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There are approximately 590,000 underground storage tanks (USTs) nationwide that store petroleum or hazardous substances. Many of these tanks are leaking, which may increase the risk of exposure to contaminants that promote health problems in host neighborhoods. Within this study, we assessed disparities in the spatial distribution of leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs) based on socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity in South Carolina (SC). Chi-square tests were used to evaluate the difference in the proportion of populations who host a LUST compared to those not hosting a LUST for all sociodemographic factors. Linear regression models were applied to examine the association of distance to the nearest LUST with relevant sociodemographic measures. As percent black increased, the distance (both in kilometers and miles) to the nearest LUST decreased. Similar results were observed for percent poverty, unemployment, persons with less than a high school education, blacks in poverty, and whites in poverty. Furthermore, chi-square tests indicated that blacks or non-whites or people with low SES were more likely to live in LUST host areas than in non-host areas. As buffer distance increased, percent black and non-white decreased. SES variables demonstrated a similar inverse relationship. Overall, burden disparities exist in the distribution of LUSTs based on race/ethnicity and SES in SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that Japanese plutonium is being shipped to the U.S. for secure storage and disposition ahead of a fourth summit regarding the security of nuclear materials. Topics covered include brief information on the summit to be held from on March 31 and April 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C., the removal of highly-enriched uranium from the Fast Critical Assembly, and the arrival of a shipment of separated plutonium to the U.S. from Switzerland in March 2016.

The article focuses on the campaign "Contain IBC Fire Risk" started by the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Fire Protection Research Foundation to prevent the hazards of storing combustible and flammable liquids in intermediate bulk containers (IBC) in compliance with NFPA 30, Flammable andd Combustible Liquids Code. According to NFPA's vice-president Christian Dubay, improperly stored containers can create hazards for dangerous pool fires.

The article reports on finalization of regulations for expansion of monitoring and inspection for underground storage tanks by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2014. Topics discussed include need for operator training and leak detection as imposed by the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, criticism of regulation for underestimating compliance costs and its impact on small businesses by member of the U.S. Congress and application of the rule on petroleum or hazardous chemicals tanks.

The article offers brief information on the 2013/2014 catalogue for hazardous-materials storage from Asecos.

The article provides an answer to a question of how to determine slight risk associated on the storage of dangerous substances in or on premises.