Low production volume chemicals

HPVCs (High Production Volume Chemicals) and LPVCs (Low Production Volume Chemicals), including EU Producers/Importers lists... 

In phase III of the data collection step, companies which produce or import existing substances in quantities between 10 and 1000 tons per year (LPVCs or Low Production Volume Chemicals) were required to submit a reduced data set by 4 June 1998. 

Historically, PEB has been used as an additive flame retardant for thermoset polyester and thermoplastic resins during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1977, the production of PEB was 45-450 metric tons [60]. The production of PEB declined to 5-225 metric tons in 1986, and in 1988, there was no ongoing or intended production or processing of this substance [60]. Information on the current manufacturers or processors of PEB is not publicly available in addition, information on the amount of PEB currently produced (if any) is confidential. However, PEB is listed as a low-production-volume chemical manufactured by Albemarle in France according to the European... 

The European Chemical Bureau (ECB) has an equivalent collection of high- and low-production volume chemicals — the International Uniform Chemicals Information Database (IUCLID ecb.jrc.it/existing-chemicals/). IUCLID has no longer toxicological information accessible to the user and has limited search options. There is also a CD-ROM version, available for a nominal cost. 

Council Regulation 793/93 divides existing chemicals into two categories High Production Volume Chemicals (HPVC), produced or imported in quantities exceeding 1000 tonnes per year and Low Production Volume Chemicals (LPVC), produced or imported in quantities between 10 and 1000 tonnes per year. The hst of HPVCs includes 22 phthalic acid esters, both single compounds and technical mixtures with dilferent isomers. A further 11 phthalates are compiled in the list of LPVC. The most commonly used phthalate esters are DEHP (which accounts for around half of consumption in Western Europe, DINP and DIDP, which represents the 52.2% of phthalate consumption in the United States and more than 85% of phthalate esters production in Western Europe. ... 

Phase III Low Production Volume Chemicals (LPVCs) produced or imported between 10 and 1,000 tonnes per year. Data were required by June 1998. 

The Existing Substances Regulation passed in 1993 initiated the assessment of existing chemicals. This effort compiled existing information on nearly 3,000 high production volume chemicals and almost 8,000 low production volume chemicals. There were 141 substances identified for risk assessment. Some of these substances were regulated under the Limitations Directive. 

GMS Glycerol monostearate LPVC Low production volume chemical... 

Today, exposures are known to be widespread and the chemicals known to be predominantly harmful. The number of hazardous chemicals runs into the tens of thousands, albeit many with low production volumes. For instance, in a major database (Prevent 2009) more than 21,000 of about 32,000 substances are classified as hazardous to health or to the environment. Of all substances, some 2,200 are classified as or suspected to be carcinogens, almost 1,600 as hazardous to reproduction, about 750 as mutagens and some 7,400 as hazardous to the environment. Of 85 million tonnes of chemical preparations in Sweden in 2006,70 million tonnes were classified as hazardous to health and 27 million tonnes as hazardous to the environment (KemI 2009). The largest globally produced volumes are for petroleum products, and these are typically toxic, carcinogenic and hazardous to the environment. 

Economic incentives have not been used much in chemical safety (OECD 2009e). At the national level some countries use fees, and there are a few examples of taxes. The fees for registration of pesticides have worked as deterrents to the marketing of many pesticides. It remains to be seen whether the REACH registration in the European Union will have a similar effect for low production volume substances. 

EDF (2007b) High Hopes, Low Marks. A Final Report Card on the High Production Volume Chemical Challenge. Washington, DC Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). 

While the production of fine chemicals is defined by a high added value and relatively low production volumes, specialty chemicals are formulations of several compounds containing one fine chemical or a mixture of several fine chemicals as active ingredients. Specialty chemicals are usually sold under brand names and are identified by their performance. For example, the active ingredients of a drug are fine chemicals, whereas the formulated drug itself is a specialty chemical. 

Countries produciug commodity LLDPE and their capacities, as well as production volumes of some U.S. companies, are Hsted iu Table 5. Iu most cases, an accurate estimate of the total LLDPE production capacity is compHcated by the fact that a large number of plants are used, iu turn, for the manufacture of either HDPE or LLDPE iu the same reactors. VLDPE and LLDPE resius with a uniform branching distribution were initially produced in the United States by Exxon Chemical Company and Dow Chemical Company. However, since several other companies around the world have also aimounced their entry into this market, the worldwide capacity of uniformly branched LLDPE resins in 1995 is expected to reach a million tons. Special grades of LLDPE resins with broad MWD are produced by Phillips Petroleum Co. under the trade name Low Density Linear Polyethylenes or LDLPE. 

Few details are available on endosulfan s production volume. In 1974, the annual production of endosulfan in the United States was estimated at 3 million pounds (Sittig 1980). However, domestic production was near 5,000 pounds in 1977 (HSDB 1999). The major U.S. manufacturer of endosulfan was FMC Corporation, formerly called the Niagara Chemical Division of Food and Machinery Corporation. FMC Corporation s annual production of endosulfan active ingredient for 1971 was estimated at about 2 million pounds (EPA 1972). According to Coleman and Dolinger (1982), however, this figure may be a low estimate. Endosulfan has not been produced in the United States since 1982 (HSDB 1999) therefore, worldwide production volumes listed after 1982 do not include data for the United States. Worldwide production of endosulfan in 1984 was estimated at 10,000 metric tons (WHO 1984). Current estimates of worldwide production or domestic formulation were not located. 

One of the uses of mains water is for washing chemicals used in pharmaceutical preparations to remove impurities or imwanted by-products of a reaction, and although the bacterial count of the water may be low, the volume used is large and the material being washed may be exposed to a considerable number of bacteria. 

Similarly, low volume chemicals are classified according to whether they are sold primarily on the basis of specification or performance. Specialties are generally formulations that are sold on the basis of their performance and their prices reflect their value rather than cost of production. Producers of specialty chemicals often provide extensive technical service to their customers. Examples of specialty chemicals include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, flavours and fragrances, specialty polymers, etc. Fine chemicals, on the other hand, are produced to customer specifications and are often intermediates or active ingredients for specialty chemicals, e.g. pharmaceutical and agrochemical intermediates and bulk actives. 

Although low in volume compared with other foundry solid waste, baghouse dust may still be used beneficially in the production of portland cement. This opportunity arises from its attractive mineral composition silica, clay, and metal fines, which are needed in the cement kiln. Also, special efforts may be undertaken to characterize its chemical composition and purity. 

However, for the purposes of this discussion, one can observe that of the more than 1,000 PMNs submitted, over 90% are from large companies. Furthermore, estimated first year production volumes have steadily moved away from low volume chemicals. Arthur D. Little, Inc. estimated that prior to the PMN requirement about 70 percent of commercial new chemicals were produced in quantities under 1,000 pounds per year and all R D chemicals were below this level (6). When the PMN requirements went into effect, however, that proportion fell to 33 percent almost immediately and has since declined to only 11 percent, based on a look at the first 723 PMNs. This can also be compared with the 30 percent of commercial chemicals on the TSCA inventory with an annual production volume of less than... 

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