Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
building to house the rail car of HF. The car is cooled prior to unloading so
that the HF would be in the liquid form. Any unintentional mishaps are then
easier to deal with because the HF can be contained as a liquid.
Despite the efforts of the chemical industry, there have been lapses. In
March 2005, there was an explosion and fire in the BP refinery in Texas City
that killed 15 and injured more than 170 [10]. The accident occurred during
startup of the unit and had several causal factors. Despite these tragic lapses,
the trend is good; there is an ever increasing emphasis on safety and hazard
minimization.
14.2 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 (15 U.S.C. §2601
et seq.) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 (42 U.S.C. §13101
et seq.), the EPA evaluates new and existing chemicals and their risks, and
finds ways to prevent or reduce pollution before it gets into the environment.
TSCA governs the production, import, use, and disposal of certain chemicals.
It is a lengthy law with 70 sections dealing with a variety of items including
radon, asbestos, and lead paint. It requires testing of chemicals where risks or
exposures of concern are found. Under TSCA, the EPA maintains an inven-
tory of all chemicals that are manufactured or processed in the United States.
One important aspect of TSCA is found in section five and is the requirement
that notification be given to the EPA prior to manufacturing a new chemical
substance. This is commonly called a premanufacturing notification (PMN).
There are certain exceptions such as when a substance is manufactured in
small quantities for research and development purposes and special proce-
dural and recordkeeping requirements are met. Also in TSCA is a Significant
New Use Rule (SNUR), which requires manufacturers to notify the EPA prior
to engaging in the new use. The Pollution Prevention Act focuses on pollution
prevention or reduction at source. The emphasis is on reduction rather than
treatment of waste.
The Clean Air Act of 1970 was incorporated into the United States Code
as Title 42, Chapter 85. It was amended in 1977 and again in 1990. Brevity
is not the norm for government documents and this one is about 450 pages.
This act regulates motor vehicle emissions and pollution from many sources,
even noise pollution. Section 112 of the act is on hazardous air pollutants
(HAP). The 1990 amendments included a program to control 189 pollutants
including those previously regulated by the National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). The pollutants are listed in 42 U.S.C.
§7412 and the list includes many organic chemicals. To give the reader
an idea, the 14 chemicals beginning with the letter “A” are: acetaldehyde,
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