Archive: June 19, 2022

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

EPA, CDC Release Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Spaces Where Americans Live, Work, and Play

Guidance helps facilities and families implement Opening Up American Again guidelines

Contact Information: [email protected]

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., April 29, 2020) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance to help facility operators and families properly clean and disinfect spaces. Developed in concert with the White House, the guidance provides step-by-step instructions for public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools, and homes, and falls in line with the Opening Up America Again guidelines.

“These guidelines will provide all Americans with information they need to help the country reopen as safely as possible,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These cleaning and disinfecting protocols will help ensure the health and safety of everyone in our homes, schools, offices and businesses.”

“Proper and effective cleaning and disinfecting are important to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. “As our nation re-opens, this guidance is critical to help Americans return as safely as possible to work, school, and other daily activities within their communities.”

EPA’s expertise on the safe and effective use of disinfectants against the virus that causes COVID-19 informed the development of this comprehensive plan. The guidance offers a practical, three-step process for preparing spaces for reopening:

• Develop a plan,
• Implement the plan, and
• Maintain and revise the plan.

Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces is an important, two-step process central to any effort to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

• Clean: Use soap and water to remove germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. It lowers the risk of spreading infection.
• Disinfect: Use disinfectant products to kill germs on surfaces. By killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.

EPA has compiled a list of disinfectant products, including ready-to-use sprays, concentrates, and wipes, that can be used against COVID-19. Always follow the product label instructions and safety information including leaving the product on the surface long enough to kill germs, rinsing off the product to avoid ingesting it, and putting the product out of reach of children right away.

Also, avoid over-using or stockpiling disinfectants or personal protective equipment (such as gloves). This can result in shortages of critical products needed for emergencies. In the event that disinfectant products on the EPA list are not available, the guidance provides other techniques for disinfecting surfaces that are as effective in reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

This guidance does not replace other measures that still need to be taken to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. It is important to continue to practice social distancing, wear cloth face coverings, and wash your hands frequently. As we move forward to reopen America, continue to follow federal, state, tribal, territorial and local guidance.

To view the guidance, click here: https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/guidance-cleaning-and-disinfecting-public-spaces-workplaces-businesses-schools-and-homes.

Contact: [email protected]

Bucks County student wins regional environmental education award

PHILADELPHIA (April 29, 2020) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Lea Wang, a sophomore at Council Rock High School in Holland, Pennsylvania, is the 2019 winner of a President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) for EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region. The Mid-Atlantic Region includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

“Lea’s incredible work demonstrates a true commitment to learning and to protecting natural resources,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “She and all students who participated in the PEYA program show that we have some bright minds to take on our future environmental challenges.”  

Wang received the award for her work on the Teen Research and Education in Environmental Science (TREES) program where she participated in a study using charcoal filters to remove potentially harmful antibiotics during a wastewater treatment process.

“I’d like to thank the EPA for having a program like this that allows me and other students to present what we are learning,” said Wang. “The PEYA program helped open my mind and expand my thinking on problems we were being taught in the classroom.”

Antibiotics from human and animal consumption have increasingly polluted drinking water, enabling bacteria and fungi to develop resistance. However, many wastewater treatment facilities do not employ existing remediation technologies because of high costs, so an effective, economical filtration option is needed. The TREES study investigated the efficacy of the repeated use of relatively inexpensive activated charcoal in filtering a common amoxicillin-class antibiotic from water.

The TREES program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, provided Wang an opportunity to work on independent research projects with high school mentors and graduate students. She also visited local wastewater treatment plants prior to her experimentation to learn about the treatment process from professionals in the field. 

Wang was among 35 students who worked as a team or individually on 13 projects receiving PEYA awards. Their stewardship projects, conducted in 2019, display a commitment to learning, to protecting natural resources, and to engaging their communities in environmental protection.

Background

Since the establishment of the original Environmental Education Act of 1970, The President’s PEYA program has recognized outstanding community-level environmental projects by K-12 youth for almost 50 years. Today, as part of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, PEYA continues to promote awareness of natural resources and encourages positive community involvement.  Each year, PEYA honors a wide-variety of local-level projects developed by students, school classes, summer camp attendees and youth organizations to promote engagement in environmental stewardship and protection. Students in all 50 states and U.S. territories are invited to participate in the program.

For more information on PEYA and for a list of all winners, visit: https://www.epa.gov/education/presidents-environmental-youth-award-peya-winners

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EPA Mid-Atlantic Region’s mission is to protect human health and the environment for Delaware, District of Columbia Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and seven federally recognized tribes.  Meeting the diverse environmental challenges of a Region with the nation’s largest estuary, rural expanses and major cities and agricultural centers, EPA Mid-Atlantic’s successes are shouldered by the dedication and talents of its employees and the strong relationships it has fostered with partners in its states and communities.  For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-02/documents/r3_digital-final-mid-atlantic-yir-report-2019.pdf

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