Tetrachloroethylene regulations

The occurrence of [rg/kg to mg/kg amounts of tetrachloroethylene in some olive oils (95) led to an EEC regulation limiting the tetrachloroethylene content of olive oil and products containing ohve oil to not more than 0.1 mg/kg, as determined by a head space/electron capture GLC method (96). 

Occupational illness and injury187 cost 30-40 billion dollars/yr in the United States.188 In 1994 there were 6.8 million injuries and illnesses in private industry, amounting to 8.4 cases per 100 workers. Nearly two-thirds were disorders associated with repeated trauma, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.189 The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 set up the National Institute Safety and Health (NIOSH) to study the problem and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to deal with it through inspections and regulations. Both have received so much criticism of their effectiveness that they are struggling to find more effective ways to deal with the problem.190 NIOSH is searching for practical ways to protect workers, especially those in small businesses from methylene chloride, tetrachloroethylene, diesel exhaust in coal mines, isocyanates, 2-methoxyethanol, and others. OSHA is about to expand a plan that worked well in Maine, a state that used to have one of the worst accident and illness records in the United States.191 The 200 firms with the worst records were asked to look for deficiencies and to correct them. They were also inspected. These measures cut injuries and illnesses over a 2-year period. 

Recommendations and regulations are also periodically updated as more information becomes available. For the most current information, check with the federal agency or organization that provides it. Some regulations and recommendations for tetrachloroethylene include the following ... 

EPA has established regulations and procedures for dealing with tetrachloroethylene, which it considers a hazardous waste. Many regulations govern its disposal. If amounts greater than 100 pounds are released to the environment, the National Response Center of the federal government must be told immediately. 

OSHA limits the amount of tetrachloroethylene that can be present in workroom air. This amount is limited to 100 ppm for an 8-hour workday over a 40-hour workweek. NIOSH recommends that tetrachloroethylene be handled as a chemical that might potentially cause cancer and states that levels of the chemical in workplace air should be as low as possible. For more information on regulations and guidelines to protect human health, see Chapter 7. 

The international, national, and state regulations and guidelines regarding tetrachloroethylene in air, water, and other media are summarized in Table 7-1. 

TABLE 7-1. Regulations and Guidelines Applicable to Tetrachloroethylene (continued)... 

In the US EPA Primary Drinking Water Regulations, maximum contamination levels (MCLs) were established for several compounds (for instance 0.2 xg/L for l,2-dibromo-3-chloropropene 5 trg/L for benzene, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene 1 xg/L for toluene 0.7 xg/L for ethylbenzene 10 xg/L for total xylenes and 2 JLg/L for vinyl chloride) [44]. The main apolar and polar DBPs, THMs, and haloacetic acids are regulated under Stage 1 and Stage 2 D/DBP rules by US EPA [30]. 

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