ir
vvEPA
TRi Close Up
(.closer look at what's up
I what's down in the
I database.
Federal Facilities
federal agencies are TRI
'*eporters too; plus EPA's new
^afetoffhe art facility in RTF.
News and Notes
jErp/re beaches to watersheds
p-tnunicipal waste.
Attention Readers!!
'J.J. us what you want to
jjeej:overed in PPN's reader
"
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics
Washington, DC 20460
June/MyJAugust 1997
EPA 742-N-97-00/
Pollution
Prevention
News
Awards! Awards!
Second Annual
Green Chemistry
Awards Given
On June 24, 1997, the recipients of
the second Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge were an-
nounced at a well-attended ceremony in
Washington, B.C. Innovations honored
include improvements in the dry-cleaning
business, semiconductor manufacture,
processing of medical x-rays, production of
ibuprofen, and the use of antimicrobials
for water treatment. Each of the innova-
tions has taken years to develop and
commercialize.
The awards program is a
partnership of industry,
EPA, and scientific and
technical associations such
as the American Chemical
Society, the Council for
Chemical Research, and the
National Research Council, to provide
national recognition for the incorporation of
the principles of green chemistry into
chemical design, manufacture and use.
"Green chemistry" is chemistry designed to
reduce or eliminate the use or generation of
hazardous substances. The program is part
of President Clinton's Reinventing Environ-
mental Regulations Initiative to promote
pollution prevention and industrial ecology.
No More Chemical Baths
Responding to the desire on the part of
radiologists to improve their medical
imaging process, a group at Imation
Corp. (formerly 3M Medical Imaging) in
Oakdale, MN, was able to take an existing
Continued on page 7
Environmental
Challenge Awards to
federal employees
EPA Announces
Winners of
Recognition Project
In another effort to spur environmental
innovation in industrial chemistry,
EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and
Toxics has launched a Pollution Prevention
Recognition Project to acknowledge compa-
nies that are using innovative chemistry
and technologies to prevent pollution. The
project grows out of EPA's New Chemicals
Program which screens up to 2500 chemi-
cals a year as part of the premanufacture
notification (PMN) process mandated by
the Toxics Substances Control
Act. The New Chemicals
Program also reviews new
biotechnology (i.e., interge-
neric) microorganisms.
Using these screening and
review processes, EPA has
been looking for chemicals
and biotech products which are less toxic
or with fewer toxic associated chemicals
(e.g., feedstocks, by-products, impurities,
etc.) than chemicals currently on the
market. The project emphasizes successful
commercialization of the innovation and
also looks for other positive factors such as
pollution prevention, source reduction or
recycling processes that reduce exposures
or releases, environmentally beneficial
uses of the product, and conservation of
energy and water during its manufacture,
processing or use. The first group of
projects given recognition awards are:
>• Genencor—Biotechnology pathway
to environmentally friendly manu-
facture of indigo dye. Genencor's
Continued on page 1O
more on page 5
-------
2 R)Uution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
A Closer Look at TRI
Leading the pack is the
electrical equipment
industry which achieved
almost an 80% reduction
over the seven-year period
EPA's Toxics Release Inventory has
quickly become one of the most
frequently consulted sources of
environmental data and an impetus for
environmental improvement in its own
right. As reported in the last issue of
Pollution Prevention News,
EPA recently published TRI
data on toxic chemical releases
into the environment for
reporting year 1995. The data
show a continuing but slower
decline in the volume of
chemicals released from the
previous year — a 4.9% drop for core
chemicals reported in both 1994 and 1995.
Figure 1 (on the next page) shows the
relative composition of TRI releases in
terms of air, surface water, underground
injection, and land, as well as the signifi-
Table 1 . TRI Releases by Industry
Percentage Change in
Industry Releases, 1988-1995
Electrical Equipment
Leather
Measurement/Photography
Tobacco
Machinery
Textiles
Chemfcals
Printing
Stone/Clay/Glass
Transportation
Petroleum
Fabricated Metals
Primary Metals
Furniture
Plastics
Food
Paper
Lumber
Apparel
-79.7%
-77.8%
-74.2%
-72.2%
-67.6%
-56.1%
-49.8%
-48.3%
-47.1%
-44.4%
-40.6%
-40.1%
-38.2%
-33.7%
-31.1%
-27.5%
-12.6%
- 5.0%
+33.6%
Total Releases 1 995
(millions of pounds)
30.5
3.1
16.9
1.7
23.2
17.8
787.7
31.6
36.0
1 1 0.0
59.9
82.6
331.2
41.0
112.2
86.0
233.2
31.3
1.3
Source for t» TRI tablet; US EBM99S Toxics Release Inventor Public Data Release (EPA 745-R-97-005. April 1 997).
cant overall decline of 46% in releases from
1988 to 1995. Despite this good new, the
data also show a continuing increase in the
overall volume of production-related waste
— close to 7% since 1991. Besides the
summary statistics, EPA's Public Data
Release report includes a wealth of more
detailed data collected by TRI.
Source Reduction Activities
Companies are required by the Pollu-
tion Prevention Act to report pollution
prevention activities to TRI. Unfortu-
nately, according to the latest information,
pollution prevention does not appear to be
gaining ground. Of the 21,951 facilities
reporting to TRI for 1995, nearly 29%
claimed to have undertaken at least one
source reduction activity. But this is down
from 32% in 1994. The most popular
measures taken by facilities were "good
operating practices" (12.9%) followed by
process modifications (10.3%), and raw
material modifications (7.3%). Overall,
facilities projected little change in how
they expect to handle their waste in the
next several years.
Taking a closer look, the situation
differs from industry to industry. As Table
\ shows, several industries reported
significant reductions of half or more of
their total releases since 1988. Leading
the pack is the electrical equipment
industry which achieved almost an 80%
reduction in releases over the seven-year
period, virtually all attributable to de-
creased air emissions. Leather goods
manufacturers followed close behind at
78%. Also achieving 50% or greater
reductions are the measurement/photogra-
phy industry, tobacco, machinery, textiles,
and chemical manufacturing. As column 2
of Table 1 shows, despite its reductions,
chemical manufacturing continues to rank
in first place with the largest amount of
chemicals released (36% of total releases),
followed by the primary metals industry
(15%), paper (11%), and plastics (5%).
-------
3 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
Chemicals Released
Table 2 shows the top 10 chemicals
released into the environment in 1995,
which account for over half of total re-
leases of the 643 TRI chemicals. In col-
umns 2 and 3 of this table are the TRI
chemicals for which the largest decreases
and increases in total releases have been
reported from 1988 to 1995. Not surpris-
ingly, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA) heads
the list of decreases, since it was banned
effective January 1, 1996 along with other
ozone-depleters.
The 1995 Toxics Release Inventory:
Public Data Release report also includes
an analysis of the final year of the 33/50
toxics reduction program, highlighting the
much higher rates of reduction in the 17
toxic chemicals targeted by the program,
compared to TRI chemicals in general.
Thus, for example, between 1990 and
1995, 33/50 program chemicals declined by
over 47%, compared to 26% for all other
TRI chemicals.
Accessing TRI Data
Accessing TRI data is easy through a
wide variety of computer and printed
formats. More information on TRI data
and copies of published reports are avail-
able from EPA's EPCRA hotline at 1-800-
Figure 1. TRI Releases, 1988-95
Billions of Pounds
3.O
D Total Air Emissions
13 Surface Water Discharges
CU Underground Injection
Releases to Land
2.O-
1.5-
1.O
O.5
O.O
1988
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1905
535-0202 (703-412-9810 in the Washing-
ton, B.C. area) or online from the TRI
home page at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/
tri. TRI data can also be accessed through
the Right-to-Enow Computer Network
(http://www.rtk.net) operated by the
Unison Institute and OMB Watch.
Table 2. Top TRI Chemicals fin millions of pounds)
Top TRI Chemicals Released
In 1995
Top TRI Chemicals
Decreased, 1988-95
Top TRI Chemicals
Increased, 1988-95
Methanol (245)
Ammonia (195)
Toluene (146]
Nitrate compounds (138)
Xylene (mixed isomers) (96)
Zinc compounds (88)
Hydrochloric acid (85)
Carbon disulfide (84)
n-Hexane (77)
Methyl ethyl ketone (70)
1,1,1 -Trichloroethane (-158 M)
Toluene (-156)
Phosphoric acid (-119.7)
Chlorine (-74)
Dichloromethane (-74J
Methyl ethyl ketone (-71.5)
Methanol (-68)
Freon 113 (-68)
Xylene (mixed isomers) (-64)
Manganese compounds (-48.5)
Copper compounds (+10.4)
Acetonitrile (+9.9)
Styrene (7.5)
Acetaldehyde (+4.9)
Acrylamide (+3.9)
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene (+3.1)
Ethylbenzene (+2.6)
Acetamide (+.9)
Methyl tert-butyl ether (+.9)
m-Cresol (+.7)
-------
4 Rsllutlon Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
TRI & Federal Facilities
What's New with Federal Facilities?
TRI Offers a Glimpse
•federal facilities reported to TRI for
•I the second time in 1995, and the data
| from their reports are available to the
public through various TRI databases (see
page 3 above for access to TRI data).
According to the TRI
data, federal facilities
released nearly one
quarter less in total
amounts of toxic
chemicals in 1995,
compared to 1994. However, whether that
decrease is due to the adoption of pollution
prevention measures or to the fewer
Several of the larger agencies
achieved substantial reductions
between 1994 and 1995.
number of facilities reporting in 1995 (144
rather than 193) is not yet clear.
The most recent TRI data for federal
agencies are summarized in the table
below. Five federal agencies account for
99% of all federal agency reported releases
— the Defense Department (71%), U.S.
Enrichment Corp. (8.5%), Dept. of Energy
(7%), NASA (6%), and USDA (6%). Several
of the larger agencies achieved substantial
reductions between 1994 and 1995. They
include a 27% decrease for Defense, 8% for
Energy, 14% for NASA, and 12% for the
U.S. Enrichment Corporation.
1 995 TRI Data for Federal Facilities
Total 1995 Releases
Federal Agency {millions of pounds)
Dept. of Agriculture
Dept. of Defense
Air Force
Army
Army Corps of Engineers
Defense Logistics Agency
Marines
Navy
Dept. of Energy
Dept. of Health & Human Services
Dept. of Interior
Dept. of Justice
Dept. of Transportation
Dept. of Treasury
Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Admin.
Tennessee Valley Authority
U.S. Enrichment Corporation
TOTAL
474.9
5,615.3
3,651.8
917.6
22.4
5.3
375.0
643.1
581.9
0
4.8
32.5
16.5
37.6
0
0
474.0
13.6
675.7
7,927.0
Percent Change for
Chemicals Reported
in 1994& 1995
—
-26.7
-25.5
-29.1
0.2
Q3 1
-OJ. 1
-26.5
-28.9
-7.7
-100.0
316.5
-64.8
-30.7
493.3
A c r\
-4D.U
-13.7
-100.0
-1 1.7
-23.6
— — — ^— "i— — —
-------
5 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
Federal Facilities
Award Winners Meet the
Challenge of Pollution Prevention
On May 5,1997, EPA presented Pollu-
tion Prevention Environmental
Challenge Awards to individuals in
federal agencies for outstanding achieve-
ments in implementing the provisions of
the 1993 Executive Order 12856 on Federal
Compliance with Right-to-Know Laws and
Pollution Prevention. Winners were:
>> Cathy Andrews, Department of the
Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Cen-
ter, Crane, IN, for effective outreach to
facility stakeholders and team-building
efforts, including a pollution prevention
"stand down" where over 3,000 Navy
employees learned about the environ-
mental benefits of pollution prevention.
*• Mary Jo Bieberich, Department of
the Navy, Carderock Naval Surface
Warfare Center, Carderock, MD, for
leadership in the Navy's Pollution
Prevention Afloat Program which
integrates pollution prevention activities
into shipboard activities at sea. Her "at
sea" opportunity assessments identified
over 40 pollution prevention opportuni-
ties while ships were deployed.
> Edward Cooper, Department of the
Army, Corpus Christ! Army Depot,
Corpus Christi, TX, for designing a
broad range of process changes and
modifications, some of which include
design criteria requiring virtually zero
pollution from various chemical processes.
> Ronald Barnett, Department of the
Army, United States Field Artillery
Center and Fort Sill, Fort Sill, OK.
As Director of Environmental Quality
for Fort Sill, Mr. Barnett provided
unique pollution prevention outreach
and training materials to facility
personnel, the Fort Sill community, and
the public at large.
> Ronald Robbins, U.S. Postal Service
Northeast Area Office, Windsor, CT.
As Chair of the U.S. Postal Service
Pollution Prevention Task Force, Mr.
Robbins guided the development of
pollution prevention programs affecting
the Postal Service nationwide; at postal
facilities in the Northeast, his efforts
resulted in a reduction of hazardous
waste by over 90 percent.
> Russell P. Schaefer,
U.S. Postal Service,
Portland, ME, for
establishing effective
pollution prevention
programs at District of
Maine facilities and for
implementation of a
highly effective hazard-
ous waste amnesty plan
'which collected un-
wanted and unneeded
chemicals from 172 Maine District post
offices and included reuse of 48 percent
of the chemicals and proper disposal of
the remainder.
Richard Peri, Department of Trans-
portation, Aeronautical Engineering
Division at U.S. Coast Guard Head-
quarters, Washington, D.C., for
integrating pollution prevention goals
throughout the Coast Guard aeronauti-
cal community through such efforts as
developing a pollution prevention
chapter for the Aeronautical Engineering
Maintenance Manual and establishing
aircraft maintenance working groups.
Jane Powers, Department of Energy,
Office of Environmental Policy and
Assistance, Washington, DC, for her
efforts to include DOE in EPA's 33/50
toxics reduction program and to develop
clear and concise pollution prevention
guidance, training courses and work-
shops for DOE facility personnel.
Arthur Benson, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, BeltsviUe Agricultural
Research Center, Beltsvffle, MD, for
establishing ten pollution prevention
goals to ensure that the Research Center
meets and exceeds the pollution preven-
tion goals of Executive Order 12856.
Fran McPoland, Federal
Environmental Executive, with
Arthur Benson, USDA, and
Mike Stahl, EPA.
-------
6 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
Federal Facilities
RTF Facility Builds In Environmental Goals
New RTP Facility
In June 1997, EPA took a step forward
in building a "state-of-the-environmen-
tal-art" facility at Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina, with the award of a
construction contract to Clark Construction
of Bethesda, Maryland. Work is already un-
derway and the building should be com-
pleted by March 2001.
The new facility will be about one
million square feet, and will house 2,000
researchers, policy makers, and other
professionals. The campus will be home to
two of EPA's three National Research
Laboratories, as well as the Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards.
Environmental considerations have
been emphasized at every phase of the
project, from
setting the
requirements for
design services to
specifying con-
struction materi-
als. EPA, the
General Services
Administration,
and the Corps of
Engineers jointly
managed a
rigorous design
evaluation process
which included
detailed environ-
mental reviews at
every stage of development. EPA scientists
supplemented the process, advising
engineers on a variety of technical issues.
Three primary goals have driven the
process - cost-effectiveness, functionality,
and environmental soundness. The aim
was ultimately to produce a "green"
facility with costs comparable to other
buildings.
Among the key environmental features
of the construction project are
protective measures for lakes, streams,
and forests near the site, and construction
waste separation and recycling required
for all major materials.
At the site itself, plans call for minimal
disturbance to the natural ecosystem, the
use of parking decks (in lieu of all surface
parking) to reduce land clearing and storm
runoff; the creation often times as much
new wetland as will be disturbed by
construction; natural stormwater treat-
ment — bioretention ponds, sheet flow
through grass and forest; indigenous
plantings and wildflowers for low mainte-
nance, which will also cut long-term needs
for water, fertilizers and fossil fuel; and
plant rescue prior to construction —
saving many thousands of native plants.
Inside the building will be found many
of the features that EPA has been promot-
ing for other peoples' buildings, including:
>• High efficiency boilers, chillers, motors,
and variable frequency drives
*• Green lighting (high-efficiency fixtures,
bulbs, motion sensors, daylight
dimmers) and extensive daylighting
designed to penetrate deep into the
building
>• Building automation system (direct
digital control) for peak energy
performance
*• Variable air volume controls and outside
air economizers to conserve energy
^ Low VOC paints, sealants, adhesives
and other materials
*> Strict control of formaldehyde and
other indoor contaminants in
construction materials
^ Phasing of finish material application
to avoid absorption of contaminants by
carpet, ceiling tile, etc. — helping to
preserve indoor air quality
*• High recycled content requirements in
all major building materials
>• Certified sustainable wood products
> Low emissivity, "Low-E," glass — for
minimizing solar heat gain
>• Energy conserving fume hoods with
night setback feature — 70% reduction
in air demand.
For more information on the RTP Campus,
contact Chris Long, 919-541-0249 or Pete
Schubert, 919-541-7526.
-------
7 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
More on Chemistry Awards
Green Chemistry Awards
Continued from page 1
image processing technology known as
"photothermography" and refine it to
produce a diagnostic image quality accept-
able to the medical community. Imation's
Green Chemistry award comes from
eliminating the need for chemical baths in
the development of medical images on
photographic film. Imation estimates that
the DryView™ process has the potential to
eliminate 900 million gallons of wash
water a year.
Piranha Solutions Meet
Coldstrip™
As an employee in the semiconductor
industry 10 years ago, Robert R. Matthews
found that the hot sulfuric acid "Piranha"
solution he was using not only ate away the
last of the organic material on a silicon wafer
to expose the circuitry, but also ate holes in
his clothing and burned his skin. Matthews
began searching for alternative solutions and
10 years later, his fledgling company, Legacy
Systems, Inc. of Fremont, California,
received a Green Chemistry award for
eliminating the need for the corrosive
Piranha solutions. Matthew's Coldstrip™
process uses ozone to destroy the photoresist
(the organic material) on wafers, flat panel
displays and other products, converting the
organic material tolnvironmentally benign
carbon dioxide and water.
Curing Headaches Without
Creating Environmental Ones
Ibuprofen became an over-the-counter
commodity in 1985, and sales rapidly took
off. Nevertheless, the manufacture of
ibuprofen was a laborious and -waste-
producing process. Now the BHC Company
of Dallas, Texas, a joint venture of BASF
and Hoechst Celanese, has been recognized
for practically eliminating the generation
of waste at the world's largest ibuprofen
manufacturing plant in Bishop, Texas.
The BHC process uses three steps
rather than the original six, and elimi-
nates the large volumes of aqueous waste
solutions normally associated with large-
scale bulk pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Virtually all starting materials are either
converted to product or a usable by-
product, or are completely recovered and
recycled in the process.
Cleaning Up Dry Cleaning
Dr. Joseph M. DeSimone at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill has long been fascinated with the
"astonishing" solvent properties of
supercritical carbon dioxide, a form of this
usually gaseous compound that at high
pressures exhibits some unusual liquid-like
properties. After seven years of research,
DeSimone has won a Green Chemistry
Award for using supercritical carbon dioxide
to replace perchloroethylene—a potential
human carcinogen—that has been widely
used as a solvent in the dry-cleaning process.
Although carbon dioxide is inexpensive,
non-toxic and recyclable, until recently it
was not a suitable solvent for many clean-
ing operations because of the poor solubility
of the active ingredients currently used in
detergent formulations. DeSimone's group
has overcome this problem by synthesizing
a series of new polymers that are very
effective as surfactants in supercritical
carbon dioxide. DeSimone says that his
process is not only environmentally
friendly, but eliminates the need for a
drying cycle. He anticipates that his
technique could translate into a 30-40%
reduction in the cost of dry-cleaning.
Throwing Out the Bacteria,
Not the Bathwater
Industrial water treatment processes use
compounds to break down bacteria and
algae, but these same chemicals are often
toxic to fish and wildlife. Companies such
as paper manufacturers, who need to
control bacteria in the slurry before the
paper is pressed, must then go to great
measures to remove these compounds from
the water they discharge from their
plants. Albright & Wilson Americas,
Inc., of Richmond, Virginia began a
process 10 years ago that led to the
development of THPS, a biocide that is
more toxic to bacteria than to humans or
environmental species, and that breaks
down into non-toxic materials on its own.
-------
8 Pollution Prevention News
June- Juty- August 1997
News and Notes
Municipal Solid
Waste Report
EPA has released the latest in an annual
series of reports on municipal solid waste
(MSW), which includes wastes such as
durable goods, nondurable goods, contain-
ers and packaging, food scraps, yard
trimmings, and miscellaneous
inorganic wastes from residen-
tial, commercial, institutional,
and industrial sources. A total of
208 million tons of MSW was
generated in 1995, reflecting a
decrease of more than a million
tons from 1994 and a slight
decrease in the per capita
generation rate (4.3 pounds per
person per day, compared to 4.4 pounds
the year before). Recycling (including
composting) recovered 27 percent (56
million tons) of MSW in 1995, up from 25
percent (52 million tons) in 1994. Recovery
of paper and paperboard reached 40
percent (33 million tons) in 1995, and the
percentage of yard trimmings composted
(30 percent) has doubled since 1992.
Despite continuing increases in the
generation of certain types of waste, per
capita MSW generation is expected to
remain relatively stable through the year
2000 as a result of source reduction efforts.
Nevertheless, the total annual generation
of MSW is projected to increase to 222
million tons by the year 2000 and 253
million tons in 2010. Landfilling is ex-
pected to continue as the single most
predominant MSW management method
in future years. Characterization of
Municipal Solid Waste in The United
States: 1996 Update (EPA/530-R-97-015)
includes information on the infrastructure
for MSW management (e.g., numbers of
curbside recycling programs, drop-off
centers, materials recovery facilities),
trend data from 1960 to 1995, and projec-
tions through 2010. The report is available
online at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/
non-hw/muncpl/msw96.htm#links or
through the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at
800-424-9346 or TDD 800-553-7672
(hearing impaired).
Envirofacts on the Web
Wondering how to access and integrate
EPA's data? The Envirofacts database on
the Web provides a single point of access to
numerous EPA databases, and integrates
site or facility-based data from the follow-
ing five EPA program offices:
^ Superfund Data - Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensa-
tion and Liability Information System
(CERCLIS)
>• Hazardous Waste Data - Resource
Conservation and Recovery Information
System (RCRIS)
*• Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
^- Water Discharge Permits - Permit
Compliance System (PCS)
>• AIRS Facility Subsystem - Envirofacts
Aerometric Information (EF AIRS/AFS)
Only publicly-available information is
contained in Envirofacts. Envirofacts is
updated monthly and is accessible on the
Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/enviro/
index.html. Envirofacts integrates the
different databases through two 'cross
reference' databases, the Facility Index
System (FINDS), a central inventory of
over 675,000 facilities regulated by
program offices within EPA; and the
Envirofacts Master Chemical Integrator
(EMCI), which indexes chemical data in
the program systems. Envirofacts also
contains the Grants Information and
Control System (GIGS), EPA's manage-
ment system for tracking all EPA grants
(updated bi-weekly) and several mapping
tools (Maps on Demand, Latitude/Longi-
tude Info).
Beach Report
As thoughts turn to summer and beaches,
EPA has reasonably good news about
Great Lakes beaches. The Great Lakes
National Program Office has been survey-
ing the state of 582 Great Lakes beaches
in 83 counties annually for the last 14
years. About half the counties reported no
beach closings due to pollution from 1981
-------
9 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
News and Notes
Save Your Energy: I0 Simple Things You Can Do
1. Use your desktop lamp; why light a tennis court to read a sheet of paper?
2. Use compact fluorescent lamps to save energy and cut pollution.
3. For three copies or less, use the printer; for more, use the copier.
4. Laser printers use 300 watts; inkjets use only 10, for similar quality.
5. Using the "stand-by" button on your copier will lighten your energy load by 70%.
6. A computer monitor uses 60 watts of power; turn it off if you leave for more than 10 minutes.
7. Recycling paper reduces water use by 60%, energy by 70%, and cuts pollution in half.
8. Relax and take mass transit; use 25 times less energy.
Burn carbohydrates not hydrocarbons: ride your bike to work.
10. Airplanes burn 70 gallons of fuel a minute. Travel by a real super-saver: teleconference.
«-O
to 1994. Sixteen counties reported minor
problems which have since been resolved;
and 18 counties reported deteriorating or
poor beach conditions. Beaches reported
as permanently closed due to pollution
have declined from a high of 14 in 1981
at the start of the surveys, to 3 and 4
from 1990 to 1994. The primary cause of
beach closings was overflow of combined
storm-water and sewage systems with
insufficient capacity to retain heavy
rains for processing through sewage
treatment plants.
Adopt Your Watershed
In honor of the 25th anniversary of the
Clean Water Act, coming up on October 18,
1997, EPA is sponsoring an Adopt Your
Watershed campaign. The campaign
encourages a national volunteer effort on
the part of Individuals and organizations
to protect and restore our nation's valuable
rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes, and
estuaries. By the Fall, EPA expects to
make available on the Internet a database
of organizations that have "adopted" their
watershed so that citizens can find out
what activities are going on. You can sign
up your organization, learn more about
watersheds, link to a variety of resources,
or even locate your watershed on a data-
base using your zip code, county name, or
nearby water body. It's all available at
http://www.epa.gov/owowwtrl/watershed/
adopt/index.html.
You Have The Power
EPA and the Department of Energy's
Federal Management Program have
launched a campaign to increase raise
the visibility of energy efficient practices
and products. Called "You Have the
Power," the campaign aims at increasing
pollution prevention, energy efficiency,
and awareness among federal employees.
An example is the list of 10 things employ-
ees can do to save energy (see box, above).
News and information about the cam-
paign is available on http://www.epa.
gov/oaintrnt/index.htm. The website
also includes artwork for downloading
and updates on the achievements of
individuals in the federal government
and private sector partners.
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10 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
A/lore on Awards
EPA has been looking for
chemicals and biotech
products which are less
toxic or with fewer
toxic associated
chemicals than chemicals
currently on the market.
Editorial Staff:
Ernestine Jones-Lewis,
Editor
Gilah Langner
Free Hand Press, Layout
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Recognition Project
Continued from page 1
process uses an intergeneric microor-
ganism, glucose and other microbial
nutrients instead of hazardous reagents
like aniline, formaldehyde and hydro-
cyanic acid to create the commercially
important indigo dye, which is used to
color blue jeans, among other things.
> Union Carbide—Innovative surfac-
tant (detergent) for use in indus-
trial settings that can be chemically
split and its surfactancy completely
eliminated prior to
environmental release;
the splitting process
results in two non-
polluting fragments or
by-products. Union
Carbide developed the
splittable surfactant to meet
customer needs at indus-
trial laundry and metal-
working operations for a product that
would satisfy the effluent composition
limits of publicly owned treatment
works (POTWs). Now customers can
use this new technology to reduce
biological oxygen demand (BOD) and
fats, oils, and grease in effluent, rather
than using other more toxic surfac-
tants or simply diluting the effluent to
meet POTW requirements. In addition,
there are collateral P2 benefits: less
solid waste is generated; the solid
waste is higher in organic content and
can be put to a more beneficial use as
fuel; and the use and discharge of
phosphates is reduced. A government/
industry partnership has been under-
taken to ensure that splitting occurs
and the full benefits of the promising
technology are realized.
Conrad Industries—Innovative
chemistry/process for recycling
hard-to-recycle post- consumer
plastics. Conrad Industries' new
technology can recycle many plastics
not currently recycled and does not
require sorting of different plastics in
the waste stream. The technology uses
pyrolysis to chemically convert used
plastic into fuel-grade petroleum
feedstocks which can be readily used at
petroleum refineries for further
refining into gases, oils and cokes.
EPA-negotiated pyrolysis parameters
limit emissions of undesired compo-
nents, like dioxins and furans from the
conversion process.
>• Engelhard—Manufacture of new
yellow pigment to replace heavy
metal and diaryl-based formula-
tions. This innovation is expected to
reduce human and environmental
exposure to heavy metals like lead arid
chromium and to diaryl compounds and
by-products such as dichlorobenzidene,
which are used in other yellow pig-
ments. Although EPA is concerned
about the aromatic amines components
of Engelhard's product, it strongly
supports this innovative chemistry.
^- Huls America—Development of
non-phosgene process to manufac-
ture isocyanates. Isocyanates are
typically manufactured using phosgene,
a highly toxic and dangerous gas. Huls
America's new phosgene-free process
avoids the many health and environ-
mental hazards related to the use of
phosgene. Also, the process yields a
blocked isocyanate intermediate, which
can be stored, handled and transported
more safely than other isocyanates.
Although EPA has concerns about
potential human health effects associ-
ated with the isophorone diisocyanate
(IPDI) that is the end product, as well
as for other isocyanates, it strongly
supports this alternative synthesis
process and its health and environmen-
tal benefits.
-------
11 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
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Reader Survey
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-------
12 Pollution Prevention News
June-July-August 1997
Calendar
DATE/SITE EVENT
Augusi 26-28 13* Annual Pollution Prevention
Atlanta, GA Conference
September 15-19 Pollution Prevention Institute
Arlington, VA
September 23-25 Southern States Annual
Biloxi, MS Environmental Conference
October 7 8* Annual Pollution Prevention
Ook Lawn, IL Conference & Tech Fair
October 24-25 1997 National Environmental
Boston, MA Career Conference
October 30-31 Georgia's Governor's Conference on
Atlanta, GA Pollution Prevention and the Environment
November 7-9 Environmental and Economic Balance:
Miami, a The 21st Century Outlook
December 8-12 The Environment 2000 Institute:
Williamsburg, VA Proactive Environmental Strategies
for Forward-Thinking Organizations
SPONSOR
U.S. DOE
Government Institutes
MISSTAP
Illinois EPA, WMRC,ComEd
Environmental Careers Org.
GA P2 Assistance Division, Environmental
Protection Division, Governor's
Environmental Advisory Council
American Institute for Architects;
U.S. Green Building Council
Government Institutes
CONTACT
Andrea Fletcher
888-660-P213
Tel: 301-921-2345
Fax:301-921-0373
Patricia Lindig
601-325-8068
Annette McCarthy
217-782-8700
Tel: 617-426-4375
Ext. 2663
E-MAIL/WWW
http://www.P2XIII.org
p2xiii@groupz.net
giinfo@govinst.com
http://www.govinst.com
necc97@eco.org
http://www.eco.org
Tel: 888-373-5947 (GA) p2ad@ix.netcom.com
or 404-657-5947
Tel: 202-994-7387
Jesus Ferro
Tel: 301-921-2345
Fax:301-921-0373
giinfo@govinst.com
http://www.govinst.com
The Unison Institute's Toxic Release Inventory and Right-to-Know Conference will be held Sept. 8-10,1997
in Washington, D.C. Conference sessions include:
> How can use of TRI make a difference: What are the key TRI data issues? How can we best use TRI to
prevent pollution? Success stories of the use of TRI.
> How can we improve the use of "right-to-know" information: What information do our communities
need? How can we integrate RTK information? How can we better work together?
Vice President Al Gore and EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner are invited guest speakers. Contact: Jeff Thomas,
tel: 202-234-8494, fax: 202-234-8584, thomasje@rtk.net.
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