exposure. According to the researchers, industrial hygiene reports indicated that some workers at the facility had been exposed to high levels of asbestos during the 1970s. Pleural cancers generally take two or more decades to develop following exposure to asbestos.

The researchers note that their findings underscore the important of conducting ongoing research into the health of former nuclear workers. Diseases such as pleural cancer take many years, even several decades, to develop, and understanding the causes of such diseases requires long-term study, and these types of studies are particularly important in understanding the potential long-term occupational health effects of nuclear facilities.