Inventory of Information Sources on Chemicals

UNEP (1999) Inventory of Information Source on Chemicals-Persistent Organic Pollutants. United Nations Environment Programme, Geneva, Switzerland UNEP (2001) Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. United Nations Environment Programme, Stockholm, Holland U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (2005) Toxicological profile for alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta.-hexachlorocyclohexane. Atlanta Chapter 8 237-245... 

An estimate of the toxicity or intrinsic hazard is needed for each material identified in the inventory. Such information for many chemicals in the form of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) are required by the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. (Other countries have similar requirements.) Standard hazard-data sources may need to be consulted for those chemical compounds for which no MSDSs are presently available. Adequate hazard data may be lacking for various mixtures that are unique to the plant. For such mixtures, it may be necessary to analyze the contents and then estimate the overall hazard based on the individual components. 

Table 4-2 lists the facilities in each state that manufacture or process chloroform, the intended use, and the range of maximum amounts of chloroform that are stored on site. The data listed in Table 4-2 are derived from the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI93 1995). Only plants from 3 states (associated with the 4 plants noted above) actually generate chloroform as an end-product for sale or distribution. In most cases, chloroform is a chemical intermediary, impurity, or waste by-product at the 172 facilities included in the TRI survey. Only certain types of facilities were required to report therefore, this is not an exhaustive list. In some cases, facility names are not available or numeric values for amounts of chloroform produced, stored, transferred, or released are missing. This complicates making comparisons between the TRI listings and information from other information sources. 

The environmental agencies may be among the best suited for evaluating risk. Their expertise usually includes a sound knowledge of the particular features of the local environment, such as location of flood plains and water resources, and the liaairds of certain chemicals. They should be used to support tlie risk evalmiting effort. The local or state environmental agencies are also a source for inventory of hazards on industrial sites. Tliis information will serve the committee. 

Already it is well known that a number of common chemicals are toxic to humans and need to be avoided. One source of information on these chemicals is the Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI), which is maintained by the U.S. EPA, and includes over 600 chemicals. A list of these chemicals is available at the Internet site ... 

Hazardous chemical identity The identity of the chemicai(s) contained inside the container. The name used may be a common or trade name ( Biack Magic Formuia ), or a chemical name (1,1,1-Trichloroethane). The chemical name is found on not only the label, but also the chemical s material safety data sheet (MSDS) and the company s chemical inventory. Therefore, the chemical identity links these three sources of information. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains the Toxic Chemical Release Inventory. This database summarizes estimated chemical releases from industrial sources to air, water, land, and the subsurface by deep-well injection in the United States. Not all industrial sources are required to provide release data to the EPA, and nine of the solvents discussed in this chapter are not included in the database. The information provided, however, indicated that about 99,364,390 kg of solvents were released into the environment in 2011, and that the major solvents were hexane, methanol, and toluene (Table 16.1.2). On a weight basis, methanol accounted for more than half of the releases. With the exeeption of nitrobenzene and pyridine, the major on-site releases were made to the atmosphere. For... 

The advantages to using MSDSs for chemical inventories are that MSDSs are publicly available and required by law. There is no extra cost or labour needed to supply them. The limitations to using MSDSs as a source of inventory data are that currently, in the United States, a standardized reporting format is not mandatory. MSDSs are not verified or audited and MSDS information can be incomplete and/or inaccurate. In addition, OSHA s definition of hazard does not include the broader scope of hazard used in green chemistry. Therefore, chemicals that are potential hazards from the green chemistry perspective but are not defined by OSHA as hazards, are not required to be identified on a MSDS. 

Because of the potential for extensive or catastrophic damage that could result from a malevolent act, additional equipment sources should be identified for the acquisition and installation of equipment and repair parts in excess of normal usage. This should be based on the results of the specific scenarios and critical assets identified in the vulnerability assessment that could be destroyed. For example, numerous pumps, vats, and mixers, specifically designed for the chemical industry, could potentially be destroyed. A certain number of long-lead procurement equipment should be inventoried and the vendor information for such unique and critical equipment maintained. In addition, mutual aid agreements with other industries, and... 

Section 7.2 (above) discusses data sources for information on types of chemicals used and the amount discharged to the environment. Additional information can be obtained through a site inspection, which is a very useful and effective tool for augmenting and strengthening the information gained from compiling a source inventory. 

Activated phosphors are used in fluorescent lights, older TV screens, and other light sources because they emit light when they are hit with radiation. They are often made of a metal oxide with trace amounts of another substance, or dopant. They appear to exist on the border between solid solutions and unique chemical substances. When the EPA was compiling the initial Inventory, it accepted some submittals for activated phosphors, but rejected others as mixtures that cannot be listed on the Inventory. The EPA also issued informal guidance letters concluding that activated phosphors are solid solutions. However it later concluded that activated phosphors cannot be manufactured without chemical reactions and therefore they are unique substances and are not solid solutions. Emthermore, the EPA pointed out that the ratio of starting materials is closely controlled and that supports the conclusion that activated phosphors are substances with chemical formulas. 

---