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August 11, 2000
AMSA Meets with NIOSH
This week, AMSA and representatives of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) met with National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) officials to share concerns regarding the issuance of NIOSH's Hazard ID for biosolids workers. AMSA and WEF expressed several concerns with the Hazard ID's development process, overly-broad recommendations, and other circumstances surrounding the report's release. AMSA also informed NIOSH of the serious impacts the Hazard ID has already had upon public wastewater treatment agencies, citing recent moves by legislators and other interests who have used the report to support calls to ban the land-application of Class B biosolids.AMSA and WEF noted the flaws inherent in NIOSH's Hazard ID process because it excluded a review by industry experts and relied upon a hazard review of one facility. Problems were noted with NIOSH's broad recommendations to establish engineering controls which reduce worker risks, including recommendations to minimize storage time of Class B materials and requiring soil incorporation. The recommendations fail to adequately account for site-specific factors. It was emphasized that by not accounting for varying methods for treating biosolids, the recommendations may conflict with safe biosolids handling procedures already in place. NIOSH officials expressed interest in AMSA and WEF's concerns and requested a detailed letter delineating areas in which the report can be improved. Based on these specific comments NIOSH officials said they would consider revising the existing Hazard ID.
NIOSH officials also noted concerns with USA TODAY's July 13, 2000 article that mischaracterized a draft of the report. Although NIOSH did not express interest in responding directly to USA TODAY, the Institute may consider a formal response to AMSA and WEF that would clarify misperceptions in the July 13 article. AMSA and WEF are also drafting a set of formal recommendations for revising the Hazard ID. AMSA will continue to keep the membership informed of developments as they occur.
AMSA, OMB Discuss EPA SSO Proposal
This week, AMSA met with White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) officials, to discuss issues relating to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) soon-to-be-proposed sanitary sewer overflow (SSOs) regulations. Members of AMSA's leadership provided OMB officials with further information on the implications of Clean Water Act permitting alternatives for satellite collection systems. AMSA and OMB also discussed peak excess flow facilities as management options and further clarifications to the general prohibition. Complete details on the meeting are in AMSA's August Clean Water News. A proposed rule is expected sometime in September.ISCORS, AMSA, NBP Discuss Ongoing Activities
The Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS) met with AMSA and National Biosolids Partnership (NBP) representatives this week to discuss progress in parallel modeling efforts for estimating the potential incremental increases in radiological exposure to the public and others from biosolids handling and disposal/reuse. ISCORS has developed a draft technical support document (TSD) to support its radiological does model, which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/whatare.cfm. AMSA members will be requested to comment on the ISCORS draft TSD in a forthcoming Regulatory Alert.