HANDOUTS
- Agenda
- Share the Health slide copies
- Share the Health flyer
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Tom Gallagher, Director, Office of Community Liaison
(OCL), Office of the Director (OD), National Institutes
of Health (NIH) and Co-Chair, Community Liaison Council
(CLC), welcomed members and guests.
Dr. Gallagher introduced Chris Williams, the newly assigned
reporter from the Gazette.
PRESENTATIONS
Presentation on NIH Hazardous Waste Permit
by Kenny Floyd, Acting Director, Division of Environmental
Protection, OD, Office of Research Facilities, NIH
Dr. Gallagher introduced Kenny Floyd, Acting Director,
Division of Environmental Protection (DEP), OD, Office
of Research Facilities (ORF), NIH, who said the purpose
of this presentation was to provide an overview of the
NIH Hazardous Waste Permit, which is scheduled to be
renewed every five years with the Maryland Department
of the Environment (MDE). In addition, he wanted to
inform the CLC about the processes and procedures undertaken
at NIH Building 21, the Controlled Hazard Substance
Facility. Mr. Floyd introduced Charlyn Y. Lee DEP, OD,
ORF, NIH, Project Officer on the hazardous waste contract.
In addition, Donald M. Wilson, Chief, Waste and Resource
Recovery Branch, DEP, NIH, OD, ORF, and Catherine A.
Ribaudo, of the Radioactive Materials Control Branch,
Division of Radiation Safety, offered responses to CLC
representatives' questions about aspects of the permit
and hazardous waste management.
Ms. Lee said that this permit renewal contained only
minor changes from that submitted previously, including
the removal of waste streams that no longer were generated,
modifications in the list of emergency contacts, a list
of off-site NIH installations, and updates on the NIH
facility and associated drawings. She explained that
the renewal process included a tentative determination
by the Maryland Department of the Environment, which
had been published in the Gazette and Montgomery
Journal on March 10 and 17, 2004, and a public comment
period, which would close May 3, 2004. Ms. Lee said
the entire draft of the permit was available for review
at the Montgomery County Library's Bethesda Branch at
7400 Arlington Road and the MDE [MDE address: 1800 Washington
Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21230. Telephone: 410-537-3000].
In addition, Ms. Lee reviewed the documents and information
required by the MDE in the permit, including NIH's waste
analysis plan, personnel training, contingency plan,
closure plan, inspection schedules and logs, and facility
operations records. Ms. Lee said that a copy of the
Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) was maintained
at the facility. She noted the emergency response contingency
plans and the training, roles, and responsibilities
of NIH personnel, who received training under requirements
set forth by the U. S. Department of Labor's Occupational
Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), and other
requirements based on the U. S. Environmental Protection
Agency's EPCRA [Emergency Planning & Community Right
to Know Act].
Ms. Lee presented a slide show noting the main functions
and components of the Controlled Hazardous Substance
Facility and information about the short-term storage
and treatment of materials collected daily from the
NIH Campus and received from off-site NIH installations.
She noted the extensive hazard prevention and physical,
safety, and security features associated with Building
21. In addition, she noted that Building T26 was used
for mixed waste processing. Ms. Lee presented information
about the on-site treatment methods of waste materials,
including ultraviolet peroxidation, activated carbon
filtration, and acid-base neutralization.
Ms. Lee noted that the NIH DEP provided oversight for
all procedures. Mr. Wilson added that the NIH Division
included 4 NIH personnel, a supervisor, and 23 contract
employees involved with these operations. Mr. Schofer
asked about the certification of personnel who classified
hazardous materials. Mr. Wilson said that contract employees
held degrees in chemistry and/or in related science
fields and that they worked under NIH oversight.
Questions and Discussion
Permit Contents and Regulations
Ginny Miller, Wyngate Citizens Association and CLC Co-Chair,
and Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association, asked
about the format of the permit, a list of hazardous
materials treated at the NIH, and whether any of the
changes were detailed in the document. Ms. Lee said
the two-inch thick document would take about one hour
to read and noted its contents. Mr. Wilson said that
the permit was in the format of a regulatory outline
and that it would be difficult to identify the changes
and updates. Mr. Floyd said that the addendum to the
permit provided information as well. Ms. Miller wondered
whether any regulations had been loosened and Morton
Goldman, Luxmanor Citizens Association, asked whether
there had been any substantial changes to what had been
included in the Master Plan. Mr. Wilson said that neither
were the changes in the permit substantial nor had there
been a loosening of regulations. Harvey Eisen, Edgewood
Glenwood Citizens Association, wanted to know whether
there had been any incidents related to the operation
of the hazardous waste facility. Ms. Lee replied that
the NIH never had activated the contingency emergency
plan. Mr. Wilson added that there had been no incidents.
Collection Characteristics and Treatment of Waste
Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association, and Mr. Schofer
asked about the characteristics and nature of the hazardous
waste and emissions. Mr. Floyd said there were hardly
any emissions and that 90% of the materials arrived
in containers that were not opened. Ms. Lee said that
there were chemicals and mixed waste, consisting of
chemicals and a small amount of radioactive material,
brought to the facility. She noted that collected materials
were identified, characterized, and tracked before shipping.
Ms. Lee said that items treated on site in Building
21 received ultraviolet peroxidation or other small-scale
treatments. She said that chemists made determinations
about the contents of the waste and processed them appropriately.
Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Civic Association, and Lucy
Ozarin, Whitehall Condominium Association asked about
the packaging of these materials. Ms. Lee said that
absorbent material, vermiculite was placed around bottles
and flammable materials in containers. She noted that
each container received a MDE waste code and that items
are tracked through shipping papers. Mr. Oberlander
asked about spillage. Mr. Goldman noted that absorbent
materials needed to be sufficient to soak up spillage,
to several times the volume of the contents of bottles
or other containers. Mr. Floyd added that all containers
are double packaged.
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association,
Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association,
and Mr. Schofer asked about the nature and disposal
of radioactive materials. Ms. Ribaudo replied that a
small amount of this material was included in mixed
waste. She noted that in 2003 there had been only one
shipment of radioactive/mixed waste for disposal. Ms.
Ribaudo reported that none was high level radioactive
material and that short-lived radioactive material decays
to non-radioactive. Mr. Schofer was curious about californium
(Cf). Ms. Ribaudo said that this radioactive element
had been recycled in the past; however, she had recently
learned that Cf would no longer be needed for research
at the NIH. Mr. Schofer asked whether radioactive materials
injected into patients traveled in human excrement into
the sewer system. Ms. Ribaudo said that this waste was
not collected and that the MDE permitted its release
into the sewer system. Mr. Wilson added that since the
last permit was issued there had been a decrease in
the amount of radioactive waste coming to the facility
for disposal.
Transportation of Hazardous Materials
Mr. Oberlander asked why waste was taken from other
installations to the NIH and for an estimate of the
incoming truckloads involved. Ms. Lee responded that
the permit to handle waste was licensed to the Building
21 location and there were no hazardous waste facilities
at the 17 off-site NIH installations. Mr. Wilson said
that when researchers call, the team collects material
in approximately 20-25 pickups per day. He said that
60 to 70 30- or 50-gallon containers were shipped out
per day. Ms. Miller asked where the waste was sent.
Ms. Lee said that Clean Harbors facilities in Laurel
and Baltimore accepted transfer of the waste for ultimate
treatment and disposal. Ms. Hoos wondered whether terrorists
might be interested in obtaining these materials. Ms.
Lee said that the NIH has its own security and various
containment systems. She noted that the U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT) has set forth regulations and
a security plan.
Tom Robertson, Parkwood Residents Association, asked
about protection and safety when materials are in transit.
Ms. Lee replied that any transporter must undergo an
audit and a safety and compliance review. Mr. Wilson
added that those contractors involved in transport have
to be DOT trained and that in the State of Maryland,
drivers had to have commercial driver's licenses (CDL).
Dr. Gallagher thanked Ms. Lee, Mr. Floyd, Ms. Ribaudo,
and Mr. Wilson for presenting their information.
Presentation on Project Updates and Vehicle and Pedestrian
Traffic at the South Drive and Old Georgetown Road Intersection
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Office of Research Facilities
Development and Operations, Office of the Director,
NIH
A.M. and P.M. Vehicle Traffic
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said she learned that the Maryland
State Highway Administration (MSHA) had taken a count
in February associated with traffic problems at the
intersection of NIH's South Drive and Old Georgetown
and Greentree Roads. She said they found no problems
with the afternoon rush hour westbound from South Drive
to Greentree Road. However, she said the MSHA found
operational problems going eastbound in the morning
rush hour from Greentree Road toward Old Georgetown
Road. She reported that the MSHA found there were damaged
loop detectors associated with the left turn lane from
Old Georgetown Road to enter Greentree Road, and another
operational problem involved a no right turn on red
sign and the short right-turn lane on Greentree. Ms.
Serras-Fiotes said that she had no information about
when MSHA would repair the loop detector.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes noted that the South Drive entrance
had been undergoing construction, but now it had two
lanes open. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that she had inspected
this area and found no current problems and that she
would keep monitoring this intersection regularly. Although
the MSHA had noted significantly higher eastbound traffic
on Greentree Road and westbound left turns from Old
Georgetown Road during the afternoon rush hour, Ms.
Serras-Fiotes said the MSHA had determined that the
exit situation from the Campus at South Drive needed
no correction.
Pedestrian Striping Zone
Ms. Serras-Fiotes explained that the NIH would need
to work with the County or the State of Maryland to
correct problems reported by Ms. Hildebrand confronting
pedestrians using crossings at South Drive. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
said that the striping, indicating pedestrian passage,
led from curb to curb and not to the curb cuts that
allowed bicycles, wheelchairs, or baby strollers to
cross without impediment. She suggested that one solution
would be to install curb cuts on each side of the pedestrian
island, and another would be to move the striping so
it connected the existing curb cuts. Ms. Hildebrand
said that another matter regarded the location of the
push button to activate the pedestrian crossing light
in a position where cyclists had to dismount in order
to reach it. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that she would ask
Tom Hayden of the Division of Facilities Planning to
meet Ms. Hildebrand to review the situation.
Presentation on Share the Health
by Walter Mitton, Community Relations Specialist,
Office of Community Liaison, OD, NIH
Dr. Gallagher commented on the outstanding effort of
Walter Mitton in organizing this year's Share the
Health. He predicted a diverse crowd and hoped for
a large turnout of 5,000 to 10,000 attendees. He said
the event would be a good showcase for informing the
public about the contributions of the NIH.
Mr. Mitton referred to a Share the Health handout
and flyer that was distributed in the meeting materials.
He presented a slide show highlighting features of the
highly interactive web site, which he said had been
created by Palladian Partners, Inc. Mr. Mitton said
that all age-groups would be welcome to attend the event
being held on April 24, 2004, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. at Montgomery Blair High School on University Boulevard
in Silver Spring. He pointed out three different zones
on the web site, each of which contained activities
that had been developed especially for kids, teens,
and adults. Mr. Mitton noted that the information on
the web site could be accessed in Spanish as well as
English. He said that volunteers had provided translation
services to create this information. Mr. Mitton displayed
the registration portion of the web site and remarked
that he hoped participants would register online in
order to help obtain a count for planning the event.
He said that there also would be registration at the
event.
Mr. Mitton said that there was a 27-person planning
committee of Institute representatives who had suggested
and followed-up on activities and topics for age-appropriate
demonstrations, workshops, and seminars. He noted activities
of particular interest to various age groups, including
participatory sessions on yoga, Tai Chi, Reiki, and
weight lifting, acupuncture demonstrations, derma scans,
and blood pressure, body fat, and vision screenings.
Mr. Mitton said there would be sports clinics using
the school's outdoor track and other activities including
a rock-climbing wall and a Moon Bounce. He noted the
20- to 30-minute seminars were planned to be discussion
driven rather than lectures. Mr. Mitton described hands-on
sessions including mini labs in which participants could
obtain their DNA report cards taken from their fingerprints,
learn to balance a centrifuge, and test the pH of a
substance to determine whether it was an acid, a base,
or neutral and safe to touch.
Ms. Rice wanted to know if elementary schools and senior
centers had received information or handouts with website
information. Mr. Mitton said that information has been
disseminated and there would be media public service
announcements by Channel 7 TV and live coverage of the
event by HOT 99.5 FM radio. Debra Liverpool, YMCA, Bethesda-Chevy
Chase/Ayrlawn, announced that 27 metropolitan YMCAs
were holding a Healthy Kids Day on April 3, 2004. She
believed that she could bring in lots of children for
Share the Health. In addition, Ms. Liverpool
hoped that she could get together with the OCL to involve
the YMCA kids in the 2005 Share the Health.
Although she thought parking would be an issue if there
were a large turnout, Ms. Miller recalled that St. Bernadette's
Church had offered its nearby parking lot for overflow
parking. On the day of the event, Mr. Mitton said there
would be a free shuttle bus provided by Priority One
from the Silver Spring Metro Station and he noted that
the school was situated on the Metro bus line.
Mr. Robertson asked what the CLC members might convey
to their neighborhood associations. Mr. Mitton asked
to be sent any neighborhood e-mail address lists and
said that he would distribute information. In addition,
Mr. Mitton said there was a press release that provided
details about the event. Mr. Schofer offered to read
the press release at a local meeting where the topic,
appropriately named, was Consumer-Driven Health Care.
Dr. Gallagher said this health event would showcase
what the NIH is about, and that he hopes to take this
event on the road to get the word out.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Gallagher reported that he had been invited to
sit in on a telephone conversation between Congressman
Chris Van Hollen and NIH Director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni,
on the topic of non-employee access to Metro via the
NIH Campus. He noted that everyone was doing the best
they could to find a waywhether legislative or
legalto address this issue. Dr. Gallagher said
that access to the Campus was not restricted at this
time because the fence and gates would not be operational
until April or later.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 and CLC members and
guests were invited to a reception to enjoy light refreshments.
ACTION ITEMS
- Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that she would ask Tom Hayden
to meet Ms. Hildebrand to review the placement of
the pedestrian crossing button at South Drive and
Old Georgetown Road.
- Ms. Liverpool, YMCA, wanted to involve the Y kids
this year and to plan for next year's Share the
Health with the OCL.
- Mr. Schofer offered to read the Share the Health
press release at the local meeting of the Harvard
Business School Alumni Club.
- Dr. Ozarin asked to be provided with emergency exit
information from the meeting room in Natcher Center
ATTENDEES CLC Members
Present
- Lorraine Bell, Palladian Partners, Inc.
- Amy Blackburn, OCL, OD, MI, NIH
- Harvey Eisen, Ph.D., Edgewood Glenwood Citizens
Association
- Tom Gallagher, Ph.D., OCL, OD, NIH
- Morton Goldman, Sc.D., Luxmanor Citizens Association
- Jeanne Goldstein, Montgomery County Civic Federation
- Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens
Association
- Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association
- Debra Liverpool, YMCA, Bethesda-Chevy Chase/Ayrlawn
- Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont
- Ginny Miller, Wyngate Citizens Association
- Walter Mitton, OCL, OD, NIH
- George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens
Association
- Lucy Ozarin, M.D., Whitehall Condominium Association
- Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Civic Association
- Tom Robertson, Parkwood Residents Association
- Sharon Robinson, OCL, OD, NIH
- Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association
- Randy Schools, Recreation & Welfare Association,
NIH
- Stella Serras-Fiotes, Office of Research Facilities
Development and Operations
- Deborah Snead, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center
- J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni Association
Guests
- Anthony Clifford, ORF, NIH
- Kenny Floyd, Division of Environmental Protection
(DEP), OD, NIH
- Howard Hochman, ORF, OD, NIH
- Joan Kleinman, U.S. Congressman Van Hollen's Office
- Charlyn Lee, DEP, MH, NIH
- Cathy Ribaudo, DRS, NIH
- David Rosenbaum, CHER
- Wendy Rubin, DRS, NIH
- Chris Williams, Gazette
- Don Wilson, DEP, OD, NIH
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