 |
Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated. |
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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated. |
Chemicals in Progress Bulletin
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
Summer 1995 EPA-745-N-95-001
Highlights
. Enhanced CD-ROM Version of TRI Coming This Summer
. Cisneros and Browner Accept Lead Paint Task Force Report
. Special Feature on the Internet: Learning the Basics, Getting
on the Superhighway, and How to Reach EPA Services
by Randall Brinkhuis
Reinventing and Streamlining OPPT
by Joe Carra
Reinventing Government has been and remains a prominent goal of
the Clinton Administration. Vice President Gore is heading the
highly visible efforts to encourage federal agencies and
departments to change the way they do business. All over America,
necessity, ever the mother of invention, has pushed industry into
reinventing and streamlining activities. Dissatisfied customers
of states and local governments, calling for taxpayers' relief,
have forced cuts in state and local budgets. The messages are
clear at the federal, state, and local level, as well as in
industry: streamline operations, improve delivery systems, and
focus on customer needs.
In talking to federal workers around the country, Vice President
Gore has said over and over: "You want to be proud of what you
do for this country. ... Put customers first, cut red tape,
empower federal workers." In a speech on February 21, 1995 about
Reinventing Government's regulatory reform efforts, the Vice
President singled out EPA's 33/50 Program:
"The EPA has put partnership to work ... in their 33/50 program;
1,400 companies agreed to cut pollution in half by the end of
this year, and many of them are ahead of that schedule."
The 33/50 Program is only one of many OPPT programs that
emphasize better ways to do business, streamlining, and putting
customers first. OPPT has been reinventing itself for over a
year, following the guidelines of EPA's Administrator.
To begin Reinvention at EPA, Administrator Carol Browner called
for program offices to develop Reinvention Plans by March 31,
1995. Her guidance included instructions to streamline and
"flatten" organizations, to improve customer focus and core
processes, and to increase the number of employees per federal
manager. These changes would require a great many changes in
offices across the Agency.
For example, OPPT is an organization of about 500 people with 90
supervisors. The new employee/manager ratio would mean cutting
the number of supervisors by more than half. With an annual
budget of over $100 million, the Office accomplishes a complex
mission that is one of the most diverse in the Agency. The
complexity and scope of OPPT's mission requires a wide variety of
academic disciplines, skills, and technical specialities. Keeping
this highly skilled and experienced cadre of experts is important
to the program and to the Agency. While cutting 45 supervisory
positions is an important step in flattening the organization, it
does present some new management challenges.
OPPT Then and Now
OPPT, formerly the Office of Toxic Substances (OTS), originally
was formed to implement the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
of 1976. Since then, the office's responsibilities have grown
almost yearly. They now include all or major portions of: the
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA); the
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act; the Asbestos School
Hazard Abatement Act; the Pollution Prevention Act; and the
Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, Title X. The
addition of multimedia and information-based programs to OPPT's
core regulatory programs complemented the Agency's evolution from
its traditional, single statute, regulation-based approach to a
more complex mix of voluntary, regulatory, and compliance
approaches to environmental protection, with pollution prevention
as the method of first choice.
When OPPT started its reinvention efforts in early 1994, the
Office had recently experienced two significant reorganizations.
First, incorporating the Pollution Prevention Division - while
not a major reorganization in terms of numbers of people affected
- was nevertheless a profound change for our vision, mission, and
strategy. This change recognized the multimedia focus of the TSCA
and EPCRA programs and provided OPPT with Agency-wide
responsibilities for promoting pollution prevention.
The larger structural change, implemented in October 1992,
realigned functions to better focus the matrix organization on
its new mission and approaches. It followed a comprehensive
evaluation of functions, responsibilities, and working
arrangements, affected a large number of staff at all levels, and
exemplified new levels of staff involvement in decisionmaking.
The 1992 reorganization included many efforts to improve program
processes, internal communication, and staff training.
Nevertheless, a number of areas were still in need of
improvement, as indicated by management and staff assessments,
including a 1994 survey measuring staff opinion of the areas
still in need of attention. Involving lower levels of staff in
decisionmaking and moving toward a participatory management style
are major changes in the traditional top-down culture of the
office.
Revisiting our Vision
As we began to develop our reinvention plan, we looked first at
our vision. Were we still on target? Did we think changes were
necessary? After reviewing it, we decided to keep it as it was;
OPPT's vision clearly sets the parameters for the goals we wish
to achieve.
OPPT Vision:
Our purpose is to protect and improve public health and
environmental resources that are important to long-term
sustainability and quality of life. We serve this purpose by
using both regulatory and nonregulatory approaches to:
. Promote pollution prevention as a principle of first
choice to achieve environmental stewardship throughout society.
. Promote the design, development, and application of safer
chemicals, processes, and technologies in the industrial sector
of the economy.
. Promote risk reduction and responsible risk management
practices throughout the life cycle of major chemicals of
concern.
. Promote public understanding of the risks of chemicals and
public involvement in environmental decision-making through
dissemination of right-to-know information on toxic chemicals.
Reassessing the Organization
Having decided that our vision was current, we looked at the
Administrator's request to flatten the organization, reduce the
supervisor-to-employee ratio, and make core processes more
effective, efficient, and customer-focused.
"Flattening" is defined as achieving an organization where:
. Getting actions completed re-quires minimal levels of
review;
. Employees have more direct access to the decision-maker on
any given project; and
. Managers have more staff to manage.
Streamlining and increasing customer focus required that we
address any problems inherent in the current structure; be
consistent with and supportive of our vision, mission, values,
and goals; and meet our customer needs.
From a wide variety of internal and external comments and
feedback, we identified the following as areas needing
improvement:
1. Increasing productivity in the Existing Chemicals Program.
2. Communication and role-related issues associated with the
internal organization of the Chemical Management Division.
3. Increasing productivity in developing public information
products.
4. Achieving real pollution prevention results in Agency
rulemakings.
5. Matrix management issues and their negative impacts on
productivity in many of our core program areas.
6. Inefficiencies in the interface between the Chemical
Screening and Risk Assessment Division (CSRAD) and the Health and
Environmental Review Division (HERD).
The New Structure
In reaching our new organizational design, we analyzed various
approaches, received comments from OPPT staff and our Assistant
Administrator, and selected as our preferred option the one that
offers the most benefits for the least amount of disruption. In
addition to reaching the goal of a reduced
supervisory-to-employee ratio and a flatter organizational
structure, the new design will: (1) create a greater customer
focus and programmatic focus in the divisions responsible for
hazard evaluation, risk assessment, and risk characterization;
(2) limit the pressures of competing priorities on the Existing
Chemicals Program; and (3) help make the Existing Chemicals
Program more productive and focused so as to meet the needs of
internal and external customers.
The reorganized structure calls for merging our two science
divisions (HERD/CSRAD) to form a new division, the Risk
Assessment Division (RAD). In this division we will establish a
High Production Volume (HPV) Team. A second team, the Chemical
Testing Team, will be established in the Chemical Control
Division.
The move toward a team structure is an experiment which we will
be evaluating as we establish and work with the teams. The High
Production Volume Team and the Chemical Testing Team will be
standing teams which will draw together the skills needed to
create multi-disciplinary program teams for key aspects of the
Existing Chemicals Program. It is expected that these teams will
help improve the Existing Chemicals Program. Current functions of
other divisions, branches, and sections are being realigned, with
approximately 30 management units to be established below the
division level across OPPT. The responsibilities of division
directors, deputies, branch chiefs, and section chiefs will
change and some deputy division directors will no longer have
supervisory responsibilities. Currently, OPPT has 90 supervisors;
the new structure will have about 45.
While the streamlining takes place over the next year, OPPT will
continue its progress toward improving its core processes. With
respect to putting customers first, OPPT is conducting customer
surveys to gather ideas and suggestions on how to improve
effectiveness in a number of areas.
Delegation of signatory authority to lower levels in the
organization has been underway this year, as have efforts to
empower employees, providing them with the knowledge, skills,
authority, and accountability to achieve quality results.
Improved external and internal communications and teamwork were
targeted for serious work, and efforts in these two areas have
been noteworthy. The evaluation of supervisors' work through a
feedback system has been piloted and an outstanding mentoring
program put in place. A concentrated focus on training has shown
us ways to achieve more without increasing our training dollars.
A report on OPPT diversity was completed and implementation of
its recommendations is in process. We are still working on a
system for rotational assignments but are making progress.
In summary, the streamlining efforts in many of our core programs
over the past year will continue as we also begin our
reorganization. Since the major changes will occur in the science
divisions, which are internally-focused for the most part, and in
the establishment of a team in the Chemical Control Division, we
expect little impact on our external customers while we are
making the changes. In the long run, we expect to improve the way
we do business and to follow Vice President Gore's advice. We
believe we can "put customers first, cut red tape, and empower
federal workers." We want to be proud of what we do for this
country. And we think what we do contributes to our country's
health and environmental protection.
Joe Carra is the Deputy Director of OPPT. He is a member of the
Senior Executive Service and has been with EPA since 1979.
Note: For a copy of the OPPT Reinvention Implementation Plan,
write to Mike McDonell, Co-Editor of Chemicals in Progress
Bulletin, EPA (7408), 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460. Or
call the TSCA Hotline, 202-554-1404.
William Sanders Named to Head OPPT
Assistant Administrator Lynn R. Goldman has announced the
selection of Dr. William H. Sanders III as the new Director of
the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Sanders
was the Director of Environmental Sciences Division in EPA Region
5, where he was responsible for toxics and pesticides programs.
He assumed his new duties on May 1.
For the past year, Sanders has served as the Senior Executive for
Resources Management Training in the Office of Administration and
Resources Management. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Health, with a
major in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, from the
School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago;
an M.S. in Management of Public Service from DePaul University;
and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois
at Chicago.
In announcing the appointment, Goldman noted, "Bill brings a
wealth of experience and talent to OPPT. He is recognized within
and outside the Agency for his abilities in strategic planning,
use of computer technology, advancing environmental justice,
assessing population exposure to environmental sources of toxic
pollutants, and human resources development. His leadership and
expertise will be great assets."
Goldman thanked Acting Director Joe Carra and Acting Deputy
Director Susan Hazen "for doing an outstanding job" during the
past six months. Carra resumes his duties as deputy and Hazen
returns to the Environmental Assistance Division as its director.
Regions Streamlining Too
While EPA headquarters is proposing, discussing, and preparing to
implement streamlining plans, the EPA Regional Offices are going
through the same process. As with headquarters, the regions are
charged with ensuring an 11:1 employee/supervisor ratio, reducing
the number of administrative layers, improving the efficiency and
delivery of services to customers, and creating recognizable
enforcement units within each Regional Office.
In some instances, the streamlining effort is quite far-reaching
in its implications. For example, both Regions 1 and 8 propose to
move completely away from the traditional media-based
organizational structure. That is, instead of having water, air,
and waste units, these Regions propose to design their
organization around permitting programs, ecosystem protection,
and other functional areas. Other regions are creating new
Enforcement Divisions by taking enforcement staff from all
existing units, and still others are creating smaller enforcement
units within the existing division structure. Reorganization
packages were due to be submitted to the Administrator by June
30.
EPA Releases New Version of TRI Automated Form R Software
by Delores Evans
AFR94 - a new, enhanced version of the Automatic Form R software
- has been provided to companies for submitting Reporting Year
1994 TRI data to EPA. Reports are due on July 1, 1995 from both
companies and federal facilities.
Since the inception of TRI, EPA has encouraged facilities to
electronically submit their Form R reports instead of using paper
forms. Electronic data are then loaded directly into EPA's
computer systems. "Going electronic" enhances the quality and
efficiency of data reporting for both EPA and industry. For
Reporting Year 1993, over half the Form R reports received were
electronic submissions. OPPT expects a much higher percentage of
electronic submissions this summer with AFR94.
AFR94 incorporates several new features and "user requested"
enhancements such as:
. Choice of operating environments: MS-DOS, IBM PC-DOS,
Windows or Local Area Networks.
. Quick and easy installation: "user-friendly" menu-driven
installation instructions; automatically updates PC configuration
files, if necessary.
. Easy data entry and editing: validates fields during data
entry to reduce errors; field specific help keys; menu-driven
screens with special hot keys; pick lists containing valid codes
and entries.
. Improved printing options: supports 11 industry-standard
printer models; option to print selected submissions to diskette;
prints draft or graphic Form R copies (depending on PC
environment).
. Assists with mailing options: generates transmittal letter
for Form R's; presents option to mail diskette or paper copies to
state agencies.
AFR94 also has a new look with exciting graphics. Additional
information on AFR94 can be obtained by calling Delores Evans at
(202) 260-1625, or the User Support Help at (703) 816-4433.
Delores Evans is a member of the TRI Information Management
Branch, in the Information Management Division of OPPT.
Enhanced TRI CD-ROM Product Set for Summer Release
An updated and enhanced version of the TRI CD-ROM will be
released early this summer. The comprehensive, two-disc set will
contain complete TRI records for reporting years 1987-1993, as
well as Chemical Substance Fact Sheets describing potential
health and ecological effects of TRI chemicals.
Retrieval software provided on the discs will enable users to
search and display TRI records by a single field or a combination
of fields (such as releases in an area over a certain amount);
export records in dBase, Lotus, ASCII and other formats; print
standard and customized reports; and compute basic statistics,
such as total and average chemical releases for records in a
designated search set. Enhancements this year include a reduction
in the amount of memory required to use the discs; restructuring
the databases by year for ease in searching; streamlined
installation procedures; implementation of password control to
limit users' access to DOS; and a user's manual distributed with
the discs.
System requirements for using the discs are a 386 computer
equipped with a CD-ROM drive and DOS 3.3. or higher. For further
information, please call TRI User Support at (202) 260-1531.
TRI Industry Expansion Proceeds
by Brian Symmes
and Tim Crawford
EPA's efforts to expand TRI reporting requirements to additional
facilities outside of traditional manufacturing operations are
moving forward towards publication of a proposal in the early
part of 1996. OPPT is now stepping up its outreach activities
associated with this proposed rulemaking, in an effort to improve
its dialogue with industry, environmental organizations, and
state and local governments.
This emphasis on outreach - as well as emerging issues that
require in-depth attention - accounts for the shift in the target
date for a proposal. TRI Industry Expansion is a major
undertaking and will have long-reaching implications for the
entire TRI program.
The fundamental purpose of the expansion remains the enhancement
of community right-to-know. Adding facilities to TRI will allow
communities across America to know more about the toxic chemicals
released in their environments. It will also give a boost to
pollution prevention efforts as additional industries focus on
their releases and the potential for reductions.
Candidates for TRI expansion continue to be industries with
facilities that have significant releases of TRI chemicals, and
that are engaged in activities directly related to the support of
manufacturing activities currently covered in TRI. These
industries include: coal mining, metal and non-metal mining, oil
& gas exploration & production, electric utilities, commercial
waste treatment & disposal, publicly-owned treatment works
(POTWs), municipal incinerators & landfills, materials recovery &
recycling, freight terminals, bulk petroleum terminals,
warehouses, and airports.
OPPT staff are currently reviewing the data used in the initial
screening and ranking activities. Staff are also beginning a new
round of focus group meetings with industry and environmental
organizations, in order to engage these groups in discussions
regarding EPA's rulemaking and analyses. These meetings provide a
forum for the exchange of information on processes specific to
these industry sectors and their use of TRI chemicals. EPA also
held a public meeting on May 25, 1995, in which the issues
involved in expansion were presented and feedback was received
from the public.
Among the issues EPA is addressing are the TRI reporting
definitions, which may be subject to interpretation as they apply
to certain releases at certain facilities. Exemptions, such as
the de minimis exemption, may also limit reporting from some
industries. In addition, EPA must consider "unfunded mandates"
that may be imposed upon the facilities under consideration.
Brian Symmes is a member of the Program Development Section, and
Tim Crawford is a member of the Technical and Policy Section, of
OPPT's Toxic Release Inventory Branch. For more information
contact Brian Symmes at (202) 260-9121 or Tim Crawford at (202)
260-1715.
36th ITC Report Transmitted
The 36th Report of the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC)
was transmitted to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in May 1995. In this Report, the ITC
revised its TSCA Section 4(e) Priority Testing List by soliciting
use and exposure data for 12 High Production Volume Chemicals
(HPVC), removing a previously-designated chemical, cyclohexanone,
and removing 34 previously-recommended chemicals, including
butyraldehyde, 9 chloroalkyl phosphates, sulfonyl
bis(4-chlorobenzene), m-dinitrobenzene, 4 cyanoacrylates, 2
methyl ethylene glycol ethers and esters, 11 propylene glycol
ethers and esters, and 5 HPVC.
EPA Releases 8(e) Triage Database Product, Version 2.0
Amending the TSCA Inventory Update Rule
One component of OPPT's Chemical Use Inventory (CUI) project is
an amendment of the TSCA Inventory Update Rule (IUR) to collect
data from manufacturers on chemical exposures that can be used to
screen the risks of chemicals in commerce. Currently, IUR
requires facilities that manufacture or import a chemical to
report the facility's location, whether the chemical is fully
consumed on-site, and the volume of chemical production or
imports. Data have been collected for the 1985, 1989, and 1993
reporting years.
OPPT is considering collecting additional chemical-specific,
exposure-related data, including: functions during industrial
use, industry sectors that process or use the chemical,
conditions of use, and consumer uses. OPPT is also considering
adding to IUR reporting the number of processing and other use
sites downstream of the manufacturer and the total number of
potentially exposed workers at those sites. OPPT expects to use
these new data to broadly gauge the exposures of about 8,000
chemicals that are now in commerce.
On April 13, OPPT sponsored a workshop on the IUR amendments
project. At the meeting OPPT presented a paper describing
specific amendments for IUR, the benefits to risk screening of
new data, and a draft reporting form for IUR which incorporates
the potential new data elements. The workshop was attended by
representatives of trade associations, environmental groups, and
labor unions. Technical issues associated with the IUR amendments
were discussed and several ideas for improvements suggested. OPPT
will be working with interested stakeholders to refine its ideas
on amending the IUR over the coming weeks. Rulemaking will be
needed to formally implement any IUR reporting changes.
For more information on this project, call Ward Penberthy at
(202) 260-1730.
Informational Report on New River To Be Issued Soon
As discussed in the last issue of Chemicals in Progress Bulletin,
EPA launched an information gathering effort on September 21,
1994, by issuing administrative subpoenas under TSCA Sec. 11 to
95 U.S. parent companies with facilities in the vicinity of the
New River in the Mexicali area. Citizens living in the vicinity
of the New River had submitted several citizens' petitions to EPA
expressing concern about the river's pollution and its threats to
health and the environment. EPA is currently compiling and
aggregating the data into a report which will be available to the
public in August or September 1995. The report will be available
in English and Spanish.
The purpose of gathering the information was to help design a
monitoring program for the New River to ensure that citizens in
the New River vicinity are protected from any imminent hazard or
unreasonable risk, and to give citizens information about
chemicals released into the New River. The information will also
be used in determining the contribution of U.S. industries to New
River's pollution and to inform the health consultation on the
New River currently being conducted by the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
EPA has provided a community empowerment grant to the
Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) to assist the communities
most affected by pollution in the New River; Calexico,
California, USA and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The grant
will be used to help create an appropriate community organization
to identify research and information needs, and develop and
implement a community involvement and education strategy.
For more information on obtaining the report or on the community
empowerment grant, please contact Michelle Price at (202)
260-3372.
EPA has recently released an updated version of the "Triage
Database," a computerized collection of scientific studies on the
health and environmental effects of chemicals.
EPA has the authority and responsibility under TSCA to gather
certain kinds of basic information on chemical risks from those
who manufacture and process chemicals. The law also enables EPA
to require companies to test selected chemicals for toxic
effects, and requires the Agency to review most new chemicals
before they are manufactured.
EPA recognizes the importance of providing the public with access
to the information collected under TSCA and other environmental
statutes. One important information gathering tool under TSCA is
found in Section 8(e). Under Section 8(e), manufacturers,
importers, and distributors of chemical substances and mixtures
are required to inform EPA of studies that reasonably support the
conclusion that the chemicals present a "substantial risk of
injury" to human health or the environment. One intended use of
this information is to make it accessible to the general public
and organizations whose efforts are associated with protection of
health and safety.
In 1991 OPPT initiated the voluntary Compliance Audit Program
(CAP) to encourage companies to audit their files for information
required by 8(e). EPA reduced the monetary penalties on companies
submitting studies that were past the statutory submittal
deadline. Under the program, EPA received about 10,000
submissions in addition to the approximately 400 non-CAP 8(e)
submissions the Agency receives each year.
EPA has developed a user-friendly database to serve as a vehicle
for sharing this 8(e) submission information. The Triage Database
includes the majority of the CAP and non-CAP submissions received
after 1991. Version 1.0 of the Database, released in October
1993, consisted of approximately 6,000 studies which had been
reviewed to date. The recent version of the Triage Database,
released in February 1995, also includes the remaining 4,000
studies that have recently been reviewed. The revised version is
easier to install, and also includes Chemical Fact Sheets
(developed for another program) which provide additional
information about some of the chemicals.
To use Triage on your computer you must have the following:
. IBM PC or compatible (286 processor or better).
. DOS Version 3.1 or higher.
. 45 megabytes of free space on the hard drive.
EPA is considering making the third version of the 8(e) Triage
Program available on CD-ROM due to the increased memory that will
be needed to run future versions.
For a copy of the most recent version (2.0) of the 8(e) Triage
Program, please call the TSCA Hotline at (202) 554-1404.
EPA Revises NCELs to Match OSHA Requirements
In May 1995, EPA's New Chemicals Program distributed revised New
Chemical Exposure Limits (NCELs) provisions for TSCA Sec. 5(e)
Orders (see box on next page). Because the revised provisions are
generally less burdensome than before and more consistent with
existing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
requirements, EPA expects greater utilization of NCELs by
chemical companies subject to Sec. 5(e) Orders. EPA will now
include NCELs provisions in most Sec. 5(e) Orders involving
potential inhalation risks to workers. The generic NCELs
provisions can, however, be modified in individual,
chemical-specific Sec. 5(e) Orders if warranted by the facts.
NCELs originated in response to industry's request to move away
from respirator requirements and instead model new chemical
regulations after OSHA's Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs). To
prevent unacceptable inhalation risks to workers, EPA
traditionally required the use of specified respirators. The
NCELs provisions reflect a more comprehensive approach to good
industrial hygiene. NCELs set a workplace airborne "interim"
exposure limit for a new chemical substance, and allow a company
subject to the Sec. 5(e) Order to use source reduction, process
changes, engineering controls, and work practices to achieve the
specified exposure limit. If the exposure limit is exceeded,
respirators must be worn.
EPA's NCELs expressly state a preference for prevention and
engineering controls over respirators. But because many new
chemicals are manufactured in small batches with few workers,
EPA's NCELs provisions allow companies to use specified
respirators to control inhalation, without first determining the
feasibility of attaining the NCEL via engineering controls and
work practices. This allows companies handling new chemicals to
select the most appropriate control measures for their particular
operations. By contrast, OSHA imposes a mandatory "Hierarchy of
Controls" whereby respirator usage is allowed only after
attainment of the PEL via engineering controls and work practices
is determined to be unfeasible.
Analytical Methods and Monitoring
Like OSHA PELs, the NCELs provisions require monitoring to
measure the new chemical concentration in the workplace air, as
well as associated record-keeping. The monitoring data represent
an improvement over the less direct exposure information EPA has
used in determining respirator requirements.
EPA has revised the NCELs analytical method and monitoring
requirements to make them less burdensome and more like OSHA
requirements. EPA has adopted OSHA's performance-based
requirement of + 25% accuracy with 95% confidence for
concentrations from half the NCEL to twice the NCEL. Since over
300 industrial hygiene laboratories are accredited by the
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), EPA will accept
use of laboratories accredited by AIHA (or another comparable
program if approved in advance by EPA), as an alternative to
compliance with TSCA Good Laboratory Practice Standards (GLPS).
EPA added an exemption from monitoring requirements based on
documented and reliable objective data when exposures are
obviously so low that monitoring is unnecessary.
However, unlike existing commercial chemicals regulated by OSHA,
new chemicals subject to TSCA Sec. 5 generally do not have
analytical methods with which to determine workplace
concentrations and compliance with an applicable exposure limit.
Therefore, EPA requires the new chemical manufacturer to develop
a valid analytical method. The NCELs revisions, instead of
requiring EPA approval of the company's analytical method, now
require independent laboratory verification of the method's
validity.
Do EPA NCELs and OSHA PELs Overlap?
Generally, EPA and OSHA will not simultaneously regulate the same
substance, because EPA's NCELs apply to uncommercialized new
chemicals with little or no data. TSCA does not require
manufacturers of new chemicals to develop any toxicity test data
for submission with the PMN. Therefore, to assess the risk from a
new chemical or support a finding that the new chemical may
present an unreasonable risk, EPA's New Chemicals Program often
must rely on toxicity data on existing chemicals with molecular
structures similar to the new chemical.
EPA can use this same analogue data to set NCELs concentrations
when there is a defined health endpoint and EPA believes the new
chemical is not significantly more toxic than its analogue. In
setting NCELs for potential carcinogens, EPA accepts a maximum
cancer risk of 10-4. However, EPA will consider setting NCELs
concentrations based on OSHA PELs for analogous existing
chemicals (or exposure limits recommended by other
organizations). EPA will also consider technological and economic
feasibility, especially in cases where there is evidence that the
new chemical may replace existing substances that pose a higher
risk. If additional data on the new chemical are subsequently
developed, companies may petition EPA to modify the NCEL
accordingly.
EPA has added a sunset provision stating that the NCEL is
automatically nullified if OSHA promulgates a PEL for the same
substance. Most likely, OSHA will not regulate a PMN substance
unless and until (1) the new chemical becomes more widely
commercialized with increased human exposures, and (2) toxicity
data on the chemical are developed showing adverse health
effects. In such a case, OSHA could consider the new data in
deciding whether to adopt EPA's NCEL or set a different exposure
limit.
EPA, OSHA, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) meet periodically to coordinate on issues of
mutual interest, such as exposure limits. Whenever OSHA revises
relevant requirements, EPA will consider adopting those revisions
in the NCELs provisions.
Comments Received
Since receiving comments on draft NCELs provisions from diverse
interest groups in 1991, EPA has continued to make revisions and
receive input from external organizations. The comprehensively
revised TSCA Sec. 5(e) Order NCELs provisions distributed in May,
accompanied by a Response-to-Comments Document and a Non-Binding
Guidance Document on Development of Analytical Methods for New
Chemicals, represent a culmination of EPA's efforts to improve
its NCELs provisions based on external comments.
For Additional Information
For additional information, call Roy Seidenstein, Attorney, at
(202) 260-2252, or Cathy Fehrenbacher, Industrial Hygienist, at
(202) 260-0696. To receive a copy of the new NCELs package,
contact the TSCA Hotline at (202) 554-1404.
Section 5(e) Consent Orders
Section 5 of TSCA was designed to regulate risks from new
chemicals before they enter commerce. TSCA defines a "new"
chemical as one not listed on the TSCA Sec. 8(b) Inventory. The
Inventory was initially compiled in 1978 by having chemical
manufacturers report substances made during the preceding three
years. Additional substances may be added to the Inventory
through the pre-manufacture notice (PMN) process.
TSCA Sec. 5 requires manufacturers of new chemicals to submit a
PMN to EPA at least 90-days before commencing manufacture for
commercial purposes. If EPA finds that available information
regarding possible adverse effects is insufficient and that the
chemical substance may present an unreasonable risk of injury to
human health or the environment, EPA can "prohibit or limit"
activities associated with the substance. In such cases, EPA and
the manufacturer typically negotiate a Sec. 5(e) Consent Order to
mitigate exposures and risk, pending development of data needed
for a more thorough evaluation.
Promoting Community-Based Environmental Protection
In February 1995, EPA Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen asked the
Agency's Regional Administrators and Assistant Administrators to
develop strategies for how their respective organizations will
promote community-based environmental protection to achieve the
following goals:
. To protect and sustain healthy human and ecological
communities.
. To develop goals and solutions in a collaborative manner,
based on sound science.
. To empower, inform and equip those who make, participate
in, and live with environmental management decisions.
. To create an iterative, dynamic process for ongoing
partnerships, monitoring and adjustments.
In May, Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS),
submitted her office's strategy to Deputy Administrator Hansen.
In summary, the OPPTS strategy offers to support community-based
environmental protection by identifying, developing, and
providing informational, technical and regulatory tools to the
Regions, States, and local communities to help them carry out
specific community-based initiatives. It also lays out a general
action plan for carrying out this strategy.
If you would like to get a copy of the OPPTS strategy, please
contact the TSCA Hotline at (202) 554-1404. If you have
questions about the strategy, please contact Jim Willis, Deputy
Director of the Environmental Assistance Division, at (202)
260-1024.
EPA's Environmental Accounting Project
by Holly Elwood
The Environmental Accounting Project, part of OPPT's Design for
the Environment Program, has as its goal "encouraging and
motivating businesses to understand the full spectrum of their
environmental costs and integrate these costs into decision
making." Understanding costs - we believe - is the first step to
increased investment in pollution prevention practices, and to
changing the way businesses do business.
EPA began the Environmental Accounting Project three years ago,
with the realization that traditional accounting practices used
by the majority of U.S. companies prevent companies from seeing
the benefits of investing in pollution prevention.
How do accounting systems create this "blind spot?" Traditional
accounting systems separate environmental costs from the products
and processes that generate them and place them in an overhead
account, effectively hiding them from decision-makers. The result
is that environmental costs get left out of many vital business
decisions, including capital budgeting decisions. Pollution
prevention investments that could save the company money by
reducing these hidden environmental costs are not analyzed or
chosen in the capital budgeting process.
Having identified this problem, project staff convened a focus
group of experts to advise us on this issue. The experts told us
three things:
1) They strongly encouraged EPA to establish a project that
would address this issue.
2) They offered a goal statement for the potential project.
3) They encouraged EPA to convene a larger group of
stakeholders in a workshop to formulate a set of actions
that each stakeholder group could undertake to help meet the
goal of the project.
We have heeded the focus groups suggestions, adopting the goal
statement, and organizing a stakeholder workshop in Dallas in
December 1993. The Stakeholder's Action Agenda (#EPA
742-R-94-003), published in the Spring of 1994, is the product of
the Dallas workshop. The document lists action steps that can be
taken by every stakeholder group, including financial, design
engineering, operations, accounting, and other business
department employees, as well as local, state, and regional
government officials. Since the development of this Action
Agenda, the Accounting Project has focused on the steps our
stakeholders wanted the federal government to take to incorporate
environmental costs into business decision-making.
In response to their suggestions, we have been working as a
catalyst for change, conducting education, outreach, guidance,
and research. Some examples completed or underway include:
ù Publishing a Network Directory of over 650 stakeholders
who are actively participating or interested in
environmental accounting.
ù Publishing an Introduction to Environmental Accounting:
Key Concepts and Terms, due out at the end of summer, which
will orient readers to the underlying key concepts of
environmental accounting and clarify commonly used terms.
ù Working with Region 10 staff to develop their own
Environmental Accounting Project.
ù Publishing case studies on activities underway at AT&T and
Ontario Hydro to implement environmental accounting.
ù Developing a software tool for government technical
assistance use that helps businesses incorporate
environmental costs into capital budgeting practices.
ù Funding an academic research conference on environmental
accounting in June 1995.
ù Publishing a resource guide on tools being used to account
for environmental costs.
. Publishing results of a survey of corporate capital
budgeting practices.
Future efforts include upgrading the capital budgeting software
tool and making it available to small businesses, funding an
interactive roundtable for businesses on environmental
accounting, and conducting environmental accounting industry
pilots with the chemical industry.
Holly Elwood is the coordinator of EPA's Environmental Accounting
Project.
For more information
For more information on the Environmental Accounting Project, or
for copies of any of our resources, please call the Pollution
Prevention Information Clearinghouse at (202) 260-1023, or Holly
Elwood at (202) 260-4362.
EPA's 33/50 Program: Acknowledging Accomplishments and
Considering a Next Generation
by Mike Burns
One of EPA's earliest environmental partnership experiments, the
33/50 Program was initiated in 1991 to challenge American
industry to show how much leaner and cleaner companies can be
when they have the authority to find their own solutions to
reducing pollution. Industry has responded with enthusiasm, with
nearly 1,300 companies participating to date. The Program's key
conceptual underpinnings have been:
. Flexibility: Companies set their own goals, focussing on
environmental priorities that make sense within the context of
their own manufacturing operations.
. Simplicity: Participation is simple - companies need only
write to EPA to announce their desire to contribute to the
national goals, and specify their own reduction targets. No
additional reporting is required beyond submission of already
mandated TRI reports.
. Partnership: The relationship between industry and
government is transformed from confrontational to collaborative.
Time and resources previously spent on rule writing and
litigation are instead directed toward company pollution
reduction projects and government assistance and recognition
efforts.
Companies are well on their way to achieving the 33/50 Program's
national reduction goals. The Program's 1992 interim 33%
reduction goal was exceeded by more than 100 million pounds. 1993
TRI data show 33/50 Program emissions down by 685 million pounds
(46%) from 1988, and facilities are projecting achievement of the
Program's ultimate 50% reduction goal in 1994, a full year ahead
of schedule.
Even though participating companies operate just a third of the
18,000 facilities reporting 33/50 Program chemicals, they account
for increasingly large proportions of the reported reductions in
the 17 targeted chemicals, including 98% of the 100 million
pounds reduced in 1993. Participating companies have achieved a
nearly 60% reduction in environmental releases and transfers of
33/50 Program chemicals since 1988. While it is not possible to
determine how much of this pollution decline is due to source
reduction, facilities report significantly higher rates of source
reduction activities for 33/50 Program chemicals than for other
chemicals reported to TRI.
Many people think that the 33/50 Program will be completed at the
end of 1995, since its ultimate national 50% reduction goal is
targeted for 1995. However, public release of 1995 TRI data, used
to monitor the Program's progress, will not occur until the
spring of 1997. Accordingly, EPA's administration of the 33/50
Program will continue well beyond 1995.
As the Program nears its ultimate goal, the Agency is assessing
options for commending companies for their achievements. EPA is
also working with a panel of representatives from industry,
states, and environmental groups to determine whether 33/50
Program Awards should be issued to a select set of companies
whose pollution reduction achievements could be considered truly
remarkable. Another idea being considered by this panel is to
encourage companies to submit 33/50 Program "success stories"
detailing the ways in which they achieved significant emissions
reductions. EPA has already produced a series of 33/50 Program
Company Profiles, describing companies' pollution reduction
projects, and more are underway.
33/50 The Next Generation
EPA initiated deliberations about a Next Generation of the 33/50
Program early this year. A Call-for-Comments was issued to
states, industry, and environmental groups asking for input on
whether there should be a 33/50 follow-up and how such a program
should be designed. Stakeholders voiced considerable support for
continuing a voluntary partnership to reduce pollution, although
significant concerns were raised from all sectors regarding the
goals and structure of a Next Generation program.
EPA will be circulating specific Next Generation proposals for
comment this summer. Anyone interested in additional information
about the 33/50 Program or in providing ideas about a follow-up
voluntary pollution reduction program is encouraged to call or
write to us.
Mike Burns is a program analyst with the 33/50 Program. He has
been with the program since its inception in 1991 and is heading
up the development of the next generation of the 33/50 Program.
To Offer Comments:
Mail: Mail Code 7408, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
U.S. EPA, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460
Tel: 202-554-1404 Fax: 202-554-5603 '
Internet: burns.mike@epamail.epa.gov
EPA Regional Offices:
Contact the 33/50 Program Coordinators at the following
addresses:
US EPA - Region I US EPA - Region VI
(MS: ATR) (MS: 6T-PT)
1 Congress Street 1445 Ross Avenue
Boston, MA 02203 Dallas, TX 75202
Tel: (617) 565-4502 Tel: (214) 665-7582
Fax: (617) 565-4939 Fax: (214) 665-2164
US EPA - Region II US EPA - Region VII
(MS: 105) (MS: ARTX)
2890 Woodbridge Ave, Bldg. 10 726 Minnesota Avenue
Edison, NJ 08837 Kansas City, KS 66101
Tel: (908) 906-6815 Tel: (913) 551-7315
Fax: (908) 321-6788 Fax: (913) 551-7065
US EPA - Region III US EPA - Region VIII
(MS: 3AT01) (MS: 8ART-AP)
841 Chestnut Bldg 999 - 18th St., Suite 600
Philadelphia, PA 19107 Denver, CO 80202-2405
Tel: (215) 597-9302 Tel: (303) 294-7684
Fax: (215) 580-2011 Fax: (303) 293-1229
US EPA - Region IV US EPA - Region IX
345 Courtland Street, NE (MS: A-4-3)
Atlanta, GA 30365 75 Hawthorne Street
Tel: (404) 347-1033 San Francisco, CA 94105
Fax: (404) 347-1681 Tel: (415) 744-1061
Fax: (415) 744-1073
US EPA - Region V US EPA - Region X
(MS: SP-14J) (MS: AT-083)
77 W. Jackson Blvd. 1200 - 6th Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604 Seattle, WA 98101
Tel: (312) 886-6219 Tel: (206) 553-4762
Fax: (312) 353-4342 Fax: (206) 553-8338
17 Priority Chemicals Targeted by the 33/50 Program
BENZENE
CADMIUM & COMPOUNDS
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE
CHLOROFORM
CHROMIUM & COMPOUNDS
CYANIDES
LEAD & COMPOUNDS
MERCURY & COMPOUNDS
METHYL ETHYL KETONE
METHYL ISOBUTYL KETONE
METHYLENE CHLORIDE
NICKEL & COMPOUNDS
TETRACHLOROETHYLENE
TOLUENE
TRICHLOROETHANE
TRICHLOROETHYLENE
XYLENES
Lead Paint Task Force Issues Comprehensive Report on Private
Housing
On July 11, 1995, EPA Administrator Browner and HUD Secretary
Cisneros accepted the final report of the Federal Advisory Task
Force on Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction and Financing at a
joint press conference.
Section 1015 of the Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction
Act of 1992 (Title X) required the Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD), in consultation with EPA, to create this
Task Force to address issues related to lead-based paint (LBP)
hazard control in private housing.
Title X includes a range of hazard evaluation and control
mandates for public housing. For private housing, however, the
statutory requirements are limited to hazard disclosure during
residential sales and lease transactions, training and
certification requirements for workers and contractors involved
in LBP activities (inspection, risk assessments, and abatement),
and standards for LBP activities. Title X does not require owners
of private housing to evaluate or control LBP hazards on their
properties. The mandate of the Section 1015 Task Force is to
identify appropriate hazard evaluation and control procedures for
property owners and to examine and develop recommendations on
financial, insurance, and liability issues.
Working closely with EPA, HUD chartered the Task Force in July
1993 and named Cushing Dolbeare, a noted affordable housing
expert, as chairperson. The group represents a broad range of
interests, from housing providers to tenants and lead poisoning
prevention advocates. Four of the 41 Task Force members are
federal officials, including EPA's representative, John Melone,
Director of OPPT's Chemical Management Division. Working in
committees and in smaller ad hoc groups, the Task Force has
forged a consensus on a set of 59 specific recomendations.
The Task Force report focuses primarily on rental housing and
creates a comprehensive, prevention-oriented framework for
controlling LBP hazards. In developing this framework, the Task
Force had to find a mix of approaches that are protective but
flexible and that will not result in wholesale disinvestment in,
and abandonment of, affordable rental housing. The Task Force
will recommend a set of response actions coupled with market
incentives and controls, public subsidies for economically
distressed units, flexibility for state and local officials to
tailor the recommendations to fit special needs, and several
other reinforcing strategies.
At the core of the Task Force framework is a set of benchmark
standards of hazard control which the Task Force anticipates will
be incorporated into state and local regulations and housing
codes. These standards provide a protocol of maintenance and
management procedures designed to prevent LBP hazards from being
created. Additional recommendations (e.g, specialized cleaning)
apply to higher priority housing (defined in the report as
housing constructed before 1950).
To promote implementation of the benchmark standards, the Task
Force has adopted a number of recommendations related to
liability, insurance, and finance. The Task Force decided to
provide liability relief as an incentive to reward owners that
have taken action to control hazards. The greater the level of
control, the more liability relief an owner receives. Limiting
liability, however, also limits the ability of poisoned children
to be compensated for damages that do occur despite
implementation of hazard control standards. The Task Force,
therefore, couples liability relief with the creation of a
no-fault compensation system available to property owners who
comply with applicable standards.
The Task Force believes that financial institutions also have a
role to play and has recommended that primary and secondary
mortgage lenders incorporate the standards into underwriting
requirements. The report also contains recommendations to
mitigate against disinvestment in higher risk properties by
limiting lender and new owner liability. Where owners of
economically viable properties do not take action voluntarily,
enforcement action by local authorities will be necessary.
Recognizing that owners of economically distressed properties
will not respond to market forces and may operate outside the
conventional finance system, the Task Force finds that public
subsidies are needed and that a federal abatement trust fund
should be established.
Additional Reinforcing Strategies
The report also recommends implementation of several other
reinforcing strategies to promote control of LBP hazards in
private housing. First, Tenant-Based Assistance programs operated
by HUD, but not covered by Title X, provide an opportunity to
implement the benchmark standards for housing that is primarily
occupied by families with children.
Second, the Task Force believes that communities and property
owners should try to match households with young children or
pregnant women with units that are safe from lead hazards.
Matching allows for protection of children long before hazards
have been controlled in the entire housing stock, and provides
owners of multifamily properties with flexibility when
undertaking hazard control work.
Third, the Task Force, through public comment and participation,
has learned that many of the people who should be involved in
this issue - including housing providers, tenants, lenders, local
governments - are not aware of the problem or do not have
sufficient or correct information to address it. The Task Force,
therefore, believes that education efforts must be increased to
raise awareness, create a competent workforce, and provide
tenants with information on ways to protect their children before
a property owner has implemented controls. Finally, the Task
Force recommends that research efforts be intensified to answer
critical questions (e.g., the rate of lead dust reaccumulation
following hazard control), validate more cost-effective methods
to evaluate and control LBP hazards, and set performance
standards for hazard evaluation and control products.
Copies of the Task Force Report and Executive Summary are
available from the National Lead Information Center's
Clearinghouse (800 424-LEAD and HUDSER (800-245-2691).
Lead Update
EPA's Lead-Based Paint Program is moving at a rapid pace. Since
enactment of the Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction
Act (Title X) in late 1992, OPPT Lead staff have been extremely
busy fulfilling its many mandates. The primary focus has been on
developing implementing regulations to control lead hazards and
to prevent future lead-based paint poisoning to the nation's
young children. Here is a status update on the program's
activities:
Training, Accreditation, and Certification for Lead-based Paint
Activities (Sec. 402/Sec. 404): EPA proposed a regulation in
September 1994 to establish requirements for training program
accreditation and certification of contractors involved in
lead-based paint inspections, risk assessments, and abatement.
One element of the proposal was a Model State Plan for states to
adopt to implement their own lead programs. Comments received in
response to the proposal are currently being reviewed and final
promulgation is anticipated for Fall 1995.
Lead Hazard Brochure (Sec. 406(a)): This mandate required EPA to
publish a lead hazard brochure. EPA proposed the draft brochure
last year for public comment, and held a series of focus group
reviews. The final brochure will be available in late summer,
with a Spanish version out sometime soon afterwards.
Renovation Information Rule (Sec. 406(b)): EPA has proposed a
regulation to require renovators, prior to beginning work, to
provide their customers with an EPA-developed brochure describing
lead hazards and how they can be minimized. The regulation was
proposed in March 1994 and is expected to be final by Fall 1995.
Disclosure of Lead Hazards During Real Estate Transactions (Sec.
1018): EPA and HUD are required to jointly promulgate regulations
requiring that landlords and sellers of target housing disclose
the presence of lead and lead hazards to prospective renters and
purchasers, and provide them with an EPA-developed brochure. This
regulation was proposed in November 1994 and final promulgation
is anticipated for early Fall 1995.
Lead Worker Training Grants: In FY 1994, EPA awarded $2.8 million
in grants to non-profit training providers to support lead
training of workers. In FY 1995, the Agency will award $1.5
million.
State Grants: In FY 1994 EPA awarded $11.2 million in grants to
46 states to develop and carry out authorized state programs for
lead-based paint. On February 27, 1995, the Agency published the
availability of $12.5 million to be awarded in FY 1995.
Environmental Justice Grants: EPA, in cooperation with HUD, the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department
of Labor, have been promoting environmental justice and fostering
community interventions through lead-based paint abatement and
public education in low-income minority neighborhoods. A key
component of the initiative is to develop innovative,
community-based programs in urban centers that will create and
sustain an ongoing jobs program and help make the community
self-sufficient. The first grant has been awarded to
Philadelphia. In FY 1995, EPA and HHS will jointly fund three
additional projects for $1 million each.
Developing Tools for Environmental Education
by Kathy Hogan
OPPT's Information Management Division has launched a new
initiative to transform EPA information products into tools for
environmental education. Enhancing environmental education is
critical to increasing public participation in managing chemical
risks. The first phase of the Environmental Education Initiative
will target educators and students in grades 7-12.
OPPT has established an Environmental Education Workgroup to
pursue the objective of providing public education tools. As a
first step, the Workgroup has created a Draft Environmental
Education Strategy paper to establish short and long term goals.
Initially, the Workgroup will identify, collect, and inventory
EPA-funded information products with OPPT-related content.
Materials collected will be screened to identify their
suitability for adaptation. The Workgroup has already identified
the TRI CD-ROM and OPPT's Chemical Fact Sheets as likely
candidates for the first two Environmental Education tools.
The Environmental Education Workgroup has received the welcome
support of both the Office of Research and Development and the
Office of Environmental Justice. OPPT has also formed a
partnership with the Environmental Education Division in the
Office of Communication, Education and Public Affairs to
coordinate efforts in targeting OPPT-related materials elsewhere
in the Agency.
The Workgroup's next steps include selecting a product evaluation
methodology, using focus groups to test the products developed,
and determining a distribution plan and user support mechanism
that will offer a meaningful opportunity for the public to learn
about environmental issues.
Kathy Hogan is chair of OPPT's Environmental Education Project.
She can be reached at 202-260-9349.
Special Feature on the Internet:
Learning the Basics
by Randall Brinkhuis
EPA has long known the power of information as a basis for sound
environmental decisionmaking. This principle has been captured in
President Clinton's Reinventing Environmental Regulation
Initiative. Providing for public electronic access is one of the
25 High Priority Actions contained in the Initiative and we here
at OPPT are looking to do our part. This article will provide a
brief introduction to OPPT information available on the Internet
and will also describe some of the Internet services that people
can use to retrieve other EPA information.
The Internet is a gigantic "network of networks" linking
computers around the world. A number of services have been
developed to allow users to navigate this huge network. The
services that will be discussed in this article (ranging from
basic to the most sophisticated) are e-mail (especially as
enhanced by listservers), telnet, gopher, and World Wide Web. You
can use any of these services to retrieve EPA information. (See
the sidebar on How to Reach EPA Internet Services for information
on the EPA Internet sites mentioned in this article.) Be warned
that while some information is available through all these
services, much is not. This is true not only for EPA, but many
other organizations that allow Internet access.
E-mail & Listservers
One of the most basic Internet services is e-mail. The exchange
of electronic mail from person to person or from one person to
multiple recipients on a distribution list has been taken a step
further on the Internet through the creation of so-called
listservers. These are computers that are programmed to
automatically maintain a number of distribution lists and
redistribute e-mail to everyone who has subscribed to that list.
Listserver lists are usually organized around a particular topic
or relationship. For instance, one list may be devoted to
chemistry while another is intended for government documents
librarians. Most lists allow subscribers to send and respond to
messages to a large group of people in this fashion without
having to send each message individually.
EPA has a listserver which allows the agency to send information
to several lists. Most of these lists, however, are
one-directional (allowing the EPA staff who manage the list to
send e-mail messages to the distribution list). These lists
include selected Federal Register notices from EPA program
offices, and two lists devoted to notices from OPPT - one
concerning TRI and the other dealing with all other OPPT
programs. Another list which readers might find of interest is
the OPPT Library's daily electronic current awareness service,
OPPT-NEWSBREAK, which provides summaries of newspaper articles on
environmental and other issues of interest to OPPT staff.
Telnet
Telnet is an Internet tool that allows a computer user to
connect, or "log in," to another computer system. Thus, for
example, Internet users can telnet to EPA's Online Library System
(OLS). This system contains a number of databases, including the
EPA Library Network's online catalog and Access EPA. The online
catalog contains not only the holdings of EPA libraries, but also
records for EPA reports that are available through the National
Technical Information Service. Access EPA is a database listing
EPA information resources such as dockets, clearinghouses,
hotlines, libraries, environmental databases, and scientific
models. It provides a description of each resource, as well as
information on the sponsoring office, the name and phone number
of a contact, and, in the case of online systems, instructions on
how to access them.
Gopher
Another Internet tool, the Gopher, provides access to Internet
information through a series of menus. A gopher site can be set
up to provide access to files, telnet sites, and even other
gopher sites, reflecting the needs and interests of its creator.
Information available through the EPA gopher includes EPA rules
and regulations, consumer information, press releases, speeches,
and database records. The EPA gopher also provides access to
environmental information from other sources and information from
other government agencies. Files can either be read online or
e-mailed to an Internet address of your choosing. The gopher can
also provide access to telnet sites. For instance, OLS can be
accessed from the EPA gopher.
In the Fall 1994 Chemicals in Progress Bulletin, the article
"OPPT Explores (and Exploits) the Internet" described some of the
information available from OPPT through the EPA Gopher. Files
from the 1993 TRI Public Data Release have been uploaded since
that time. Those files can be found under the heading: 1993
Toxics Release Inventory.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web - or simply the Web, as it is increasingly
known - pulls together many different types of information using
"hypertext links." These links allow the computer user to leap
from one document or site to another with the press of a key or
the click of a mouse. Information stored on the Web includes
text, pictures, and sounds. You need special software, called a
"browser," to navigate the Web. The browsers that best take
advantage of the Web's features are Windows-based, although there
are a few text-based browsers as well.
Organizations, and even individuals, have set up their own Web
"home pages" through which they set up links to other sites. You
connect to the World Wide Web through a specially formatted
Internet address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). You
will need a high-speed modem or Internet connection, along with a
Web browser such as Mosaic, to access the Web. By searching on
key words basic to OPPT's programs, such as lead or toxics, you
can find information relevant to OPPT's programs on other parts
of the WWW.
These sources are only the beginning. OPPT is actively looking
for ways to make more of its information resources publicly
available and enhance the utility of the information resources
already available. We welcome your ideas as well.
Randall Brinkhuis works in the Information Access Branch of
OPPT's Information Management Division.
Merge Area Ahead: Getting
on the Information Superhighway
The fact that EPA is providing this information through the
Internet is all well and good, but it's not helpful if you don't
have Internet access. The obvious question is: what do you need
to do to gain access? There are a variety of ways to accomplish
this. Many national on-line services now provide Internet access
for a fee. Ads (and sometimes even diskettes containing software)
for these services can be found in almost any computer magazine.
You can also gain access through local Internet service
providers, some electronic bulletin board systems, and what are
called "freenets." Freenets are community-based networks that
provide access to the public free or for a very low fee. Most
Internet books will contain a section listing Internet providers,
both alphabetically and by area code.
Many books on the Internet also include what is advertised as
"free" software to allow readers to access the Internet. You
should know, however, that this software will not by itself
provide access, nor is it the only way to access the Internet.
You will need to establish a connection with an Internet service
provider, no matter what software you use. Depending upon the
services you want to use, you may even be able to access the
Internet using your current communications software.
Criteria for evaluating a particular Internet service provider
include:
. the services offered (whether you want just e-mail, e-mail
and telnet, World Wide Web access, etc.);
. the cost for the different levels of service;
. the availability of either an 800 number or a local access
number for connecting to the Internet;
. how much time you are allowed on-line and the charges for
exceeding that limit;
. the hours during which you can access the Internet;
. whether a service provider requires special software (and
if they do, how much that costs); and
. whether your PC and modem are powerful enough to handle
Internet access (the software may require large amounts of
hard disk space and memory, while your modem must be able to
maintain certain baud rates).
In addition to EPA's offerings, many other federal agencies and
organizations have their own gophers and Web sites. There are now
dozens of books available, ranging from the beginner level to the
advanced, that go into great detail about the Internet and its
resources. Check with your local bookstore or public library.
While we recommend starting with a book to familiarize yourself
with the resources available on the Internet, the best source of
information about the Internet is the Internet itself. Among the
resources you will find there is the Clearinghouse for
Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides which contains a wide
variety of topical guides (see box for information on accessing
the clearinghouse). Files describing the Internet and its
resources can also be found under "Internet Resources" on the EPA
gopher.
Happy surfing on the Internet!
-Randall Brinkhuis
How to Reach EPA Internet Services
EPA Listserver
The two lists which deal specifically with OPPT topics are
EPA-TRI (concerned with the Toxics Release Inventory
exclusively) and EPA-TOXICS (which handles all other OPPT
matters).
To subscribe to a list, send the command: SUBSCRIBE LISTNAME
FIRSTNAME LASTNAME to the EPA listserver. In this command,
LISTNAME is the name of the list to which you want to
subscribe, and FIRSTNAME and LASTNAME are your first name
and last name, respectively.
The Internet address of the EPA listserver is
listserver@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov. To get more information
on the listserver and its commands, send the message HELP in
the body of your e-mail text to that address. To receive a
list of the lists available through the listserver, send the
command LISTS.
Telnet
To reach EPA's Online Library System (OLS), telnet to
epaibm.rtpnc.epa.gov. Select option 4 ("Public
Information"), then option 1 ("OLS"). For more information
on OLS, contact EPA's Public Information Center at (202)
260-2080.
EPA Gopher
The Internet address of the EPA Gopher is gopher.epa.gov.
The 1993 TRI Public Data Release files can be found under:
EPA Offices and Regions/Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances/Toxic Substances/1993 Toxic Release
Inventory (as the gopher menu is presently arranged). In the
event that these files are moved in the future, the gopher
menu also includes an option for searching for keywords
within the menu structure.
EPA World Wide Web
The Internet address of the EPA World Wide Web is
http://www.epa.gov.
For Help
Users can e-mail their questions about the content of EPA's
public access servers to: internet_support@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov
Bear in mind that general questions about the Internet cannot be
answered.
Subject Information on the Internet
Here's a handy tip to find out where the Internet keeps all its
information. To locate Internet sites concerning any specific
topic, consult the Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet
Resource Guides. The Clearinghouse includes guides to Internet
resources on chemistry, chemical engineering, the environment,
and over 160 other topics. The Uniform Resource Locator for
accessing the Clearinghouse using the Web is:
http://http2.sils.umich. edu/~lou/chhome.html. Or gopher to
una.hh.lib.umich. edu/11/inetdirs.)