Also from the Environmental Defense Fund:
December 30, 1998
The Year 2000 Could Be Hazardous To Your Health
Environmental Defense Fund Calls On Facilities To Act Now To Prevent Environmental And Safety Problems
Businesses and governments are running out of time to prevent Year 2000 (Y2K) failures that could result in environmental and safety hazards. Due to the Y2K computer chip and programming glitch, date-related failures may occur, potentially leading to unsafe drinking water, sewer backups and, most seriously, industrial plant accidents. But addressing the Y2K issue also presents opportunities to create a cleaner and safer world, according to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which today released, "Y2K and the Environment: A Compendium of Potential Problems and Opportunities."
"Computer chips are embedded in many operations of modern life, including power plants, power lines, and drinking water and wastewater treatment plants. Some of these facilities may fail if businesses and governments do not identify potential Y2K problems and test their solutions," said EDF senior engineer Lois Epstein. "Drinking water may be contaminated because of incorrect automated lab tests and, more seriously, chemical plants or pipelines can have costly and fatal accidents from abnormally high pressures or temperatures."
"On the positive side, facilities using dangerous chemicals can take advantage of their search for Y2K problems to implement measures that promote safety, including reducing use of dangerous chemicals, and reducing process pressures and temperatures," said Epstein. EDF recommends the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local permitting agencies consider making Y2K compliance a condition of environmental permit renewal for the near future.
"Computer failures related to incorrect processing of dates are not only hypothetical," said Epstein. "Already a number of date-related failures have occurred. When computers failed to recognize 1996 as a leap year, some industrial damage occurred before the situation could be corrected. Fortunately, many of the most dangerous industrial processes are designed to shut-down safely if problems are detected, rather than to behave unpredictably, which could lead to an accidental release."
EDF suggests that businesses and government become "Y2K-compliant" by making an inventory of all operations that might have date-related failures, assessing the impact of potential failures, identifying mission-critical priorities, and correcting the most serious problems. Organizations then should ensure compliance through testing, and by engaging auditing personnel to review compliance efforts. Finally, as appropriate, organizations should update their contingency plan and implement contingency plan training in case of a Y2K emergency.
"Even the best efforts at Y2K-compliance might miss an important system, so large and small companies need to be sure that internal and local emergency responders are ready to address any date-related failures that could impact safety," said Epstein.
The Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national, NY-based nonprofit organization, represents 300,000 members. EDF links science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and economically viable solutions to today's environmental problems.
You can also access this at: edf.org |
