Designated Substances

As everyone knows by now, I have started a new job in my field at DST Consulting Engineers here in Ottawa (though they also have offices in Thunder Bay, Kenora, Sudbury and Dryden). I am currently working on Designated Substance Reports (DSRs) although I recently wrote a mould report as well. There are 11 designated substances that are regulated by the provincial government and consists of: Acrylonitrile, Arsenic, Asbestos, Benzene, Coke oven emissions, Ethylene Oxide, Isocyanates, Lead, Mercury, Silica, and Vinyl Chloride. The reports I am writing are primarily concerned with asbestos, benzene, lead, mercury and silica (as well as ozone-depleting substances [ODSs] and polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs]).

So far, I am doing my best to understand the terminology used for each of these substances and trying to see what everyday items have them as a constituent through the pictures taken from the different sites we have surveyed. I think I am picking some things up already as I am starting to see items differently already, sort of similar to how I now think of catch basins as CB or CBHD (the cell names in Miscrostation) from my CADD monkey job with the City.

I hope I am able to get the theory part of this job down with all these reports I am writing, though I am still a little scared of the practical components as I have never really worked on those before. Hopefully I will be able to pick them up quickly and effectively too.