Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

A supervisor of the asbestos program in the Connecticut Department of Public Health has been honored by the Environmental Protection Agency for his efforts to stop the sale of art clay that has asbestos-containing talc. The supervisor, Ron Skomro, worked with suppliers to stop the sale of art clay in Connecticut and persuaded the Art & Creative Materials Institute to require member manufacturers to reformulate their products to remove asbestos. Asbestos has been linked to asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, most often fatal lung diseases. The state Department of Public Health began its effort after elevated levels of asbestos were found in a school art room and traced to clay use. Talc, when added to clay, helps lower the temperature at which clay needs to be heated. Some forms of talc are naturally contaminated with asbestos. Skomro received EPA's 2008 Environmental Merit Award at a ceremony in Boston in April, according to the Connecticut Business News Journal. --Joanne Williams