![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Priority and Toxic Chemical Reduction
Protecting Health and Ecosystems by Reducing Risk from Toxic Chemicals
Highlights
Priority and toxic chemicals make up a fairly limited volume, yet potentially hazardous portion of the nation's waste stream. We are working to eliminate or reduce priority chemicals and other chemicals of national concern from commercial products, waste streams, and industrial releases through pollution prevention, waste minimization, and recycling/reuse.
The 31 priority chemicals are federal priorities because they are persistent, bioaccumulative, and highly toxic. We’re focusing on reducing priority and toxic chemicals to better protect human health and the environment.
By substituting or eliminating certain chemicals in their manufacturing processes, companies produce less waste and thus lower their waste disposal costs. Our goal is to substantially reduce the volume and toxicity of priority chemicals in waste by asking companies to voluntarily:
- Substitute safer alternatives when they can;
- Minimize the amount of priority chemicals they use, if they can’t substitute for them;
- Maximize their recycling efforts;
- Practice cradle-to-cradle chemical management; and
- Design products to minimize exposure to, and release of, priority chemicals during manufacturing and use.
National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP)
The National Partnership of Environmental Priorities (NPEP) (formerly known as National Waste Minimization Partnership Program) uses voluntary partnerships to reduce the use and release of priority chemicals. Besides information, technical assistance, and public recognition, partners become part of the National Challenge Commitment, co-sponsored by the National Environmental Performance Track.
Joining NPEP can be the first step for companies to become a full Performance Track member under the Challenge Commitment. The Challenge Commitment seeks a 10 percent decrease in the use of one or more priority chemicals over three years at government and industrial facilities throughout the country. Join NPEP today.
- Press Release: EPA Calls On Industry to Reduce Chemical Use
Other Priority and Toxic Chemical Reduction Projects
There are a number of other key projects that are working to eliminate of reduce priority and toxic chemicals:.
- Schools
Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3): Program
seeking to remove potentially harmful chemicals from schools
and implement preventive programs, such as chemical management
training for lab instructors and microscale techniques
- Hospitals: EPA is expecting to
continue activities with the hospital industry in the development
of projects for the reuse and recycling of potentially harmful
hospital items and in the reduction of waste.
- Recycling Bullets at Firing Ranges: An EPA partnership of shooting range organizations, states, and other interested organizations is leading a national program for enhancing the recovery and recycling of lead from outdoor shooting ranges.
More Information on Priority and Toxic Chemical Reduction
- RCC 2005 Action Plan for Priority and Toxic Chemical Reduction - RCC implementation plans for reducing priority and toxic chemicals
- Resource Conservation Challenge: Reducing Priority and Toxic Chemicals in Products and Waste | PDF Version (4 pp, 515K, about PDF) - Fact sheet describing EPA's goal to substitute safer chemicals when possible and minimize the amounts of chemical used when substitution is not possible
Waste Minimization
- National Partnership Program for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) - Web site for the Waste Minimization voluntary partnership program
- Design for the Environment - Web site for EPA's voluntary partnership program that works directly with industry to integrate health and environmental considerations into business decisions.
- Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) Chemical Program - Web site focusing on EPA's approach to reducing risks from and exposures to priority PBT chemicals through increased coordination among EPA national and regional programs
- Green Chemistry - Web site promoting innovative chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products
- Enviro$en$e - Web site that provides a single repository for pollution prevention, compliance assurance, and enforcement information and data bases
- Toxic Release Inventory - EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases
Schools
- Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) - Web site raising the national awareness of the issue of chemicals in schools
- Healthy School Environments - Web site designed to provide one-stop access to the many programs and resources available to help prevent and resolve environmental issues in schools
Health Care Facilities
- Hospitals for a Healthy
Environment
- Web site devoted to educating health care professionals
about pollution prevention opportunities in hospitals and
health care systems - Memorandum
of Understanding between the American Hospital Association
and the US EPA (PDF) (4 pp,
87K, about
PDF)
- Agreement identifying goals to reduce the impact of health
care facilities on the environment
Recycling Bullets at Firing Ranges
- The BMP for Lead at Outdoor Ranges - Best management practices for enhancing the recovery and recycling of lead from outdoor shooting ranges
- Lead
Shot in the Environment
- Massachusetts Department of the Environment's Web site
on lead at shooting ranges