By Richard Arnold, P.E., C.P.G.
Director of Engineering & Remedial Action Services
Published November 2008 Real Estate New Jersey Magazine

At the outset of remedial action project, risk management is a key discussion topic. Standard remedial action risks should be discussed, project controls should be agreed upon, and projects should proceed after the needed controls are implemented. But risks to the integrity of existing buildings may not always be included in pre-remedial planning efforts. And there are cases where these risks can be severe.

By Craig Gorczyca, CHMM
Director of Operations and Waste Management Services
Published September 2008 Commerce Magazine

Schools typically use and accumulate many different types of chemicals.  The most obvious are science rooms in high schools and colleges.  Chemistry and Biology laboratories are known for having various, and occasionally dangerous, types of toxic chemicals that are used in educational experiments.  Art rooms and vocational skills rooms such as wood and metal shops typically contain substances like solvents and glues that are covered by Community Right-to-Know (CRTK) regulations.  Grammar schools storing innocuous products including paint and adhesive may trigger reporting and labeling obligations under CRTK.  Custodial staff supply rooms, janitorial closets, and boiler rooms also contain various cleaning and maintenance products that need to be managed in accordance with the CRTK regulations. 

Vapor intrusion is an increasingly problematic condition for the owners, operators, and prospective buyers of buildings in close proximity to shallow soil and/or ground water contaminated with gasoline, solvents, and other mixtures of toxic volatile chemicals (collectively referred to as VOCs).

By Michael Logue
“Green building”, “sustainable development”, “carbon friendly”, “carbon footprint”, “environmental accounting” are all terms that have exploded across the trade press and mass media since the UN Environmental Programme’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unequivocal announcement in 2007 that global warming is occurring, and that it has an anthropogenic (human caused) component.  Regardless of your scientific or political beliefs, the marketplace (customers, clients, and probably very soon, regulatory agencies) is clamoring for ways to demonstrate that the impacts of our most common, every day commercial and retail practices – merchandise displays, parking lot maintenance, lighting – on the world’s highly interconnected climate and associated ecosystem have been considered and minimized.

By Alfred Moffit, C.P.G.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) began the Cleanup Star Program in February 2004 to expedite environmental investigations and cleanups at low-risk sites, and has succeeded in this program over the past three years.  The Cleanup Star Program allows certified environmental professionals/consultants to investigate and remediate specific qualifying sites and Areas of Concern (AOCs) with limited NJDEP oversight. 

Problems Landlords Experience with Dry Cleaner Tenants
By Liz Davis
For many owners of strip malls and small commercial buildings, one of the most common tenants is a dry cleaning establishment. The majority of dry cleaning establishments are cash-only, family-owned businesses and their tenancy represents a reliable, long-term source of income for the landlord.

In 2006, Kiddie Kollege Day Care Center was closed by New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) because elevated levels of mercury were found in the children’s blood.  It was discovered the day care center had been operating on the former site of a mercury thermometer factory.  The how and why the center was allowed to be built are still being investigated.

By Kevin D. Orabone, P.G., Vice President
Published in Real Estate New Jersey, September 2007

Historically, the cleanup of properties contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in New Jersey was strictly governed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) under the Spill Compensation and Control Act (Spill Act) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Previously, the NJDEP and EPA applied a standard of 50 parts per million (ppm) as the maximum allowable, post-cleanup concentration of PCBs to be allowed to remain in place.  Subsequent to the June 29, 1998 implementation of the TSCA Mega Rule (40 CFR Part 761), both agencies may now allow concentrations of PCBs up to 100 ppm and higher to remain in place for cleanups involving historic spills of these compounds.

By Ajay Kathuria, P.E., Senior Project Engineer
Published:  Meadowlands USA, Summer 2007

In the past five years, “vapor intrusion” has evolved into an increasingly familiar term to the owners, operators, and prospective buyers of buildings in close proximity to shallow soil and/or ground water contamination with gasoline, solvents, and other mixtures of toxic volatile chemicals (collectively referred to as VOCs).  Since the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) first published guidance on this issue in 2002, state regulatory agencies across the United States have shown growing interest in this health concern, and have issued their own versions of the vapor intrusion guidance documents and/or strict regulatory requirements to address vapors in the buildings.