Greenversations

About the authors: Bob Dyer and Ella Barnes, Office of International Affairs, have managed work on the reduction of toxic and hazardous wastes in the Arctic under both the multilateral Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) and the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation (AMEC) Program for over 10 years. Bob Dyer chaired the ACAP Working Group under the Arctic Council from 2004 to 2008, and Ella Barnes is the U.S. Representative to the ACAP Working Group.

If you stood with me at the northernmost point of the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia, on the shores of the frigid Arctic Ocean, what would we see? A star-filled sky, the Aurora Borealis, whales, walruses, perhaps a lost polar bear… But there is something that the eye cannot see: high concentrations of contaminants, from radioactive materials to pesticides.

A Chukotka family has set up residence in an abandoned hazardous waste tank.

The Arctic is fragile, and is an early warning indicator of the state of the larger planet. Almost all Russian rivers flow to the north, where contaminants accumulate in seaweed, fish, birds, and mammals. Through the subsistence food chain these contaminants quickly find their way into the bodies of indigenous people where they stay for years. Native Americans in the Arctic, who neither produced nor used these chemicals, are at risk.

Since 2004, EPA’s Bob Dyer has chaired and I have represented the U.S. at the Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP), which includes the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Working together with our partners, EPA is helping to greatly reduce environmental contamination in the Arctic.

ACAP, under EPA leadership, organized the effort which to date has resulted in inventory, analysis and safe storeage over 4,000 metric tons of obsolete and prohibited pesticides in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Russia. Prior to this project, the contaminants were released directly into those northward-flowing Russian rivers and transported to the Arctic.

Thanks to the pesticides management program we initiated, Russian regions are now contributing their funds and manpower in development of creative solutions to pesticides storage. For example, they have converted an abandoned missile silo in Altai Krai, Southern Siberia, into an effective storage facility for legacy pesticides.

A Pokrovka former missile hangar was dismantled under the US Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. In 2007 it became an interim storage site for obsolete and prohibited pesticides under the ACAP Project.

Bob and I are particularly proud that, during the recent EPA chairmanship of ACAP, the program has created and implements a model environmental justice empowerment program in Russia called the Indigenous Peoples Community Action Initiative. This sustainable and replicable project has already resulted in the removal and safe storage of over a metric ton of PCBs and persistent organic pollutant pesticides from remote indigenous villages in Alaska and northern Russia.

A community elder in Chukotka, Russian Far East, told us that he lived with drums containing spent oils, lubricants, and transformer liquids all his life and they are a part of his landscape. EPA is helping to change that–this summer, through the ACAP Program, over 2000 drums were removed from two Arctic indigenous villages in Chukotka on the Bering Sea across from Alaska.

Residents of Lorino and Lavrentia, Chukotka Autonomous District removing hazardous waste drums.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

Working in the garden and enjoying the outdoors has many rewards. However, outdoor activities may come with some negatives—mosquito bites. Personally, I seem to be a mosquito magnet. No, I’m not talking about those modern contraptions that claim they’ll eliminate mosquitoes. Quite the contrary—whenever I go outside the mosquitoes seem to feast on me. I’ve tried using some natural remedies such as eating garlic, using musk oil, but they haven’t been very effective in my case. I have used insect repellents safely, but they have not been able to keep those pesky mosquitoes away for long. I wonder if some people are more prone to mosquito bites than others. My father works in the garden all day—no bites—nada. I walk outside to get the newspaper and come back with a bite or two. Not fair.

In the meantime, there are things we can do to control mosquitoes around the home. First of all, remove their habitat (where they live and breed). What does this mean? Eliminate standing water from rain gutters, old tires, buckets, etc. When we think of stagnant water as a breeding ground, we normally think of the big puddles. We rarely think of the little cracks in the pavement that will collect water after the rain. Do you know that a mosquito can lay its eggs in just a teaspoon of standing water?

There are several steps you can take deter biting insects. Make sure your home window screens are repaired. Wear long sleeves and long pants whenever possible. Stay indoors at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. If necessary, use repellent safely.

When using insect repellents or any pesticide product, read the label first! Organic repellents have been successful measures for some people. One single action will not eliminate these pests from the face of the earth. Nonetheless, some of these tips may help you enjoy the outdoors more while protecting yourself and your family from mosquito bites. Have a nice summer.

¡No me moleste mosquito!

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

Trabajando en el jardín y disfrutando del aire libre tiene muchas recompensas. Sin embargo, algunas de las actividades exteriores pueden tener aspectos negativos, como las picaduras de mosquitos. Personalmente, soy un imán para los mosquitos. No estoy hablando de ningún invento moderno que se adjudica el poder de eliminar los mosquitos. Al contrario. Siempre que salgo parece que los mosquitos me comen viva. He tratado remedios naturales como comer ajo, usa aceite de almizcle, pero no han sido muy eficaces en mi caso. He usado repelentes de insectos de manera segura, pero no parecen haber apartado estos molestosos insectos por mucho tiempo. Me pregunto si algunas personas son más propensas a las picaduras de mosquitos que otros. Por ejemplo, mi padre puede pasar todo el día en el jardín—ni una picadura—nada. Yo salgo un momento a buscar el periódico y regreso a la casa con un par de picaduras. No es justo.

Mientras tanto, hay cosas que podemos hacer para controlar los mosquitos alrededor del hogar. En primer lugar, elimine su hábitat (donde ellos viven y se crían). ¿Qué significa? Elimine donde se pueda apozar el agua en los desagües, las llantas viejas, los cubos, etc. Cuando pensamos en lugares que pueden servir de criaderos, normalmente pensamos en grandes charcos. Rara es la vez que pensamos en las pequeñas grietas en el asfalto donde se puede acumular el agua después de llover. ¿Sabía que un mosquito puede poner huevos en tan sólo una cucharadita de agua apozada?

Hay varios pasos que puede tomar para evitar las picaduras de insectos. Asegúrese que las mallas sobre las ventanas estén en buenas condiciones. Use mangas y pantalones largos cuando sea posible. Evite salir al amanecer y el anochecer cuando los mosquitos están más activos. Si es necesario, use repelente de manera segura.

Cuando use repelentes de insecto o cualquier producto de pesticida, siempre ¡lea la etiqueta primero! Los repelentes orgánicos han sido eficaces para algunas personas. Ninguna acción singular eliminará estas plagas de la faz de la tierra. No obstante, he aquí algunos consejos que le ayudarán a disfrutar de actividades al aire libre mientras se protege a usted y a su familia de las picaduras de mosquito. Que tengan un verano feliz.