EPA National News: 1. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED BY 30 DAYS ON DRAFT EXPOSURE AND HUMAN HEALTH EVALUATION OF AIRBORNE POLLUTION FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER, 2. TEXAS AND MEXICAN MEN ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF ILLEGAL IMPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE INTO THE U.S., 3. DRY CLEANING SUPPLY BUSINESS OWNER FACES CHARGES OF ILLEGAL HAZARDOUS WASTE TRANSPORT AND DISPOSA, 4. ST. LOUIS AREA MEN INDICTED AND ARRESTED FOR FAILURE TO DISCLOSE LEAD PAINT
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1. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED BY 30 DAYS ON DRAFT EXPOSURE AND HUMAN HEALTH EVALUATION OF AIRBORNE POLLUTION FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER, 2. TEXAS AND MEXICAN MEN ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF ILLEGAL IMPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE INTO THE U.S., 3. DRY CLEANING SUPPLY BUSINESS OWNER FACES CHARGES OF ILLEGAL HAZARDOUS WASTE TRANSPORT AND DISPOSA, 4. ST. LOUIS AREA MEN INDICTED AND ARRESTED FOR FAILURE TO DISCLOSE LEAD PAINT

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PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED BY 30 DAYS ON
DRAFT EXPOSURE AND HUMAN HEALTH EVALUATION OF
AIRBORNE POLLUTION FROM THE
WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER
Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819/ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov


EPA is extending the public comment period for the draft Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution from the World Trade Center Disaster (EPA report number EPA/600/P-2/002A dated October 2002). This document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development. The original 60-day comment period ended on Feb. 25, 2003, and a 30-day extension will be announced in a Federal Register notice to be published the week of March 3, 2003. Further information on this document can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ncea/wtc.htm.
ENFORCEMENT WRAP-UP

Teresa Libera 202-564-7873/libera.teresa@epa.gov
TEXAS AND MEXICAN MEN ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF ILLEGAL
IMPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE INTO THE U.S.


Encon Environmental Services of El Paso, Texas; Encon’s owners, Roberto Loya of El Paso and Jesus Audelio Uribe Franco of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; Victor Manuel Arroyo Balderas, warehouse coordinator of Encon, Raul Chavez Beltran; and Ramon Martinez Altamirano of El Paso, Texas; were named in an indictment, unsealed on Feb. 13 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in El Paso. Loya, Altamirano, Franco and Balderas were subsequently arrested. The indictment charges violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act when the five men and Encon participated in a scheme resulting in the illegal importation of hazardous waste into the United States. The indictment alleges Encon, Beltran and Franco developed a business relationship, in about 1995, with Loya to illegally import hazardous wastes, including soil contaminated with mercury, into the United States without a permit. Altamirano and Balderas allegedly supported the illegal operation. The defendants allegedly informed companies that had hired Encon to dispose of hazardous wastes that the wastes were being disposed of in a legal manner. Instead, the charges state that the wastes were illegally stored in a warehouse in El Paso. Failing to properly dispose of mercury- containing wastes can lead to human contact with mercury which, in sufficient amounts, can cause brain damage and other illnesses. The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division Dallas Area Office, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Environmental Task Force. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in El Paso. An indictment is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.
DRY CLEANING SUPPLY BUSINESS OWNER FACES CHARGES
OF ILLEGAL HAZARDOUS WASTE TRANSPORT AND DISPOSAL

Gary Wasserson was indicted on Feb. 13 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for allegedly violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Wasserson was owner of the now closed Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Supply Company in Philadelphia, Pa., which provided dry cleaning supplies to Philadelphia-area dry cleaning stores. While in operation, Sterling Supply accumulated hundreds of drums and containers of chemicals such as acetone, sodium perborate tetrahydrate, sodium hydrosulfite, isopropanol, tetrachloroethylene (also known as perchloroethylene or perc), methylene chloride, xylene, and naphalene. These chemicals are toxic and/or flammable and present hazards to those who unknowingly came into contact with them. The government charges Wasserson illegally transported and disposed of the chemicals stored at the Sterling Supply facility in 1999, by sending them to the Girard Point Transfer Station in Philadelphia from where they were taken to the Modern Landfill in York, Pa. Improperly landfilling of toxic chemicals can contaminate ground water and make it unfit for human consumption. If convicted, Wasserson could receive a maximum sentence of up to 12 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $150,000. The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Area Office of the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Philadelphia. An indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.
ST. LOUIS AREA MEN INDICTED AND ARRESTED
FOR FAILURE TO DISCLOSE LEAD PAINT

Thomas F. Sailor of O’Fallon, Mo., and Marco Webster of St. Louis, Mo., were each indicted on Feb. 12 and were arrested Feb. 19. The charges are they both violated the Toxic Substances Control Act by failing to disclose lead-based paint to home buyers and charges they falsified lead paint disclosure forms. Exposure to chips and dust from lead-based paint can produce neurological damage and other diseases so disclosing the presence of lead-based paint to home buyers is required by federal law. The risk of exposure to lead is especially high among small children who can experience significant delays in mental development and may even die when they are exposed to lead as they crawl and play on the floor. If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison and/or a potential fine of more than $250,000. Charges were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis. The case was investigated by the St. Louis Area Office of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the EPA Region 7 Office of Inspector General and the City of St. Louis Division of Health. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis. An indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.

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