This article discusses the EPA’s action plans for the compounds, nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs).

The EPA released new action plans on August 18th, 2010 to review the potential health risks of Benzidene and its congeners, Nonylphenol (NP) and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs), and Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). These compounds were chosen based on their presence in humans, their persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) characteristics, and their use in consumer products and production.¹ The action plans may result in new use rules, new reporting limits, or the banning or limiting their production and use.

According to the EPA’s Action Plan, a major reason for reviewing NP and NPEs is their widespread release into, and their toxicity in, the aquatic environment. NP is actually a mixture of various structured compounds, that differ in their level of toxicity. NP is used primarily in manufacturing NPEs, which first break down into shorter chain NPEs over time, and then eventually back to NP. While NP is more toxic than the NPEs, they are all toxic to plants, fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Find out the types of products Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates are used for…

In May 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a response to key comments and recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the EPA’s 2003 draft dioxin reassessment. This response addresses the human health and exposure risk assessment of dioxins.

The EPA’s draft report includes significant new analyses that relate to issues raised by the NAS, including potential cancer and non-cancer human health effects that may result from exposures to dioxins. The NAS identified three areas that require substantial improvement:

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On April 29, 2010, the EPA announced two proposed air toxics standards: (1) an amendment to emission guidelines and new source performance standards, and (2) proposed new rules to clearly define and identify solid and non-solid, non-hazardous secondary materials.

The two air toxic standards will affect emissions from industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters. One is written for major source facilities, which are those that emit or have the potential to emit 10 or more tons per year of any single air toxin or over 25 tons per year of any combination of air toxins. The second is for area source facilities that emit less than 10 tons per years of a single air toxin or less than 25 tons of any combination.

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The EPA is proposing to add 16 chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals. Established as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, TRI is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemicals, toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries as well as federal facilities.

EPA believes the following chemicals are reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens:

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The EPA aims to reduce air emissions from certain stationary diesel engines and issued their first standards on February 17, 2010. The rule will help reduce formaldehyde, benzene, acrolein and other toxic air pollutants from diesel powered stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE), also known as compression ignition (CI) engines. The toxic air pollutants, also referred to as hazardous air pollutants or air toxics, are suspected of causing cancer and other serious health effects as well as environmental damage.

EPA estimates that the rule will reduce annual toxic air emissions by 1,000 tons, particle pollution by 2,800 tons, carbon monoxide emissions by 14,000 tons, and organic compound emissions by 27,000 tons when fully implemented in 2013.

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EPA, in a recent study, found that concentrations of chemicals in recycled tire material were below levels considered harmful. Recycled tire material, or “tire crumb,” is commonly used in synthetic turf sports fields and children’s playgrounds.

According to EPA, public concerns have been raised in the past several years over the use of tire crumb materials, especially after high levels of lead were reported in some artificial turf fields. In 2009, the Synthetic Turf Council reported that artificial (synthetic) turf has been installed in approximately 4,500 fields, tracks and playgrounds.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a series of actions on four chemicals raising serious health or environmental concerns, including phthalates. For the first time, EPA intends to establish a “Chemicals of Concern” list and is beginning a process that may lead to regulations requiring significant risk reduction measures to protect human health and the environment. The agency’s actions represent its determination to use its authority under the existing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to the fullest extent possible, recognizing EPA’s strong belief that the 1976 law is both outdated and in need of reform.

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