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A Roundup of Recent News Items in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Release Date: 08/17/2000
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Morristown, NJ Incomplete Response to EPA Inquiry Means $195,000 Penalty for AT&T AT&T has settled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on charges it did not properly respond to an agency request for information about its computer disposal practices, and will now pay a penalty of $195,000. EPA inspected the AT&T facility at 412 Mount Kemble Avenue in Morristown, New Jersey in November 1998 in response to a tip that possible hazardous waste, including computers and other equipment, was being mismanaged. After the inspection, EPA sent a letter to AT&T asking how the facility managed its waste computers and electrical equipment. In two separate responses, AT&T provided some information to EPA, but the agency believes the company did not fully answer inquiries into how it managed waste computers and electrical equipment – a violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which gives EPA the authority to request specific information from facilities about their management of hazardous waste. Some computers contain small amounts of toxic compounds including lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. Although individual computers from households may be placed in solid waste landfills, EPA requires commercial establishments disposing of computers to determine whether they qualify as hazardous waste, and if so, to have the computers sent to an approved hazardous waste disposal facility or to a recycler. AT&T ultimately submitted the missing information to EPA, and no charges have been filed against the company for improper disposal of computer parts. For more information, contact Nina Habib Spencer, (212) 637-3670. Long Island, NY Long Island School District Garners National Recognition for Reducing Indoor Pollutants Baldwin Union Free School District, Baldwin, N.Y. was among ten schools honored by EPA earlier this month in Washington, D.C. for their outstanding efforts to create healthier indoor environments for students and staff. The schools used low-cost techniques and suggestions from the EPA information kit, "Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools," which is designed to help educators and administrators identify potential air quality problems and improve indoor air quality in their schools. An improved indoor environment will protect the health of students and staff and create a more productive learning environment. According to a 1995 Government Accounting Office report, more than 50 percent of our nation's schools have poor ventilation and significant sources of pollution in buildings where nearly 55 million students, teachers, and school staff spend the majority of their time. This particularly affects children with asthma, who are susceptible to indoor pollutants. Asthma, a chronic childhood disease, is responsible for 10 million missed school days per year nationally. In the last 15 years, there has been a 160 percent rise in the incidence of asthma among young children. By improving air quality, schools can reduce the presence of pollutants that can trigger or exacerbate asthma attacks. After using EPA’s "IAQ Tools for Schools," indoor air coordinators Michael Sheehan and John McGrath, encouraged the school district to make changes to improve air quality. As a result, the Baldwin Union Free School District began using low odor and low fume paints. The entire district now exclusively uses highly effective HEPA vacuums, which do not allow dust and other particles to re-circulate into the air. The district now only uses a nontoxic hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner. Baldwin has also adopted an aggressive integrated pest management plan to reduce the use of pesticides in the district.