Hazard Federal laws

Federal regulations (40 CFR 261) classify acrylonitrile as a hazardous waste and it is Hsted as Hazardous Waste Number U009. Disposal must be in accordance with federal (40 CFR 262, 263, 264), state, and local regulations only at properly permitted faciUties. It is Hsted as a toxic pollutant (40 CFR 122.21) and introduction into process streams, storm water, or waste water systems is in violation of federal law. Strict guidelines exist for clean-up and notification of leaks and spills. Federal notification regulations require that spills or leaks in excess of 100 lb (45.5 kg) be reported to the National Response Center. Substantial criminal and civil penalties can result from failure to report such discharges into the environment. 

Occupational Safety and Health J ct. OSHA regulations deal principally with physical aspects of safety and those things generally associated with accident prevention. These federal regulations deal especially with the need for estabHshed material safety data sheets and the proper labeling of printing inks under the Hazard Communication Laws. 

Manufacturers of benzene are requited by federal law to pubHsh Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that describe in detail the procedures for its safe handling. Benzene is classified as a flammable Hquid and should be stored away from any potential source of ignition. Fine and explosion hazard data for benzene are shown (91). 

In 1980, the U.S. Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the first comprehensive federal law addressing the protection of the environment from the threat of hazardous substances. The primary goal of CERCLA is to establish an organized cost-effective mechanism for response to abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that pose a serious threat to human health and the environment.8 9 To accomplish this goal, two types of response capabilities are mandated by CERCLA13 ... 

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. Known as CERCLA, or the SUPERFUND amendment, this federal law deals with hazardous substances releases to the environment and the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. 

U.S. Federal law (the Recourse Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, known as RCRA) requires a national cradle to grave tracking system for hazardous waste. In the State of Massachusetts, for instance, every shipment of hazardous waste by a large or small generator must be transported by a licenced hauler and sent to a licenced treatment, storage, or disposal facility (TSD) or a permitted recycling facility, and it must be accompanied by a multipart shipping document, called the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest. 

A growing number of communities are enacting right to know laws. These laws require that public officials, health workers, plant workers, and in some cases the general public, be kept informed of hazardous materials produced, used, or stored within the community. In addition, state and federal laws often give local citizens an effective voice in how those laws will be applied within their community. 

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. CERCLA, also known as Superfund, is the federal law that concerns the removal or cleanup of hazardous substances in the environment and at hazardous waste sites. ATSDR, which was created by CERCLA, is responsible for assessing health issues and supporting public health activities related to hazardous waste sites or other environmental releases of hazardous substances. This law was later amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)... 

Because of the particular hazards associated with processing large quantities of chemicals and fuels, most governments have enacted legislation to ensure that best safety practices are followed. In the United States., the major federal laws relating to chemical plant safety are... 

Labor activist Tony Mazzocchi of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers organized a series of public forums, giving workers a platform for testifying about hazardous conditions in the industrial workplace. Mazzocchi compiled a formal record of the forums, to pressure Congress to enact the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). In 1970, OSHA became the first federal law aimed at protecting the health of the nation s workforce. 

By federal law (as described in Chapter 22), hazardous waste incinerators must meet a minimum destruction and removal requirement, i.e., that the principal organic hazardous constituents (POHCs) of the waste feed be incinerated with a minimum destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) of 99.99% ( four nines ). The destruction and removal efficiency is the fraction of the inlet mass flowrate of a particular chemical that is destroyed and removed in the incinerator or, equivalently. 

The 1983 Federal Law on Environmental Protection deals mainly with the effect of chemicals on the environment and on humans via the environment. The Law is implemented through various Ordinances dealing with specific aspects of environmental protection, such as air and soil pollution, waste disposal, noise and radiation. The 1986 Ordinance on Environmentally Hazardous Substances (OEHS) requires the measures discussed below. 

Under special EPA requirements, hazardous waste shippers must mark each shipping container of 110 gallons or less with this warning HAZARDOUS WASTE—Federal Law Prohibits Improper Disposal. If found, contact the nearest police or public safety authority or the U.S. Environmental Protection... 

The legal department should acquaint itself with all local, state, and Federal laws that pertain to the manufacture of the commodity, its transportation and application, atmospheric and stream pollution through the disposal of wastes, and the possibility of claims for injury, death, or disabilities in connection with the production and use of the commodity to be manufactured. The design engineer should be familiar with all such legal entanglements, so that he may advise the legal department on probable hazardous conditions and unsafe practices. 

Several laws have been enacted to control pollution of the nation s waters, air, and land resources and to regulate the manufacture and distribution of hazardous substances. Below are some of the major Federal laws administered by the U.S. EPA. The first five Acfs are discussed in brief in fhe following sections. 

The process whereby pesticides are registered In Canada Is not unlike that In many other countries. The manufacturer Is required under Federal law to submit, at the time of application for registration, a package of data supporting the safety and efficacy of the product. If after review of these data, the product Is judged to be acceptable. It Is registered and food tolerances are established If required. Over the past 5 years there has been an Increased awareness of the potential health hazards to those Involved In the application of pesticides and those Inadvertently exposed during application (bystanders). To properly analyze these risks, more accurate estimates of exposure are essential. The problems associated with current methods of exposure, the Importance of analysis of urinary metabolites, Che correlation of dermal exposure and urinary metabolites and the determination of percutaneous penetration are discussed. 

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