Document VJNLLXdLOD5d84En1kYmrJ6oq

ETHYL CORPORATION INTER-OFFICE To S.A. D'Armond Address BRP From H.M. Taylor, Jr. Subject Asbestos Fibers in Effluent Streams Address BRT Date August 26, 1974 At this time there isn't a federal government standard for asbestos in user plant effluent streams. However, the Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) has published standards applicable to industries which manufacture asbestos products (attachment). Interpretation of the EPA asbestos manufacturing information may foreaast trends in federal controls for asbestos users. Interpretation of the EPA information has been provided by Dr. Ian Stewart of' McCrone Associates, a Chicago based analytical company. McCrone Associates has conducted much of the asbestos analytical contract work for EPA and presently has a contract to answer basic questions concerning effluent asbestos levels. The EPA information limits the quantity of total settleable effluent solids per some weight of plant product. The EPA deadline for instituting effluent treatment by sedimentation, for asbestos manufactures, is 1977. (From this it is inferred that someone thinks most asbestos fibers will settle out by ponding waste water streams.) The asbestos industry is expected by the EPA to recycle all waste water bv 1983. Therefore F--00499 ETC 15475 tTH no process waste water pollutants shall be discharged to navigable water from the asbestos manufacturing industry after 1983. Dr. Stewart indicated the concentration of asbestos at Deluth which has caused a great deal of national " commotion, as the Reserve Mining Case, was between 2 X 106 , 7 and 10 fibers per liter. He also indicated concern that two states, Illinois and Minnesota, have passed no detectable effluent asbestos type of legislation. The writer believes the entire question of zero contamination level is bound to be subject to modification before 1977 and the assumption involving the settling of asbestos fibers will be challenged. However if the preliminary analysis of effluent asbestos at the Baton Rouge Plant ol^lTs X lO^^ibers per liter is characteristic, there may be some' long range benefit achieved by not increasing the concentration. HMT:daw cc: W.E. T.R. W.C. M.R. Rinehart, Sc.D Robinson, M.D. Strader Zavon, M.D. H.M. Taylor Industrial Hygienist w/o attachment w/o attachment w/o attachment w/o attachment ETC 15746 E-02269