Asbestos, because of its superior insulating properties, has been widely used in hundreds (maybe thousands) of products, including: pipes, floor tiles, brake pads, and countless types of insulation. The properties of asbestos (heat and fire resistance) have been called life saving. However, it’s now common knowledge that breathing in asbestos fibers may cause serious illnesses (i.e., lung cancer, mesothelioma) that could be fatal. Surprisingly, until recently,...
Read MoreDid You Miss Your NPRI Reporting Deadline?
By the time we are posting this blog, your National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) reporting should have been completed and submitted for the year. These inventories are required (by federal law) to be reported each year on June 1st. Because there are still facilities that may be unaware of their reporting requirements, Environment Canada has made an effort to find those non-reporting facilities to help get them get into compliance. Do You Need to Submit a NPRI Report?...
Read MoreEnvironmental Site Assessment Essentials for Remediation Success
As a geologist with more than two decades of environmental experience, I am admittedly biased, but I will tell you, without hesitation, that if you have any hope of succeeding in your environmental remediation efforts, you must spend the necessary time up front in assessing your site. In fact, if you have ever been to any of our seminars or webinars or have read any of our articles, you know that the Dragun culture is one based on being very meticulous. While it may seem...
Read MoreEnvironmental Enforcement at Dry Cleaners
On July 8, 2014, Environment Canada announced that a Vancouver-based dry cleaner had plead guilty and was fined $9,500 under the Tetrachloroethylene Regulations (SOR/2003-79). The offences included two open containers of wastewater, one open container of sludge waste, and the absence of proper secondary containment around these three containers. Dry Cleaners Will be Inspected If you have dry-cleaning operations in Canada, you would do well to pay attention to this and...
Read MoreToxics Reduction Act — Are You Compliant?
Prior to the deadlines for the Toxic Substance Reduction Plan (TSRP) under the Toxics Reduction Act, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) conducted a number of educational and outreach programs. These were done in order to “help ensure compliance with the act and regulation.” Now that the deadlines have passed, the MOE is focusing on activities to ensure facilities are in compliance. Wait – What is a TSRP? Essentially, a TSRP starts with a review of your inventory of...
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