Source: https://www.greenbiz.com/, January 13, 2020 By: Lauren Phipps Recently, PFAS has received a growing amount of attention — and scrutiny — from everyone from environmental groups to the mainstream media, and its story continues to unfold. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a new PFAS bill that’s designed to manage this class of cancer-linked chemicals leaching into […]

Source: https://www.insurancejournal.com/, January 10, 2020 Three employees were sickened by a cleaning chemical at an Amazon warehouse in New Hampshire, fire officials said Thursday. Firefighters in Nashua responded at about 4 a.m. for a report of a chemical reaction that happened while a crew was mixing chemicals, Deputy Fire Chief Karl Gerhard told WMUR-TV. Read […]

Source: https://www.freep.com/, January 9, 2020 By: Keith Matheny The environmental messes from a now-imprisoned Madison Heights electro-plater may have spread to the Thumb area. Personnel from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy were on the scene Tuesday at a property owned by Gary Sayers in Sanilac County’s Marion Township, where they found strewn […]

Source: https://wqad.com/, January 9, 2020 Seattle Children’s Hospital knew for years that a mold infestation in its facilities could be related to its air-handling system, but “engaged in a cover-up” that sickened many patients and resulted in the deaths of six children, according to a class-action lawsuit filed Monday. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of patients […]

Source: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/, January 9, 2020 by: Lisa Sorg Toxic PFAS — perfluorinated compounds — are known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the human body and the environment for decades, if not hundreds of years.    It also takes forever to pass permanent environmental standards regulating them.   North Carolina plans to enact stronger rules for one type of PFAS, also known as —perfluorinated compounds — toxic chemicals that […]

By: Mitchell Cohen, PE, Vice President, RT Specialty An under-construction structure located in the southern US suffered a catastrophic collapse without warning. The tragedy resulted in the death of several people. As a result, engineering and construction post-collapse forensics experts engaged in an 18-month investigation. Those involved in the design and build project included the general […]

Source: https://www.irmi.com/, December 2019 By: Jeff Slivka Call it whatever you want—owners protective, protective, “Opie,” or owners protective professional indemnity (OPPI)—the coverage has secured its place as a valuable option to owners looking to protect against the catastrophic design errors that can occur during nearly any construction project. In fact, nearly 10 separate insurers offer […]

By: Brittany Negron, Consultant, RT’s Environmental & Construction Professional Practice January 6, 2020 Throughout the industry, nation and even world, the health risks and liabilities surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) are rising at a fever pitch. In use since the 1940s, PFAS consisting of approximately 4,000 separate chemicals and compounds are everywhere since they’ve […]

Source: https://www.wcax.com/, January 1, 2020 A federal judge has ruled Vermont residents seeking damages for chemical contamination in groundwater in their neighborhood will be allowed to seek the costs of medical monitoring. The Bennington Banner reports the ruling by U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford on Friday means the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit against Saint-Gobain […]

Source: Associated Press, January 4, 2020 Posted on: https://www.advisen.com/ The former owner of an Alaska crude oil refinery has been ordered to pay millions in damages for releasing large amounts of a refinery solvent, sulfolane, into groundwater and polluting hundreds of residents’ drinking water wells. Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Warren Matthews in Fairbanks ordered […]

Source: https://www.insurancejournal.com/, December 27, 2019 A company has agreed to pay the state of Georgia $4 million for environmental cleanup of a former chemical plant. The Brunswick News reports Honeywell International has filed the settlement with the state Department of Natural Resources in federal court in Atlanta. Read more.

Source: https://www.wastedive.com/, January 3, 2020 By: E.A. Crunden PFAS do not decompose in the environment and are linked to cancer and other health hazards. Unlike many other states grappling with PFAS contamination, Connecticut is largely reliant on incinerators and has no active MSW landfills. But, as evidenced by the new cleanup projects, the state is unable […]