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Benzo(a)pyrene and Hexachlorobenzene

Stakeholders Forum - Toronto, Ontario
May 14, 2003
Hexachlorobenzene/Benzo(a)pyrene Workgroup Meeting

Workgroup Leaders: U.S. Workgroup Co-chair: Steve Rosenthal Canadian Workgroup Co-chair: Tom Tseng

1.0 Pesticides
Dale Phenicie reported that work is still underway on gathering information from U.S. manufacturers on the quantities of HCB found as trace contamination in some pest control products. In view of product confidentially, the object of the work is to come-up with an overall aggregate HCB quantity contained in these applied products. Although information gathered to date is still incomplete, as some manufacturers have yet to respond, it suggests that trace contaminant levels are much lower than permitted by regulation, and that the HCB quantity in pest control products in the U.S. may be in the order of 600 lbs/year rather than the 2500 lbs/year permitted. These figures assume an HCB volatilization rate from applied pest control products of 100%. It is recognized that a lower volatilization rate of 8% would place HCB releases in the 25 lbs/year range.

For the Canadian side of the Great Lakes basin (Ontario), Judy Shaw has provided the workgroup with an HCB release estimate of 77 kg for 2002 obtained from Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency. A number of issues have been identified with respect to this estimate, such as whether this is a National or Ontario number and whether maximum permitted HCB levels or actual product content levels were used to derive it. The workgroup is working with Judy to resolve this matter.

Bob Bailey noted that the 600 lbs/yr of HCB currently estimated for the pesticide sector is about 50% of that identified as being released from facilities reporting to the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory in 2000, and that many other small combustion sources are also contributing to HCB loadings, along with a major world-wide ongoing release from fields treated with pesticides (estimated at 100 tons/year). In view of the gross quantities boiling off treated fields, Bob suggested that the current HCB releases associated with pesticide use in the U.S. are not significant. It was also pointed out that Great Lake HCB levels are in equilibrium with air flow, and that levels in most fish are falling below detection limits.

Action Item - Dale Phenicie and Judy Shaw are to report back at the next Binational Toxic Strategy meeting in December 2003 in Chicago on HCB product content/usage/release estimates for the pesticide sector.

2.0 Scrap Tires
Michael Blumenthal with the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) presented detailed information on scrap tire management in the Great Lakes Basin. Of the estimated 300,000,000 tires in stockpiles in the U.S., 150,000,000 or 50% are located in Great Lake States (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York), i.e. the largest in the basin being New York State with a stockpile of 50,000,000. Scrap tire programs are state driven and a variety of actions and regulations have been or are being enacted aimed at cleaning up old scrap tire piles and encouraging recycle markets. For example, Michigan has in place a collection fee and a strong market incentive for scrap rubber, while New York is about to enact legislation for a fee to fund scrap tire clean up efforts. To help provide technical assistance, RMA has training courses on fire prevention.

Steven Rosenthal mentioned that Paul Ruesch with U.S. EPA Region 5 has developed a scrap tire site inventory using GIS mapping, pinpointing all storage sites; and he is now looking at putting together a best practical management document for abatement of scrap tire piles. Over the last 10 years, Michael mentioned that there have been in the order of 20 major tire fires, most due to arson.

From the RMA perspective, one of the major elements in achieving a satisfactory management program is a consumer disposal fee system, a system not in place in Ontario at the present time. The Rubber Association of Canada and the RMA work closely on rubber recycling activities, and negotiations are underway with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment concerning its new proposed scrap tire management program. The contact with the Rubber Association of Canada is the President Glenn Maidment 905-814-1714 (glenn@rubberassociation.ca).

Michael suggested that RMA, and affiliates like the Rubber Association of Canada, are prepared to work with and support Binational Toxic Strategy efforts aimed at getting rid of the scrap tire stockpiles. A number of meetings with state scrap tire regulators, fire officials, and others have been held over the years and such meeting opportunities may present a forum for pursuing BTS issues on scrap tire pile abatement. A project that may be worth pursuing is to develop markets to use tires as a fuel.

Resource Needs - About $25,000 is needed to put the location of all scrap tire piles on a GIS map, develop and print a best practices guidebook for stockpile mitigation, and develop a training presentation for delivery to states and counties at solid waste conferences. This is needed to successfully implement a Scrap Tire Outreach Plan.

3.0 Coke Ovens
David Ailor provided an update on the steel making coking sector:

General comments were make to the effect that B(a)P reduction in the U.S. steel sector from 1993 to present has been due mainly to rules and regulations, as compared to the steel sector in China where rules and regulations are lax and gross emissions are still occurring.

4.0 Residential Wood Combustion
Jim Collins gave a slide presentation (see Appendix 1) on the 2002- 2003 Burn it Smart wood heating education Campaign, a national Canadian initiative by a multi-stakeholder committee led by Natural Resources Canada. The general aim of the campaign is reduce wood smoke emissions by educating consumers through free community-based workshops on the safety and health aspects of residential wood burning, and the various wood heating options including the introduction of highly efficient advanced combustion technology.

By the end of March 2003, over 300 workshops were held across Canada in 200 communities; 60 workshops in 32 communities in Ontario. Many workshops featured a demonstration "burn" trailer that visually shows the difference between old combustion technology and low-emissions, advanced combustion technology.

Environment Canada - Ontario Region is planning to continue the Burn it Smart Campaign in 2003-2004 with more workshops across Ontario. It was emphasized that good workshop speakers were key to a successful Campaign.

Tex McLeod commented that most people attending the workshops are environmentally conscious, but many do not believe wood stoves pollute, and that there is still merit in holding these workshops and getting the message out.

The issue of indoor air quality in households using wood stoves was also identified as a concern, particularly to children's health, and how to get this item on an agenda. It was noted that Health Canada has been a contributor to the Burn it Smart Campaign.

Steven Rosenthal stated that work in the residential wood combustion sector is behind in the U.S. and that planning is needed in this area to see if projects like the Burn it Smart Campaign can be replicated in the U.S. The cost of one workshop is, about $1500. Resource Needs- about $50,000 is needed to start a "Burn-it Smart " type campaign in the U.S.

The following Handouts were provided (a) A Natural Resources "A Guide to Residential Wood Heating", (b) brochures and fact sheets from the Burn it Smart campaign.

5.0 Vehicle Emissions
Cindy Yang presented draft data on vehicle emissions in Ontario developed using the most up-to-date US EPA and Environment Canada emission factors (see Appendix 2). With respect to B(a)P, the updated release is expected to replace the current Ontario estimate in the Binational Toxic Strategy inventory. The previous estimate was based on emission factors which did not take into account B(a)P present in both the gas and particle phases, and thus, underestimated releases. It should be noted that the updated inventory data is for on-road vehicles in Ontario, and does not include releases from marine, rail and air transportation sectors.

In 2001, B(a)P release from the motor vehicle sector was estimated at 6% of the total Ontario release, up from 3% in 1988; while PAH release was 6% in 2001 up from 4% in 1988.

Aside from PAHs and B(a)P, releases of other GLBTS substances from the motor vehicle sector were also assessed, including HCB, OCS, mercury, dioxins/furans and cadmium. HCB and OCS releases are considered to be insignificant, while some uncertainties are associated with the factors used to derive the mercury, cadmium and dioxin/furan estimates.

Next steps:

Discussion followed on the need for a concise strategy to reduce the use of private vehicles and to improve public transportation; as well as, to the fact that a clean air strategy for vehicles does exist and that vehicle issues should be tied to such efforts.

6.0 General Comments
Major B(a)P releases from the petroleum refining and aluminum manufacturing sectors have all but disappeared from the BTS inventory; and releases from coke making are on a downward trend, while residential wood combustion now appears to be the predominant source. B(a)P air quality in the Great Lakes shows little improvement, however, which suggests that other sources, presently unaccounted for, may be responsible. This highlights the need for addition investigative work, such as back trajectory analyses, to help pinpoint remaining sources.

With respect to HCB, the major issue still remains the generation of more accurate release numbers for the pesticide sector. Other areas for inventory improvement involve working with individual companies reporting HCB releases and looking at the global HCB balance.

Linkage with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America (CEC) needs to be explored to see if opportunities exist to engage with CEC in moving forward on HCB/B(a)P work group issues.

Participant's Rooster

Name Organization Telephone E-Mail

Ailor, David   

American Coke and Coal Chemicals

 (202) 452-1140 Dailor@accci.org
Alvarado, Leonor  CICH (613) 230-8838  ex 243 lalvarado@cich.ca
Bailey, Bob  Bailey Associates (989) 835-3410 Bob.Bailey@tm.net
Blumenthal, Michael Rubber Manufacturers Association (202) 682-4882 Michael@rma.org
Collins,  Jim   Environment Canada, Ontario Region (416) 739-5801 james.collins@ec.gc.ca
Crouch, John  Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association (916) 536-2390 Crouch@hpba.org
Hogg, Darryl  Contractor, Environment Canada (416) 483-6563 hoggrd@rogers.com
McLeod, Tex Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association of Canada (416) 921-5501 tex@idirect.com
Michajluk, Shawn  Environment Canada, Ontario Region (416) 739-5888 hawn.michajluk@ec.gc.ca
Phenicie, Dale  Council of Great Lake Industries (770) 487-7585 DKPhenicie@Mindspring.com
Risotto, Steve Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, Inc. (703) 741-5780 Srisotto@hsia.org
Rosenthal, Steve USEPA Region 5 (312) 886-6052 osenthal.Steven@epamail.epa.gov
Tseng, Tom Environment Canada, Ontario Region (416) 739-5853 tom.tseng@ec.gc.ca
Yang, Cindy Environment Canada, Ontario Region (416) 739-4493 Cindy.Yang@ec.gc.ca

 

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