ToxProbe Today
Environmental, Occupational Health & Risk Assessment News May 2002 (Vol. 1- 5)
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ToxProbe Today |
Environmental, Occupational Health & Risk Assessment News May 2002 (Vol. 1- 5) |
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Legislation Publication of Final Decision on the Assessment of a Substance - Hexachlorobutadiene - Specified on the Priority Substances List (Canada Gazette, Part I, May 18, 2001). The Notice from the Ministers of Environment and Health recommends that Hexachlorobutadiene be added to the list of Toxic Substances in Schedule I of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999) and that it be considered a candidate for virtual elimination under subsection 65(3) of CEPA, 1999. The Notice also includes a summary of the assessment report on Hexachlorobutadiene. Proposed Notice Requiring the Preparation
and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans for Acrylonitrile
(Canada Gazette, Part I, May 25, 2002). The proposed Notice would require
facilities involved in the manufacture of synthetic rubber using acrylonitrile
to prepare and implement P2 plans in accordance with Part 4 of the CEPA,
1999. The deadline for comment on the proposal is August 23, 2002. Publications The Ontario Ministry of Environment & Energy has posted Protocols for Updating Certificates of Approval for: Sewage Works; Water Works; Air Emissions; and Waste Management on the EBR ER. The Protocols document the existing process for updating Certificates of Approval. They are posted on the EBR ER to provide the regulated community and the public with an opportunity to comment. Written submissions may be made by July 29, 2002. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
recently issued its annual Toxics Release Inventory (or TRI) report on
the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment. The report
shows that trends of declining overall releases are continuing. Total
releases of chemicals nationwide decreased by about 700 million pounds
during 2000, the latest year for which data are available. This year's
TRI report contains newly-included data on persistent bioaccumulative
toxic (PBT) chemicals, such as dioxins, mercury and PCBs. Based on trends
since the inception of the TRI, chemical releases have decreased approximately
48 percent since 1988. http://www.epa.gov/tri/ Deadline Dates The clear language version of the federal
Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations will come into force
on August 15, 2002 and will replace the current TDG Regulations that came
into force in July 1985. http://canada.gc.ca/gazette/hompar2_e.html Environmental Health A recent report from the University of British Columbia, prepared for the province's medical-health officers, describes the potential for exposure to dioxins and furans when recycling sewage biosolids on agricultural land. "It is recommended that biosolids not be applied to land used for grazing, until empirical studies are conducted to ensure that the proposed (or comparable) sludge, sludge-treated soils and grazing practices would not increase dioxin and furan concentrations in the resulting meat or milk" the UBC report concludes. http://www.soeh.ubc.ca/research/Report%202002/Biosolids.pdf Environment Canada and Health Canada are proposing to add three cancer-causing air pollutants to the List of Toxic Substances under CEPA, 1999 following scientific assessments. The three substances are ethylene oxide, formaldehyde and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). There will be a 60-days comment period before the government makes a final decision. http://www.ec.gc.ca/Press/2002/020503_n_e.htm The U.S. EPA recently released updated
analysis of health risk estimates for 33-toxic air pollutants. The national-scale
assessment is based on 1996 emissions data because emissions inventories
from that year are the most complete and available to date. By identifying
the air toxics that may pose the greatest risk in urban areas, the assessment
will help regulatory agencies set priorities for collecting additional
data to help assess risk. The national assessment was not designed to
compare risks at local levels. Technical Guidelines The U.S. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) recently issued a risk assessment for lindane. The Agency reviewed a newly submitted carcinogenicity study along with other data. In accordance with the EPA Draft Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (July, 1999), lindane is categorized as "suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity, but not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential." Therefore, quantification of human cancer risk is not required. The U.S EPA plans to discuss the risk assessments, identify risks of concern, and solicit input on risk mitigation strategies with stakeholders. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/lindane/ Research & Development Canadian scientists have discovered that babies in the womb are being regularly exposed to substantial levels of pentachlorophenol (PCP), a toxic chemical widely used as a wood preservative and disinfectant. The toxic exposure is as high for unborn children in the remote Arctic as for fetuses in southern Canadian cities, with parts per billion levels measured in blood taken from umbilical cords. The research is published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The researchers found more PCP in the umbilical cord samples than any other chemical in the same chemical family, including the better-known PCBs. Earlier studies had found PCP also dominated adult blood samples in urban and remote areas of Quebec. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies PCP as a probable human carcinogen. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
recently issued a report on the Environmental Effects of Transgenic
Plants. The report reviews the scope and adequacy of the USDA Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) component of the Federal regulatory
framework for biotechnology. The NAS report notes that new transgenic
plants receive greater regulatory scrutiny than conventional plants. The
report reaffirms that plants produced through modern biotechnology pose
no different risk than plants produced through more traditional methods.
Risk Trivia Rank the lifetime risks of the following events happening, from least to greatest (e.g. 1 in 100): 1. You will be the victim of a violent
crime. Answers will be provided in next month's
issue of ToxProbe Today. Answer: April 2002 Risk Trivia Rank the annual risks of the following events happening, from least to greatest (e.g. 1 in 100): 1. You will die of heart disease. Answers: 1. 1 in 3.
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