United States Solid Waste and EPA530-F-99-021
Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Response May 1999
(5305W) http://www.epa.gov
Office of Sol id Waste
c/EPA Environmental
EPA's Comprehensive Review of the
Treatment Standards for Mercury-Bearing
Hazardous Waste
Mercury releases into the environment have the potential to pose long-term
threats to human health, particularly among children, and to our environment. In
light of these concerns, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing
a comprehensive review of the standards governing how mercury-bearing
hazardous waste is treated prior to land disposal. EPA's goal is to ensure that its
hazardous waste treatment standards are as effective as possible in protecting
human health and the environment. This advance notice presents for public review
and comment EPA's data on mercury-bearing hazardous waste, a series of
technical and policy issues regarding mercury waste treatment, and potential
avenues by which current mercury treatment standards might be revised.
Background
Mercury is recognized as a persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substance in
our environment. Recent studies, including EPA's 1997 Mercury Study Report to
Congress, show that long-term exposure to mercury can adversely affect human
health, particularly in our children, and our environment. EPA is therefore
concerned that even small mercury releases may contribute to its buildup in the
environment and increase the potential for adverse impacts. Our goal is therefore
to minimize mercury releases to the environment, consistent with our current
statutory and regulatory obligations.
Action
As one of twelve significant actions identified in EPA's draft Action Plan for
Mercury, the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) published on May
28, 1999 (64 Federal Register 28949} announces EPA's comprehensive review of the
standards for treating mercury-bearing hazardous waste. This set of standards is
among those commonly referred as the Land Disposal Restrictions (or LDRs).
The ANPRM has three overall features. First, EPA's waste generation and
treatment data for mercury-bearing hazardous wastes are presented for review and
updating. These data are broken down by industrial sector and by treatment type.
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Second, EPA presents a number of technical and policy issues for public discussion.
These include: (1) whether current treatment regulations that include requirements
for incineration and retorting (a thermal process for recovering mercury from the
waste) are appropriate in light of the potential for releases of mercury to the
environment; (2) the extent to which alternative treatment options are available
and effective for mercury-bearing hazardous wastes; and (3) the identification of
incentives to minimize the generation of mercury hazardous wastes.
Third, the ANPRM indicates several potential avenues by which current mercury
treatment standards might be revised. These include building in incentives to
minimize the generation of mercury-bearing hazardous waste, increased use of
stabilization treatment processes in lieu of thermal treatment processes, and
special consideration for mixed wastes that contain both mercury and
radionuclides.
EPA in the ANPRM emphasizes that no decisions have been made on what
regulatory changes, if any, will ultimately be proposed. The ANPRM is intended to
present EPA's latest data and potential concerns for public review and comment
prior to the development of any specific regulatory amendments. EPA currently
expects that any such amendments would be proposed for further review and
comment in the year 2000.
For More Information
The Federal Register notice and this fact sheet are available in electronic format
on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/ldr/mercury/index.htm
For additional information or to order paper copies of any documents, call the
RCRA Hotline. Callers within the Washington Metropolitan Area must dial 703-
412-9810 or TDD 703-412-3323 (hearing impaired). Long-distance callers may call
1-800-424-9346 or TDD 1-800-553-7672. The RCRA Hotline operates weekdays,
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Write to the RCRA Information Center (5305W), US EPA,
401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Address e-mail to RCRA-
D ocket@ep a. go v.
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