Chemical manufacturing processes environmental protection

EPA. 1993a. Exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance. Chemicals affected by standards of performance for volatile organic compound emmisions from synthetic organic chemical manufacturing industry reactor process. Environmental Protection Agency. Code of Federal Regulations. 40 CFR 60.707. 

As discussed in The Inventory Chapter, 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires that all chemicals manufactured, processed, or used in the United States must be on a comprehensive list of chemicals maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to 8(b) of TSCA, called the TSCA Inventory. When commercial product is not manufactured according to specifications, that nonconforming product could be, or could contain, a chemical substance not on the TSCA Inventory, which would limit the ability to sell the product as is or to rework it. This procedure deals with how to assess the TSCA implications of the management of manufactured nonconforming commercial product. 

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976 to identify and control toxic chemical ha2ards to human health and the environment. One of the main provisions of TSCA was to estabUsh and maintain an inventory of all chemicals in commerce in the United States for the purpose of regulating any of the chemicals that might pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. An initial inventory of chemicals was estabhshed by requiring companies to report to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) all substances that were imported, manufactured, processed, distributed, or disposed of in the United States. Over 50,000 chemical substances were reported. PoUowing this initial inventory, introduction of all new chemical substances requires a Premanufacturing Notification (PMN) process. To be included in the PMN are the identity of the new chemical, the estimated first year and maximum production volume, manufacture and process information, a description of proposed use, potential release to the environment, possible human exposure to the new substance, and any health or environmental test data available at the time of submission. In the 10 years that TSCA has been in effect, the USEPA has received over 10,000 PMNs and up to 10% of the submissions each year are for dyes (382)... 

Industrial scientists, therefore, hold a very high public trust. There is a need to go beyond the requirements of scientific canons and demonstrate to the lay public that its trust has been upheld. A number of industrial firms have recognized and responded to this need. Wilder, of Eastman Chemical, for example, describes a proactive pollution prevention policy developed in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency.112 This work describes the key role of analytics in helping chemical manufacturers take leadership roles in redesigning processes for waste prevention. Since the analytical laboratory is a principal referee in the production process, there is always a risk that time pressures will tempt some members of the production team to "work the referee". An important function of the chain of command of the analytical laboratory, therefore, is establishing a clear operational policy to ensure that any such pressure does not reach the bench level ... 

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comprehensive authority to regulate any chemical substance whose manufacture, processing, distribution in commerce, use, or disposal may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. 

NOTE Chlorine is widely used in the protection of drinking water, the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, crop pesticides, paper, rubbers, resins and plastics, and thousands of other products. Nevertheless, since the early 1990s, there has been a groundswell of opinion to either ban or severely limit the use of chlorine in all manners of processes. This is based on observations associated with the probable adverse effect to the environment from certain chlorinated organic chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and the insecticide DDT. There is also concern in a number of other areas, for example, that free chlorine may contribute to effluent toxicity due to the formation of chloramines and trihalomethanes (THMs). In the United States in 1993 to 1994, this opinion was fueled by the possibility that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would... 

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