Underground Infrastructure - May 2023 - 6

EDITOR'SLOG
Ever Gotten Sick from Smelling Wet Paint?
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief
Sewer rehabilitation is critical to the
American infrastructure. Leading the
way has been long-established curedin-place
pipe (CIPP) technology that
essentially paved the road for a variety
of modern rehab methods. But in recent
years, the process, which has historically
used styrene as the curing agent in
liners, has come under direct assault for alleged health risks.
In July 2017, Purdue University's Andrew Whelton, a
professor of civil, environmental and ecological engineering,
claimed his research showed that the CIPP industry was ignoring
serious health risks for workers associated with the
release of styrene odors/vapors during the installation process.
Studies ultimately refuted those findings, largely due to a
three-phase research commissioned by NASSCO. Regardless,
the association embraced recommendations from the studies
to further ensure worker safety.
Unfortunately, the media has moved into the era of content
generators in lieu of journalists, and good news judgment is all
too seldom followed. Opportunities abound for these headline-chasing,
internet-click producing, content generators to
engage in speculation rather than facts. It's ridiculously easy
to be lured into non-existent exposés based on questionable
research, especially when the writer is not motivated to see
the big picture and create balanced reporting clearly showing
both sides of the story.
Therefore, I actually wasn't surprised when a major newspaper
published an article, fed largely by the Purdue researcher's
suppositions regarding perceived health risks of styrene
in CIPP, even though there is ample current evidence to the
contrary. This new attack on CIPP appears to be promulgated
by the newspaper and perhaps guided by others, including Dr.
Whelton's role as an anti-CIPP crusader.
The latest assault on reality tries a new approach: ignore
worker safety and strive to generate tears in our eyes and pain
in our hearts from people suffering alleged negative health reactions
by inhaling styrene odors. The story guides the reader
to the conclusion that these fumes from CIPP installations
are the lone culprit for health issues cited. Of course, virtually
all CIPP emissions - by the story's own admission - fall well
within the Center for Disease Control (CDC) designated
safety levels for styrene.
It's extremely regrettable that anyone, even though extremely
rare, has gotten ill from inhaling dissipating styrene fumes.
Medial research would be welcome to determine if those who
6 MAY 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
have gotten sick after inhaling styrene fumes became ill directly
and exclusively as a result of breathing in noxious fumes. Do
these people perhaps have an allergy to the chemical? Or do
they have secondary health conditions (known or unknown)
that could be set off by styrene? Nobody knows for sure.
There have been rare incidents where styrene odors have
migrated into the bowels of a building or the basement of older
homes. Still, even in these incidents, odors were a nuisance,
perhaps even nauseating, like wet paint, but not dangerous to
overall health. Contractors are - and should be - striving to
eliminate any such situations.
To be sure, pictures of a teenage girl used in the article are
heart-wrenching and tales by other suffering individuals are
detestable. I would never wish such an illness on anyone - no
one would. But until good science and medical research indicate
more than a coincidence, the industry is doing an amazing
job of managing safe, effective CIPP operations. Manufactured
alarms should be ignored in lieu of proven safe operations and
common sense that solve and prevent extremely serious health
issues due to broken sewers and water pipelines.
NASSCO has always taken an in-depth and serious examination
of all concerns and criticism against the safety of CIPP,
specifically styrene emissions. As mentioned earlier, NASSCO
commissioned a three-part, in-depth study regarding styrene
emissions. Recommendations for improving job-site and community
safety were immediately embraced by the association
and CIPP industry, but the arbitrary studies largely exonerated
CIPP operations when following best practices.
People may not like the smell of styrene, which is sometimes
present around job sites for a short period of time (it's similar to
model cement). But for the 99.99 percent who have never had a
health problem following a CIPP lining project in their neighborhood,
the odor of styrene is a minor inconvenience in return for
protecting and preserving the area's infrastructure, by preventing
festering and extreme health risks from broken or leaking pipes.
The answer lies in NASSCO's continuing leadership on
this issue. Be open and willing to modify beliefs and embrace
procedures as needed by industry and communities to remain
healthy. You can't afford to take chances with people's lives;
NASSCO and the CIPP industry are well aware of that and
continue to go the extra mile to ensure safe operations for both
its workers and the public health.
As work continues to rebuild America's infrastructure and,
indeed, the entire world's eroding infrastructure, the rehabilitation
industry will no doubt endeavor to play a critical and
essential role in the path forward. UI
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