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Oct 21, 2015

Twitter Town Hall on Lead Awareness

lead, lead paint, Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, lead-based-paint, Twitter chat, twitter town hall 1 Comment

By Matthew Garamella

Yesterday morning was a typical morning — I woke up and rolled myself out of bed to get ready for the day. However, this time I noticed a small patch of paint chipping from the ceiling of my room. Normally I would think nothing of this minor inconvenience, but that chipping paint reminded me of the lead hazards I learned from my summer internship at EPA. I knew my room was painted well after 1978 (when lead in paint was banned nationwide), but that didn’t stop me from thinking: what if this is lead paint, and what are the long term impacts if I just ignore it?

Millions of people around the world are threatened by lead exposure, but many do not know how serious it is or how to recognize and take steps to prevent lead hazards especially for kids. Lead exposure is toxic to all people but has a defining effect on children under the age of 6. It can cause learning disabilities and lower IQ. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there is no safe blood lead level for children.

If you own a home built before 1978, there is a likelihood that it contains lead-based paint. The safest way to determine if lead is present in your home is to hire someone who is trained and certified by EPA or has an equivalent state certification. I have taken the necessary precautions to protect my home but I worry that there are many people who have not been properly educated on the health concerns that lead poisoning causes.

If you are interested in learning about preventing lead hazards and what you can do to help raise awareness, join us at 2 pm EST, October 28 for a twitter chat. EPA’s experts will be joined by CDC and HUD to answer your questions. Join the conversation: follow the #LeadChat2015 hashtag @EPAlive, @CDCEnvironment, and @HUDgov during the chat. We look forward to talking with you.

Learn more about Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

About the author: Matthew Garamella was a summer 2015 intern at the EPA in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Program Assessment and Outreach Branch. Matthew is currently in his junior year at Boston University studying Environmental Analysis & Policy and International Relations.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author alone. EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog, nor does EPA endorse the opinions or positions expressed. You may share this post. However, please do not change the title or the content. If you do make changes, please do not attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author.

EPA's official web site is www.epa.gov. Some links on this page may redirect users from the EPA website to a non-EPA, third-party site. In doing so, EPA is directing you only to the specific content referenced at the time of publication, not to any other content that may appear on the same webpage or elsewhere on the third-party site, or be added at a later date.

EPA is providing this link for informational purposes only. EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of non-EPA information provided by any third-party sites or any other linked site. EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications or any policies or information expressed therein.

Nov 19, 2014

Let’s Talk About Feeding People, Not Landfills

climate change, Composting, food waste, landfills, Twitter chat 0 Comments

We throw more food into landfills than any other material. A typical family of four loses about $1,600 each year by tossing out wasted food, which rots in landfills generating methane gas and contributing to climate change.

What can you do to reduce the amount of wasted food while you’re at home or at work? Composting, donating safe untouched food to local food banks, buying only what you need by planning your menus for the week, and using leftovers are just some of the ways you can help feed people, not landfills.

One in six Americans struggle to put food on the table. Donating your excess canned and dried foods to food banks and shelters can help those in need while protecting the environment.

To learn more, or ask me questions about what you can do, join our Twitter Chat on Friday, November 21 starting at 10:30 am ET. I will be joined by other Agency experts to answer your questions and share tips on how each of us can play a significant role in reducing wasted food. On Friday, use the hashtag #NoWastedFood and follow @EPAlive to participate in the food recovery conversation.

Food is too good to waste, so let’s be part of the solution and divert food from landfills.

About the author: Mathy Stanislaus is the Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

Editor's Note: The views expressed here are intended to explain EPA policy. They do not change anyone's rights or obligations. You may share this post. However, please do not change the title or the content, or remove EPA’s identity as the author. If you do make substantive changes, please do not attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author.

EPA's official web site is www.epa.gov. Some links on this page may redirect users from the EPA website to specific content on a non-EPA, third-party site. In doing so, EPA is directing you only to the specific content referenced at the time of publication, not to any other content that may appear on the same webpage or elsewhere on the third-party site, or be added at a later date.

EPA is providing this link for informational purposes only. EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of non-EPA information provided by any third-party sites or any other linked site. EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications or any policies or information expressed therein.

Oct 28, 2014

Join us to Chat About Green Infrastructure

combined sewer overflows, Green Infrastructure, Stormwater, Twitter chat 0 Comments

By Aaron Ferster

Rain + pavement = stormwater runoff.

Rain can fall as a drizzle, a steady patter, or a deluge. It can bring life to crops, recharge aquifers, and douse wildfires. But in many instances and places, it can also bring trouble.

Stormwater—particularly flowing over urban and suburban landscapes with their abundance of pavement, roofs, and other impermeable surfaces—is a major source of pollution reaching the nation’s waterways. As it flows from the land and into storm drains, such runoff absorbs excess nutrients, oils, and other contaminants. Large storms and Spring melt events can also overwhelm municipal sewer systems, leading to overflows that include not only tainted runoff, but raw sewage as well.

The end result can mean impaired water bodies locally as well as far downstream.

EPA scientists and engineers are helping. Their research is advancing low-cost, innovative solutions, “green infrastructure,” that communities can tap to improve stormwater management and protect the health of their waterways.

Green infrastructure refers to techniques that enhance or mimic nature to absorb, pool, slow, and cleanse stormwater where it falls. It can take many forms, from rain barrels and local rain gardens to watershed-scale strategic plans that identify collective actions of “best practices” to employ across communities.

EPA researchers are providing the data, knowledge, and tools needed to advance green infrastructure for healthier, more sustainable communities. They are leading the effort to identify and quantify the beneficial impacts of green infrastructure and share what they learn with Agency partners.

EPA researchers are studying green infrastructure, such as rain gardens.

To learn more about green infrastructure and ask questions, please join our researchers tomorrow (October 29, 2014) from 2:00-3:00pm ET on twitter. Questions should be sent to #EnvSciChat.

You can also read more in our latest EPA Science Matters Newsletter: Green Infrastructure Research.

About the Author: EPA science writer Aaron Ferster is the editor of It All Starts with Science.

Feb 10, 2014

Let’s Talk About Air Pollution and Heart Disease

Air, Air Pollution, Air Quality Awareness, American Heart Month, Healthy Hearts, heart disease, Twitter chat 0 Comments

Reposted from “It’s Our Environment“

Please Note: Due to the developing winter storm, we have rescheduled the Twitter chat with EPA research cardiologist Dr. Wayne Casio until Thursday, February 20 at 2:30 pm. Follow #HealthyHeart or @EPAlive. The following blog was updated from the original to reflect that change.

By Ann Brown

February is American Heart Month, and it’s a good time to remember matters of the heart. Did you know that air pollution can trigger heart attacks and strokes, and worsen heart conditions? With one in three Americans having heart disease, there’s a good possibility that you know people with problems. Learn what we know about the effects of air pollution and help protect them.

Join our live twitter chat on Thursday, February 20th at 2:30 PM ET to learn more about the threats of air pollution to the heart and ways to protect yours. Follow @EPAlive and the #HealthyHeart hashtag to join the conversation. We’ll share information about air pollution and heart disease so that you and your loved ones can take action to protect yourselves. During the chat, we’ll also tweet in Spanish on @EPAespanol using the hashtag #corazonsano.

Dr. Wayne Cascio, a cardiologist who researches these issues at EPA, will be available during the chat to discuss:

what we know about air pollution and its connection to heart disease and stroke,
how to reduce your risk, and
how science is helping us better understand how air pollution can harm the heart.

Feel free to post your questions now in the comment section below, or tweet them when you join us for the chat on February 20. We’ll answer as many questions as we can during the chat. Also, read more about the connection between air pollution and heart disease on our healthy heart website.

About the author: Ann Brown is the communications lead for EPA’s Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program in Research Triangle Park, NC, which is the hub for EPA’s research to protect public health and the environment from outdoor air pollution.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

Feb 7, 2014

Let’s Talk About Air Pollution and Heart Disease

Air, Air Pollution, American Heart Month, heart disease, Twitter chat 10 Comments

Editor’s note: Due to a major ice and snow storm on the east coast on February 12^th and 13^th, we’re rescheduling our #HealthyHeart Twitter chat to Thursday, February 20^th at 2:30 PM ET. Join us then to talk about air pollution and heart health. Follow @EPAlive and the #HealthyHeart hashtag on Twitter to ask questions and participate. For Spanish, follow @EPAespanol and #corazonsano.

By Ann Brown

Join our live twitter chat on Thursday, February 13th at 1:30 PM ET to learn more about the threats of air pollution to the heart and ways to protect yours. Follow @EPAlive and the #HealthyHeart hashtag to join the conversation. We’ll share information about air pollution and heart disease so that you and your loved ones can take action to protect yourselves. During the chat, we’ll also tweet in Spanish on @EPAespanol using the hashtag #corazonsano.

Dr. Wayne Cascio, a cardiologist who researches these issues at EPA, will be available during the chat to discuss:

what we know about air pollution and its connection to heart disease and stroke,
how to reduce your risk, and
how science is helping us better understand how air pollution can harm the heart.

Feel free to post your questions now in the comment section below, or tweet them when you join us for the chat on February 13. We’ll answer as many questions as we can during the chat. Also, read more about the connection between air pollution and heart disease on our healthy heart website.

About the author: Ann Brown is the communications lead for EPA’s Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program in Research Triangle Park, NC, which is the hub for EPA’s research to protect public health and the environment from outdoor air pollution.

Jul 18, 2013

Join us for a nutrient Twitter chat today at 2:00 pm (ET)!

Anne Rea, epa scientist, nutrient management, Nutrient pollution, Nutrients, Nutrients Management, Twitter chat 0 Comments

Reminder: Join us for a Twitter chat today at 2:00 pm (ET)!
Got questions about how nutrient pollution affects our water? Join EPA scientist Anne Rea and other Agency experts today at 2:00 pm (ET).

Use #waterchat to ask a question or participate.

To get you started and introduce you to Anne, we’ve asked her to answer a few questions.

What is your educational background?
I have a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan. I studied the biogeochemical cycling of mercury and trace elements in forested ecosystems. Since little work existed in the mercury realm, most of the literature and experts I worked with focused on nitrogen pollution.

How did you become interested in nutrient pollution?
After joining EPA, I wanted to work on the ecological side of things (versus human health) and spent several years doing ecological risk assessments. I then led a joint review of two air pollutants, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This was the first time two pollutants were reviewed together, and the first time a “secondary” (public welfare) standard was separated from the “primary” standard (human health effects). I’ve always worked on multi-pollutant, multi-media problems, so was uniquely suited to lead the risk assessment for that review.

What’s the most interesting thing you have learned trying to solve this problem?
The dedication and commitment of staff across EPA is amazing. This is one problem the Agency is uniquely suited to solving from a scientific and regulatory perspective—but we can only do it together—across offices, regions and research programs in the Agency, and in collaboration with the states and other federal partners.

How can technology and innovation help solve the problem?
We’ve struggled to solve this problem for more than 40 years, and I think as an Agency we’ve made some progress. As the world’s population increases, there is a demand for increased food production and increased energy use—all of which releases nitrogen (and sometimes phosphorus, sulfur, and carbon) into the environment.

We are working across the Federal government to develop a ‘nutrients challenge’ which will challenge teams globally to come up with innovative ideas to reduce nutrients—either from the emissions source or from the waste stream.

We know we can’t solve nutrient pollution alone. What other federal agencies are we partnering with?
We are working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Park Service (NPS), and others, through jointly funded research, collaborations, cooperative agreements, etc. We work hard to share and use each others data and models as we work collectively to make an impact on nutrient pollution for the country.

Join us at 2:00 pm (ET) to Learn More!
Got more questions? Want to learn more? Don’t forget to join us for a Twitter chat today at 2 pm (ET). Use #waterchat to ask a question or participate. Not on Twitter but have a question? Please add it to the comments section below.

Apr 19, 2013

Let’s Talk About Climate Change

Air, climate change, climate change research, earth day, Earth Month, twitter, Twitter chat, Twitter chats 1 Comment

Earthrise as seen from the moon. (NASA image)

Do you have a science question about Climate Change? Be sure to join our Earth Day (Monday, April 22) Twitter chat. Joining the discussion will be EPA expert Dr. Andrew Miller, the Associate Director for Climate for the Agency’s Air, Climate, and Energy research program (Office of Research and Development), and a member of the subcommittee on global change research for the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Feel free to contribute your questions on Monday using #AskEPA, or post them in the comments section below for Dr. Miller.

Here’s more information…

(From our “It’s Our Environment” blog.)

Let’s Talk About Climate Change

By Jessica Orquina

Every year, we have different ways for you to engage with us online. This year, we invite you to join the conversation on climate change we’re hosting via our Twitter chats on three Monday afternoons in April. For each chat, we’ll be talking about a different environmental topic and taking your questions.

Earth Day, April 22nd 2:00pm EDT – Climate Change: What You Can Do
Every day our actions affect the planet. Experts from our Office of Air and Radiation will be joining us on Earth Day to talk about what we can all do at home, in the office, and on the road to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help protect the planet. Let’s work together to protect our communities from the effects of climate change now and in the future.