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EPA to Hold Public Hearings in California, Texas and Washington, D.C. on Proposed Smog Standards

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold three public hearings on the proposed updates to the national air quality standards for ground-level ozone, also known as smog. EPA has proposed to strengthen the standards to a level within a range of 65 to 70 parts per billion to better protect Americans’ health and the environment, while taking comment on a level down to 60 ppb. The agency estimates that the benefits of meeting the proposed standards will significantly outweigh the costs, preventing asthma attacks, heart attacks, missed school days and premature deaths, among other health effects. Read more

Tue, Apr 12, 2016
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT

Currently, floor wax is used extensively in schools and public buildings to give a glossy appearance to vinyl composition tile (VCT) flooring. To maintain these floors, the wax must be regularly stripped and reapplied. Floor wax strippers are a concern because they contain VOC solvents, toxic solvents and other toxic ingredients, and have high pH. Several years ago, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimated that VOC emissions from floor wax strippers in California amounted to approximately eight tons per day.

During this webinar, Dr. Katy Wolf will present the findings and results of a project that addressed three methods for reducing or eliminating the risk of exposure to these strippers to maintenance workers, students, teachers, building workers and the general public. These methods include: developing two alternative low-VOC, low toxicity strippers; testing three alternative types of coatings that can be applied to VCT that make wax stripping unnecessary; and testing seven types of flooring replacements for VCT that do not require waxing or stripping. Dr. Wolf will also present a cost analysis of using VCT and the alternatives.

This project was conducted by the Institute for Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA), a nonprofit organization, and was sponsored by the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network at the University of Nevada, Reno and IRTA with funding from the US EPA Pacific Southwest Region and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Over the last 20 years, Dr. Wolf has served as the director of IRTA and has led projects that have reduced the use of hazardous substances in California by more than 100 tons per day.  

About the Project

Floor wax stripping products are used in thousands of commercial buildings,  public buildings and schools to maintain the look and integrity of floors.  These products often contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that  contribute to photochemical smog. Many of the VOC solvents in the  strippers are also toxic and can cause toxicity problems for janitors who  apply them, tenants of the buildings, visitors to the buildings and children  and teachers in the schools.

WSPPN subcontracted Dr. Katy Wolf from Institute of Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA) to test and analyze alternative flooring and  to test coatings that do not  require waxing or stripping.  Dr. Wolf is well known in the P2  Community for past research  projects that she has done.  Some of Katy’s more recent  projects include an alternative  graffiti remover; alternatives to  release agents for parts  manufacturing, concrete  stamping and asphalt  manufacture and application;  and alternatives to methylene  chloride consumer product paint  strippers. There are many other  studies posted on her site:  http://www.irta.us/.

During the last year, IRTA recruited and worked with schools and public  buildings to test the alternatives. Two different stripper suppliers helped  Katy formulate and test promising alternative floor wax strippers. IRTA is  working with both suppliers to develop strippers based on the new surfactant  that will have very low VOC content. Screening tests were conducted on  some of these strippers and IRTA tested two different strippers at the San  Francisco City Hall. One foamed too much and the other was not quite  aggressive enough. A supplier is modifying the formulations based on the  results of the initial screening tests.

Next IRTA installed three different types of coatings on the flooring at a  Riverside school and four different types of flooring at two Riverside schools.  The coatings and alternative flooring will be inspected monthly with the  coating and flooring suppliers during the school year. The flooring that  requires floor wax is widely used today and is called vinyl composition tile  (VCT). The floor wax strippers that are commonly used generally meet the  VOC limits established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). These  are 3% VOC for light and medium buildup and 12% for heavy buildup. IRTA  will try to develop alternatives with 1% VOC content; this is the limit set by  the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in their  certification program for janitorial products. Virtually all of the strippers  used today also contain ethanolamines which can be toxic and IRTA will try  to formulate alternatives that eliminate these components.

IRTA worked with the coating suppliers to apply three different types of  coatings over the VCT in a well-used hallway with  three doors to the outside at a Riverside school.  These included a vinyl coating, a polyurethane  coating and a UV curable coating. None of the  coatings require waxing or stripping and they can be  cleaned with plain water or a neutral cleaner. IRTA  also worked with alternative flooring suppliers to  coordinate the installation of four different types of  flooring in two Riverside schools. Three of the  alternative  flooring types— sheet vinyl,  sheet vinyl with  cushioning and  linoleum—were installed in the same  school hallway where the coatings were  applied. One additional type of flooring  was installed in another Riverside school  hallway where there is substantial traffic.  This coating is Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT).  None of these types of flooring requires  waxing or stripping and they can be  cleaned with plain water or water with a  small amount of vinegar.

What’s Next?

IRTA plans to test a modified DuraChem stripper with the Riverside Unified  School District. IRTA plans to regularly monitor and inspect the coatings and  the alternative flooring installed in the two Riverside schools with the  suppliers. The flooring suppliers are very interested in the results of the  project and have invited IRTA to give a presentation in January.

Dr. Wolf said, “The suppliers think that this is a landmark study. It will be  the first time that there will be information to compare the cost and  performance of VCT with waxing and stripping to the cost and performance  of coatings and alternatives flooring without waxing and stripping.”

Katy will finish the project as she always done with a thorough report that  evaluates and compares the performance and cost of the alternatives to the  currently used methods. WSPPN will likely organize a webinar once the  project is completed, so stay tuned.

On a Thursday in November, an event was held at the Prince Regent Theatre in Munich celebrating the 5-year anniversary of GMO cultivation free Bavaria. Since 2009, no genetically modified crops have been grown and especially thanks to the efforts of beekeepers not been planted for research purposes since 2010 in Bavaria.

Walter Haefeker, who gave a presentation about colony collapse disorder to the EPA San Francisco office in 2010 and was featured in a WSPPN Webinar last year, received the Bavarian State Medal for his outstanding contribution to the environment. The German Professional Beekeepers Association welcomes the clear position of the Bavarian State Government and is delighted to see, that the Free State of Bavaria earlier this year officially became the 62nd GMO Free farming area in Europe, by signing the GMO Free agreement in Brussels, with the President of the European GMO Free network, Maura Malaspina, the Environment Minister for the Marche region of Italy.

Walter Haefeker is a professional beekeeper in Bavaria, south of Munich (Germany). He serves on the board of directors of the German Professional Beekeepers Association and as President of the European Professional Beekeeping Association. In this capacity he has worked on the critical issues facing Beekeepers today including pesticides, GM-crops and intensive agricultural practices.

Serving as the President of the European Professional Bee Keepers Association, Walter helped lead the European beekeeping community’s efforts to support the EU Commission’s 2013 proposal to restrict the use of 3 neonicotinoids (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) for seed treatment, soil application (granulate) and foliar treatment on bee attractive plants and cereals.

Walter also helped initiate cooperation with the German Biogas Producers organization to replace corn with flowering plants to produce renewable energy and honey while promoting biodiversity and regenerating soil. He introduced a new international “bee friendly” label developed and owned by the beekeeping community, which is designed to mobilize consumer demand for certified bee-friendly production.

He is authored many articles, has made presentations and presented papers at scientific conferences dealing with the coexistence issues around GM-crops, and was featured in the 2010 documentary “Nicotine Bees.” Under his leadership, the German Professional Beekeepers Keynote Association of independent German dairy farmers launched a “Fair Milk” product designed to use bee friendly methods of feed production  and land management. Walter’s beekeeping operation is certified organic.

In the subsequent panel discussion after the November awards presentation, those present agreed that the Free State of Bavaria and the representatives of the ruling party (CSU) will play a special role in the upcoming weeks and months when the EU is considering the rules for the so-called opt-out plan. The unmodified implementation of the decision just taken by the Environment Committee of the European Parliament would finally create a solid legal foundation not only in Bavaria for banning GMO cultivation.

Walter who has been invited to speak at Harvard in February is a successful reconnaissance and defender of a bee and environmentally friendly agricultural policy. Congratulations go to Walter for being recognized with the Bavarian State Medal.

Posted: December 8, 2014

WASHINGTON – The Good Neighbor Environmental Board today issued its 16th annual report to the president, which examines environmental degradation in the border region and recommends actions the U.S. federal government can take to protect and restore the border environment. Given the severe impacts on natural resources along the U.S. border with Mexico, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) requested that the Board focus its report on ecological restoration.

The Board is an independent federal advisory committee that develops recommendations to the president on U.S. – Mexico border environment and infrastructure issues. The report, “Ecological Restoration in the U.S. – Mexico Border Region,” was accepted by CEQ on behalf of President Obama.

“The rapid population growth of the region and current environmental conditions in the arid borderlands means we need to build even further on the excellent binational, U.S. federal, Tribal, state and local efforts to resolve environmental degradation,” said Board Chairman Diane Austin. “A more comprehensive approach to ecological restoration throughout the border region will incorporate new, pragmatic initiatives that improve coordination among U.S. agencies and activate engagement among local, state, Tribal and national collaborators on both sides of the international border.”
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