Document dQJvbqqR8RG5ewBDNRrRQZm9R

CUPfiCNT REPORT 2143 jnctffOci.s arc unvafidatcd and Dow's evidence is "weakly cirrumMniliat." Kl'A says ns own conclusions are not fin.nl, and it has asked Dose for fui Ihcr clarification of the company 's methods and findings EPA acknowledges that "it Is possible that some portion, likely quite small." of the dioxins found in river fish may have originally been formed and released to the environment as a combustion by-product." rather than from the Midland plant. However, EPA argues that levets of dioxins found by Dow In Midland arc hundreds of thousands of limes greater than reported at other locations. Midland: Dioxin `Hoi Spot' "The levels of TCDT>* identified in Midland sofj and dust samples indicate that this area represents a definite TCDD hot spot,' " according to the agency, EPA concludes that the evidence provided by Dow con tinues to suggest that Dow's Midland plant is the major source uf (he TCDD contamination in the Michigan rivers. EPA has treated Lire three Dow reports as "$ub:taniial risk notices" under Section 8(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act. The agency ha* issued an evaluation of each report. Copies of the Dow reports and EPA'* evaluations are available from the agency's Office of Public Awareness or from the Industry Assistance Office, Office of Toxic Substances ITS-799), EPA, Washington, D C. 20160. Ponicldo* " EPA TO CONSOLIDATESCHEDULES FOR CLASSIFYING RESTRICTED USES The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pesticide Programs plans to consolidate the schedule for classifying (he third group of pesticides for restricted use and Hie granular formulations, and to publish both together. The agency has been looking at this third group of active ingredients for some time (Current Report, January 12, p. 1802) However, pressure from the agency's Slate FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group (December 22,1978, p. 16181 caused the agency to consolidate the schedules, rather than postpone a decision on (be granular* until after a derision on (he Group III chemicals, According to EPA. present plans are to publish a proposed elasst'ication In June and a final rul classifying the in gredients for restricted use by October. EPA says this sciicdulr will allow moot affected products and uses to be restricted by tiie time el tbe 1980 growing season. EPA says it still ptaaa to publish final rules restricting Group II ingredients Ip July. Polychlorinated Biphony!a CANADA TO CONSTRUCT FACILITIES AS U.S. MOVES TO PROHIBIT IMPORTS OTTAWA. Can. -- (Bya BNA special correspondent) -- Anticipating the closing of Hie U.S. border to imjiorlation of waste polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Canada has launch ed a national plan in construct facilities for the destruction of unwanted i'Ctis. "Recent initiatives by the United States to close itsborders to the importation of PCBs. ihe lack of any suitable destruction facility in Canada, and the increase in inter provincial shipments have raised the issue to one of n.n,0n*l concern," Canada's Federal Environment Minister Leonard Marchand said in outlining the plan. While waste disposal is a responsibility of the 10 provinces, bolli provincial governments and industry had asked the Canadian Government to help woik out a solution to the problem, Marchand said. The plan involves adapting a number of cement kilns in various areas of the country to burn waste I'CDs "A fult-sralc demonstration in 1971 involving federal and provincial governments and industry showed that liquid PCBs could be totally dcslroyed by burning in a cement kiln Jn addition to being environmentally safe, ccmcm kilns oiler a potential for recovering valuable energy from the wastes,'' Marchand said. ' However, Canada's Environment Department conceded (hat the safety of burning waste PCBs lids not been com pletely accepted by the public. "Despite the positive .findings of a number of studies and demonstrations, efforts by industry to establish liquid PCB destruction facilities have not yet been fully accepted." the department said. The public worries about mishandling or incomplete burning of PCBs by industrial firms, it said. "The Federal Government wiil be asking the provinces and industry to look at (he possibility of equipping a number of cement kilns for the handling of liquid PCBs in strategic areas across the country," it added. The federal plan proposes a cooperative effort with the provincial governments to establish criteria for plant siting; to develop standards for the necessary equipment, in strumentation, and operating conditions; and to initiate negotiations leading io (he designation of a number of regional disposal facilities across Canada. Some Canadian industries previously shipped waste PCBs to destruction facilities in the United States. "The U.S,A. does have thermal destruction facilities in ex istence ca|>able of destroying liquid PCBs and some solids contaminated with PCBs. However, under existing regulations of the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act, the U.S. border is likely to be closed very soon to the importation of waste PCBs," Canada's Environment Department said. Officials estimate that approximately 20,000 metric tons of PCBs are currently in use in Canada, most of it in nona- queous liquid form. The Environment Department has restricted the use of PCBs. and Marchand has announced his intention to completely phase out all uses of PCBs. "At the present time, substantial quantities of PCBs arc being stored across the country in variety of storage facilities. In fact, an estimated 400 metric tons o( J'Ltts per year will need disposal, but this quantity, distributed across the country, Is insufficient economic justification for a com mercial facility devoted solely to the destruction of PCBs." tbe Environment Department said. "Kilns now exist which require relatively little modifica tion. hence, destructor facilities could be made available in the near future at reasonable cos Is." it added. "The modifications to existing kilns to enable them (o destroy PClls would also permit the facilities to handle many waste chlorinated and non-chlorinatud hydrocarbons (Including waste oils). It Would cost an estimated,-250 000 to $350,000 to modify each plant. These plants could burn the wastes, resulting in fuel savings which could be translated into financial benefits to defray costs ot these modifications," Hie Environment Department said m an <>ui- line of its "Plan of Action." It added that "That use of Hu -v energy-rich wastes would also reduce the demand tur regular fuels." 2 73 79 Copyright r 1979 by Tho Ptuoxu ot Notion*] Affair*, tne. )* r7J'7S/*OOW MOHS 200055 2144 CHEMICAL REGULATION REPORTER 7hc Cn nidiAn Govern merit. a l a meeting of federal and priKincial deputy ministers January )), proposed lhal both rmoh levels of government and industry proceed with a plan of on ion (n identify and modify selected c ement kilns across Ihc cminliy (0 provide them with the capability of destroying PC Us A steering group composed of federal, Ontario, and Dritisti Columbia ministers was named lo establish criteria for irlecimg sues for the cement kilns, which will report its finddings to the oilier provinces at an as yet unspecified date. "If aeeppicd by the provinces and Industry, (his plan will eliminate the current disposal problems associated with these unwanted substances," March said. A federal Environment Department official said the agi i cnicnl al Ihc January 11 meeting to select a group to es tablish suing crilcria indicated at feast initial acceptance of the federal plan by the provinces, Promnrtufacluro Notification PROPOSAL WOULD ALLOW CLAIMS TO BE MADE DIRECTLY TO ERA, NOT THROUGH IMPORTERS Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations for premanufacturc notification for chemicals would permit foreign manufacturers and suppliers to assert claims of confidentiality directly lo EPA rather than through their Importers. EPA said its proposal was made to encourage cooperation of foreign companies In submitting information about new subs I snees and test data to the agency. In its preamble to (he proposed regulations. EPA said It "recognizes that foreign companies may have legitimate concerns aboul Ihc conf idcnliaiily of information which they submit to the agency." In addition, (lie proposed rules, provide reporting forms fur use by domestic manufacturers, manufacturers of sub stances designed solely for export, and for importers (Current Report, January 12, p. 1843). Domestic manufacturers would have to give notice to EPA at least 90 days before manufacture begins of their intention to produce a substance. Notice forma would require background information about the substance and testing and exposure data. Companies also would be asked but not re quired to submit information about structure-activity corrclallons, engineering safeguards, industrial hygiene measures, and non-risk data Including economic factors and chcmic.'tl substitutes. lm|>ortors would use a form similar to the one proposed for domrslic manufacturers, expect It contains no questions about human or environmental exposures lhal may occur abroad os a result of the manufacturing process. In addition, importers would be required lo request certain information front their foreign manufacturers and supplier* Importers would send lias a form asking for information about the new mtifaiuw. Including all existing test data. Although foreign manulictitrers would not be legally obligated lo supply the informaffon, the preamble notes that "in many cases foreign companies would find it In (heir best interest lo cooperate, lo avoid possible EPA regulatory ac tions," There!ore. EPA suggests that foreign companies send their inlormnlion directly lo the agency so ft can make con fidentiality determinations. Jtasicail.v. the agency does not plan to honor requests for access to infoi itiation without notice to ihc submitter oi the information Companies may claim that any or all informa tion is confidential and should submit information to docu ment such claims. 11 a prison asserts a valid claim of eon- fidcntialily fur information about uses of the substance. EPA plans to protect tins information. . LI'A has been listing only generic names for chemical in- vcniory substances claimed to be confidential. However, Section H(bl of the Toxic Substanrrs Control Act slates that health and safely studies including chemical identity arc public information unless disclosure includes information on the processes used in manufacture or on (lie proportions of componciils ill a mixture. Therefore, the Office of Toxic Substances has proposed that chemical identity for substances claimed as eonfidun tial be withheld until manufacture begins, whether a health and safety study was filed or not. The agency proposed that once manufacture has begun, however, the identity would be disclosed in Ihc health and safely study if such a study has been submitted. Disclosure of information revealing a process or mixture composition would remain an exception. Persons who intend to manufacture substances solely for export would have lo submil premanufacture notices and would have to use the same prcmanufacture notification forms as manufacturers for domestic use, except L'tat questions on end uses and exposures outside the U.S. that do not present risks to the U S. would be optional. A public meeting on the proposed forms and rules will be held March 7 and 8 in Washington, D.C. and March 9 in New York City (February 9, p. 2051). Chemical* TOXICS MONITORING, CONTROL TECHNIQUES EXAMINED AT SPECIFIC POLLUTANT CONFERENCE GA1NESV1JXE, Fla. *- (By a BNA stall correspon dent) -- The latcit techniques for monitoring and con trol of toxic pollutants were examined at a conference joint ly sponsored by the Air Pollution Control Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation. Among research results reported to the conference: The "priority" pollutants that were the subject of a legal settlement betweeu the Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Defense Council I7'ruin i>. NROC) are widely found In most industrial waters; a A wet oxidation process using high temperatures and pressures can be used successfully to remove toxic com ponents of waste streams, leaving no problem residues, a- Test incineration ofpolychlorinated biphenyls (I'CHs) in an electric utility boiler shows promising results: a Thermal incineration to control hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions from maleic anhydride plants has shown benzene destruction efficiencies of 98.5 percent. EPA representatives told the conference of some of (he steps the agency is taking in programs to control toxic pollutants under a variety of statutory programs. Among ap proaches (he agency Is considering, they said, arc the development of a three-level "chemical fate assessment" lo identify chemicals for which full analysis is unnecessary un der the Toxic Substances Control Act. The agency also is looking into the possibility of using measures of traditional pollutants (total suspended solids and biological oxygen demand) as indicators of Ihc levels of toxic pollutants in waterways. Specific Pollutant Control Conference chairman two Weitzin.m. of EP.Vs Industrial Environmental Research l-tboralory, rn Research Triangle Park, N.C., emphasized the growing >iii|Kiriancc uf ronhol of s|X*eif ic pollutants in environmental regulations 2-?>70 Chttnital ftruiilxlion RrpOMcr `loose HONS 200056