Octachlorostyrene
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
|
|
Draft PBT National Action Plan for Octachlorostyrene
Prepared by:
The US EPA Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Pollutants (PBT)
OCS Work Group
June 22, 2000
DO NOT QUOTE OR CITE WORKING DRAFT
1.0 Background
2.0 PBT
Chemical Profile
2.1 Description
2.2 Environmental Impacts
2.3 Exposure and Health Effects
2.4 Sources and Sectors
2.5 Sensitive Subpopulations and Geographic Areas
2.6 Current Activities
2.7 Source/Sector Links with Other Chemicals
3.0 Goals
3.1 Relevant GPRA Goals
3.2 Goals for Octachlorostyrene
4.0 Strategic
Approach
5.0 Measures
of Progress
6.0 Key Actions
7.0 Reporting
Progress
7.1 Reporting Procedure
7.2 Reporting Schedule
8.0 References
Appendix A: List of Key Contacts and Action Planning Matrix
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Sources of
OCS Reported in the Literature
Table 2. Source/Sector
Links with Other Chemicals
Table 3. Measures of
Progress and GPRA Goals for Actions to Reduce Risks from OCS
Executive Summary
On November 16, 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Agency-wide Multimedia Strategy for Priority Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants (PBT Strategy). The goal of the PBT Strategy is to identify and reduce risks to human health and the environment from current and future exposure to priority PBT pollutants. This document serves as the Draft National Action Plan for octachlorostyrene (OCS), one of the 12 Level 1 priority PBT pollutants identified for the initial focus of action in the PBT Strategy.
OCS is primarily of concern due to its persistence and bioaccumulation in the environment, and its toxicity to aquatic organisms. Little is known about its potential human toxicological effects. OCS is not commercially manufactured but has been reported to be an inadvertent byproduct of processes that combine carbon and chlorine at high temperatures. Some of these processes include magnesium production, commercial production of chlorinated solvents, aluminum plasma etching (used in producing microelectronic components), aluminum degassing with hexachloroethane, chlorination of titanium and niobium/tantalum ores, waste incineration, and chlor-alkali production with graphite anodes. Limited data on the occurrence of OCS in the environment indicate that OCS has been released, in the past, from sources along the St. Clair and Niagara Rivers, Lake Erie, the Gulf coast of Texas, and southern Louisiana. Current monitoring of OCS levels in herring gull eggs collected from Great Lakes colonies indicates levels of OCS are declining in the Great Lakes.
Because of the limited data on sources and levels of emissions of OCS, combined with the fact that what information EPA does have suggests that levels in the environment are low and may be declining, the strategic approach of the action plan is to develop a better understanding of OCS sources, releases, and potential for exposure, and to promote voluntary pollution prevention efforts where appropriate. Key actions identified to implement the strategic approach include:
- Monitoring OCS levels in the environment through the National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish, sediment analyses, Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network ambient air monitoring, and evaluation of data collected from various other monitoring efforts and EPA reporting systems.
- Working with industry to evaluate potential sources of OCS and sharing information with states, EPA Regional offices, Tribes, and other stakeholders regarding processes reported to generate OCS.
- Investigating the nature of the relationship between OCS and other chlorinated compounds such as hexachlorobenzene and dioxins/furans, so that EPA may identify more efficient ways of reducing multiple PBTs.
Return to the Table of Contents
1.0 Background
On November 16, 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Agency-wide Multimedia Strategy for Priority Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants (PBT Strategy). EPA has a long history of successful programs in controlling PBT pollutants -- pollutants that are toxic, persist in the environment, and bioaccumulate in food chains, and thus pose risks to human health and ecosystems. The challenges remaining for PBT pollutants stem from the fact that they transfer rather easily among air, water, and land, and span boundaries of programs, geography, and generations, making single-statute approaches less than the full solution to reducing these risks. To achieve further reductions, a multimedia approach is necessary. Accordingly, through the PBT Strategy, EPA has committed to create an enduring cross-office system that would address the cross-media issues associated with priority PBT pollutants.
The goal of the PBT Strategy is to identify and reduce risks to human health and the environment from current and future exposure to priority PBT pollutants. To attain this goal, EPA has identified several guiding principles:
- Address problems on multimedia basis through integrated use of all Agency tools
- Coordinate with and build on relevant international efforts
- Coordinate with relevant Federal programs and agencies
- Stress cost-effectiveness (e.g., amount of PBT removed for dollar spent)
- Involve stakeholders
- Emphasize innovative technology and pollution prevention
- Protect vulnerable sub-populations
- Base decisions on sound science
- Use measurable objectives and assess performance
The PBT Strategy outlines an approach to achieving PBT risk reductions which includes the development and implementation of national action plans for priority PBT pollutants. These action plans will draw upon the full array of EPAs statutory authorities and national programs, building on work initiated under the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy and using regulatory action where voluntary efforts are insufficient. The action plans will consider enforcement and compliance, international coordination, place-based remediation of existing PBT contamination, research, technology development and monitoring, community and sector-based projects, the use of outreach and public advisories, and opportunities to integrate efforts across chemicals. This document serves as the Draft National Action Plan for octachlorostyrene (OCS), one of the 12 Level 1 priority PBT pollutants identified for the initial focus of action in the PBT Strategy.
Return to the Table of Contents
2.0 PBT Chemical Profile
2.1 Description
Octachlorostyrene (CAS Registry number 29082-74-4) is a persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic halogenated aromatic compound. OCS is not commercially manufactured, but has been reported to be an inadvertent by-product of processes which combine carbon and chlorine, under elevated temperatures. Some of these past formative circumstances have ended; others may have ended in the U.S., though at least one (electrolytic magnesium production) is ongoing. OCS may also result from various incineration processes.
Concern over the occurrence of OCS in the environment is driven by two main factors: its persistence (i.e., its resistance to chemical and/or metabolic degradation) and its high bioaccumulation potential (i.e., increase in concentration in higher order wildlife of an aquatic food web). Studies of potential human toxicological effects are few, because OCS was never an intentionally produced product, for which such studies would be commissioned. However, EPA believes that since OCS is structurally similar to hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in its aromaticity and degree of chlorination, it can reasonably be anticipated to have a similar toxicological profile (Federal Register, 1999a).
2.2 Environmental Impacts
OCS is bioaccumulative in aquatic food webs. Due to its low water solubility, OCS will tend to rapidly partition from water and bind to sediments and suspended solids. Bioconcentration through direct uptake may be an important mechanism in aquatic species. In an area polluted by industrial effluents (Ofstad et al., 1978) and in an area in which OCS-containing emissions were released to the atmosphere (Dethlefsen et al., 1996), fish were shown to accumulate OCS in their tissue. The feeding habits of aquatic species have also been shown to be an important influence on OCS levels in fish, with significant biomagnification seen in higher order species. Adverse liver, thyroid, kidney and hematological effects are found in experimental animals exposed to OCS.
Among its potential diverse adverse effects, OCS has the potential to interfere with metabolism in fish and to inhibit photosynthesis in algae. EPA has determined that "aquatic toxicity values indicate that octachlorosytrene is toxic at relatively low concentrations and thus is highly toxic to aquatic organisms" (Federal Register, 1999a). EPA believes that sufficient evidence exists to list OCS as a toxic chemical, under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), that can reasonably be anticipated to cause a significant adverse effect on the environment (Federal Register, 1999b).
Measurements of OCS in sediments and fish from the early to mid-1980s indicate that OCS was released to the environment from industrial sources in the Sarnia area of Ontario along the St. Clair River (Pugsley et al., 1985), on the Niagara River leading to Lake Ontario (Jaffe & Hites, 1986; Suns & Hitchin, 1992; Suns et al., 1983), in Lake Erie at the mouth of the Ashtabula River (Kuehl et al., 1981), in the Gulf coast of Texas (Kuehl and Haebler, 1995; Kuehl and Butterworth, 1994), and in the Bayou dInde area of southern Louisiana (Pereira et al., 1988). Lesser concentrations measured in Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and central and western Lake Erie (Pugsley et al.,1985; Oliver & Bourbonniere, 1985) may indicate water-borne dispersion from sources and/or long range atmospheric transport and deposition.
Temporal data on OCS levels in the environment are limited. Studies of OCS levels in Lake Ontario sediments show a substantial decline in OCS concentrations since the 1970's (Kaminsky and Hites, 1984; Durham and Oliver, 1983). OCS in herring gull eggs collected as part of an ongoing monitoring program through the Canadian Wildlife Service also showed declines at all 15 colonies within the Great Lakes from 1987 to 1998 (CGLI, 1999).
Looking beyond the Great Lakes, a National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish conducted by EPA between 1986 and 1989 detected OCS in fish tissue at 9% of nearly 400 sites sampled. The mean concentration of OCS at sites where it was detected was 1.7 ng/g (USEPA, 1992). The four highest concentrations were found in fish obtained from Bayou dInde, Louisiana (138 ng/g); Freeport, Texas (65.3 ng/g); River Rouge, Michigan (50.7 ng/g); and Olcott, New York (49.6 ng/g) (Anscombe, 1999).
2.3 Exposure and Health Effects
Potential human exposure pathways for OCS are through ingestion (especially of contaminated fish), inhalation, and absorption through the skin. Occupational exposure has been shown to result in elevated levels of OCS in the blood of workers at industrial facilities where OCS is a by-product (Selden et al., 1997). OCS has been found in the blood of humans ingesting contaminated fish, and in the breast milk of non-occupationally exposed women (HSDB, 1999).
The human toxicological properties of OCS are not well known. In laboratory animals, acute toxicity studies showed histological changes in liver, kidney and thyroid tissues, deemed "moderate to severe" for the liver, but the impairment in function was not well quantified. Its similarity to the carcinogens hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorobutadiene is further cause for concern and suggests the need for additional testing. OCS may act as a "promoter" of mutagenicity, and thus also as a promoter of carcinogenicity (Holme and Dybing, 1982). EPA has developed and begun implementing a screening program for estrogenic substances to determine the relationship between exposure to suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals and associated adverse effects in humans. Suspected substances, including OCS, have been slated for testing under the endocrine screening program. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are thought to harm male and female reproductive systems, cause thyroid damage, cause a range of other problems affecting developing fetuses and newborns, including low IQs and genital malformations, cause low sperm counts and infertility, and possibly also cause cancer (Federal Register, 1997).
Health Canada has established a Minimum Risk Intake for OCS from food of 0.31 µg/kg bodyweight/day (Health Canada, 1998).
In its recent action of adding OCS (along with several other chemicals) to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) as a reportable chemical, EPA found that "all of the chemicals proposed for addition were found to be reasonably anticipated to cause serious or irreversible chronic human health effects at relatively low doses or ecotoxicity at relatively low concentrations, and thus are considered to have moderately high to high chronic toxicity or high ecotoxicity" (Federal Register, 1999b).
2.4 Sources and Sectors
Prior to the addition of OCS to the TRI program, there were no regulatory requirements governing OCS release reporting. Therefore, a comprehensive emissions inventory of source categories has never been undertaken. Emissions test data are extremely limited. Measurements of OCS in the waste, effluent, or emissions of a few industrial processes have been reported. Table 1 lists industries and processes that have been reportedly associated with generation of OCS. In some cases the processes have changed, and current practices may no longer favor OCS formation. In other cases, it is unknown whether processes have changed. In at least one instance (electrolytic extraction of magnesium including high temperature chlorine/carbon purification), it is reasonable, based on chlorinated dioxin/furan generation, to infer that OCS is being generated. As stated by Oehme et al.(1989), "Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), octachlorostyrene and other highly chlorinated compounds are formed under similar conditions as PCDD/PCDF [polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans], and their presence in the emissions of a technical process should therefore be a good indicator for reaction mechanisms which may also create PCDD/PCDF." There may be other potential sources of OCS that can be inferred by virtue of their status as a source of PCDD/PCDF or HCB, or by reported measurements of OCS in the environment, or similarity of process and available precursors that are known to favor OCS formation.
It should be noted that significant recent advances have been made in process technology and pollution prevention practices in some of these industries, and that listing here does not mean that these are necessarily current sources of OCS. Industry associations for chlorine and aluminum producers, for example, have reported that major changes have taken place to largely eliminate the electrolytic manufacture of chlorine, and aluminum degassing with hexachloroethane, both of which were known sources of OCS (see stakeholder comments in response to Draft EPA OCS Challenge Report).
2.5 Sensitive Subpopulations and Geographic Areas
Pregnant women (i.e., the developing embryo and fetus) and subsistence and sport fishermen may be suspected as sensitive subpopulations. Exposure to OCS from contaminated fish may be of particular concern for mothers who breast feed. Accumulation of OCS in a mothers breast milk, and its consumption as potentially the sole source of nutrition by the infant, may result in increased exposure for infants under six months of age (Mes et al., 1993). EPAs 1992 National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish identifies Bayou DInde and the Calcasieu River in Louisiana; Freeport, Texas; River Rouge, Michigan; Tacoma, Washington; and several sites in New York around Lake Ontario as sites of highest OCS contamination (Anscombe, 1999).
Table 1. Sources of OCS Reported in the Literature1
| Industry | Industrial Process | Literature Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium Production | Purification of magnesium with chlorine and carbon under high temperature, plus electrolytic separation of magnesium from chlorine with graphite electrodes | Lunde & Bjorseth 1977; Oehme et al. 1989 |
| Chlorinated Solvents | Commercial production of carbon tetrachloride and tetrachloroethylene | Otero & Grimalt 1994; King & Sherbin 1986; Markovec & Magee 1984; Durham & Oliver 1983 |
| Semiconductor/ Microelectronics | Aluminum plasma etching with chlorinated solvents | Schmidt et al. 1995; Raabe et al. 1993 |
| Secondary Aluminum/Metal Alloy Casting | Aluminum degassing with hexachloroethane | Westberg et al. 1997; Selden et al. 1997; Vogelgesang 1986 |
| Niobium and Tantalum | Ore extraction with chlorine | Vogelgesang 1986 |
| Titanium | Chlorination of titanium ore or chlorine regeneration from MgCl2 | Vogelgesang 1986 |
| Incineration | Incomplete combustion of chlorinated compounds | Ahling et al. 1978; Lahaniatis et al. 1989 |
| Chlor-alkali/Chlorine | Production with Graphite Anodes Electrolytic separation of chlorine from brine using graphite electrodes, no longer in use today | Kaminsky & Hites 1984; Svensson et al. 1993 |
| Primary and Secondary Copper Smelting | Chlorinating roasting process not used in the U.S.; Recycling of scrap copper | Döring et al. 1992 |
2.6 Current Activities
Regulations
Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance, EPA determined that OCS was a Bioaccumulative Chemical of Concern. The Guidance provides methodologies for the Great Lakes States and Tribes to adopt water quality standards and enforceable controls on discharges of pollutants (Federal Register,1995). EPA has also listed OCS under the Clean Water Act as one of the 29 high priority chemicals for development or revision of water quality criteria on the basis of its bioaccumulation potential and toxicity (Federal Register, 1998). Solid wastes and air emissions of OCS are not regulated specifically. However, since OCS is co-generated with other chlorinated hydrocarbons for which there are specific regulations, such as PCDD/PCDF and HCB, regulations pertaining to these substances would have the effect of governing OCS as well.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water, has recommended an ambient water quality value for OCS of 0.2 µg/L for drinking water intake, and an ambient water quality value of 6 x 10-6 µg/L for fish consumption.
Under an amendment to TRI published in the Federal Register as a final rule on October 29, 1999, OCS was added to the TRI list of reportable chemicals, with a reporting threshold of 10 pounds per year. Under this program, if affected facilities do not test their effluent, they are required to develop a reasonable estimate, based on available data, for reporting to TRI. The new rule becomes effective with the January 1, 2000 reporting year, and data collected under the new requirements will likely be available in 2002. In setting the reporting threshold at 10 pounds per year, EPA stated that "some information on octachlorostyrene would be potentially lost from only one industry sector, pesticide manufacturing facilities." EPA anticipates receiving TRI reports on OCS emissions from 230 facilities (Federal Register, 1999b)
EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program is currently being developed to determine whether a substance may have an effect in humans that is similar to an effect produced by naturally occurring estrogen, androgen, or thyroid hormones. The program includes a strategy to screen and test suspected chemicals, including OCS.
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy
OCS is targeted as a Level I substance in the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy: Canada-United States Strategy for the Virtual Elimination of Persistent Toxic Substances in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (BNS) provides an established process for engaging stakeholders and seeking voluntary reduction efforts toward the virtual elimination of OCS in the Great Lakes. To date, the process has generated a draft Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Octachlorostyrene (OCS) Report: A Review of Potential Sources. Stakeholder comments have been received in response to the report, providing new information, much of it unpublished, regarding the likelihood of potential sources releasing OCS and trends in environmental OCS levels.
Lakewide Management Plans
OCS is a recognized pollutant in the Lake Superior and Lake Ontario Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs).
Localized Contaminated Site Remediation
Remediation efforts directed at both hazardous waste sites and contaminated sediments in specific localities have resulted in removal of OCS from the environment. For example, landfills in the Niagara Falls area that received wastes containing OCS and other chlorinated organics from the production of chlorine prior to the 1970s have been the focus of ongoing cleanup efforts. In efforts to clean up the Niagara River, old storm sewers are being cleaned and landfill leachate is being diverted to waste water treatment. Dredging of contaminated sediments in the Ashtabula River in Ohio is also planned. Another example of localized remediation involves Dow Chemical Canadas extensive remedial activities at its Scott Road Landfill and Cole Drain, which discharge effluent into the St. Clair River. Current effluent monitoring at the plant site and Scott Road landfill indicate a very small release rate that has been shown to be the result of on-site residuals.
2.7 Source/Sector Links with Other Chemicals
There is a similarity among the mechanisms of formation of HCB, chlorinated dioxins, and OCS. Because of this similarity, these pollutants may be emitted from some of the same source sectors. Table 2 lists, for OCS, the source sector links with other chemicals.
Table 2. Source/Sector Links with Other Chemicals
| Source/Sector |
Process |
Other Level 1 Chemicals |
Other Toxic Chemicals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorinated solvents | Production | HCB | PAHs, phenol,1,1,1- trichloroethane, 1,2- dichlorobenzene, 1,3- butadiene, vinyl chloride |
| Waste incinerators | Combustion | HCB, mercury, dioxin, chlorinated biphenyls | naphthalene, PAHs, heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Zn, As, Cu, Ni) |
| Magnesium production | Electrolysis | dioxins/furans, HCB, chlorinated biphenyls | chlorobenzenes, phosgene gas |
| Niobium and tantalum | Production | dioxin2, HCB | decachlorobiphenyl |
| Secondary aluminum and copper | Smelting | dioxin, HCB | copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, lead, phenol, 1,1,1- trichloroethane, chlorobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls, naphthalene |
| Semiconductor manufacture | Aluminum plasma etching | HCB | hexachlorobutadiene |
Return to the Table of Contents
3.0 GOALS
3.1 Relevant GPRA Goals
The strategic approach of this action plan is consistent with the goal of the PBT Strategy: to identify and reduce risks to human health and the environment from current and future exposure to priority PBT pollutants. In addition, this action plan supports several goals outlined in EPAs Draft 2000 Strategic Plan. As required under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), EPAs Strategic Plan describes EPAs mission and sets forth ten primary goals that serve as the framework for the Agencys planning and resource allocation decisions. Objectives in the Draft 2000 Strategic Plan have been revised from the 1997 Five Year Strategic Plan and are currently in draft form, undergoing external review separate from the draft Action Plan for OCS.
Goal 2: Clean and Safe Water
- By 2005, protect human health so that 95 percent of the population served by community water systems will receive water that meets drinking water standards, consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish will be reduced, and exposure to microbial and other forms of contamination in waters used for recreation will be reduced.
Goal 4: Preventing Pollution and Reducing Risk in Communities, Homes, Workplaces and Ecosystems
- By 2007, prevent, reduce, recycle, or properly dispose of chemical and municipal solid wastes, including PBTs. By 2005, reduce by 20 percent the actual (from 1992 levels) and production-adjusted (from 1998 levels) quantity of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)-reported toxic pollutants released, disposed of, treated, or combusted for energy recovery, half through source reduction.
Goal 6: Reduction of Global and Cross-Border Environmental Risks
- By 2006, reduce the risks to ecosystems and human health, particularly in tribal and other subsistence-based communities, from persistent, bioaccumulative toxicants (PBTs) and other selected toxins which circulate in the environment on global and regional scales.
Goal 8: Sound Science, Improved Understanding of Environmental Risk and Greater Innovation to Address Environmental Problems
- Incorporate innovative approaches to environmental management into EPA programs, so that EPA and external partners achieve greater and more cost-effective public health and environmental protection.
3.2 Goals for Octachlorostyrene
Considering the present state of understanding concerning sources and releases of OCS, the Agency has identified the following goals to characterize and reduce risks from current and future exposure to OCS:
- Further characterize the sources of OCS, releases, environmental trends, hot spots, and potential for exposure.
- Collect sufficient environmental monitoring data to determine whether further Agency action is required to reduce risks from exposure to OCS.
- Promote voluntary pollution prevention efforts to reduce releases, where appropriate.
Return to the Table of Contents
4.0 Strategic Approach
As discussed above, information characterizing OCS emissions and the potential for exposure to OCS is very limited at present. What information EPA does have suggests that the levels of OCS in the environment are generally low, and may be declining. In addition, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding sources of OCS. This situation, when viewed in light of the fact that a number of better understood and more prevalent PBT chemicals are competing with OCS for a limited Agency resource pool, could be viewed as suggesting limited or no further action on OCS. However, the existing information about the toxicity and bioaccumulation of OCS, its continued presence in the environment, and the limited data on which to "close the book" on OCS are continuing reasons for EPA to pursue the following approach, aimed primarily at narrowing or closing the existing data gaps. The strategic approach of the Agency will begin with the development of a fundamental understanding of OCS sources and sinks, and the quantification, to the extent practical, of quantities released to the environment. At the same time, EPA will pursue voluntary reductions of OCS releases wherever possible. EPAs strategic approach will focus on the following areas:
1. Monitor OCS levels in the environment to determine the extent of OCS release, through:
- National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish (including targeted geographic areas).
- Sediment analyses (targeted geographic areas only).
- Ambient air monitoring.
- Voluntary industry testing.
- Review and analysis of Toxic Release Inventory reports (air, water, and land releases), Permit Compliance System (PCS) reports (water discharges), and Biennial Reporting System (BRS) reports (waste).
- Statistical assessment to determine the nature and extent of downward trends in OCS levels.
2. Better characterize sources of OCS:
- Investigate the nature of the relationship between OCS releases and other PBT releases.
- Work with industry to identify current sources of OCS and to estimate potential emissions from industrial processes suspected of releasing OCS.
- Conduct targeted monitoring programs around potential sources of OCS.
- Work with industry to verify that historical sources of OCS are no longer sources.
- Share information with states, EPA Regional offices, Tribes, and other stakeholders regarding processes reported to generate OCS.
3. Promote voluntary pollution prevention efforts:
- Pursue voluntary initiatives to reduce OCS emissions from sources identified in the literature.
- Share information with states, EPA Regional offices, Tribes, and other stakeholders regarding successful pollution prevention efforts.
Opportunities for Integration with BNS Efforts, Sectors, and Work on Other PBTs
As shown in Table 2, OCS shares several source sectors with other Level 1 chemicals. Current or proposed actions and regulations to control other Level 1 chemicals for similar source sectors are expected to also reduce OCS emissions. A key component of EPAs strategy for OCS is to understand the relationship between OCS and other Level 1 chemicals, and to take advantage of actions and regulations targeted at these other chemicals that will simultaneously reduce potential emissions of OCS, thereby maximizing the effective use of limited Agency resources.
Time Lines, Key Players, and Roles
The key Agency players will be OW and ORD in conducting fish tissue and sediment analyses, GLNPO in collecting air monitoring data though the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN), OPPTS, OW and GLNPO in analyzing the TRI, PCS, and BRS reports and assessing new information on environmental levels and trends, OSWER for review of data pertaining to hazardous waste sites and contaminated sediments, and Region 5 in coordinating voluntary efforts through the BNS. Also included in this effort will be all interested non-Agency stakeholders, such as representatives of the aluminum, chlorine, magnesium, and semiconductor industries, non-governmental environmental organizations, and selected state environmental agencies (e.g., NY, NJ, TX, LA, UT, WA). These state agencies may be able to facilitate voluntary collection and testing of effluents for OCS, and to promote voluntary pollution prevention efforts among industry in their states.
Return to the Table of Contents
5.0 Measures of Progress
The PBT Strategy requires that EPA follow several guiding principles, including the use of measurable objectives and the assessment of performance. These requirements coincide with GPRA requirements for measurement of progress and reporting of accomplishments. As stated in the PBT Strategy, EPA will use the following measures to track progress in reducing risks from OCS: (1) environmental or human health indicators, (2) chemical release, waste generation, or use indicators, or (3) programmatic output measures. Table 3 lists the specific indicators that will be used to measure progress for each action and GPRA goal.
Table 3. Measures of Progress and GPRA Goals for Actions to Reduce Risks from OCS
| Action | GPRA Goal | Measure of Progress |
|---|---|---|
| National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish | Goal 2 | OCS levels in targeted geographic areas |
| Information collection and voluntary initiatives | Goal 4 | TRI, PCS, BRS, and BNS reports; voluntary programs |
| Sediment analyses | Goal 6 | OCS concentrations in targeted geographic areas |
| Source characterization, and investigation of the relationship between OCS releases and releases of other PBT substances such as HCB and dioxin | Goal 8 | Identified sources and quantifiable relationships that demonstrate whether actions to control other Level 1 PBTs will simultaneously reduce OCS |
Return to the Table of Contents
6.0 Key Actions
The proposal to add OCS to TRI reporting at a 10-pound threshold was finalized on October 29, 1999. No additional regulatory actions are planned.
EPA will continue to seek stakeholder involvement through the BNS and other efforts. EPA considers stakeholder involvement essential to reaching the goal of the PBT Strategy and sought and received stakeholder input in the development and implementation of this draft national action plan for OCS. EPA will also invite public comment on the draft national action plan, and will encourage all interested partners to join in its efforts to reduce risks to human health and the environment from exposure to OCS.
Key actions identified to implement the strategic approach for OCS include:
Monitoring
- National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish. Conducted by EPAs Office of Water, this national fish study will statistically evaluate the evidence and severity of over 100 contaminants, including OCS, in fish tissue. EPA has already developed a study design for the fish survey. Fish are being collected from lakes and reservoirs on a national basis, during the time period from 1999 through 2003. These data will allow for estimating trends over time.
- The Agency will identify current programs in which sediment samples are being collected in geographic areas with a high concentration of potential industrial sources, such as harbors near Seattle/Tacoma, New York, and the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana, and will analyze sediment samples for OCS to assess trends over time.
- The Agency will expand OCS monitoring in the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) to assess current air releases of OCS. IADN determines the atmospheric loadings of toxic substances to the Great Lakes system and defines temporal (over time since 1990) and spatial trends. Among other toxic chemicals, IADN currently monitors the atmospheric deposition of OCS at a few monitoring stations.
- EPA will evaluate data on OCS concentrations in fish, sediment, and air collected from various environmental monitoring programs to identify targeted geographic areas and/or sources and to determine whether further monitoring, reduction, or research efforts are required.
- EPA will evaluate data from the TRI, PCS, and BRS reporting systems to systematically identify OCS releases to the environment.
Source Characterization & Voluntary Initiatives
- The Agency will continue the efforts of the BNS OCS Work Group, and will initiate other efforts, to collect data from industrial sources that are thought to generate OCS. Facilities invited to participate in the program may include representatives of the aluminum, chlorine, chlorinated solvent, magnesium, metal mining, and semiconductor industries. States, regions, and Tribes will be involved in these efforts. Specific initiatives are expected to:
- Verify the complete conversion from graphite to metal electrodes in the chlorine industry
- Contact aluminum foundries and secondary aluminum smelters to work toward the elimination of chlorinated solvent use, hexachloroethane in particular, in high-temperature metals finishing operations, and to prevent the release of chlorinated organic compounds in exhausts, in waste water, and in sewage discharge.
- Contact semiconductor industry representatives to discuss potential solutions to the problem of OCS in waste products from aluminum plasma etching.
- Evaluate potential OCS release from magnesium and titanium production.
- Encourage voluntary testing by industry for potential OCS releases.
- Investigate the nature of the relationship between OCS and other chlorinated compounds such as hexachlorobenzene and dioxins/furans, so that:
- Potential reductions in OCS can be estimated on the basis of pollution prevention or control actions directed at other PBT chemicals.
- The usefulness of a methodology that employs measurement of one PBT, such as OCS, as an indicator of the presence and release of other PBTs, may be evaluated for assessing groups of PBT chemicals.
Return to the Table of Contents
7.0 Reporting Progress
7.1 Reporting Procedure
{to be determined}
7.2 Reporting Schedule
{to be determined}
Return to the Table of Contents
8.0 References
Ahling, B., Bjorseth, A., Lunde, G. (1978) Formation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons during Combustion of Poly(vinyl chloride), Chemosphere 10:799-806.
Anscombe, Frank (1999) Personal communication.
Ciborowski, J.J.H., Corkum, L.D. (1988) Organic Contaminants in Adult Aquatic Insects of the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, Ontario, Canada, J. Great Lakes Res. 14(2):148-156.
Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI) (1999) Octachlorostyrene and Suggested Industrial Sources: A report to the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy OCS Workgroup.
Dethlefsen, V.,Soffker, K., Buther, H., Damm, U., (1996) Organochlorine Compounds in Marine Organisms from the International North Sea Incineration Area, Arch. Fish. Mar. Res. 43 (3): 215 - 242.
Döring, J., Damberg, M., Gamradt, A., Oehme, M. (1992) Screening Method Based on the Determination of Perchlorinated Aromatics for Surface Soil Contaminated by Copper Slag Containing High Levels of Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans and Dibenzo-p-dioxins 25(6):755-762.
Drouillard, K.G., Ciborowski, J.J.H., Lazar, R., Haffner, G.D. (1996) Estimation of the uptake of organochlorines by the Mayfly Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae), J. Great Lakes Res. 22(1):26-35.
Durham, R.W. and Oliver, B.G. (1983) History of Lake Ontario Contamination from the Niagara River by Sediment Radiodating and Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Analysis, J. Great Lakes Res. 9(2): 160-168.
Federal Register March 23, 1995. Volume 60, Number 56; page 15365, 40 CFR Parts 9, 122, 123, 131, and 132, Final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System; Final Rule.
Federal Register: October 6, 1997. Volume 62, Number 193; page 52193-52219, Announcement of the Draft Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List; Notice
Federal Register: August 14, 1998. Volume 63, Number 157; page 43755 - 43828, Draft Water Quality Criteria Methodology Revisions: Human Health; Notice.
Federal Register: January 5, 1999a. Volume 64, Number 2; page 687-729, Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals; Proposed Rule.
Federal Register: October 29, 1999b. Volume 64, Number 209; page 58665-58753, 40 CFR Part 372, Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals; Final Rule.
Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) web site: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/
1999
Health Canada (1998) Persistent Environmental Contaminants and the Great Lakes Basin Population: An Exposure Assessment. Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Holme, J.A. and Dybing, E. (1982) Induction of liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 and associated monooxygenases by octachlorostyrene in inbred strains of mice, Biochemical Pharmacology, 31(15):2523-2529.
Jaffe, R. and Hites, R.A. (1986) Anthropogenic, Polyhalogenated, Organic Compounds in Non-migratory Fish from the Niagara River Area and Tributaries to Lake Ontario, J. Great Lakes Res. 12(1):63-71.
Kaminsky, R., Hites, R.A. (1984) Octachlorostyrene in Lake Ontario: Sources and Fates, Environ. Sci. Technol. 18(4):275-279.
King, L. and Sherbin, G. (1986) Point sources of toxic organics to the upper St. Clair River, J. Water Poll. Res. 21(3):433-446.
Kuehl, D.W., Butterworth, B., and Marquis, P.J. (1994) A national study of chemical residues in fish, III: study results, Chemosphere 29:523-535.
Kuehl, D.W., Haebler, R. (1995) Organochlorine, Organobromine, Metal, and Selenium Residues in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Collected During an Unusual Mortality Event in the Gulf of Mexico, 1990, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 28:494-499.
Kuehl, D.W., Johnson, K.L., Butterworth, B.C., Leonard, E.N., and Veith, G.D. (1981) Quantification of Octachlorostyrene and Related Compounds in Great Lakes Fish by Gas ChromatographyMass Spectrometry, J. Great Lakes Res. 7(3):330-335.
Lahaniatis, E.S., Bergheim, W. and Rainer, C. (1989) Hazardous Halogenated Substances Formed During Combustion Processes, Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, 20-21: 501-506.
Lunde, G., Bjorseth, A. (1977) Human Blood Samples as Indicators of Occupational Exposure to Persistent Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Science of the Total Environment 8:241-246.
Markovec, L.M., Magee, R.J. (1984) Identification of Major Perchloroaromatic Compounds in Waste Products from the Production of Carbon Tetrachloride and Tetrachloroethylene, Analyst 109:497-501.
Mes, J. Davies, D.J., Doucet, J., Weber, D., and McMullen, E. (1993) Levels of chlorinated hydrocarbon residues in Canadian human breast milk and their relationship to some characteristics of the donors, Food Additives and Contaminants 10(4):429-441.
Oehme, M., Manř, S., Bjerke, B. (1989) Formation of Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans and Dibenzo-p-dioxins by Production Processes for Magnesium and Refined Nickel, Chemosphere 18(7-8): 1379-1389.
Ofstad, E.B., Lunde, G., Martinsen, K., (1978) Chlorinated Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fish in an Area Polluted by Industrial Effluents, Science of the Total Environment 10:219-230.
Oliver, B.G. and Bourbonniere, R.A. (1985) Chlorinated contaminants in surficial sediments of Lakes Huron, St. Clair, and Erie: Implications regarding sources along the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, J. Great Lakes Res. 11(3):366-372.
Otero, R. and Grimalt, J.O. (1994) Organochlorine Compounds in Foodstuffs Produced Near a Chlorinated Organic Solvent Factory, Toxicol. Environ. Chem. 46:61-72.
Pugsley, C.W., Hebert, P.D.N., Wood, G.W., Brotea, G., Obal, T.W. (1985) Distribution of Contaminants in Clams and Sediments from the Huron-Erie Corridor. IPCBs and Octachlorostyrene, J. Great Lakes Res. 11(3):275-289.
Pereira, W.E., Rostad, C.E., Chiou, C.T., Brinton, T.I., and Barber, L.B., II. (1988) Contamination of estuarine water, biota, and sediment by halogenated organic compounds: A field study, Environ. Sci. Technol. 22:772-778.
Pugsley, C.W., Hebert, P.D.N., Wood, G.W., Brotea, G., Obal, T.W. (1985) Distribution of Contaminants in Clams and Sediments from the Huron-Erie Corridor. IPCBs and Octachlorostyrene, J. Great Lakes Res. 11(3):275-289.
Raabe, F., Janz, S., Wolff, G., Merten, H., Landrock, A., Birkenfeld, T., and Herzschuh, R. (1993) Genotoxicity assessment of waste products of aluminum plasma etching with the SOS chromotest, Mutation Research 300:99-109.
Schmidt, R., Scheufler, H. Bauer, S., Wolff, L., Pelzing, M., and Herzschuh, R. (1995) Toxicological investigations in the semiconductor industry: III: Studies on prenatal toxicity caused by waste products from aluminum plasma etching processes, Toxicology and Industrial Health 11(1):49-61.
Selden, A.I., Nygren, Y. Westberg, H.B., Bodin, L.S. (1997) Hexachlorobenzene and octachlorostyrene in plasma of aluminum foundry workers using hexachloroethane for degassing, Occup Environ Med. 54(8):613-8.
Suns, K., Hitchin, G.G. (1992) Species-specific Differences in Organchlorine Accumulation in Young-of-the-Year Spottail Shiners, Emerald Shiners, and Yellow Perch, J. Great Lakes Res. 18(2):280-285.
Suns, K., Craig, G.R., Crawford, G., Rees, G.A., Tosine, H., and Osborne, J. (1983) Organochlorine Contaminant Residues in Spottail Shiners (notropis Hudsonius) from the Niagara River, J. Great Lakes Res. 9(2):335-340.
Svensson, B-G., Barregĺrd, L., Sällsten, G., Nilsson, A., Hansson, M., and Rappe, C. (1993) Exposure to Polychlorinated Dioxins (PCDDs) and Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from Graphite Electrodes in a Chloralkali Plant, Chemosphere 27: 259-262.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 1992. National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish, Volume I. EPA 823-R-92-008a.
Vogelgesang, J. (1986) Hexachlorobenzene, Octachlorostyrene, and Other Organschlorine Compounds in Waste Water from Industrial High-temperature Processes Involving Chlorine, Z.Wasser-Abwasser Forsh. 19(4):140-144.
Westberg, H.B., Seldén, A.I., and Bellander, T. (1997) Emissions of some organochlorine compounds in experimental aluminum degassing with hexachloroethane, Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 12(3):178-183.
Return to the Table of Contents
GLOSSARY
BNS Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy
CAS Chemical Abstracts Service
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
GLNPO Great Lakes National Program Office
GPRA Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
HCB Hexachlorobenzene
HCE Hexachloroethane
IADN Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network
LaMP Lakewide Management Plan
NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
OAR EPA Office of Air and Radiation
OCS Octachlorostyrene
ORD EPA Office of Research and Development
OW EPA Office of Water
PAHs Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
PBT Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic
PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls
PVC Polyvinyl chloride
TRI Toxics Release Inventory
Return to the Table of Contents
Appendix A: List of Key Contacts and Action Planning Matrix
List of Key Contacts
| Name | Re: | Organization | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Anscombe | USEPA, Region 5 | (312) 353-0201 | |
| Jonathan Herrmann | USEPA, National Risk Management Research Laboratory |
Action Planning Matrix
| Strategic Approach |
Activity | Key Players | GPRA
and Other goals |
Measures | Outcome | Agency Resource Committments |
Milestones | Priority Rank |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA: Lead Office; Contacts |
Stakeholders: Organization; Contacts |
||||||||
| Strategy 1 | Activity 1 | ||||||||
| Activity 2 | |||||||||
| Activity 3 | |||||||||
| Activity 4 | |||||||||
| Strategy 2 | Activity 1 | ||||||||
| Activity 2 | |||||||||
| .... | |||||||||
Return to the
Table of Contents
Footnotes
1. It should be noted that significant recent advances have been made in process technology and pollution prevention practices in some of these industries that may have eliminated them as current sources of OCS. [Return to text]
2. Some evidence exists suggesting that this category is a source of dioxin emissions. However, insufficient data were available for the 1998 USEPA Dioxin Inventory to make a quantitative emissions estimate. [Return to text]
![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif)