The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has confirmed that employers will be required to notify their workers of all hexavalent chromium exposures, effective June 15, 2010. Previously, OSHA’s Hexavalent Chromium standard required workers be notified only when they experienced exposures exceeding the permissible exposure limit.
Occupational exposures to hexavalent chromium can occur among workers operating chrome plating baths, of course, as well as when handling pigments, spray paints and coatings containing chromates and welding or cutting metals containing chromium (e.g., stainless steel).
More information on protecting workers from exposure to this chemical can be found on OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics page on Hexavalent Chromium.
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Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI) Form R or Form A reports are due by July 1! If your facility:
- has 10 or more employees;
- is included among certain covered industrial categories, including manufacturers that correspond to SIC Codes 20 through 39; some mining operations; utilities that burn coal or oil for commercial electrical generation; chemical wholesalers; petroleum bulk storage terminals; and waste treatment, disposal and recovery facilities; and
- manufactured, imported, processed or otherwise used listed toxic chemicals above threshold reporting quantities,
Then you are likely required to report your releases and off-site transfers of the toxic chemicals. More information on these requirements is linked at www.tcozzie.com/compliance/tri-2009.htm. You can visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s TRI reporting materials page by clicking on the image at right.
Does your facility need to comply? Are you ready to meet this requirement? As always, feel free to contact T. Cozzie Consulting for further information or assistance.
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In the April 22 Federal Register, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to remove saccharin and its salts from the lists of hazardous constituents and commercial chemical products which are hazardous wastes when discarded. EPA also proposed to remove saccharin and its salts from the list of hazardous substances regulated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
The Calorie Control Council petitioned EPA to remove saccharin and its salts from the above lists. Evaluations conducted by public health agencies such as the National Toxicological Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have demonstrated that saccharin and its salts do not have either cancer-causing or other toxic effects that meet the criteria for listing as hazardous constituents, hazardous wastes, and hazardous substances.
When finalized, the proposed amendments will provide relief to manufacturers of soft drinks, flavoring syrups, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics from RCRA requirements to manage and dispose of unused or “off-spec” saccharin and its salts as hazardous wastes, as well as CERCLA reporting requirements for spills or releases.
I found this interesting because I have not heard much about saccharin in years, as other sugar substitutes like aspartame and sucralose (e.g., Splenda) have replaced it in common use. Do you remember when saccharin gained notoriety as a suspected human carcinogen? Do any food products even contain saccharin as a “low-cal sweetener” anymore?
On April 6, EPA proposed to add sixteen (16) chemicals to the list of toxic chemicals subject to reporting under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (your Form R or Form A submissions due each July 1). These sixteen chemicals have been classified by the National Toxicology Program as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” Based on its review of available production and use information, EPA has concluded that these sixteen chemicals are manufactured, processed, or otherwise used in quantities that would exceed the EPCRA section 313 reporting thresholds.
The 16 chemicals include:
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As January closes, we take a quick look at the highlights (or lowlights, depending on your perspective) of actions taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency in the first month of 2010. Noteworthy actions included:
- EPA proposes revisions to smog (ozone) standard
- EPA to issue new standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- EPA rejects confidentiality claims for toxic chemicals
- EPA announces tip line for bad behavior in oil and gas drilling operations
In addition, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson set forth the agency’s priorities for the coming year.
Summaries of these actions follow. As always, feel free to contact T. Cozzie Consulting for more information.
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