Document LKzLZv0rkQn41o97J1byoMnQq

OINVttk SLSGTNC COMPANY. ONt AIY1A ROAD. SCHtNECTAOY. NCW V0W 13943 Phw (311) 374-3211 R IA L STATI AND C0NSTRUC1 OPERATION November 2 1 , 1973 ' Dr. C . Hugh Thompson, Chairman Hazardous and Toxic Substance Regulation Task Force O ffic e o f Water Program Operations Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D .C . 20460 SUBJECT: COWENTS OH TOXIC POLLUTANT EFFLUENT . STANDARDS (38 FR 21342, S e p t. 7 , 1973) Dear O r. Thompson: In the above Federal R egister announcement, the Environmental Pro tectio n Agency In v ite d comments th a t might a s s i s t 1 t 1n s e ttin g e fflu e n t standards fo r the p o llu ta n ts on EPA's f i r s t 11st o f to x ic p o llu ta n ts . On b e h a lf o f the General E le c t r ic Comoany, I am pleased to submit f o r y o u r co n sid eration the fo llo w in g comments th a t we b e liev e are relevant to the establishment o f e fflu e n t standards fo r polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The General E le c t r ic Company 1s a major manufacturer o f sealed cap acito rs and transform ers th a t Incorporate PCBs as In s u la tin g liq u id s. COMMENTS In promulgating I t s 11st o f t o x ic p o llu t a n ts ; EPA stated th a t fP o ly ch lo rin ated biphenyls are on the l i s t because o f th e ir hich order o f t o x i c i t y to nan and ao u atic organism s, and because' o f th e ir b io accumu.lative p a te n t!e 1. The data are adequate, and the point source d1schem es require prompt c o n t r o l." (un derlin in gs added") In an e a r lie r se c tio n o f th is same promulgation ( 1 , 3 ) , which explains the c r ite r ia o f to x ic it y , appears the statement that "substances which have an oral LD50 o f 50 mg/kg o f body w eight or le s s . . . are defined as h ig h ly to x ic to marnnals . . . " . This defin ition *w ou ld seem to exclude PCBs, because the LG50` s o f a l l commercial preparations are many tim es, g r e a te r , th a t o f a ty p ic a l m aterial (A ro clor 1242) being 8650 mg/kg I ' J . (iJppC.Bs131and the Environment. Interdepartmental Task Force on PCBs, May 1972 774054 IDS 002373 severalO lu e m e Dr. C. Hugh Thompson -2 - November 21* 1973 The low order o f t o x ic it y to man 1s supported by several decades o f experience In the U .S. e le c tr ic a l Industry. In a d d itio n , the foregoin g statem ents about PCBs quoted from the promulgation receive l i t t l e support from EPA's subsequent publication In October o f It s "Proposed C r ite r ia fo r Hater Q uality - V ol. These c r i t e r i a "are defined as the accep tab le lim its o f con stitu en ts 1n re ce iv in g waters based upon an evalu atio n o f th e l a t e s t s c i e n t i f i c Inform ation by the Environmental P ro tectio n Agency" (p . 12) and "are based upon current knowledge o f the e f f e c t s on h ealth and w elfare o f the presence o f various p o llu ta n ts 1n re ce iv in g waters" (p . 18 ). C r it e r ia f o r PC8s are discussed under fo u r ca te g o rie s o f water use (pages 121, 180, 224, and 320) along with the r a tio n a le fo r the recooinended l im it s . None o f th ese d iscu ssio n s s u g g e st?b io lo g ica l e ffe c t s th a t could be described as a "high order o f t o x ic it y to man and aq u a tic organism s"; most o f the r a tio n a le s represent f a r from "adequate" d ata; and none o f them leads to the conclusion th a t "p o in t * source discharges req uire prompt c o n t r o l." The only numerical value suggested 1s a maximum acceptable concentration o f PCBs 1n fre sh water o f Q.QQ2/f g/1 (0.002 ppb) (p . 121). The r a tio n a le given f o r t h is le v e l Is based upon an exceedingly tenuous chain o f reasoning beginning w ith a PCS residue le v e l th a t has been suggested (not demonstrated) as the threshold fo r salmon egg m o rta lity and continuing through several other vaguely defin ed m u ltip lic a tiv e fa c t o r s . F u rth er, this'*number has no operational s ig n ific a n c e because no a n a ly tica l techniques are availab le fo r the r e lia b le determination o f so low a concentration o f PCSs 1n w ater. S e ctio n 304 (a) (1) o f The Federal Hater P o llu tio n Control Act Amendments o f 1972 requires th a t c r it e r ia fo r water q u a lity should a ccu rately r e f le c t the l a t e s t s c i e n t i f i c knowledge " on the kind and exten t o f a l l Id e n t ifia b le e ffe c t s on health and w elfare . . . which may be expected from the presence o f p o llu ta n ts In any body o f water He submit th a t none o f the water q u a lity c r it e r ia proposed fo r PCBs, which presumably r e f l e c t the la t e s t s c i e n t i f i c knowledge, provides an adequate basis fo r e sta b lish in g e fflu e n t standards fo r PCBs. Other bases than water q u a lity should be used and are discussed la t e r on 1n th is l e t t e r . In our o p in io n , however, the recommendation th a t "the body burdens o f PCB's 1n birds and mammals, should not be increased over present le v e ls in order to m aintain acceptable le v e ls " does represent a reasonable goal fo r any PCS control program (R e f. 2 , p . 180). The Proposed C r ite r ia fo r Hater Q u ality acknowledge (R e f. 2 . pp 17-18) th a t other considerations are important 1n "e s ta b lis h in g p a r tic u la r standards and control measures" fo r p o llu ta n ts th a t "may be lis t e d as t o x ic p o llu ta n ts under subsection 307 ( a ) ." ^ Proposed C r ite r ia fo r Hater Q u a lity . V o l. I , U .S . Environmental P ro tectio n Agency, Octotsor 1973. 774055 i d s 002, CEREBAl O u K 7916 Or. C . Hugh Thompson -3 - November 21, 1973 "Some o f the more Important co n sid eration s a re : (1) The nature o f the environmental e f f e c t o f the presence o f p o llu tan ts In water ( e .g .* long or sh o rt term , temporary o r permanent* lo c a liz e d or widespread* e t c .) . (2) The economic and s o c ia l Impact o f th e standards and c o n tr o l. measures and th e Impact o f th e environmental damage to be alleviated. . . (3) The p r a c t ic a lit y end e n fo r c e a b ility o f the standards and co n tro l measures* In clu d in g the a v a il a b i lit y o f techniques and * Instrumentation fo r determining whether p a rticu la r standards are being met." Regarding the th ir d con sid eration * we have already In d ica ted f th a t there Is no p r a c tic a l method o f en fo rcin g a standard based upon * the recommended maximum concentration o f 0.002 ppb o f PCBs fo r fresh w ater. The fo llo w in g ad d itio n al p o in ts* which we b e lie v e should be considered 1n e s ta b lis h in g e fflu e n t standards f o r PCBs* are germane to the other two co n sid e ra tio n s. (1) In 1971 the Monsanto Company (the s o le U .S i producer o f PCBs) began a program th a t has led to a to ta l ban on s a le s o f PCBs fo r a l l uses except the manufacture o f sealed e le c t r ic a l equipment (cap acito rs and transform ers) . As a r e s u lt th ere has been a la rg e decrease In the number o f p oin t source discharges o f PCBs. . Since th ere are probably not more than 25 major users o f PCBs throughout the country* current productIon-type discharges o f PCBs are no longer as ubiquitous as when PCBs were a component o f p a in ts* Inks* p la s t i c s , ad h esiv es, t e x t i l e c o a tin g s , hyd raulic and heat tr a n s fe r f l u i d s , e t c . Indeed, "production and s a le s fig u r e s fo r PCBs 1n 1971 were roughly h a l f o f those f o r 1970, when these volumes were a t t h e ir peak ...( a n d ) p ro je ctio n s f o r 1972 In d ic a te an even lower volume " (R e f. 1* pp. 5 -1 0). Thus* even apart from the In troduction o f improved control measures by present P C S-users, there has been a major decrease in the amount o f PCBs to which the environment can p o ssib ly be exposed. Although current.PCB discharges can and should be more c a r e fu lly c o n tr o lle d , the s itu a tio n 1s one whose magnitude 1s decreasin g. There 1 s, th e r e fo r e , ~ no need fo r emergency-type co n tro ls* which might be r e fle c te d 1n te c h n ic a lly In fe a s ib le standards and compliance schedules. 774056 IDS 002375 BEMERAlQ ELECTRIC . Or. C. Hugh Thompson *4 - November 21, 1973 - (2) PCBs are not a unique chem1,c&1 s p e c ie s . More than 100 Isomers are p o s s ib le , and major commercial products may contain as many as 18 d is t in c t compounds. As pointed out by the Interdepartmental Task Force on PCBs: " R i l l ev alu atio n o f actu al o r p o te n tia l e f f e c t s 1n the environment I s hampered by the complex nature o f the m ixtures th a t compose PCSs, and by the In clu sio n o f contaminants In these m ixtu res. As experim ental stu d ies have been conducted with the unaltered products, as s o ld , th e r e s u lts may not properly r e f l e c t the e ffe c t s o f the components as they e x is t 1n th e environm ent.11 (R e f. 1t p . 19). Furthermore, I t was reported to th e Interdepartm ental Task Force th a t a l l PCB products cannot be lumped together In terms o f e ith e r th e ir environmental Impact or p e rsiste n c e ." Other points made In t h is report to the Task Force are : (1) As th e degree o f ch lo rin a tio n (o f PCSs) d ecreases, th e b acterial degradation rate Increases. (R ef. 3 , p . 4 ). (2) The residue storage le v e ls (1n alb ino r a ts ) decrease exponentially as the weight percent chlorine decreases. , ,(R ef. 3 , .p. 6) . (3) PCB resid ues found 1n w ild l i f e are dominantly p e n ta -, h e x a -, h e p ta -, and o c ta - chloro b ip h en y ls. (R e f. 3 , Chart 4 ) . In recent years the Monsanto Company has developed a sp ecial product, A roclor 1016, which 1s the only grade o f A roclor now used 1n ca p a cito r m anufacture. Although I t s gross c h io r in e %content 1s almost the same as th a t o f A roclor 1242 ( 1 .e . about 425 o f C l ) , Aroclor 1016 has been s p e c ia lly d i s t i l l e d to remove most o f th e higher b o ilin g homologs, which are found In w ild l i f e re sid u e s. Indeed, more than 99$ o f A ro clor 1016 comprises hcmologs with 4 or le s s ch lo rin e atoms per biphenyl (R e f. 3 , Chart 1 ); and these homologs have not been found In w ild l i f e residues. In l i g h t o f the foregoing we recommend th a t the s p e c ific commercial p re p ara tio n , A roclor 1016, not be considered as a to x ic p o llu ta n t. We are encouraged to see th a t 1n promulgating i t s 11st o f to x ic p o llu ta n ts , EPA has recognized th a t not a l l compounds o f cadmium and cyanide are to x ic and has sta te d th a t d is tin c tio n s w ill be made when the f in a l T3T Tucker, E .S ., "Assessment o f the B iolo gical Persistence o f Polychlorinated B ip h e n y ls," from Presentation to the Interdepartmental Task Force on PCSs by Monsanto Company, [lay 15, 1972, p . 2 . 774057 IDS 002376 Q6IB E8A L ELECTRIC Dr. C. Hugh Thompson -5- November 21, 1973 e fflu e n t standards are p u b lish ed . We recommend th a t s im ila r d is tin c tio n s be made 1n w ritin g e fflu e n t standards fo r PCBs. (3) The "economic and s o c ia l Impact" (con sid eration number 2) o f a uniform e fflu e n t standard would be much more severe upon an e x is tin g plan t than upon a new p la n t . Host o f the e x is tin g plants th a t manufacture sealed e le c t r ic a l equipment con tainin g PCSs were 1n operation fo r many years before th ere was any reco gn itio n o f the p o ssib le environmental hazards o f PCBs, and during these years no sp e c ia l precautions were taken concerning the handling and disposal o f these liq u id s . Thus, accumulations o f PCSs over the years 1n and around the drainage systems o f these p lan ts could r e s u lt 1n continued discharge o f PCSs even 1 f the p la n ts were to elim in a te PCBs from t h e ir current o p eratio n s. Elim ination o f such re se rv o irs o f PCBs might w ell req uire a major and p r o h ib itiv e ly expensive renovation o f p la n t and s i t e . However, with the In s titu tio n o f in te rn a l con trol measures such as described 1n proposed American National Standard Guidelines W , older plants are preventing further build-up o f such reserv o irs. WHAT EFFLUENT STANDARDS ARE FEASIBLE FOR THE ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING"iNDUST^ We have already noted th a t the Monsanto Company now s e l l s PC8s only to manufacturers o f sealed e le c tr ic a l equipment, such as capacitors amT~^ transform ers. The soundness o f th is d ecisio n 1s supported by the fin d in g s o f the Interdepartm ental Task Force on PCBs (R e f. 1 , p . 4) and the regu latio n promulgated by the Food and Drug Adm inistration (38 FR 18096, Ju ly 6 , 1973). These documents recognize the unique combination o f f i r e s a fe ty and design e f f ic ie n c y th a t the use o f .PCBs.Imparts to cap acito rs and transformers and the minimal r is k o f environmental pontaminatlon associated with such use. We b e lie v e th a t the s p e c ia l con d itio n s p e rta in in g to the past and present use o f PCBs 1n the e le c t r ic a l Industry warrant recogn ition 1n the s e ttin g o f e fflu e n t discharge stan d ard s. These should not n e c e s sa rily be Id e n tic a l to those deemed appropriate fo r the chemical In d u stry. % The manufacture o f transform ers and cap acito rs Involves a m u lt ip lic it y o f operations In clu d in g vacuum Im pregnation, heat treatm ent, f i l l i n g , s e a lin g , washing operations and the l i k e . Provision must be made fo r the handling o f la rg e apparatus con tainin g up to 1500 gallons/un1t (In the case o f transform ers) and fo r the f i l l i n g and s e a lin g o f m illio n s o f small units per year (1n the case o f c a p a c ito r s ). Control o f PCS discharges 1n such e le c t r ic a l manufacturing plants requires a combination o f process design and good housekeeping. For ' example, waste lin e s and operating procedures may be designed to elim in ate contact between PCSs and water not d ir e c t ly used 1n the PC8 operations themselves ( e .g . co o lin g w a te r). No e f f e c t iv e en d -o f-H n e treatment has bee: demonstrated on a p la n t s c a le . W O f f ic ia l Standards Proposal. Proposed American National Standard Guidelin fo r Handling and Disposal o f Cap acitor- and Transformer-Grade AskareTs Containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls, C107.1- ( ) , National E le ctrica l - ; Manufacturers A sso ciatio n Pub. No. CP-P1-1973 and Pub. No. TR-PG-1973, January 25, 1973. 774058 ID S 002371 6EHE8AI ^ ELECTRIC ' Dr* C. Hugh Thompson November 21, 1973 Segregation o f operations and waste lin e s 1s fe a s ib le 1n the design and co n stru ction o f a new p la n t but would be p r o h ib itiv e ly expensive fo r an o ld p la n t . I f such co n tro ls are Incorporated .Into a new transform er or ca p a c ito r p la n t on a new s ite I t should be p o ssib le to lim it th e discharge o f PCBs to"7ess than 5 pounds per day depending upon the volume and com plexity o f th e production processes. The a tta in a b le discharge from an e x is tin g p la n t th a t had already been in production before the m ld-60's may be as much as IS pounds higher as the background l e v e l , depending on the s iz e o f the p la n t. I t s ag e , and the nature o f I t s e a r lie r o p era tio n s, a l l o f which would have a ffe c te d the lo c a tio n and ex ten t o f I t s re se rv o irs o f PCBs. Such ' a p lan t could I n s t a ll the control measures mentioned above and s t i l l be unable to reach the discharge le v e ls fo r a new p la n t a t a new s i t e . He b e lie v e th a t the foregoin g numbers can provide the b a sis fo r r e a lis t ic e fflu e n t standards because they r e fle c t the actual technology o f the ca p a cito r and transform er In d u stry. As we have mentioned e a r li e r , the recommended water q u a lity standards provide no p r a c tic a l b a s is fo r efflu en t standards. SUMMARY In the foregoin g comments we have r a ise d the follow in g p o in ts : 1) A v a ila b le data do not support ca te g o riz in g PCBs as a "h ig h ly t o x ic " m a t e r ia l, nor s e ttin g standards on the b a sis o f th is a r b it r a r ily assigned hazard ra tin g . * 2) The maximum recommended concentration o f 0.002 ppb o f PCBs 1n fresh water Is an o p era tio n a lly meaningless number th a t Is unsupported by convincing e c o lo g ic a l d a ta . Any- e fflu e n t standards based upon such a water q u a lity standard could not be atta in ed In e x is tin g plants and could lead to shut-down o f ca p a c ito r and transform er o p eratio n s. 3) Actions already taken by Monsanto and POB users 1n the e le c t r ic a l Industry have s u b s ta n tia lly reduced the exposure o f the environment to PCBs and should r e s u lt 1n a decreasing Impact o f PCBs 1n the environment. 4) E x is tin g data suggest th a t A roclor 1016 should not be considered a toxic pollutant. - - 5] Older p la n t s it e s w ill continue to have s ig n ific a n t background le v e ls o f PCBs 1n th e ir discharges because o f accumulated reservoirs from years O f operation before anyone recognized the p o ssib le environmental hazards o f PCBs. These background le v e ls should be considered apart from those le v e ls con tributed by current operating procedures. GENP 005408 IDS 002378 774059 '6EM RA10 ELECTRIC Dr, C . Hugh1Ifhompson -7- . November 2 1 , 1973 We appreciate the opportunity to submit these conments and hope th a t they w ill be o f a s sista n c e to EPA in s e ttin g e fflu e n t standards fo r PCBs, Very tru ly yours, ELS:1 ; 14 * 'Dr. E . L . Simons, Manager Environmental Protection Operation GENP 005409 774060 ids o