Toxic chemicals disposal

Upton AC, Kneip T, Toniolo P Public health aspects of toxic chemical disposal sites. Annu Rev Public Health 10 1-25,1989... 

Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA regulates the manufacture, use, and exposure to ha2ardous or toxic chemicals under a number of laws. Eor the chemical industry, the law of prime concern is the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) (10), which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1976. The two main goals of TSCA are acquisition of sufficient information to identify and evaluate potential ha2ards from chemical substances, and regulation of the production, use, distribution, and disposal of these substances. 

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)... 

The term manufacture also includes coincidental production of a toxic chemical (e.g., as a byproduct or impurity) as a result of the manufacture, processing, use, or treatment of other chemical substances. In the case of coincidental production of an impurity (i.e., a chemical that remains in the product that is distributed in commerce), the de minimis limitation, discussed on page 11, applies. The de minimis limitation does not apply to byproducts (e.g., a chemical that is separated from a process stream and further processed or disposed). Certain listed toxic chemicals may be manufactured as a result of wastewater treatment or other treatment processes. For example, neutralization of acid wastewater can result in the coincidental manufacture of ammonium nitrate (solution). 

Landfill - Typically, the ultimate disposal method for solid wastes Is landfilling. Leaks from landfills need not be reported as a release because the amount of the toxic chemical in the landfill as already been reported as a release. 

You must report in this section the total annual quantity of the chemical sent to any of the off-site disposal, treatment, or storage facilities for which you have provided an address In Part II. You are not required to report quantities of the chemical sent off-site for purposes of recycle or reuse. Report the amou nt of the toxic chemical transferred off-site after any on-site treatment or removal is completed. Report zero for releases of listed acids and bases if they have been neutralized to pH 6-9 prior to discharge to a POTW. See the discussion under Section 5.3, Discharges to Receiving Streams or Water Bodies (see page 21). 

Enter one of the following codes to identify the type of treatment or disposal method used by the off-site location for the chemical being reported. You should use more than one line for a single location when the toxic chemical is subject to different disposal methods the same location code may be used more than once. You may have this information in your copy of EPA Form SO, Item S of the Annual/Biennial Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Report (RCRA). Applicable codes for Part III, Section 6(c) are as follows ... 

Information provided in Part III. Section 8. of Form R is optional. In this section, you may identify waste minimization efforts relating to the reported toxic chemical. Waste minimization reduces the amount of the toxic chemicai in wastes by reducing waste generation or by recycling. This can be accomplished by equipment changes, process modifications, product reformulation, chemical substitutions, or other techniques. Waste minimization refers exclusively to practices which prevent the generation of wastes. Treatment or disposal does not minimize waste and should not be reported In this section. Recycling or reuse of a toxic chemical is considered waste minimization. Waste minimization applies to air emissions and wastewater, as well as to liquid or solid mate-... 

The fact that solar energy is an intermittent energy resource means that energy storage systems (e.g., batteries, ultracapacitors, flywheels, and even hydrogen) will be required if solar energy is to be utilized widely. In addition, a variety of toxic chemicals are used in the manufacture of PV cells however, studies of the risks associated with their manufacture and disposal indicate little threat to surroundings and the environment. 

Procedure. NOTE Potassium cyanide and all other cyanides are deadly poisons, and extreme care must be taken in their use. Details for the disposal of cyanides and other dangerous and toxic chemicals may be found in Refs 14 and 15. 

EPA OTS (Appendix VIII) Groundwater monitoring list (Appendix IX) Restriction on land disposal, proposed treatment standards Toxic chemical release reporting... 

Those elements of conventional laboratory design that must be refined for facilities in which toxic chemicals will be handled are presented. Alarms, communications, construction materials, containment cabinets, filter systems, floor plans, security, compressed gases, and waste disposal are discussed. Emphasis is given to design considerations dictated by the use of large numbers of fume hoods. 

Design of Blast-Containment Rooms for Toxic Chemical Ammunition Disposal... 

IRPTC. 1985. Treatment and disposal methods for waste chemicals. International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals, United Nations Environment Programme, Geneva, Switzerland. December 1985. 

The valorization of by-products in biomass conversion is a key factor for introducing a biomass based energy and chemistry. There is the need to develop new (catalytic) solutions for the utilization of plant and biomass fractions that are residual after the production of bioethanol and other biofuels or production chains. Valorization, retreatment or disposal of co-products and wastes from a biorefinery is also an important consideration in the overall bioreftnery system, because, for example, the production of waste water will be much larger than in oil-based refineries. A typical oil-based refinery treats about 25 000 t d-1 and produces about 15 000 t d 1 of waste water. The relative amount of waste water may increase by a factor 10 or more, depending on the type of feed and production, in a biorefinery. Evidently, new solutions are needed, including improved catalytic methods to eliminate some of the toxic chemicals present in the waste water (e.g., phenols). 

The manufacture and disposal of PVC creates another serious problem. Dioxin, shown in Figure 2.14, is a highly toxic chemical. It is produced during the manufacture and burning of PVC plastics. 

The risk from using household products can be reduced by reducing the hazard level (toxicity), by reducing exposure, or both. Reducing the toxicity - choosing less-toxic products - is arguably the best strategy because safer product choices can do more than reduce risk in the home. Safer products may also use fewer toxic chemicals in their manufacture and may be safer for the environment when disposed of. 

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