Park Nicollet Health Services and EPA Reach Agreement on Lead Reduction Project

After the Clean Air Act violations at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Park Nicollet Health Services have come to a resolution. According to the EPA, the hospital failed to maintain any records or submit any reports on secretion of their ethylene oxide sterilizers.

“Ethylene oxide has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a group 1, meaning it is a carcinogen,” reported Scott Van Etten, CIH, National Director of Industrial Hygiene at EMSL Analytical, a leading environmental testing laboratory. “Its odor threshold is 250 to 700 ppm. OSHA’s permissible exposure limit is 1 ppm calculated as a time weighted average over 8 hours of 1 ppm. At the odor threshold, this chemical is already at toxic concentrations. Testing provided by commercial laboratories, such as EMSL, can help prevent dangerous exposure,” he continued.

The EPA reports that as a result of their violations, Park Nicollet Health Services will pay a fine of $18,750 and complete a $56,250 project that will keep families in St. Louis Park and Minneapolis safe from lead risks.

The project will assist families in low-income housing that have children under age 6 or pregnant women, since lead is of greatest risk to young children. All lead-based paint and dust will be removed, and all lead-based painted surfaces and fixtures will be replaced in their homes.

Even a small amount of exposure to lead can have serious side effects on young children, including reduced IQ, brain damage, and increase risk of attention disorders.

“EMSL Analytical’s location in Minneapolis, MN provides quality lead testing services for paint chips, wipes, soil, water, and air samples as the first step in the lead removal process,” states Shannon Kauffman, Supervisor of EMSL’s Metals Laboratory. “Furthermore, we offer scientifically and legally defensible lead testing at locations across the country.”

For more information on EMSL’s testing services, please contact EMSL at (800) 220-3675, visit www.EMSL.com, or email  info@EMSL.com .

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Joseph Fasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com