What is Nitrogen Blanketing? Nitrogen (N) blanketing is a process by which nitrogen is added to fill the headspace (the area between the fill line of a tank’s contents and the top of the storage vessel) to eliminate oxygen and moisture from storage tanks. Nitrogen is commonly used to blanket due to its extremely low […]
On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) declared a public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly thereafter, hand sanitizer began to disappear from U.S. retailers’ shelves, as anxious consumers (and, unfortunately, opportunistic hoarders and resellers as well) swept up all available stock. In the ensuing months, traditional hand […]
Personal protection equipment (“PPE”)includes the gloves, gowns, N95 respiratory masks, and other items required by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel responsible for treating patients, including those suffering from infectious diseases. As has become evident in the current COVID-19 emergency affecting the globe, during a crisis, these critical items may not always be available in […]
In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, making it the first of many states to ultimately legalize medical cannabis; as of January 2020, an additional 32 states and the District of Columbia have also made medical cannabis legal. Additionally, recreational use of cannabis is now legal in 11 states and is decriminalized in many others. Cannabis legalization […]
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe and used across a variety of industries. Valued for more than simply filling party balloons, helium is of critical importance in many commercial applications, including high-tech, automotive, healthcare, and aerospace. Helium Uses For instance, the manufacture of fiber optics requires an all-helium environment to prevent […]
Frozen foods first became commercially viable in the 1930s, thanks in large part to Clarence Birdseye. He is credited with inventing the double-belt freezer, the forerunner to modern quick-freeze technology, which includes the tunnel freezers used by most major food processors in North America. Frozen foods offer many benefits to today’s busy consumers, including convenience; […]
Criminalization of cannabis cultivation and consumption in the United States began with prohibition by certain states in the early 20th century (between 1911 and 1933, some 29 states banned the cultivation and/or use of cannabis), with the first significant nationwide federal restrictions implemented under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. More recently, just as the […]
When one hears the word “recycling”, does wastewater typically come to mind? Probably not. Most of us think about recycling paper products, plastic bags, aluminum foil, and water bottles. But what happens to the wastewater we create when we bathe, wash the dishes, do laundry, and flush the toilet? According to the International Water Association, […]
In April 2019, six people became sick after being exposed to chlorine gas at a hotel pool in India, because one of the chlorine gas cylinders, which had been stored improperly, began to leak, exposing swimmers to chlorine gas. In June 2019, some 50 pool patrons became ill after a pump malfunction leaked chlorine gas […]
