Posted by Rachel Stansel on Wed, May 16, 2012 @ 08:27 AM
In the news recently, there have been a number of stories regarding the F-22 Raptor and the concerns of pilots and others regarding symptoms of hypoxia in flight. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta ordered the Air Force Tuesday to limit all F-22 flights to distances that would allow pilot to make an emergency landing at any given time. In addition, the time line for addition of backup oxygen to the aircraft has been moved up. The Secretary requested monthly updates on the efforts to local the root cause of the oxygen deficiency in the cockpit.
The symptoms of hypoxia vary between individuals. The initial symptoms can include a general dulling of the senses, clumsiness or drowsiness. Some compare the feeling to being slightly intoxicated.
Without suplemental oxygen or flying to lower altitudes, the symptoms then worsen. Pilots may suffer from any combination of the following symptoms:
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dizzyiness
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tingling in the skin
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headache.
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racing heart
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changes in vision
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bluish tint to the lips.
Due to the effect on the brain, however, the pilot may be completely unaware that they are having any problems. The Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device is used to train pilots on the early symptoms of hypoxia in a simulated environment so that they may take preventative actions prior to becoming incapacitated.
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Tue, Apr 03, 2012 @ 08:22 AM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a standard for carbon pollution from new power plants, as required by the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling regarding the Clean Air Act.
This is the first Clean Air Act standard to address power plant carbon emissions. The carbon pollution standard, now open to public comment, reflects the existing move in to building plants that use clean-burning and take advantage of more efficient technologies. It also allows for the use of new technologies that will emit less carbon pollution but still burn coal. It is important to note that this standard applies only to new generating units, not those already operating, being built or that will begin construction within the next year.
Speaking about the proposal, EPA Administrator said, “Right now there are no limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be able to put into our skies – and the health and economic threats of a changing climate continue to grow. We’re putting in place a standard that relies on the use of clean, American made technology to tackle a challenge that we can’t leave to our kids and grandkids.”
The proposed standard gives a good deal of flexibility, and it can be met by facilities using a variety of methods, including natural gas technologies and coal with implementation of emissions reducing technologies. Since existing plants and those being built within the year are not subject to this standard, EPA did not project any additional cost to comply with this standard.
A number of statements from legislators, environmental and health groups and business people have been released regarding this proposal. Just a few of these are below. To read more, please visit the EPA.
Ranking Member of the US House of Representative’s Committee on Energy and Commerce, Henry A. Waxman, released the following, “The proposal is a breakthrough. It sets achievable limits on dangerous carbon pollution, spurs investments in new clean energy technologies, and provides certainty for industry. And it shows the President is listening to scientists, not extremists who deny the existence of climate change. Today’s action will reduce pollution, make families healthier, promote innovation, and help us compete with China and other countries that are investing in clean energy.”
The Sierra Club urged its member’s to send messages to EPA Administrator Jackson to urge implementation of these protections, stating “For the first time ever, the Obama Administration and the EPA are proposing national limits on carbon pollution. Carbon pollution is linked not only to climate disruption, but also to significant health hazards like the smog that triggers asthma attacks. Right now, 158 million Americans live in counties with unacceptable air pollution levels. By supporting the EPA's effort for clean air, we can make sure they go the distance and put new protections in place.”
Ralph Izzo, Chairman and CEO of Public Service Electric and Gas (PSEG), released a statement, “While we would have preferred that Congress enact legislation limiting greenhouse gas emissions, the EPA took an important step today in addressing the significant environmental threat posed by climate change.
The Agency’s action establishes a logical and modest standard for new electric power plants and provides the industry with much needed regulatory certainty. The EPA provides a framework for the industry to confront this problem in a cost effective manner.
We understand that the EPA continues to evaluate regulatory options for already existing plants that may be affected by the Clean Air Act and we look forward to working with the Agency to evaluate the best approaches for achieving meaningful greenhouse gas reductions in as flexible and economic manner as possible.”
Subscribe to the Environics Post for updates on this and other EPA legislation!
(EPA Image - https://www.facebook.com/EPA)
(Congress Image - Wikipedia)
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Thu, Mar 29, 2012 @ 12:01 PM
A big thank you to everyone who stopped by and visiting our team, Terry, Cathy, Patty and Rachel, at Pittcon. It was great to see so many new faces and to catch up with old friends. We are pleased to announce the winner of our much sought after golf club is Rob of ICS Laboratories Inc.! Rob is very excited and promised a picture of his first tee shot. Congratulations!!
We are very proud of our high quality computerized gas flow instruments and appreciate you taking time to learn more considering investing your business with us. For those interested, you can learn more about what makes our products the best choice by taking a look at our Gas Flow Management Products or reading through our Technical Documents.
At Environics, we are dedicated to customer service before, during and after your system is built. We stand by our systems and believe in building long-term relationships with our customers.
Our next conference is Aerospace Medical Assoc. Annual Scientific Meeting, May 13-17 in Atlanta.
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Thu, Mar 22, 2012 @ 11:08 AM
Today, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson testified before the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the U.S. Senate regarding President Obama's proposed EPA budget for the fiscal year 2013. You can read more about the EPA budget proposal in my earlier post. The full transcript of Jackson's testimony can be read here.
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Thu, Feb 23, 2012 @ 10:33 AM
Earlier this month, the US EPA released their proposal for Implementing the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone. This includes their suggested Nonattainment Area Classifications Approach and Attainment Deadlines.
The full proposal can be read here. This table from this proposal summarizes the ranges used to classify attainment based on the 2008 standard as well as the length of time to reach compliance.
Below is a summary of an earlier post regarding ozone generation and its uses, including calibration of ambient air monitoring systems.
Ozone used in industry, depending on the conditions (especially temperature and humidity) and method of generation, can be formed at concentrations ranging from 1 - 30%. It can be used to disinfect water, clean air and laundry or kill insects in grain. Ozone is also used in processing of manufacturing and production.
There are a variety of ways ozone is generated, but the two main methods of are corona discharge and UV light (Read the details about ozone generation).
In brief, the corona discharge method is the most common type of ozone generator for personal uses. The are used in ambient conditions and are more susceptible to environmental conditions.
UV ozone generators employ a light source that generates a narrow-band ultraviolet light, mimicking the production of ozone in the atmosphere. When used in calibration systems, such as those manufactured by Environics, there are a variety of industry standards that must be met to guarantee accuracy and reliability of the ozone produced (EPA criteria for ozone transfer standard).
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Wed, Feb 15, 2012 @ 09:16 AM
Yesterday at EPA Headquarters, the President's Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) FY 2013 budget request was announced by Administrator Lisa Jackson and her senior staff. The proposal allocates $8.344 billion, with is a reduction of $105 million from the approved FY 2012 budget. Elimination of completed programs and consolidation of others accounts for $50 million of that reduction.
In reaction to the proposal, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson echoed the President's message of "an America built to last." Jackson said, “This budget is focused on fulfilling EPA’s core mission to protect health and the environment for millions of American families. It demonstrates fiscal responsibility, while still supporting clean air, healthy waters and innovative safeguards that are essential to an America built to last.”
The EPA calls out eight key areas in the FY2013 proposed budget:
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Support of States through grants to allow implementation of front line projects under the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts ($1.2 billion, an increase over FY 2012)
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Protecting America's Waters primarily through funding of wastewater and drinking water programs as well as infrastructure projects including green projects ($2 billion)
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Contaminated Site Clean-up through funding of the Superfund Cleanup programs (both emergent and remedial), and will focus on compliance ($755 million)
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Research and Innovation in the Science and Technology in a wide variety of arenas ($807 million)
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Continued Support of "Economically and Environmentally Vital Water Bodies," including the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay ($373 million)
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Harmful Chemical assessment and risk reduction ($68 million, an increase of $11 million over FY 2012)
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"Next Generation Compliance," which focuses on electronic reporting, data collection and monitoring, with a goal of cost savings, improved compliance and transparency ($36 million)
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National Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Standards program funding to research new biofuel and renewable technologies and for compliance and certification of fuel economy and emissions, all with the goal of reducing dependence on oil ($102 million, a $10 million increase over FY 2012)
Jackson reviewed the EPA will continue to streamline so that while working with less, they can maintain the commitment to the EPA's core goals.
You can view the announcement on the EPA's site, including a brief Q&A, or read more here.
Image - Still from EPA Announcement: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20429324
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Thu, Feb 09, 2012 @ 12:54 PM
Every year, we ask our customers for their feedback throughout the year as well as on our annual Continuous Improvement Survey. We take this input very seriously, discussing the thoughts and suggestions and, when possible, implementing the requests that are made. One recurring suggestion was the availablity of a Service Agreement for Recalibration of our systems. (You can learn more about our Calibration Services here.)
After many internal discussions, we are proud to announce the availability of Service Agreements on both new and existing systems. By having a Service Agreement with us, you will save both time and money. We are happy to help customize your agreement to fit your needs.
The benefits of signing a Service Agreement are:
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You will lock in the current recalibration cost for the length of your agreement.
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Your system will be given priority status when it arrives for recalibration. This means less downtime for you!
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Your will receive a 5% discount on your recalibration cost by prepaying a One-Year Agreement or by signing a Two to Five Year Service Agreement (prepayment not required). This discount is on top of the savings you receive by locking in the current recalibration rates.
To learn more or to request a Service Agreement for an existing system, please contact us at (860) 872-1111 or complete an online request.
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Tue, Feb 07, 2012 @ 11:11 AM
Throughout Europe, initiatives have resulted in an overall improved air quality since the 1970's. Some of the main components of air pollution are particulates, ozone, NOx, hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Most generally, air quality affects the health of the population on a daily basis. Especailly at risk are the very young, the elderly and those with breathing issues. In most cities, traffic related air pollution is the most common source, with industrial emissions also playing a key role.
Recently, I posted about an EPA run site that allows website visitors to view the air quality (along with water quality, etc). Today, I want to share a site which shows air quality for cities throughout Europe.
The site, Air Quality Now, also provides details on the various components of air pollution, the health threats of each and some background to the current initiatives.
When searching, you can look at historical data, today's data, or a forecast for the following day. Also of interest, you can view background or roadside data.
Click here to search for your city or nearby areas or to learn more.
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 @ 10:55 AM
If you watched or listened to President Obama's State of the Union address yesterday, you might have noticed the absence of any discussion of environmental issues and policies. The only mention was that passing any environmental legislation would be unlikely due to the current divisions in Congress.
This morning, I wanted to recommend spending a minute to read a brief article posted in Scientific America entitled "U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decline Despite Political Gridlock." The authors do a good job of reviewing the current state of the environmental policies in the US and what we might expect in the near future.
Posted by Rachel Stansel on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 @ 09:14 AM
Last Wednesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled an online, searchable Greenhouse Gas database. The user-friendly database allows you to search for reported emissions from most major sectors by location or business name. In addition, the results can be filtered to examine particular gases and levels. Gases can be selected from the reported list of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Methane, PFC-14, PFC-116 and HFC-23. Users can limit the emission range from 0 to 23,000,000 MT Carbon Dioxide emitted.
(click image to enlarge)
The new database fulfills the requirements set by a 2008 appropriations bill. The EPA hopes that by making this data easy to obtain will increase public pressure for decreasing emissions on emitting facilities. Gina McCarthy, an assistant administrator for air and radiation at the EPA stated, "We’re hopeful that the information will be a strong driver of greenhouse-gas reduction.”
A Supreme Court decision in 2007 triggered the process by which EPA is now mandated to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from all sectors of the economy. It has already started addressing such emissions from the transportation sector — which accounts for about 30 percent of the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions — through the administration’s tougher fuel-economy standards.
As I mentioned in this blog post, the EPA is facing a court appointed deadline this year to propose regulations for power plants and refineries this year. Currently, coal-based power plants account for 40% of all of the US greenhouse gas emissions, and those plants produce approximately 45% of the country’s electricity. Any regulations would not effect these existing plants, but would strictly regulate new power plants. According to McCarthy, there are no plans currently to build new power plants. When asked about possible control of existing plants, she stated, “We have not prepared any proposal for existing facilities at this point.” This means that any regulations that are implemented will be limited in their power to address the concerns of environmental groups on the current levels of US emissions.
One other interesting thing to note is that all of these regulations are based on Supreme Court-mandated ability of the EPA to regulate Carbon Dioxide, which is listed as a pollutant by the Clean Air Act. Industry groups, utilities, and states and challenging this authority in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, with a ruling expected in February.
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