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1. EPA COMPLETES SIX-YEAR REVIEW OF EXISTING DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS, 2. REGIONAL GRANT FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR STATES AND TRIBES TO DEVELOP PESTICIDE RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM, 3. TWO NEW JERSEY MEN INDICTED IN DEATH OF RECYCLING WORKER, 4. TWO NEW YORK MEN INDICTED ON ASBESTOS CHARGES

Release Date: 04/19/2002
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Press Advisory

          Following are some Agency developments which may interest you. If you need more information on any of these subjects, call the appropriate contact.

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2002

EPA COMPLETES SIX-YEAR REVIEW OF EXISTING DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS

Robin Woods 202-564-7841 / woods.robin@epa.gov


EPA announced today that it has completed a detailed review of 69 existing drinking water standards. Based on that review, the agency is requesting comment on its preliminary decisions to revise the standard for total coliforms. Coliform bacteria are indicators of possible microbiological contamination, but do not necessarily make people sick. The agency’s revisions to the standard will be designed to better indicate potential risks to public health. EPA also examined standards for 68 chemical contaminants and determined that, at this stage, they should not be revised. However, the agency notes that new health assessments are currently underway for 36 of these contaminants. The results of those studies will be considered as soon as they become available and the agency will decide whether revisions for these standards are warranted. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA must periodically review existing standards and, if good science indicates there is a threat to public health, revise them. The current review addresses standards developed prior to 1997. “We’ve conducted a thorough review of these existing drinking water standards for the first time in the agency’s history. We welcome public comment on our analyses and will carefully consider those comments,” said Cynthia Dougherty, Director of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. “We also recognize that there are a number of scientific assessments underway, and we will examine new data as they become available.” The public has the opportunity to comment on these preliminary decisions for the next 60 days. The agency will also hold a public meeting and consult with EPA’s Science Advisory Board. The results of the review were published in the Federal Register on April 17. The list of standards is available in a fact sheet with additional information at: https://www.epa.gov/safewater, click on "What's New."
REGIONAL GRANT FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR STATES AND TRIBES TO
DEVELOP PESTICIDE RISK REDUCTION PROGRAMS

Dave Deegan 202-564-7839 / deegan.dave@epa.gov

Almost a half-million dollars in grant money is being made available to states and tribes to develop programs designed to reduce the risks associated with pesticide use in agricultural and non-agricultural settings in the United States. The grants are being administered under EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, which fosters voluntary partnerships among EPA and different industries and agricultural sectors committed to reducing the risks from pesticides. A total of $497,000 is eligible to be awarded for research, public education, training, monitoring, demonstrations and studies that advance pesticide risk reduction. Priority consideration will be given to projects that advance pesticide pollution prevention and that apply principles of integrated pest management (IPM) on a state or tribal level. Examples of programs that could be considered for grants include use of IPM in schools, research on children's health issues related to pesticides and development of research methods to document adoption of IPM or the reduction of risks associated with changes in pesticide use. EPA specifically seeks to build state and local IPM capacities and to evaluate the economic feasibility of new IPM approaches at the state level. Local governments, private universities, private nonprofit entities, private businesses and individuals are not eligible for these specific grants. Applications must be received by the appropriate EPA regional office by May 27, and EPA will make its award decisions by July 10. Additional information is available at: https://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/PESP/regional_grants.htm .
ENFORCEMENT WRAP-UP
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / hester.luke@epa.gov
TWO NEW JERSEY MEN INDICTED IN DEATH OF RECYCLING WORKER

In a state prosecution assisted by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, Joseph Phil Damato of Ramsey, N.J., and his cousin Joseph Frank Damato of Wayne, N.J., were charged on April 9 with aggravated manslaughter for the death of one worker and assault for the injury of another worker at the Joseph Damato Paperstock recycling facility in Paterson, N.J. In addition, Joseph Damato Paperstock and a subsidiary, Annex Paperstock, were both charged with violating state laws concerning the transportation of hazardous wastes. The indictment states that Darisz Wisniewski, formerly of Garfield, N.J., was killed and Victor Lopez of Paterson, N.J., was badly burned when Wisniewski was allegedly directed by Joseph Frank Damato to compact trash containing cans of “glitter hair spray.” Gases released from the compacted cans ignited when they came into contact with a spark from a forklift operated by Lopez, causing an explosion and fire. Joseph Phil Damato was indicted because he allegedly accepted the hairspray cans at a facility that was not licensed to dispose of them and Joseph Frank Damato was indicted for allegedly ordering that the cans be compacted. If convicted, both of the Damatos face up to 30 years in state prison on the manslaughter charge and up to 10 years in state prison on the assault charge. The case was investigated by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department with the help of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. It is being prosecuted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s office in Patterson.
TWO NEW YORK MEN INDICTED ON ASBESTOS CHARGES

Marvin Rubenstein and Isaac Rubenstein, principals of the Atlas Knitting Mills Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., were indicted on April 9 for allegedly ordering workers to remove asbestos without following federally mandated worker protection guidelines in violation of the Clean Air Act. The asbestos was removed from a building in Brooklyn that the defendants intended to lease. Failure to follow federal guidelines can expose workers to the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers which can case lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis” and mesothelioma which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. If convicted, the defendants each face up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 on each count of the indictment. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York in New York City.


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