September 29, 2011
Nathan Phillips is a meter-reader for the 21st century.
The College of Arts & Sciences associate professor of geography and environment recently piled into a Nissan Murano with collaborators Bob Ackley and Eric Crosson and rambled through the streets of greater Boston to hunt for natural gas leaks. With the help of a strange-looking vacuum device attached to the car just below the rear bumper, the three have found geysers of gas gushing invisibly from underground pipes corroded by age. The leaks, Phillips says, contribute to global warming, could create explosions in some extreme cases, have killed or damaged up to 10,000 trees in Massachusetts (a disputed matter under litigation), and shaft rate-paying gas customers who must pick up the tab for wasted gas.
Much more
September 26, 2011
Companies such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which owns the line that caused the Cupertino blast, don't have to routinely report what they know about failure rates of particular brands of plastic pipes, even to the federal and state agencies that regulate pipeline operators. The federal government, bowing to industry resistance, has never required it.
Officials with the California Public Utilities Commission, which oversees PG&E, say the utility does account for plastic pipe leaks in quarterly reports, but does not indicate the maker of the pipes involved. PG&E provides that and other key information about plastic pipe failures on a voluntary, anonymous basis to an industry-maintained confidential database.
Timothy Alan Simon, one of the five PUC members appointed by the governor, said that should change.
"These are gas lines coming to your home," Simon said. "Every resident should have a certain level of assurance that we are not hiding information that they need to know to determine safety."
Much More...
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Plastic natural gas pipe failure data kept secret Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, September 26, 2011
... Richard Kuprewicz, a consultant from Redmond, Wash., who advises federal regulators on pipeline safety, said keeping data hidden blinds regulators.
The current system, he said, creates "the illusion of safety, in that it gives people the impression that someone is keeping real data that means something. It may or may not - most likely not."
September 25, 2011
New standards set for industrial pipe cleaning in wake of deadly 2010 Conn ...
August 5, 2010
Federal safety officials on Thursday issued $16.6 million in proposed fines in connection with a huge explosion at a power plant that killed six workers in Middletown, Conn., determining that construction companies had blatantly disregarded industry procedures designed to safeguard workers.
The fines, the third largest ever issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a single episode, stem from accusations of 371 violations, including 225 considered “willful,” found after the Feb. 7 blast, which occurred as flammable natural gas was being shot through a supply pipe to purge it of debris. Fifty people were injured in the explosion... Read more.
September 23, 2011
Lost and Unaccounted Natural Gas: Energy, Economics, and Environment Workshop:
http://www.bu.edu/energy/lost-The purpose of this workshop is to explore and create awareness around “the unknown” – the extent – the cause – the locations – the how – of these methane gas leaks; to explore rural- urban environmental and economic interdependencies surrounding the natural gas resource and industry; and develop a consensus on a research strategy to address these findings. Leaders from government, research, citizens, utilities and private sector will gather to share information and brainstorm next steps.
Thousands of gas leaks in Boston area Boston Globe (August 17, 2011)
Extensive Methane Leaks Discovered Under Streets of Boston ScienceDaily (May 13, 2011)
September 16, 2011
Effective Policies to Eliminate Chemical Releases and Exposures in Schools. Webinar Series.
To promote a national framework for the prevention of chemical incidents in schools, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP) has teamed up with Interstate Chemical Threats Workgroup (ICTW) to bring an exciting webinar series.
During the sessions we'll explore policies and prevention efforts for three chemicals/chemical categories that lead the NTSIP incident list: elemental mercury, cleaning products, and pesticides.
At the conclusion of the webinar series, the summary notes will guide the development of a white paper entitled, Best Practices and Policies for Eliminating Chemical Releases and Exposures in Schools.
All webinars start at 9:30 a.m. PST.
During the sessions we'll explore policies and prevention efforts for three chemicals/chemical categories that lead the NTSIP incident list: elemental mercury, cleaning products, and pesticides.
At the conclusion of the webinar series, the summary notes will guide the development of a white paper entitled, Best Practices and Policies for Eliminating Chemical Releases and Exposures in Schools.
- "Mercury Exposure and Effective Policies" on October 13,
- "Green Cleaning Policies to Eliminate Exposures," on November 10,
- "Pesticide Exposures and Effective Policies" on December 15,
- "Best Practices and Policies for Eliminating Chemical Releases and Exposures in Schools" on January 12, 2012.
All webinars start at 9:30 a.m. PST.
"The U.S. Review of Books," John E. Roper Review of An American Holocaust: The Story of Lataine's Ring by Kerry L. Barger,
"I remember being thrown up in the air like a toy... I keep turning and spinning. Then darkness."
The attack on the World Trade Center in New York claimed almost 3,000 lives and changed America forever. A little-remembered explosion of a school in the 1930s resulted in just over 300 deaths, yet it, too, had a tremendous impact on society. Barger revives the story of one of the nation's most poignant tragedies in his highly-moving tale.
The school in New London was considered one of the most modern facilities in the state for the time period, and the residents of the small East Texas town were extremely proud of it. Like in many of the small towns near the oil fields, school officials had decided to tap into the natural gas lines to cut heating costs at the facility. What they never realized was just how dangerous that practice could be. On March 18, 1937, a spark in the wood shop ignited the cloud of invisible and odorless gas that had slowly permeated the school. The resulting explosion killed children and teachers alike, littering the area with body parts and completely devastating a community. The catastrophe led Texas to mandate the inclusion of an additive to natural gas that would enable people to smell it. The nation and then much of the world soon followed suit.
Barger's book follows the lives of several families affected by the tragedy, including his own. By giving the reader glimpses into the hopes and dreams of individuals like his cousin, Lataine, he builds a literary memorial to those who lost so much to make others safe in the future. The book is not without its flaws, but it stands as a much-needed reminder of an event that should never be forgotten.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/
The US Review of Books www.theUSreview.com
"Mr. Barger's
Kindle books are always free to Amazon Prime members and will be
offered free of charge to everyone on Feb. 20th at http://www.amazon.com/
September 14, 2011
12 Principles of Green Chemistry
Beyond Benign: Green Chemistry Education
Green Chemistry is the science of creating safe, energy efficient and non-toxic products and processes and offers a concrete path towards solving the environmental problems our society faces today.
Green Chemistry is the science of creating safe, energy efficient and non-toxic products and processes and offers a concrete path towards solving the environmental problems our society faces today.
September 08, 2011
A pervasive lack of proactive measures
"Organizational accidents typically have multiple contributing causes, involve people at numerous levels within the organization, and are characterized by a pervasive lack of proactive measures to ensure adoption and compliance with a safety culture. They are generally catastrophic in nature and require complex organizational changes. All these aspects are present in this accident."
-- September 3, 2011 San Bruno Pipeline Blast: NTSB lays out another system failure http://disaster-wise.blogspot.com/2011/09/san-bruno- pipeline-blast-ntsb-lays-out. html
A summary of facts and technical findings presented by Ravi Chattre, NTSB engineer and chief investigator. http://www.ntsb.gov/news/
September 03, 2011
not as safe as it should be
Adrian Martin was aware that his work at Membrane Technology and Research in Menlo Park was "not as safe as it should be," his wife recalled
Scientist killed in explosion at Menlo Park R&D firm
San Jose Mercury News
The 56-year-old scientist's observation appeared to ring true Friday afternoon when a gas-fueled explosion ripped through a laboratory at the company's Willow Road headquarters, killing him and injuring a colleague. "He's not here right now because a ...
September 02, 2011
An American Holocaust: The Story of Lataine's Ring by Kerry L. Barger
A new book -- in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the March 18 1937 Texas School Explosion.
Author's Website
Author's Website
"Mr. Barger's
Kindle books are always free to Amazon Prime members and will be
offered free of charge to everyone on Feb. 20th at http://www.amazon.com/
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