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EPA Press Advisory: 2004 Integrated Risk Information System Agenda; Report on Environmental Compliance at Federal Facilities Is Available Online; Asbestos Abatement Supervisor Pleads Guilty in False Training Certificate Case; Six Individuals Indicted in Illegal Ocean Dumping of Oil-Contaminated Grain; Detroit High School Engineer Indicted in Mercury Contamination Case; Former Saybolt Official Sentenced in Reformulated Gasoline Testing Scheme2004 Integrated Risk Information System Agenda 02/12/2004 - To provide the public with more information on the activities of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, EPA has announced the annual IRIS agenda for 2004. This notice lists chemical assessments completed in 2003, ongoing evaluations and new chemicals to be reviewed in 2004. In deciding which chemicals to review each year, EPA considers the following factors: statutory, regulatory or program needs; the availability of new scientific information that could change the current IRIS data; and interest to other levels of government and the public. The 2004 IRIS Agenda also discusses steps EPA is taking to improve the quality, consistency and timeliness of IRIS assessments. EPA will hold public peer review meetings in 2004 in response to recommendations for greater public input. IRIS is an electronic database of human health effects that may result from exposure to chemical substances in the environment; and is an important source of information for EPA risk assessments, decision-making and regulatory activities. IRIS currently contains information on more than 500 chemical substances, including quantitative and qualitative information on non-cancer and cancer effects. IRIS has become an important scientific resource outside of EPA, with more than 16,000 daily queries to the IRIS data base, including queries from 80 countries. IRIS summaries for all substances listed as on-going assessments are available at:http://www.epa.gov/iris . To read the Federal Register notice, go to: http://www.epa.gov/iris/frn_02_09_04.htm . External peer review drafts of IRIS documents can also be accessed from the “What’s New” page of the IRIS web site: http://www.epa.gov/iris/whatsnew.htm . Report on Environmental Compliance at Federal Facilities Is Available Online Prudence Goforth 202-564-4355 / goforth.prudence@epa.gov EPA released today “The State of Federal Facilities, An Overview of Environmental Compliance at Federal Facilities FY2001-2002,” a biennial report that provides a comprehensive overview of environmental compliance in the federal sector. Results for 2003 will not be available until later this year. The report shows that compliance rates remain near or above 90 percent for regulated federal facilities inspected under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as well as major federal facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Compliance rates for federal facilities remained above 90 percent for federal facilities regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). For the full report, go to: http://cfpub.epa.gov/compliance/planning/results/accomplishment/ . Enforcement Wrap-Up Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov Asbestos Abatement Supervisor Pleads Guilty in False Training Certificate Case On Jan. 28, Adrian Whaley, Asbestos Abatement Supervisor at Darcco Environmental Inc., in Jacksonville, Fla., pled guilty to conspiring to make a false statement to the EPA regarding asbestos training certification. The conspiracy involved the use of false asbestos training certificates by Darcco employees during asbestos abatement work conducted at U.S. Naval bases in the Jacksonville area. Darcco provided the certificates to its employees, despite knowing that the employees did not attend the asbestos training courses listed on the documents. Darcco received the false certificates from the Air Analytics Company in Orlando, Fla. Three other defendants, Edward Nunez, owner of Air Analytics and an employee of Darcco; Jerry Carter, owner of Darcco; and Eric Brown, a Darcco Asbestos Abatement Supervisor; each previously entered guilty pleas with respect to this case. Failure to properly train asbestos abatement workers and the use of falsified asbestos training documents can lead to workers being exposed to and inhaling airborne asbestos. Inhalation of airborne asbestos is a known cause of lung cancer, the lung disease “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma, cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Area Office of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, EPA’s Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Office of Inspector General, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville. Six Individuals Indicted in Illegal Ocean Dumping of Oil-Contaminated Grain On Feb. 3, Rick D. Stickle, Chairman and CEO of Sabine Transportation Inc., of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Michael R. Reeve, Sabine President; John Karayannides, Sabine Vice-President; Michael M. Krider, Port Engineer; George K. McKay, Master of the SS Juneau; and Phillip J. Hitchens, Chief Officer of the SS Juneau; were each indicted for conspiring to illegally discharge oil-contaminated grain at sea and obstruct a U.S. Coast Guard proceeding. The indictment arose from the improper dumping of approximately 442 metric tons of wheat contaminated with diesel fuel in the South China Sea in February 1999. The wheat was intended for humanitarian relief in Bangladesh but became contaminated with oil while on the ship. Rather than pay for proper disposal, the defendants allegedly hired workers to dump the wheat at sea and falsely claimed it was processed through the ship’s pollution control equipment prior to discharge. In fact, the pollution control equipment aboard the ship was not designed to handle this type of waste. Sabine Transportation previously pled guilty in this case and was sentenced. Dumping of oily wastes which have not been properly passed through pollution control equipment can harm fish and aquatic life. The case was investigated by the St. Louis and Jacksonville Area Offices of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa and the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law. Detroit High School Engineer Indicted in Mercury Contamination Case George Carl Bush, an engineer at Finney High School in Detroit, Mich., was indicted on Feb. 4 in Wayne County Superior Court on charges that he allegedly violated state law by illegally spreading the toxic chemical mercury in two corridors at the school. The charges allege that on Oct. 11, 2001, the defendant was angry about the allocation of school overtime hours and threatened to close the school if his union issues were not immediately addressed. A few hours later mercury was found spread in two corridors of the school and the building had to be shut down for several days for decontamination. The clothing and/or shoes of a number of students also tested positive for the presence of mercury. The defendant is charged with spreading the mercury and if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. When liquid mercury is spilled, it forms mercury vapors in the air and contaminates surfaces. Human exposure to mercury occurs by breathing vapors, direct skin contact or consuming contaminated food or water. Health problems vary greatly depending on individual tolerance and the amount entering the body, but exposure to mercury in some people may result in neurological damage. The case was investigated by the Detroit Police Department, the Cleveland Area Office of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality-Office of Criminal Investigations with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center and the EPA Region 5 Emergency Response Branch. It is being prosecuted by the State Attorney General’s Office in Detroit. An indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law. Former Saybolt Official Sentenced in Reformulated Gasoline Testing Scheme Thomas M. Hayes of Rockaway Township, N.J., former Vice-President of Saybolt Inc.’s Western Hemisphere Operations, was sentenced to 57 months in prison on Feb. 5 for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA). The defendant was convicted in April 2003 of conspiring to falsify oxygen and other test results on reformulated gasoline, making false statements to the EPA, committing mail fraud and obstructing justice. Between September 1992 and November 1996, the defendant and his co-conspirators falsified reformulated gasoline test results from Saybolt’s testing facilities in New Jersey and Woburn, Mass. The falsifications inflated the amount of oxygen that the gasoline actually contained, leading to the possibility that sub-standard gasoline might be sold. The CAA requires that at certain times of the year, gasoline sold in specific markets must be reformulated to contain sufficient oxygen to reduce the levels of pollutants emitted by automobiles. Reducing automobile emissions is important because high emissions lead to high atmospheric ozone levels, which increase the incidence of breathing disorders such as emphysema and asthma. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark and the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. R025 ### Release date:02/12/2004 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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