EnviroVantage

Children’s Apparel Network Recalls Fleece Hoodie for Lead Paint Violation

Patti Fousek — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:12:02 +0000

Source: San Francisco Legal Examiner

Written by Claude Wyle

Child safety is important to me. As a Dangerous Product Attorney, I always want to alert the public when I learn of any safety concerns, especially ones that affect innocent children. It is my intention that by passing along information to consumers, my action will be instrumental in creating safer households, and eventually safer products.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Children’s Apparel Network have issued a recall on fleece hoodies for violation of the lead paint standard. The surface coating on the zipper of the fleece hoodie contains excessive levels of lead. This also affects their T-Shirt sets, also with a lead paint zipper.

Lead poisoning is serious and children should not be exposed to this level of lead, especially on their clothing. As you can imagine, a child also has the potential to put these zippers in their mouths, making this recall even more necessary.

Although this is a voluntary recall, consumers are advised to stop using the recalled products immediately. These products were sold exclusively at Target from October-December 2011. I am sure that the good folks at Target and Children’s Apparel Network want to sell only the safest products to American families and appreciate any help in getting the word out if a defect is found.

Thankfully, no injuries have yet to be reported. Still, this is a warning because lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues. It interferes with the development of the nervous system and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing potentially permanent learning and behavioral disorders.

For additional information, contact Children’s Apparel Network at (800) 919-1917 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.childrensapparelnetwork.com and click on the “Press” link.

Medical Products Recalled Due to Mold

Patti Fousek — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:45:54 +0000

Source: WebMD News from HealthDay

Potential mold contamination has led to a recall of all medical products compounded at Med Prep Consulting, Inc. in New Jersey.

The recall was announced by Med Prep after a Connecticut hospital notified the company that mold had been found in one of its products, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration news release.

The affected products are used by hospitals and health care professionals at doctor’s practices or clinics. None of the products are sold directly to patients at retail stores or to home care patients.

The products packaged in plastic infusion bags, plastic infusion devices, plastic syringes and glass vials were shipped directly to regional hospital pharmacies in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Delaware. Products packaged in plastic syringes only were distributed nationwide to doctor’s practices and clinics, the FDA said.

All facilities that received the recalled Med Prep products have been notified and instructed to remove and return the product to the company.

EnviroVantage Team Grows Again!

Carlton Cooper — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:48:24 +0000

Carlton Cooper has been brought on as the Director of Marketing & Business Development. Carlton has been a member of the construction industry for nearly twenty years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the EnviroVantage team. Carlton is also the Chairman of the Young Professionals Group of the ABC NH/VT and a Board Member of the ABC NH/VT as well.

Craig Bouthiette has come to EnviroVantage as one of our estimators. Craig is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelors in Communications. He has spent the last ten years in the restaurant industry and his customer service & satisfaction experience will be a great asset to the EnviroVantage team.

New Certification for EnviroVantage

Carlton Cooper — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:34:03 +0000

We are proud to announce that Chris Prior, Director of Residential Sales, has recently completed the IICRC SRT course for fire and smoke restoration procedures.

In this course, Chris learned about:

Staffing a restoration company, dealing with the insurance industry, packing, moving and storage of contents, structure restoration, type of equipment used to perform services, deodorization concepts, the proper cleaning supplies, safety on the job, soiling associated with fire claims, the different types of smoke and how each type effects your restoration job, sample forms, scope and estimating, fibers and fabrics, emergency service, marketing and sales, ultrasonics, ozone, restoration of books, electronics, artwork.

Remember, we have teams available 24/7 to take care of your fire and smoke damage emergencies! Give us a call at 1-800-640-5323.

EnviroVantage Safety Training

Carlton Cooper — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:08:39 +0000

EnviroVantage employees are constantly being trained to meet all of the safety standards set by OSHA, the state governments, and our own company. Here are some pictures to start off our week-long 2012 training sessions:

EnviroVantage Holiday Party 2012

Carlton Cooper — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:10:02 +0000

Check out some pictures from EnviroVantage’s 2012 Holiday Party!

Sandy Cleanup: Workers Lack Proper Equipment, Gear, Training

Carlton Cooper — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:37:17 +0000

Source: NY Daily News

Extra hands hired off the street are being sent into mold-infested, storm-damaged basements in public housing to clean with highly toxic chemicals but without proper equipment, gear, or training.

The Housing Authority first asked its union partners to help with the cleaning — but union officials refused, citing the lack of training or protective clothing.

So the city hired Belchor, an outside company, to do the work.

The company would not comment, but a top official with the federal agency that oversees worker safety said workers were not properly suited up for the jobs they were performing.

“There were (personal protective equipment) issues and they are addressing (it),” said Richard Mendelson, head of the New York office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Mendelson’s teams have inspected job sites in Queens and Brooklyn. As of Friday, OSHA inspectors had checked 2,215 sites, finding nearly 6,000 employees — one in three — working in hazardous conditions.

“There are trade-offs when hiring day laborers,” he said. “You want to hire local people and not just bring in people from the South. But regardless who you bring in, they have to be properly trained and equipped to do the job.”

The workers feel let down.

Last week, about 25 workers were picked from a crowd of 120 men and women at the Ocean Bay Houses in the Rockaways. The “lucky” two dozen were told they’d be paid $28 per hour — but were then given insufficient protective clothing and equipment and only a brief rundown on how to get the cleanup done. Workers said they were then sent into the basements for eight-hour shifts.

OSHA requires that all workers don impervious body suits and waterproof boots when working in wet conditions and respirators with special filters — not just paper masks — when working with strong chemicals in tight spaces.

Andre Dixon, 46, worked three days last week and said he and other workers were not given respirators or a body suit. Instead, he sprayed a chemical disinfectant and wiped it down with a wet rag. He said they were given rubber gloves and plastic safety glasses, but sometimes they ran out of boot protectors. Some of the workers were wearing sneakers.

“We have to move all the slime and the sludge that was stinking, and all we had was (paper) masks. They said it was sufficient. They never trained us on this,” he said.

Dixon said the smell in the basements was bad, and after eight hours of work, he said he’d have to dispose of some of his clothes.

Lakesha Crowell, 38, said the chemical — an anti-microbe disinfectant called Microban — “burns your throat and your eyes” over long periods.

“We have done boiler rooms, computer rooms. We wiped down walls with this stinking chemical, wiping it with a wet rag. We’re cleaning up mold, slimy, stinking water. Everything we pick up with gloves.

“We felt like coal miners down there,” she added.

Stephen Woodward, 47, said he’d been given a paper mask, plastic goggles and a vest.

“You’re supposed to have the one-piece suit, but they ran out,” he said.

The trouble for the Housing Authority began right after the super-storm, with 400 buildings housing 80,000 tenants in Red Hook and Coney Island in Brooklyn, the Rockaways in Queens and lower Manhattan damaged from seawater potentially mixed with sewage and petroleum flowing into dozens of basements.

Days after the storm, NYCHA discussed the cleanup operation with Teamsters Local 237 President Greg Floyd, instructing him to order up some of the 8,000 NYCHA employees he represents to begin scouring basements in the affected buildings.

Floyd said he refused to allow his workers to do this type of potentially hazardous work without proper training and equipment.

“We told them we needed training. We wouldn’t tell (workers) to go in there without equipment and without training,” Floyd said. “You need somebody who knows how to sanitize the area.”

NYCHA spokeswoman Sheila Stainback said, “Belfor is an experienced provider of remediation services and we expect them to ensure proper procedures are followed in all aspects of their work with NYCHA.”

Lead Paint, Asbestos To Be Removed From Local Courthouse

Carlton Cooper — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:37:06 +0000

Source: Seacoast Online

While voters will decide whether to demolish the old Hampton District Court building in March, Town Manager Fred Welch said after a recent inspection the historic 139-year-old building is officially off limits.

The town manager informed selectmen last week that asbestos and lead paint was found in the building which will have to be removed.

“The level of asbestos is high, very high,” Welch said. “It will have to be abated before it can be used for any purpose. It’s that bad.”

While the Police Department has used the building in the past for training exercises, Welch has canceled all future training until the problem is corrected. “Anyone who enters the building must where breathing protection as a precaution at this time,” Welch said.

Welch has already requested the building department obtain costs and a work plan to abate the lead paint and asbestos. He noted the work would still have to be done regardless if the building is torn down or not.

The building has been vacant since 2005, when the state relocated the court due the building’s poor condition. At the time, employees complained it was infested with mold, and it had to be fumigated more than once for fleas.

While the town’s Heritage Commission pushed to refurbish the building, it never gained any real momentum as the projected cost to bring back the building to its former glory was over a million dollars.

Several months ago, selectmen decided to put the issue on what should be done with the courthouse to rest, deciding to put forth a warrant article asking voters if they want to demolish it. The decision came after the building was broken into and vandalized.

Welch said they have sent crews to make sure the building is secure but said they have had some issues. “The frame is so bad, it won’t hold the window in place,” Welch said.

With the latest news regarding the building’s condition, Selectman Richard Nichols pushed for the town manager to get an accurate cost on what it would cost to demolish the building.

While the town tore down the old Town Hall for $22,000, the place holder in the warrant article to tear down the courthouse is $75,000.

Welch said he intends to get a firmer number before the warrant article is presented to voters.

Welch told the selectmen the old Town Hall also has an asbestos problem which needs to be taken care of before the building is demolished.

“That cost around $1,200 to $1,500,” Welch said. “This building is going to be astronomically higher than that from what I’m being told.”

The building’s historical significance has been cited in the past as a reason to save it.

According to archives from Lane Memorial Library, the building was originally built for $4,485 at the current site of Centre School. In 1922, the building was moved to its current location. Through the years, it has served as home to Hampton’s public kindergarten, the American Legion Post No. 35 hall, Fire Station 2 and, finally, Hampton District Court.

Report Identifies Dangerous, Toxic Toys

Carlton Cooper — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:36:51 +0000

Source: Grand Junction Free Press

Dangerous and toxic toys end up on store shelves every year, according to a report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group.

CoPIRG field director Lisa Ritland released the 27th annual “Trouble in Toyland” report last week at a news conference held at Community Hospital. Researchers visited national toy stores, malls and dollar stores in September, October and November in 2012.

Laboratory testing conducted by the parent organization, U.S. PIRG, found toys containing lead, cadmium and phthalates, all of which have been found toxic to the development of young children. The PIRG survey also found toys that presented choking hazards; extremely loud toys deemed potentially harmful because they exceed the noise standards recommended by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Examples of items that made this year’s dangerous toys list include:

• Play Food, manufactured by Walmart. Play Food was cited as a choking hazard due to small parts and the fact it looks as if it should be eaten.

• Plastic handcuffs, manufactured by JA-RU, contains a carcinogen in the surface coating of the handcuffs. U.S. PIRG’s laboratory found 1,200 ppm antimony, which is 20 times the allowable amount for surface coatings in the product standard made mandatory in 2008.

• Morphobot, manufactured by GreenBrier International, tested at 180 ppm of lead which violates the current lead limit of 100 ppm lead. Toys manufactured before August 2011 can still be sold if they contain less than 300 ppm of lead.

U.S. PIRG’s report has led to regulatory action and numerous toy recalls. According to the report, in 2007, children’s product recalls reached an all-time high with 231 recalls of 46 million toys and 15 million other products.

In 1978, lead was banned in the U.S. for use in house paint, in dishes or cookware, and in products marketed for children. Lead is widely used in other countries, however, and can be found in imported toys.

Lead is especially toxic to brains of young children and can cause permanent mental and developmental impairments and has no business being in children’s products, the full report stated.

To see the full report, visit http://copirg.org/reports/cop/trouble-toyland-27th-annual-survey-toy-safety.

Asbestos: An Uninvited Guest in Your Home [INFOGRAPHIC]

Carlton Cooper — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:59:21 +0000

The use of Asbestos was very common in residential and commercial construction materials. When dangers of Asbestos were realized, the substance was banned from use in the late 1970’s. However, even today, Asbestos still exists in many households across the U.S.

EnviroVantage are experts at removing Asbestos for both commercial and residential clients. Many times, we discover Asbestos in areas our clients didn’t even realize it existed – like in floor tiles in the basement or around heating pipes.

If your home or office was built or renovated before 1980, Asbestos may be an uninvited guest that you want to remove from your home. Here is an Infographic from Mesothelioma Help Now that illustrates where you may find Asbestos in your home. The original source of this graphic is http://www.mesotheliomahelpnow.com/Blog/2012/05/16/Asbestos-A-Silent-Killer

If you suspect that Asbestos exists in your home or office, DO NOT attempt to remove it yourself. EnviroVantage offers many methods for the safe removal of Asbestos. Contact us for a no obligation consultation.