EPA seeks PBT reductionin hazardous waste stream
By Staff -- Purchasing, 3/11/1999
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to target 53 persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals for a 50% reduction in hazardous waste streams. At the same time it is also reducing by 90% or more the threshold for industries manufacturing or using certain PBTs under the Toxic Release Inventory requirements. Both proposed requirements are causing concern in the chemical industry, which claims it already is taking action to reduce emissions and waste streams of the materials. If finally approved, the new rule and reporting requirement could put further pressure on industry to find non-toxic substitutes.PBTs, which include dioxins, mercury and PCBs, aldrin and heptachlor, do not break down quickly and can build up over time to appear in the food chain, according to EPA. "These chemicals are likely to accumulate in the environment and in the food chain, potentially causing long-term human health and environmental effects," EPA says.
The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) is preparing comments on the EPA proposal to target the 53 chemicals for 50% voluntary reduction by the year 2005. "Our concern is whether these chemicals would really adversely affect the environment that much," says spokesman Jim Pasierb. "We want to make sure that valid methodology has been used" in deciding which substances to include, Pasierb says.
For purposes of TRI reporting, the EPA lowered the threshold of reporting for PBTs, many of which are already on the list. In the past, a company had to report releases if it manufactured or processed more than 25,000 lb or used more than 10,000 lb of the substance. For the PBTs listed, the reporting threshold will be either 100 lb or 10 lb, depending on the extent to which the chemical persists and bioaccumulates.
New chemicals added to the list include Benzo(g,h,i)perylene, octach-lorostyrene, pentachlorobenzene, fluoranthene, 3-methylcholanthrene, vanadium, vanadium compounds, and tetrabromobisphenol A. All have a 10-lb threshold for reporting except vanadium and vanadium compounds (standard 25,000/10,000 lb), and tetrabromobisphenol A (100 lb). For dioxin and dioxin-like compounds the threshold is one gram.
"These reporting thresholds are extremely low, and will force a considerable increase in TRI reporting from a very broad spectrum of industries," CMA says. The EPA proposal also ignores the industry's significant efforts to reduce PBTs under its Responsible Care initiative, according to a CMA statement. By EPA's own estimates, the statement says, dioxin emissions from all sources have been cut about 75% since 1987. CMA has frequently objected to addition of certain chemicals to the TRI list and lowering of the amounts that force companies to publicly list their emissions.
General information on TRI is available at EPA's Web site (www.epa. gov/opptintr/tri). For specifics on the PBT rule, call (202) 260-9592. For the hazardous-waste rule, see epa.gov/ wastemin or call the rcra Hotline (800) 424-9346.
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