Idaho Hazardous Waste Disposal Site Failed to Disclose Chemical Releases

Mar 23, 2012

US Ecology Idaho, Inc., a hazardous waste disposal site in Grand View, Idaho, failed to report the on-site disposal of thousands of pounds of chemicals at its facility, according to a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The company has corrected the violations of the Toxics Release Inventory Program and will pay a fine.

“Companies that handle toxic chemicals have a responsibility to be transparent about what they use and release into the environment,” said Kelly Huynh, manager of the Inspection and Enforcement Management Unit at EPA in Seattle. “Accurate, timely numbers from companies are critical for communities to have up-to-date information on chemical releases in their states.”   (More....)

Defense dollars and tinnitus R&D

Tinnitus is a condition that afflicts about 12% of adults aged 55 to 65. Other younger adults, US combat service veterans are also affected. According to a recent Scientific American article, the U.S. Department of Defense has commissioned a firm to address the problem by developing the concept for a small delivery device inserted near the membrane-covered window separating the middle ear from the inner ear. Once there, the device would utilize embedded micro-wireless to allow controlled  release of a drug into the cochlea. When the device has used up its supply of drugs, it would dissolve.

The project is in the very early stages and years away from any clinical testing.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tinnitus-treatment 

Lessons from Delaware's fire prevention programs

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy finds that fire and life safety programs in Delaware offer a strategic, comprehensive and coordinated approach to fire prevention. The report, published in the November issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, offers recommendations to states and localities across the country looking to improve their fire and life safety activities. (more...)

http://gazette.jhu.edu/2012/03/05/delaware-offers-lessons-for-fire-prevention-programs-nationwide/