News and Articles


DOE Contractors Assume GDP Clean-up Operations

Fluor-B&W Portsmouth and Babcock & Wilcox Conversion Services will continue work at gaseous diffusion plants in Ohio and Kentucky.

Society of Manufacturing Engineers Joins Automation Federation

The Automation Federation serves as the “Voice of Automation” by providing advocacy and industry-wide strategic analysis and coordination through its member organizations.

U.S. Army soldiers run after getting of a Blackhawk helicopter during an air assault mission in Ludifiyah, Iraq, in 2008. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Richard Del Vecchio

U.S. Troops in Iraq Are Exposed to Fine Particulate Matter

Although the long-term health effects are not known, soldiers stationed in Iraq don't have the protection of air quality and toxic heavy metals regulations.

This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service picture shows the remains of a Golden Eagle killed by a wind turbine.

Why Do Birds Collide with Manmade Objects?

Birmingham study suggests that birds may not be looking at what obstacles are straight ahead and some of them may not be able to slow their flying speed.

Power Profiler Allows Users to See Emissions, Electric Sources

EPA has updated its emissions and generation database, or eGrid, with 2007 data, allowing users to access the information using ZIP codes.

Iodine-131 Levels Still Below Levels of Concern

EPA and USDA are monitoring food, rain, and potable water for levels of radioactivity that may have drifted to the United States from Japan.

Online Article Submission Available for Water Environment Research

The peer-reviewed research journal receives about 300 new submissions annually.

Blue Earth, Minn., Expands Biosolids Storage

Bolton and Menk and Wilkus Architects are providing design services for the wastewater treatment plant.

A worker collects samples using a push core sampler.

EPA Plans Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell for New Bedford Harbor Cleanup

The agency expects this strategy will save money and speed up PCB remediation effort that has been going on for 29 years.

Synagro CEO Stepped into Sludge Tank on 'Undercover Boss'

Bill Massa also worked alongside a centrifuge operator to separate water from solids and helped dredge and clean a lagoon for the television program.

Two members of the 92nd Civil Support Team take a sample of a simulated hazardous substance during training in 2005. The Nevada National Guard was called to assist Las Vegas Metro Police in 2008, with ricin. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka

Bleach Is Best for Detoxifying Ricin, FDA Study Shows

Bleach significantly reduced the toxicity of ricin within five minutes, noted Lauren Jackson, a research food technologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Summit-Argo, Ill.

EPA Fines Toppenish for Excess Wastewater Discharges

The agency said the city will pay $134,500 for violating its NPDES permit during 2008-2010.

Asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer and other types of serious lung disease in workers when inhaled.

NIOSH Issues Asbestos Roadmap, Recommends More Research

"The NIOSH roadmap outlines a strategic framework for designing, conducting, and applying the research that will best serve the need to address persistent scientific uncertainties about occupational health and elongate mineral particles," said Director Dr. John Howard.

Recycling Facility Joins Cal/OSHA SHARP Program

"There are just over 1 million employers in California and of those, only 42 are current SHARP recipients," said Cal/OSHA Area Manager Kelly Howard.

Lighter Weight Plant Fibers May be Used for Vehicle Plastics

Although the process is costly, researchers from Brazil said it takes just one pound of nano-cellulose to produce 100 pounds of super-strong, lightweight plastic.

Gulf Restoration Task Force Opens State Call Lines

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force also is holding listening sessions in coastal states to get feedback before it has to propose an agenda on Oct. 5.

Microwave Method Converts Used Motor Oil into Fuel

Researchers at the U.K.'s Cambridge University mixed samples of waste oil with a highly microwave-absorbent material and then heated the mixture to convert nearly 90 percent of the samples into fuel.

Typical waste lagoons at the start of surface aeration and microbial enhancement. Note the presence of solids on lagoon surface.

Waste Lagoons: Sloppy Mess or Treatment Opportunity?

Surface aeration and aerobic microbes can alleviate an overloaded waste lagoon.

The Cambrian Center

ARRA Funds Green Retrofit for HUD Facility

Salas O'Brien will engineer a cool roof and use fuel cells to save energy at the Cambrian Center near the Los Gatos-San Jose border.

Groups Request Info on Reactor Exemptions, Evacuation

Richard Brodsky with Demos, a national policy center, and three other groups have filed Freedom of Information Act requests prompted by the nuclear disaster in Sendai, Japan.