United States
Environmental Protection
Agency     ,
Policy, Planning
And Evaluation
(PM-223)
EPA 230/09/90/081
, September 1990
Hazardous Substances
in Our Environment
                "''-.,   i ."  •
                       '!  :  \ ' .
A Citizen's Guide Jo
UnderstandingHealth; Risks
And Reducing Exposure

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Hazardous Substances in
Our Environment
A Citizen's Guide to Understanding Health Risks
and Reducing Exposure
September 1990

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The information in this document has been funded
wholly or in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency under Cooperative Agreement No. CR-811075
to the Research Triangle Institute (RT.I), Research
Triangle Park; North Carolina. It has beeih subjected to
the Agency's peer and administrative review and has
been approved for publication as an EPA document.
Mention of trade names or commercial products does
not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

This guidebook was prepared by Dr. Josephine A.
Mauskopf, Anne Forrest, and Dr. WilliamrH.  "
Desvousges of RTl under project numbeir 4431 .The
authors thank the EPA Project Officer, Dr. Ann Fisher,
for her vision in recognizing the need for the guidebook
and  her commitment in guiding it through to the end.
The authors also thank the following RTij staff members
who provided technical, editorial, word processing, and
graphic arts support:  Maria Bachteal, Cathy Boykin,
 Marion Deerhake, Pam Leathers, Gay Shackleford, Jan
 Shirley, Beth Tressler, Marie Turner, and Debbie
 Walker.

 Numerous reviewers from government, industry,
 academia, and citizen organizations provided useful
 insights on draft versions of the guidebook. We thank all
 these individuals, especially John Perrecpne, who
 organized the reviews by the Bloomingtbn, Indiana,
 Citizens Information Committee; Alan Biasaia and Leon
 Danielson, who organized the reviews by the agents in
 the  North Carolina Agricultural Extension Service; and
 Joanne Denworth, who organized the reviews by the
 Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

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                                                             CONTENTS
CONTENTS
         Introduction
                                                                               Page
                                                                                 viii
         Identifying Hazardous Substances in Your Environment                             1
              Defining Hazardous Substances.		!•••••	.-.,•••	1
              Natural and Man-made Sources	 ••.:•• ••••:•••	•	• 2
              Routine and Accidental Releases		• •	•	'• • 4
              Pathways into Your Environment	• •	j.,	• •	 5
              More Information,	.-	 j	•  • •	8

         Estimating Your Environmental Exposure                            	.^1
              Estimating Exposure:  An Overview .,.............[		•	H
              How Scientists Estimate the Amount of Hazardous Substances
                 in Your Environment	;•	• -12
              How Scientists Estimate Daily Dose ..,	•••••••	•:14
              Example Exposure Estimates	• •	• • • •  • ••'.-• • •17
              More Information	• • •—> • •—	• • • •	• • • •; •'19
                          '  ,         ,             " .       .  i-  •
          Estimating Your Health Risks        	.     '! .  '	   21
              Estimating Risk of Illness: An Overview	>... i	• • • • •	•	21
              Identifying Illnesses			• • .-i	• •••	..22
              Estimating the Dose-Respbnse Relationship..:..	1.	 26
              Limitations of Risk-of-lllness Estimates	-|	•	-28
              Computing Risk of Illness		• • • •	•	29
              Examples of EPA's Estimates of Health Effects ......;		• •	-30
                 Cancer Risks from Prolonged Exposures .....,...;	 • • • •	..••• 30
                 Noncancer Risks from Prolonged Exposures .	.;....	' • •	32
                 Health Risks from Accidental Exposures........ ...|.. -	• • • •	33
              More Information	 •	 .L,.	35

      , ;, Judging the Seriousness of Health Risks  	"'I             	_37
      •W h      Determining Your Personal Concerns About Risks	1.	...	•	/ 37
               Characteristics that Influence People's Perception of Risks		38
               How the Government Uses Risk Perceptions
                  to Help Develop Legislation		....!..		41
               More Information		 j	• • • •	• • 41

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VI
CONTENTS
                                                                                       Page
                Government Actions Aimed at Reducing Your Exposure to Hazardous Substances     43
                     Environmental Legislation ..:		 43
                     EPA's Responsibilities.		.	........ 44
                       Setting and Enforcing Standards	,	45
                       Promoting Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention		46
                       Requiring the Cleanup of Polluted Sites		47
                       Working with and Informing the Public			 48
                       Assisting Local Emergency Planning Committees in
                          Planning for Emergencies		V.......	..... 49
                     The Benefits and Costs of Government Action		.. SO
                     Effectiveness of Government Actions		52
                     More Information		..........	.....	........ 56

                Community Actions Aimed at Reducing Your Exposure to Hazardous Substances      57
           Q,-|       Your Local Emergency Planning Committee	 57
                       The Emergency Plan			 58
                       Information Available from Your LEPC ...	.		 59
                       Industry Response to the LEPC		...................... 62
                     Other Community Organizations or Agencies that Support
                       Community Actions	.........:	.63
                     More Information		 65

                Actions You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Hazardous Substances           67
                     Getting Started ......		..			'..-..	67
                     Personal Actions	.,.....				..68
                       Decrease Indoor Exposures	4			 68
                       Select and Use Products Carefully		 71
                       Change Habits that Expose You to Hazardous Substances	....'..... 77
                       Improve Your Diet...		 77
                     More Information		78

                Getting More Information on Hazardous Substances                  	     81
                     Reference Tables: A Guide	,	,..	.... 81
                    Howto Use the Resources	 82
               Glossary
                                                                   119

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                                          INTRODUCTION
vii
     "  NRDC [Natural Resources Defense Council] found industry is
     pumping more than 361 million pounds of cancer causing chemi-
     cals into the air yearly.. ."(USA Today, 6/20/89, 6A).

     "According to NRDC, between 5,500 to 6,200 of today's pre-
     schoolers are likely to develop cancer solely because of exposure
     to just eight pesticides" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/18/89, Weekend
     Magazine, p. 42).
     'The EPA [United States Environmental Protection Agency]
     estimates that 467,000 tons of tobacco are burned indoors each
     year.  That smoke has 43 known carcinogens" (USA Today,
     6/20/89,1A).
                    1 • ~         .     •   •   i • "
Every day the news media publish statements like these as scientists gain
more knowledge about hazardous substances in the environment.  But for you
as the reader such statements often raise more questions than they answer.
You might ask some of these questions:

•   What are the chances I will get cancer if I live! hear one of the industrial
    plants identified in the USA Today article? What about if I live on the other
    side of town from the plant?               !
•   How was the number of cancer cases for preschoolers estimated? Are
    these cancer cases in addition to the cancers that preschoolers may get
    from other sources? Are they predicted to get cancer as children or later
    in life?  How commonly used are the pesticides?

•   How dangerous is the smoke from the 467,000 tons of tobacco containing
    43 carcinogens?  What are my chances of getting cancer from  indoor
    tobacco smoke?
                           .     •      •    i  . •'  '  .
This guidebook can help answer questions you ijnay have about health risks
from hazardous substances after reading statements in newspapers, books,
and government reports or hearing statements on television or radio or even
from your neighbors. We use the term hazardous substance very  broadly.  It
 applies to any man-made or naturally occurring phemical or mineral substance
 found in air, water, soil, or food that can cause stny type of human  illness.

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via
INTRODUCTION
                   EPA's responsibilities for regulating hazardous substances cover both human
                   health and the environment. This guidebook concerns only the human health
                   risks from exposure to hazardous substances. Other EPA publications are
                   available to citizens concerned about risks to the ecosystem.

                   We have tried to give you enough information about human health risks from
                   exposure to hazardous substances to think critically about what you read and
                   hear.  Because some of the information is technical, you may want to skim the
                   guidebook first and then use it as a reference  for answering your questions.
                   The information is as current and as accurate as possible. At the end of each
                   chapter, we provide references for more information.

                   The guidebook is divided into two parts. Part  I, Understanding Your Health
                   Risks from Hazardous Substances (Chapters  1 through 4), describes different
                   hazardous substances and how they get into your environment. It also
                   explains the methods scientists use to estimate your health risks from hazard-
                   ous substances.  Specifically, Part I describes

                   •   sources of hazardous substances in your environment,
                   •   methods scientists use to measure your level of exposure to hazardous
                      substances,
                   •   methods scientists use Jo estimate your risk of illness from different
                      exposures, and
                   •   characteristics of risks that influence your judgment of their seriousness.

                   You may want to know what actions the government takes to reduce health
                   risks and whether there are any actions you can take to reduce your personal
                   risks even more.  Part II of this guidebook, Reducing Your Health Risks from
                   Exposure to Hazardous Substances (Chapters 5 through 8), describes

                   •   government actions to reduce exposure to hazardous substances,
                   •   community activities and organizations that work to reduce exposures to
                      hazardous substances,
                   •   personal actions you can take to reduce your exposures to hazardous
                      substances, and
                                                                                  -' /
                   •   additional sources of information about many different hazardous
                      substances and the harmful health effects associated with them.

                  A glossary at the end of the guidebook defines common terms related to
                  hazardous substances.

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                                 PARTI
Understanding Your Health Risks from
                 Hazardous Substances
                                 CHAPTER .1:
                 Identifying Hazardous Substances in
                              Your Environment

                                 CHAPTER 2:
               Estimating Your Environmental Exposure

                                 CHAPTERS:
                       Estimating Your Health Risks

                                 CHAPTER 4:
               Judging the Seriousness of Health Risks

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                      1'. IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
       IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
       IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
                     HIGHLIGHTS:
                       Hazardous substances are all chemicals or min&rals that can harm you when
                       present in air, water, soil, or food.            !

                       Hazardous substances come from natural and man-made sources.

                       Hazardous substances can get into the environment from both routine and
                       accidental releases.                      :

                       Hazardous substances can travel a variety of routes to get to your environment,
Defining Hazardous Substances
                   Every day you probably hear or read about the harmful effects associated with
                   substances in the environment. Scientists and the government use a variety
                   of terms to describe different types of substances that have harmful health
                   effects.  For example, a factory in your city may be reported to be releasing a
                   "toxic chemical" to the air, while a "hazardous material" may have been found
                   in a river downstream from a large farm.        i
                          .        .'    •    •     -••'.-.''••''•-•••."
                   In this guidebook, the term "hazardous substance" refers to any substance
                   that has potential to harm you when present in air, water, soil, or food. We
                   include substances with harmful health effects that range from minor illnesses
                   or minor injuries to death. We also include substances with health effects that
                   occur right away and those with health effects delayed for 10 years or even
                   longer. You can apply the information on hazardous substances in this guide-
                   book to any substance you read or hear about that has harmful health effects.
                   A glossary at the end of the guidebook defines te>chrtical terms related to
                   hazardous substances. You may want to consult the glossary when you
                   encounter unfamiliar words in this guidebook or in other information sources.

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               IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS,SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Natural and Man-made Sources
                    Many hazardous substances in the environment come from natural sources.
                    Natural sources exist independent of human activities and include the
                    following:
                        s           '        •       *>•"-'   i  '•

                    •   naturally occurring minerals, metals, or gases such as coal, oil, lead, and
                        radon that are found in certain geographic areas; and

                    •   naturally occurring pesticides and contaminants found in plants used for
                        food such as grains and nuts.  Aflatoxin is a contaminant produced by a
                        mold that grows on grains and nuts.
                                           A Natural Source: Radon

                      Radon is an example of a naturally occurring gas. It is found in high con-
                      centrations in soils and rocks containing uranium, granite, shale, phos-
                      phate, and pitchblende.  Radon from the soil and rock on which a house is
                      built can leak into the house through dirt floors, cracks in concrete floors
                      and walls, floor drains, sumps, joints, and tiny cracks or pores in hollow-
                      block walls.
                                                  imnmnt minr nt winmiprAKI KmiKnRwi^wunMrs.-—
                                                  it • in, ,i -iti »• .MI' an ill II1 in in AH lit iu imiu\su\n «V\\\UI«M;I=:
                                                                      'l
In outdoor air, radon is
diluted to such low
concentrations that it is
usually nothing to worry
about. Once inside an
enclosed space (such
as a home), however,
radon can accumulate
to dangerous levels.
Scientists estimate that
about 5,000 to 20,000
lung cancer deaths a
year in the United
States may be attributed
to radon. Most homes
in this country do not
have a radon problem,
but EPA recommends
that all single-family
detached houses and
apartments and
condominiums below the third floor be tested for radon.  Chapter
69, of this guidebook contains information about how to test your
radon.
                                                                    _
                                                   Transport of radon to indoor air
                                                                                 7, page
                                                                                 home for

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     IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Many hazardous substances in the environment pome from man-made
sources.  Man-made sources are created by hurrian activities and include the
following;
  commercial facilities that
  make, treat, store, use,
  or dispose of hazardous
  substances;

  sewage and water treat-
  ment plants; and

  some consumer prod-
  ucts such as gasoline,
  household cleaners,
  pesticides, and paints
  and solvents.
Man-made sources of
hazardous substances;
for example, consumer
products
 The extent of human health effects from a hazardous substance depends on
 the amount of human exposure and the substance's ability to cause harm, not
 on whether the source is natural or man-made.
    Man-made Sources of Hazardous Substances:  A Two-Edged Sword

    Man-made sources bring benefits to society as well as hazardous
    substances to our environment.            j
                                   ,.        i         * "
    Our life expectancy has risen dramatically from ,47 years in 1900 to 75
    years in 1986. A safer water supply explainslpart of this increase.  Surface
    water is now treated with pesticides to kill malny microorganisms that could
    have extremely serious health consequences). Nevertheless, some of
    these treatments produce by-products such as chloroform. Chloroform
    has been shown to have adverse effects on fetal development.

    Technical advances have given us a wide range of new and useful
    products including plastics, nylon, and other man-made fabrics; industrial
    solvents; chemical fertilizers; and pesticides.'Such products have raised
    the standard of living of many people. Ughtv/eight plastic has replaced
    heavier metal in various products including cars and furniture. We save
    energy by driving lighter cars, which use less, energy.  Pesticides and
    fertilizers allow farmers to produce more crops on less land, providing
    consumers with greater quantities of food at lower prices.  Nevertheless,
    all these advances have increased the number and quantities of hazard-
    ous substances produced.

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            1.  IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT-
Routine and Accidental Releases
                    Hazardous substances can be released regularly from a soured into the air,
                    water, or soil or onto food. These routine releases sometimes occur
                    repeatedly over many years.
                                  Sources of routine releases of hazardous substances
                   Routine releases come from both natural and man-made sources. Releases
                   of radon gas from deposits of naturally occurring radioactive minerals near the;
                   earth's surface are an example of routine releases from natural sources.
                   Common activities that cause routine releases of hazardous chemicals from
                   man-made sources include

                   •   using aerosol spray paint in the home,

                   •   disinfecting surface water with the chemical chlorine,

                   •   driving cars or trucks,

                   •   operating sewage treatment plants,

                   •   using solvents for dry cleaning,

                   •   operating factories,
                                           '       •         ,               i --.•"'
                   •   smoking cigarettes, and

                   •   using building materials that contain formaldehyde or asbestos.

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                     /. inFNTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES JN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
                  Hazardous substances
                  sometimes are released
                  into the environment as a
                  result of an accident.
                  Accidental releases are
                  unpredictable and can
                  occur either for a very short
                  time only or for longer time
                  periods (especially if the
                  releases go undetected).
                                                  Accidental releases of hazardous substances
                   Accidental releases of hazardous substances c«tn come from both natural and
                   man-made sources.  A forest fire started by lighjning results in accidental
                   releases from natural sources. Here are some 'examples of accidental
                  , releases from man-made sources:
                                               -"-.-•    -   I      "
                   •  The accidental explosion and release of mejhyl-isocyanate at an industrial
                      plant in Bhopal, India; and

                   •  The train wreck that released formaldehyde!into the Russian River in
                      California.
Pathways into Your Environment
                    Hazardous substances can be transported through many different pathways to
                    get from their sources to your environment. Knjowing all the possible
                    pathways is an important factor in determining whether the hazardous
                    substance will get into your environment. In geineral, the closer you are to the
                    place where the hazardous substance is releasied the more likely it will be in
                    your environment. The following pages list a few typical environmental
                    pathways.

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6
1. IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
                    Chemical fertilizers
                    and pesticides can
                    run off fields during
                    rainstorms into
                    streams or rivers. If
                    a farm does not
                    have drainage
                    ditches, these
                    substances can be
                    carried by rain water
                    or by fish into
                    estuaries, streams,
                    or lakes where
                    people fish or swim.
                    Some farmers use
                    organic farming
                    methods that
                    reduce the use of
                    chemicals.
                                Transport of chemical fertilizer
                                to water used for recreation
                   Some factory smokestacks release particles containing lead, a hazardous
                   substance, into the air. Eventually some of these particles might be deposited
                   onto vegetable crops that people eat. A smokestack with adequate controls or
                   a smokestack on a factory that does not produce lead will not release lead into
                   the air.
                                        Transport of lead from factory to food supply

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     IHPNTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN VOIl/H ENVIRONMENT
Benzene and other
hazardous sub-
stances can be
released to the air
when gasoline is put
in an automobile.
People who pump
the gasoline breathe
in the air containing
the hazardous sub-
stances or absorb
them through their
skin. In some
states, such as
California/gasoline
pumps are designed                         j
to reduce the amounts of hazardous substances! released into the air.

A truck carrying a liquid waste containing a hazardous substance to an incin-
erator could be involved in a wreck. The hazardous substance would be
 released into the soil.  Later, a rainstorm could vj/ash the hazardous substance
 into a nearby  stream where it would flow until reaching the water treatment
 plant for a nearby town. If the treatment process did not remove the
 hazardous substance, it would end up in the town's drinking water.
Transport of benzene from gasoline
to air near gas pump
       Transport of a hazardous
       substance from accidental
       release to drinking water

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 8
1. IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
                            Are There Hazardous Substances In Your Environment?

                      These three examples illustrate how you can determine whether a
                      particular hazardous substance is likely to be in your environment. There
                      must be a source, routine or accidental releases from the source must
                      occur, and there must be a pathway to your environment from where the
                      hazardous substance was released.

                      1.  Is tobacco smoke, which contains cancer-producing substances,
                         In your environment?

                      If you live with, work with, or spend your leisure time indoors around
                      smokers, tobacco smoke will be in the air you breathe.  Even if you are in
                      another part of the building, natural air circulation patterns or heating/air-
                      conditioning systems can bring the smoke into your air.

                      2.  Are substances suspected to cause cancer, such as methylene
                         chloride, released from factories in your environment?

                      If you live within a few miles downwind of a factory that uses methylene
                      chloride in its manufacturing  process and releases it into the air either,
                      routinely or accidentally, it might be in the air you breathe.

                      3.  Do you have hazardous substances in your household such as
                         household cleaners, pesticides, paints, and solvents?

                      If you use household cleaners, pesticides, paints, or solvents and don't
                      take precautions, you may breathe in harmful fumes or take in hazardous
                      substances through your skin.
More information
                   This chapter has identified some common sources of hazardous substances
                   and explained how these substances are released into the environment and
                   how they get jnto'youc air, water, soil, or food.  If you would like to know more
                   about this topic, the publications listed below would be a good place to start.
                   Routes of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

                   Write to:    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II
                              26 Federal Plaza, Room 737
                              New York, NY 10278
                              Attn:  Dr. Maria Pavlova
                   or call:     (212)264-7364

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     IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT
America's Wetlands
Land and Water
-Our Vital Link Between
Write to:   Public Information Center PM-211B
          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
          401 M Street, SW
          Washington, DC 20460
or call:    (202)382-2080
Environmental Progress and Challenges:
EPA's Update	
Write to:    Public Information Center PM-211B
           U.S. Environmental Protection Ager cy
           401 M Street, SW
           Washington, DC 20460
or call:     (202)382-2080
 Chemicals In your Community—A Guide to the Emergency
 Planning and Community Ftight-to-Know Act
 Write to:   Public Information Center PM-211B
           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
           401 M Street, SW
           Washington, DC 20460
 or call:     (202) 382-2080

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10

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                                 ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                                                                                  11
      ESTIMATING YOUR
      ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURb
                    HIGHLIGHTS:
                    • Your level of exposure to a hazardous substance depends on the amount of
                      the hazardous substance in the environment around you and how long it stays
                      there.                     .'•>,•

                    • To determine the amount of a hazardous substance in the environment, EPA
                      either measures the concentration of the hazardous substance directly or uses
                      mathematical models to estimate it.

                    • Your daily dose of a hazardous substance is the amount taken into your body
                      each day.

                     •  Daily dose is an important determinant of whether the hazardous substance
                       can make you sick.
Estimating Exposure:  An Overview
                   Chapter 1 showed that natural and man-made hazardous substances are all
                   around us. These substances will not necessarily make you sick. Whether
                   you get an illness because of hazardous substances in your environment
                   depends on your level of exposure. Your exposure determines the amount of
                   the substance that actually gets taken into your body from the air you breathe,
                   the liquids you drink, the food you eat, and the soil you touch.


                   EPA's first step in determining whether hazardous substances in the
                   environment will make you sick is to estimate the daily intakes or doses of
                   these substances over your lifetime.

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 12
2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                    To estimate your daily dose of a hazardous substance scientists must know
                    how much of the hazardous substance is in the air, water, food, and soil
                    around you each day of your life. As shown in Table 1 on page 18, these
                    amounts are multiplied by the amounts of air, water, food, and soil that you
                    take into your body each day and added together to give your daily dose of
                    the hazardous substance.
                          Amount of hazardous
                            substance in your
                          environment each day
                               of your life
                                                     Your daily contact
                                                    with the environment
                                                Your daily dose
                                              each day of your life
                   After determining your daily dose of a hazardous substance, scientists then
                   estimate your risk, or chance, of getting an illness because of that exposure.
                   Chapter 3 describes how scientists estimate your risk of illness.
How Scientists Estimate the Amount of
Hazardous Substances in Your Environment
                   Direct monitoring
                   is a way to measure
                   the actual concen-
                   tration of hazardous
                   substances in the
                   environment at
                   different points in
                   time.  These meas-
                   urements are  -
                   obtained  by taking
                   samples of indoor or
                   outdoor air, water,
                   food, or soil and
                   looking at their
                   chemical composi-
                   tion in the labora-
                   tory.
                                Monitoring
                                hazardous.
                                substances

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                 ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                                                                    13
For example, EPA operates air and water monftonng stations in most cities in
the United States. The Food and Drug Administration regularly collects
samples of fresh fruits and vegetables and tests ijhem for illegal pesticide
residues.                   ?                 I

Mathematical modeling provides an alternative approach for estimating the
concentrations of hazardous substances. These models use mathematical
formulas to estimate the concentrations of a hazardous substance at different
distances from the point of release. The formulas are different depending on
whether the pathway to the exposed person is through air, surface water, or
ground water. In all the formulas, the concentration at the point of exposure
depends on the amount of the hazardous substance released to the
environment as well as on other factors. These ijnclude distance from the
point of release, climate, geological factors, and the chemistry of the
hazardous substance. EPA routinely uses mathematical models to estimate
the amounts of hazardous substances in air and water.              ,
                                  Exposed Person's
                                  Concentration, G
                  Modeling the dispersion of hazardous substances
  Because both direct monitoring and modeling approaches have limitations for
  estimating environmental concentrations, it is best to combine them, if
  possible.. EPA often compares modeling estirrwates with direct monitoring
  measurements for at least part of the geographic area and part of the time
  period under investigation.

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 14
2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                                Comparing Monitoring and Modeling Estimates

                     EPA has estimated the concentrations of ten hazardous substances in the
                     air at ten different locations in Philadelphia using both the monitoring and
                     modeling approaches.  EPA found that the modeling approach gave
                     somewhat lower estimates of the concentration for all the hazardous
                     substances. These results illustrate the difficulty that engineers have in
                     identifying all sources and in  accurately measuring releases. The main
                     advantage of the modeling approach is that it can be used to derive
                     concentration estimates for all locations in Philadelphia, whereas the
                     monitoring estimates are restricted to the ten sites where the monitors are
                     placed. The engineers can use the information gained by comparing the
                     modeling and monitoring methods to improve the accuracy of the modeling
                     estimates.
How Scientists Estimate Daily Dose


                   The three ways that hazardous substances can enter your body are through


                   •   your lungs—from the air you breathe;

                   •   your digestive tract—from the food you eat, liquids you drink, or particles
                       from the soil or air that you swallow; and

                   •   your skin—from the hazardous substances you touch or the water you
                       wash in.
                       Pathways through which hazardous substances can enter the body

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               2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE      .     t5
 The amount of each hazardous substance actually taken in by each exposed
 person in one day is referred to as the daily dose. Several quantities affect
 how much of a hazardous substance in your environment is actually taken into
 your body each day. Some of these are how much you eat and drink and how
 much you breathe each day and how easily the hazardous substance can
 pass through your lungs, digestive tract, or skin into your blood stream,
                                    ,  i •  "    i        '             "
 To find out how much of a hazardous substance you take into your body
 through a particular exposure, EPA multiplies the [concentration of the
 hazardous substance in your environment by appropriate conversion factors
 for that type of exposure. The following are examples of conversion factors
 that have been used in some EPA studies:      [

   ?   Water drunk per day by adult - 2 liters  (approximately eight 8-ounce
      glasses including the water in coffee, soda,  etc.), by child - 1 liter
   •   Air breathed per day -. 20 cubic meters (approximate volume of air in a
      small bedroom or den)                        .
   -   Fish eaten per week (1 portion) - 224 grams (approximately 7 ounces)
   •   Soil consumed per day (by child) - 100 milligrams (0.004 ounces)
   •   Percentage of hazardous substance in contact with lungs or digestive
      tract taken into body (absorption rate)-100 percent

  These conversion factors are based on observations of human behavior.
  They are, in EPA's judgment, reasonable estimates. Your daily dose  may
  vary over your lifetime for several reasons.  For example/you may live near a
  factory for the first 20 years of your life and then move to a different
  neighborhood. Your daily dose also may depen
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16
~2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                              Your Exposures to Some Hazardous Substances

                    If you want to know what your health risks are from a hazardous substance
                    in your environment, you need to know your amount of exposure. Here are
                    two examples of how researchers have estimated likely exposures for
                    hazardous substances that have been in the news.

                    1.  What is your exposure to tobacco smoke, which contains cancer-
                       producing substances?

                    If you live or work with smokers, researchers estimate that your average
                    daily dose of tobacco tar (from tobacco smoke) is 1.43 milligrams per day
                    for your 50 adult years.  To get this estimate, the amount of tar released to
                    the air when one cigarette is smoked was measured and multiplied by the
                    estimated number of cigarettes smoked per hour in the home and in the
                    workplace. A mathematical model was used to convert these estimates of
                    the hourly releases of tar into estimates of the concentration of tar in indoor
                    air at home and at work. Finally, estimates of breathing rates and lengths of
                    time spent at home and at work were used to convert the concentration of
                    tar in the air into a daily dose. Your daily dose of tar may be higher or lower
                    than average depending on whether your exposure factors are higher or
                    lower than average.

                    2.  What is your exposure to cancer-causing chemicals released from
                       factories near your home, such as methylene chloride?

                    If you live and work within a mile downwind of a chemical factory that
                    routinely releases 183,000 pounds of methylene chloride to the air each
                    year, the concentration in your air may be as high as 0.12 milligrams per
                    cubic meter if you live and work less than 250 yards from the factory
                    according to mathematical modeling estimates.  At these concentrations,
                    your daily dose would be 2.4 milligrams per day, assuming a breathing rate
                    of 20 cubic meters per day. On the other hand, if you live and work
                    between 1 and 2 miles from the factory, modeling results indicate that your
                    daily dose would be no higher than 0.011 milligrams per day. You can see
                    that your exposure falls  rapidly as your distance  from the source increases.
                    Also, if you only spend part of your day near the  factory,  your exposure will
                    be even less.                                            ,

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                                 2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                                                                                     17
Example Exposure Estimates
                   Table 1 presents EPA's estimates of actual exposure levels for ten hazardous
                   substances that may be in your environment. All the exposures shown in the
                   table assume the same daily dose for a person's! lifetime. All the estimates
                   are for a specific U.S. community. Your community may be exposed to lower,
                   higher, or roughly the same amounts of these substances. For example, the
                   methylene chloride exposure levels are for persons breathing the air close to a
                   factory that releases 183,000 pounds of methylene chloride each year. Many
                   factories release much smaller amounts of mettjylene chloride. If there are no
                   factories using asbestos in your community, yoii will not be exposed to
                   asbestos from that type of source.  If your drinking water comes from a well, it
                    is less likely to contain chloroform. And if you live in a very small town or rural
                    area, your benzene exposure will be far below that of people who live in cities
                    near busy intersections.                     i

                    Table 1 shows that typical daily doses for some hazardous substances are
                    higher than for others. But you cannot tell by lopking at the daily doses in
                    Table 1 whether such exposures are likely to harm your health. Chapter 3
                    describes the methods EPA, other government Agencies, and other
                    organizations use to convert exposure estimates, like those in Table 1, into
                    estimates of health risks.

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18
     2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
  Table 1.  Selected Daily Doses for Ten Hazardous Substances
 	Found in Specific U.S. Communities
  Hazardous
  substance
               Source
Amount In environment
Daily dose
per person
  Asbestos
  Benzene
  Carbon
  tetrachlorlde

  Chloroform
 Chloroform



 Formaldehyde


 Methylene chloride


 Perchtoro-
 ethylene
 Perohloro-
 ethylene
 Radon
 Tobacco smoke
 Xylene
             Cement-pipe     0.01 mlcrograms per cubic meter
             factory          (mcg/m3) estimated In air near
                            factory

             Car exhaust     22.3 mcg/m3 monitored in air at
                            Intersection

             Chemical        28 mcg/m3 maximum concentration
             factory          estimated In air near factory

             Chemical        100 mcg/m3 maximum
             factory          concentration estimated In air near
                            factory               ,

             Disinfection      47.7 mlcrograms per liter (mcg/L)
             of drinking       measured In drinking water
             water

             Chemical        1 mcg/m3 estimated In air near
             factory          factory.

             Chemical        120 mcg/m3 estimated In air very
             factory          near factory

             Dry cleaning     10.2 mcg/m3 maximum
                            concentration monitored In air In
                            two cities

             Sewage         36.5 mcg/m3 maximum
             treatment        concentration monitored in air near
             plant            sewage treatment plant

             Underground     800 plcocuries/m3 monitored In air
             deposits         In homes in two states

             Cigarette        71.5 mcg/m3 estimated in Indoor air
             smokers         where cigarette smokers are
                            present

            Car exhaust      30.4 mcg/m3 maximum
                            concentration monitored in air in
                            two cities
                                                                           0.2 mlcrograms per
                                                                           day (meg/day)
                                      450 meg/day1


                                      560 meg/day


                                      2,000 meg/day



                                      95 meg/day



                                      20 meg/day


                                      2,400 meg/day


                                      200 meg/day



                                      730 meg/day



                                      16,000 plcocuries/day


                                      1,430 meg/day



                                      610 meg/day
 Notes:
1,000,000 mlcrograms (meg) - 1,000 milligrams - 1 gram - 0,035 ounces; 1 cubic meter (m3) - 35 cubic feef
1 liter (L)-1.06 quarts                                                                       '
        Conversion factors)
        for computing dally >
        dose:           *
                     20 m3/day - air breathed per day
                     2 L/day - water drunk per day
                     100% - absorption rate for lungs and digestive tract
These dally dose estimates are for a specific community. The daily doses for people In your community may
be higher, lower, or the same as these depending on whether your community contains the same sources of
hazardous substances as this community.

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                                            vn"a ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                                                                                   19
More Information
                   This chapter has provided the information you need to have a basic under-
                   standing of how the EPA and other organizations estimate your exposure to
                   hazardous substances.  If you would like to know more about this topic, the
                   publications listed below would be a good place to start.
                    ••'--*                               i
                   The Routes of Exposure to Environmental Ch&micals
                   Write to:
                   or call:
                              11
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II
26 Federal Plaza, Room 737
New York, NY 10278
Attn: Dr. Maria Pavlova
(212)264-7364
                    Toxic Chemicals:  What They Are, How They
                    Affect You	         	-.	—^—r—	
                    Write to:   U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region
                              26 Federal Plaza, Room 737
                              New York, NY 10278
                              Attn: Dr. Maria Pavlova
                    or call:     (212)264-7364
                        Risk Assessment Manual: A Guide to Understanding and
                     lsngHealth andrinvlronmental Assessments by B. Brockbank,
                     . Cohrsson. and V. T. Covello. 1988      	i.    	__	_
                    Write to:    National Technological Information Service
                               5285 Port Royal Road           !
                               Springfield, VA 22161
                    or call:     (703) 487-4650
                    Cost:      $17.50    '
                     Chemical Risks: A Primer by Kathleen Ream
                     Write to-   American Chemical Society               ,
                     write 10.   Department Of Government Relaticlns and Science Policy
                               115516th Street, NW
                               Washington, DC  20036
                     or call:    (202)872-4386

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20
2. ESTIMATING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
                  Chemical Risks: Personal Decisions by Susan "Turner

                  Write to:   American Chemical Society
                            Department of Government Relations and Science Policy
                            11551601 Street, NW
                           •Washington, DC 20036
                  or call:     (202)872-4386
                  Chemical Risk Communications by William Beranek
                  and Susan Turner     	;	    ' •. , •  ' .   •

                  Write to:   American Chemical Society
                            Department of Government Relations and Science Policy
                            1155 16th Street, NW
                            Washington, DC 20036
                  or call:     (202)872-4386            _

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                                                3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
       ESTIMATING YOUR
       HEALTH RISKS
                      HIGHLIGHTS:
                        The risk of illness from a particular exposure is estimated by combining the
                        dose estimate and dose-response estimate.

                        A dose-response estimate tells how the risk of illness changes with different
                        doses.
                                                           '        • *        -           ^
                        Because there is limited experimental information about human health effects
                        and human exposure to hazardous substances, (Scientists may use animal
                        studies to develop dose-response estimates.              ;

                        EPA describes the reliability of a risk estimate beised on the type, quality, and
                        quantity of information used to make the estimate.
Estimating Risk of Illness:  An Overview
                    Your risk of illness is the likelihood that exposure to a hazardous substance
                    will cause you to experience a harmful health effect or illness. In general, the
                    greater your exposure to a hazardous substance,! the greater your risk of
                    illness. But your risk of illness is also determined by the amount of the
                    substance that is required to harm your health. Fjor exarnple, small amounts
                    of cyanide might increase your risk of death quite! a lot, while the same amount
                    of lead might not increase your risk of death at all.

                    Everyone who is exposed to a hazardous substance above some minimum
                    level has an increased risk of illness, but only in very unusual circumstances
                    will many people actually get sick.  For example, all people exposed to low
                    levels of a cancer-causing pesticide in their food have an increased risk of
                    cancer, but the increased  risk of cancer is very low—less than one person out
                    of every one million exposed may be expected to get cancer. In contrast,
                    most people breathing high levels of hydrogen cyanide will become very sick
                    or die. Their increased risk of death is very high.

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22
3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
                    Individual risks of illness are measured by an expression of chance (for
                    example, one chance in a million) that ah individual is expected to get sick.
                    For example, some workers in asbestos factories in the 1930's and 1940's
                    had a risk of cancer as high as one chance in a hundred (that is, 1/100). But
                    the risk of getting cancer from exposure to the lower levels of asbestos in the
                    air near such a factory was much lower-^-one chance in ten thousand (that is,
                    1/10,000).

                    Sometimes scientists compare the severity of different risks by looking at the
                    expected occurrences of the illness for the total exposed population.  For
                    example, in 100,000 workers exposed to high levels of asbestos, we would
                    expect to observe 1,000 (that is, 100,000 x 1/100) extra cases of cancer. For
                    100,000 people exposed only to low levels of asbestos, we would expect to
                    observe 10 (that is, 100,000 x 1/10,000) extra cases of cancer.

                    Chapter 2 described the methods for calculating people's daily doses of a
                    hazardous substance from the amount of the hazardous substance in the
                    environment. In this chapter we describe the process that researchers have
                    developed to estimate the risk of illness from a particular environmental
                    exposure.  This process involves first identifying the illnesses likely to be
                    caused by hazardous substances and then estimating the relationships
                    between extra risks of illness and different daily doses. These relationships
                    are used to convert estimates of people's daily doses into estimates of extra
                    risks of illness.
                           Identify illnesses
                                    Estimate dose-response relationships for various illnesses   ;;,
                                               Estimate risks of illnesses for a particular dose
Identifying Illnesses
                    Exposure to hazardous substances has been associated with an increased
                    risk of many illnesses or other health effects such as the following:
                        Premature death
                        Kidney damage
                        Birth defects
                        Hyperactivity in children
                                      Cancers
                                      Anemia
                                      Liver damage
Nervous system damage
Impaired fertility
Skin diseases

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                            3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
23
          Hazardous Substances and Harmful Health Effects—•
                           Some Examples

  Hydrogen cyanide, even in small amounts, can cause immediate death.
  Hydrogen cyanide can be released accidentally from a chemical factory.

  Lead can cause anemia, behavioral problems in children, and IQ deficits.
  At very high levels of exposure, lead can cause immediate death.  Lead
  can be released into the air from factories, into groundwater from landfills
  holding old batteries, and into food from poorly glazed dishes.

  Benzene can cause leukemia as well as other blood disorders. At very
  high levels of exposure, benzene can cause immediate death.  Benzene
  can be released from gasoline pumps.

  Radon, tobacco smoke, and asbestos can cause lung cancer.  Radon can
  be released from underground deposits, and asbestos can be released
  from factories that use ft or from asbestos insulation.
Information from human studies provides the most compelling evidence that
hazardous substances cause particular illnesses. Some of this evidence
comes from doctors reporting an unusual numbjer of cases of a specific illness
in exposed individuals, for example, finding several cases of leukemia in work-
ers exposed to high levels of benzene. More formal human studies compare
illnesses for people with different levels of exposure. For example, one study
compared the number of cases of leukemia in rubber workers exposed to
benzene on the job and the number of cases in a comparable group of
nonexposed workers.

Human information is very limited for most hazardous substances and is often
supplemented by information from animal studies.
                                                                     \

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24
3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
                           0 out of 60 at 0 mg/kg/day
                                (no exposure)
                                           4 out of 60 at a dose of 11.6 mg/kg/day
                                      14 out of 60 at a dose of 58 mg/kg/day
                         . Cancer case
                           Results from a study exposing rats to three doses of benzene
                     Animal studies usually include

                     •   short-term tests to determine the dose levels that are immediately fatal;

                     •   longer term studies to identify illnesses likely to occur at lower exposure
                        levels and to identify exposure levels below which there are likely to be no
                        health effects; and

                     •   lifetime or special studies to determine whether prolonged low-level
                        exposures to the hazardous substance are associated with increased risks
                        of specific illnesses such as cancer or birth defects.

                     Information from animal studies offers several advantages over human
                     information. Two advantages are that researchers can control the exposures
                     and can determine cause-and-effect relationships.

                     Animal experiments are used to estimate risk of illness in humans because
                     hazardous substances that cause harmful health effects in humans generally-
                     also cause harmful health effects in other animal species. For example,
                     scientists have found that all hazardous substances shown to cause cancer in
                     humans also cause  cancer in at least one other animal species.

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                            3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
25
There are limits to relying only on animal studies, however.  Most importantly,
scientists have found some hazardous substances that cause cancer in one or
more mammalian species but lack evidence of a similar effect in humans. In
addition, both animals and humans have differing abilities to protect
themselves against the low levels of hazardous substances generally found in
the environment. Most animal experiments test the effects of high exposure
levels only. So the effect of a hazardous substance on humans is uncertain
when there is on/y information from animal experiments.
                 .                  -       i

To describe the level of certainty about whether [exposure to a specific
hazardous substance causes or does not cause an illness in humans, EPA
has set up a weight-of-evidence classification. This classification is based on
the quality and availability of evidence from human and animal studies.
          EPA's Weight-of-Evidence Classification for Cancer

  For cancer-producing substances EPA's weigjht-of-evidence classification
  is as follows:                             i
  A -  causes cancer in humans—good hurr an evidence supported by
         animal evidence                   !
                          ,',""-.           t        •-,',.       . •

  B1 -  probably causes cancer in humans—good animal[evidence in
         more than one species and limited supporting human evidence

  B2 -  probably causes cancer in humans—good animal evidence in
         more than one species but no human evidence

  C -  possibly causes cancer in humans—glood or limited animal
         evidence in only one species or suggestive animal evidence in
         several species and no human evidence

  D -  not known whether it causes cancer in humans—inadequate
         evidence or no evidence            i
  E -  unlikely to cause cancer in humans—Ihurnan and animal evidence
         indicating that there is no relationship between exposure and
         excess risk of cancer

  For example, benzene, a chemical released ill car exhaust fumes, belongs
  to group A, while methylene chloride, a chemical often released from
  chemical factories, belongs to group 62. Of course, new scientific
  evidence can move a chemical to a different group.

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26         -3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
Estimating the Dose-Response Relationship
                   A dose-response relationship provides a mathematical formula or graph for
                   estimating a person's risk of illness at each exposure level for a hazardous
                   substance. Determining the general shape of the dose-response curve
                   requires scientific knowledge about the action of hazardous substances on
                   human cells.  The specific shape of the curve is determined using information
                   from either human studies or animal studies or from both. To estimate a dose-
                   response relationship, measurements of health risks are needed for at least
                   one dose level of the hazardous substance compared to a nonexposed group.

                   There is one important difference between the dose-response curve
                   commonly used for estimating the risk of cancer and the ones used for
                   estimating the risk of all other illnesses:  the existence of a threshold
                   dose—that is, the highest dose at which there is no risk of illness.  Because a
                   single cancerous cell may be sufficient to cause a clinical case of cancer,
                   EPA's and many others' dose-response  models for cancer assume that the;
                   threshold dose  level for cancer is zero. In other words, people's risk of cancer
                   is increased even at very low doses.  However, the increased cancer risk at
                   very low doses is likely to be very low.

                   On the other hand, scientists have observed that the human body is capable
                   of adjusting to varying amounts of other  types of cell damage without showing
                   signs of illness.  Therefore, dose-response models for noncancer illnesses
                   include a threshold dose level that is greater than zero.  In other words, at low
                   doses, there may be no risk of noncancer health effects.  For noncancer
                   health effects, such as permanent liver or kidney damage, temporary skin
                   rashes, or asthma attacks, information from human or animal studies is used
                   to estimate the threshold dose levels.   .

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        3.  ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RfSKS
                                                                     27
o
•5

£
•a'
      1/10 -
     t/100 -
    1/1,000 -
For substances
suspected to cause
cancer, EPA
assumes a straight-
line (linear) dose-
response rela-
tionship.  The
straight-line model
generally gives
higher estimates of
the risks of getting
cancer at low dose
levels than most
other usable
mathematical
models. In the
cancer dose-
response curve pictured here, a dose of 100 miprograms per day causes an
extra chance of cancer of about 1 m a 100 in study animals receiving the
dose. With a straight-line model, the level of caincer risk increases at a
constant rate as the dose level increases. This] rate of increasing cancer risk
is known as the slope factor for the hazardous (substance.
                           100
                         Dose, meg
                 Cancer Dose Response Curves
     1/10
I
,8
QC
 s
 §
z
•5
                         1/100
                                 Human
                                Threshold
                                    Other
                                 Mathematical
                                    Model
For noricancer
illness, because of
the uncertainties
when converting,
from animal to
human data, and
because individuals
vary in their sus-
ceptibility to the
harmful effects of
hazardous sub-
stances, EPA
adjusts the observed
threshold dose
downward by divid-,
ing by uncertainty
factors that range
from 1 to 10,000.  We refer to this adjusted value as a human threshold.
Below the human threshold, we expect no appreciable risk of harmful health
effects for most of the general population.
  1/1,000
                 10
   Threshold Dose
                                                  100
                                            Dose, meg
                                      1,000
              Noncancer Dose-Response Curves

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28
3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
Limitations of Risk-of-Illness Estimates
                    Scientists must make assumptions because they lack sufficient information on
                    exposure and how hazardous substances actually harm human cells. EPA's
                    mission is to protect human health and the environment. When information is
                    missing or uncertain, or more than one alternative model is possible, EPA
                    uses worst-case, or conservative, risk estimates. In other words, the true risks
                    are very unlikely lo be any higher than the EPA estimates. In particular, EPA
                    generally

                    •  uses a straight-line dose-response model for cancer-producing substances
                       because this model is unlikely to underestimate the true cancer risks at low
                       dose levels;

                    •  uses uncertainty factors from 1 to 10,000 to adjust observed threshold
                       dose levels downward to human thresholds (for nohcancer effects) to
                       make it unlikely that EPA will underestimate the true noncancer risks of
                       low levels; and,

                    •  assumes lifetime exposures for cancer and certain noncancer effects when
                       information on exposure duration is not available—this may overstate the
                       number of years an individual is exposed to the hazardous substance.

                    When available evidence is incomplete, different groups may come up with
                    different estimates of the health risks from a specific hazardous substance
                    because of the use of information from different studies or the use of different
                    methods to account for the uncertainty about exposure to hazardous
                    substances and the effects of hazardous substances on the human body.
                                Different Risk Estimates for Alar: EPA and NRDC

                       Estimates of the risk of illness for a particular exposure depend on how
                       different groups interpret the available evidence. This has happened in
                       the case of estimates of the lifetime increased cancer risk from children
                       eating apples treated with Alar, a pesticide that is now banned by EPA.

                       EPA's 1988 estimates of the extra lifetime cancer risks for people exposed
                       to Alar as young children were 25 times lower than Natural Resources
                       Defense Council's (NRDC's) estimates of 5,280 extra cancers because of

                       •  differences in the assumed exposure duration—EPA assumed 1.5
                         years and NRDC assumed 6 years;

                       •  differences in estimated daily dose levels—EPA used evidence from a
                         1977-1978 food consumption survey of 30,000 persons, while NRDC
                         used information from a 1985-1986 survey of 2,000 persons; and

                       •  differences in the estimated cancer slope factor—EPA derived its slope
                         factor from an ongoing toxicity study judged by EPA's scientists to be a
                         better study than a completed study used by NRDC.

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                                               3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
Computing Risk of Illness
                   The estimated dose-response relationships for a hazardous substance can be
                   combined with your estimated daily dose to estimate risk of illness associated
                   with exposure to that hazardous substance. The methods used to combine
                   dose-response relationships and daily doses rainge from very simple to quite
                   complex. Each method makes different assumptions about the shapes of the
                   dose-response relationships and about how daily dose varies over your
                 - lifetime.
                   The simplest method for cancer assumes your jdaily dose is the same for your
                   entire lifetime and uses a straight-line dose-response relationship (see
                   example on page 27). Your extra cancer risks from exposure to a hazardous
                   substance are estimated by multiplying your estimated exposure by a cancer
                   slope factor.
                   For noncancer effects, the simplest method assumes no risk below the human

                   threshold and a positive but unknown risk above that dose. When more
                   information is available, extra risks are estimated by multiplying your estimated
                   exposure by a noncancer slope factor for exposures above the human
                   threshold (see example on page 27).         !
                               Health Risks from Some Hazardous Substances

                     Here are two examples of estimates of your health risks for hazardous
                     substances that have been in the news.

                     1.   What is your extra cancer risk from exposure to tobacco smoke
                         containing substances suspected to cause cancer?

                     There is human evidence that tobacco smoke causes cancer. If you are a
                     nonsmoker who lives or works with smokers, researchers estimate that
                     your extra cancer risk is 365/100,000.  In other words, 365 extra cases of
                     cancer are expected for every 100,000 persons exposed to an average
                     daily dose of tobacco tar of 1.43 milligrams for their 50 adult years. These
                     365 extra cases are in addition to the 20,000 cases .of cancer from other
                     causes expected in this population of 100,000.

                     2.   What is your health risk from exposure to chemicals suspected
                         to cause cancer that are released from factories  near your home,
                         such as methylene chloride?

                     Anjmal studies have shown that methylene chloride can cause cancer.
                     Using the results of animal studies, your extra cancer risk if you live and
                     work within a mile downwind of a chemical factory releasing 183,000
                      gounds of methylene chloride each year is estimated to be 50/100,000 or
                      0 extra cases of cancer in every 100,000 people exposed at these levels
                     during their lifetime.  If you live between 1 and 2 miles from the factory,
                     your extra risk falls to 5/100,000 or 5 cases per 100,000 people  exposed.
                     These cases are in addition to the 20,000 cases of cancer from  other
                     causes expected in this population of 100,000.

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30         3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
Examples of EPA's Estimates of Health Effects

                   For selected hazardous substances, this section presents EPA's estimates for
                   three types of population health risks:

                   •  cancer risks from prolonged exposures,
                   •  noncancer risks from prolonged exposures, and
                   •  health risks from accidental exposures.   .

                   As noted earlier, EPA's worst-case health risk estimates are likely to overstate
                   the true risks when limited information is available.

            Cancer Risks from Prolonged Exposures
                   Using the methods described in this chapter, EPA has estimated the cancer
                   risks from exposure  to some common hazardous substances. Table 2 shows
                   the extra cancer cases estimated by multiplying EPA's estimates of the extra
                   cancer cases expected at an exposure of 1 microgram per day (meg/day), the
                   cancer slope factor shown in column 2,  by the daily dose shown in column 5.

                   The daily doses in Table 2 come from Table 1 in Chapter 2. Your daily doses
                   may differ depending on whether you are exposed to these hazardous
                   substances at the same level as the specific communities described in
                   Table  1. All the estimates of cancer cases are in addition to the 20,000
                   cancers expected from all other causes in this group of 100,000 people.
                                                  '            i
                    Comparing the cancer slope factors in column 2 for the different hazardous
                   substances, you can see that exposure of 100,000 people to asbestos at
                    1 meg/day is estimated to result in 50 extra cases of cancer, while exposure to
                    benzene at the same level is estimated to result in 0.04, or much less than
                    one, extra case. Thus, asbestos appears to be a more potent cancer-causing
                    agent than benzene.

                    This section provides only a few examples of risks from common hazardous
                    substances. You may be exposed to many other hazardous substances in
                    your environment. Once you understand how health risks are estimated, you
                    should be able to better evaluate risks from hazardous substances in your
                    environment.  You also should be able to ask informed questions of officials
                    and technical experts and to better understand risk information.

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3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
31
• j
- \ - -
f -
•-]
I
\
t
I
i
1 ,' f
i
i
i
t
' . \
'i
i
i
*
..-•'; . . - • " , / ' -
Table 2. An Illustration of How Scientists Estimate Your Extra Chance of Getting
Cancer as a Result of Exposure to Hazardous Substances In the
Environment
(6)
(2) (3) Extra cancer
Estimated Weight- (5) cases per
extra of- Example 100,000
cases per evidence daily people
(1) 100,000 classifi- dose from at example
Hazardous people at cation (see (4) Table 1 daily dose
substance 1 meg per day page 25) Source (see page 18) [(2)x(5)]
Asbestos 50 A Cement- 0.2 ijncg per day 10
pipe in air
: • factory . ,
Benzene 0.04 A Car 450 meg per day 18
exhaust in air .
Carbon tetra- 0.08 B2 Chemical 560 meg per day 45
chloride factory . in air
Chloroform 0.12 , B2 Disinfec- 95 nrtcg per day 11
tion of in diinking
• ' , drinking water
water
Formaldehyde 0.05 B1 Chemical 20 meg per day 1
factory in air ,
Methylerie 0.02 B2 . Chemical 2,400 meg 50
chloride < factory per day in air
Perchloro- 0.002 B2 Sewage 730 meg per day 2
ethylene treatment in air
. .plant
Radon 0.011 . A Under- 16,000 pico- 180
(at1 picocuries per ground curies per
day) :-••'- deposits day ;in indoor afr
Tobacco smoke 0.255 A Cigarette 1,430 meg per 365
smokers day in indoor air ,
Notes: The daily doses and extra cancer cases shown here are just examples. Your extra chance of getting cancer
from exposure to each of the hazardous substances may be lower or higher than the example, depending on
whether your daily dose is lower or higher than the example daily dose.
Estimates assume a breathing rate of 20 cubic meters per day; water consumption of 2 liters per day; lifetime
exposure (70 years), except 50 years for tobacco smoke; 1 54 pounds body weight; and 1 00% absorption of
hazardous substance into body.
1 meg per day - 1 microgram per day - 1 miEonth of a gram per day.
1 gram - .035 ounces.
See page 25 for an explanation of the weight-of-evidence classification.
The extra cancer cases are hi addition to the 20,000 cases of cancer expected for the 1 00,000 ^^ people from all
other causes.
^ i ' ' . '--•,- '
"••..-.'•. . ' •. • • '••.!'"-' .• . •: . •

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32         3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
                   The third column of Table 2 gives EPA's weight-of-eyidence classification (see
                   box on page 25) for each substance. This classification indicates the level of
                   certainty of the health effects estimates based on the type of information
                   available to make these estimates.  For both asbestos and benzene there is
                   good human evidence (group A). But comparing benzene and chloroform
                   shows that, although chloroform appears tp be a more potent cancer-causing
                   agent than benzene, only animal evidence of cancer is available for
                   chloroform (group B2); however, both animal and human evidence are
                   available for benzene (group A). So the health risk estimates for benzene are
                   more likely to be accurate than the health risk estimates for chloroform.

                   Comparing the estimates of extra cancer cases for each 100,000 people
                   exposed—given in the last column of Table 2—shows that the substances
                   that appear to be the most potent cancer-causing agents, such as asbestos,
                    are not necessarily the most dangerous because of their generally low daily
                    doses (that is, they generally are found at very low environmental levels, as
                    shown in Chapter 2, Table 1).  Although tobacco smoke appears to be a less
                    potent cancer-causing agent than other hazardous substances, the extra
                    cancer cases estimated for tobacco smoke are significantly greater because
                    people are generally exposed to higher environmental levels of tobacco
                    smoke.  Radon is also a significant health threat for the same reason.

                    You may know that you will be exposed to a particular hazardous substance
                    for only part of your  life—for example, 20 years. For the cancer-producing
                    substances in Table 2, your extra cancer risk can be roughly approximated by
                    scaling down the lifetime estimates. For example, if you are exposed for only
                    20 years of your average 70-year life, your estimated risk of cancer from
                    exposure to 1 microgram per day is approximately 0.3 (that is, 20 years/70
                    years) times the value in column 2. Again, your extra cancer risk may be
                    different than that shown in Table 2 depending on whether your exposure is
                    higher, lower, or the same as the example community.
             Noncancer Risks from Prolonged Exposures
                     Not all hazardous substances are associated with extra cancer risks.  Lifetime
                     exposure to hazardous substances can result in many other types of damage
                     to your health. These health effects vary greatly in their seriousness, from
                     increasing your risk of premature death or permanent damage to kidney, liver,
                     and brain to increasing your risk of getting a mild skin rash or an asthma
                     attack. Hazardous substances also can have harmful effects on unborn
                     children, either reducing the chance of a live birth or increasing the risk of birth
                     defects  Hazardous substances that can increase your risk of cancer also can
                     increase your risks of these other harmful health effects.

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                                    3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS        33
        For selected hazardous substances, column 2 of Table 3 presents EPA's
        estimates of human threshold levels in air (or in water for chloroform) for the
        noncancer health effects listed in column 3. These are the dose levels below
        which most people breathing the air (or drinking the water) have no
        appreciable risk of the specific harmful effect.  Column 3 presents the body
        system that may be at risk above each threshold level.

        Hazardous substances with lower human threshold levels (for example,
        carbon tetrachloride and chloroform) can be considered more dangerous.
        Scientists do not have enough information at thiis time to estimate how the risk
        and degree of seriousness of the health effects vary at different exposure
        levels above the threshold level for most hazardous substances.  It is known
        that the extra risk and degree of seriousness wi|l increase with increasing
        exposure levels and at different rates for different substances.  For example,
        the risk of liver damage rises at a faster rate with increasing levels of carbon
        tetrachloride than it does for methylene chloride.

        Columns 5 and 6 present example environmental exposures and estimated
        noncancer health risks, respectively. Of the examples given in Table 3, only
        chloroform and carbon tetrachloride are found ait environmental levels above
        the human thresholds for some noncancer effects.
                                                 [
                                        '         !'' •   •             •    '
        For less-than-lifetime, but prolonged, exposures; to substances that cause
        noncancer health effects, unless specific information is available, EPA
        assumes that the human threshold levels for any exposure lasting more than 7
        years are the same as those for lifetime exposures. Scientists do not know
        enough about the biology of these compounds fo know whether the human
        body can tolerate higher doses for shorter exposure times. So they do not
        know whether the threshold level will increase v/ith shorter exposures.

Health Risks from Accidental Exposures
        Recently EPA identified approximately 400 chemicals  as being extremely
        hazardous substances. The risks from accidental releases of these extremely
        hazardous chemicals may be severe and immediate and may affect many
        people in a single neighborhood. For each substance, EPA has determined
        an environmental concentration above which yo|u may suffer serious health
        effects even if you are exposed for only a very short time. These
        concentrations are known as the level of concern (LOG). If the concentration
        of the chemical in the environment exceeded ths LOG after an accidental
        release,  people exposed would be at risk of dearth or other severe health con-
        sequences unless they left the area immediately.

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34
3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
                                                                                            I
Table 3. An Illustration of How Scientists Estimate Noncancer Health Effects: Effects
from Selected Environmental Levels of Hazardous Substances
.

0)
Hazardous
substance
Benzene



Carbon
tetrachloride


Chloroform

Methylene
chloride
'

Perchloro-
ethylene



Xylene


(2)
Human
threshold
levels
(meg per day)
820



48
48
480
^T\^\f
48
220

13,000
13,000


1,400
1,400



1,100
1,100


(3)
Noncancer ,
health
effects/organ
damage
Fetal
development



Liver
Nerves/
behavior
Fetal
development
Fetal
development
Nerves/
behavior
Liver
Fetal
development


Kidney
Liver



Fetal
development
Reproduction





(4)
Source
Car exhaust



Chemical
factory
-

Disinfec-
tion of
drinking
water
Chemical
factory


Dry
cleaning



Car exhaust


~- .
(5)
Example
daily dose
from Table 1
450 meg per
day from
air

.

560 meg per
day from
air


95 meg per
day from
water

2,400 meg
per day
from air
/

200 meg
per day
from air



610 meg
per day
from air



(6)
Estimated
noncancer
health effects
Environmental
levels are
lower than
human threshold: —
health effects
unlikely
Possible liver,
nerves/,
behavior, and
fetal develop-
ment effects
Possible fetal
development
effect

Environmental
levels are
lower than
human threshold —
health effects
unlikely
Environmental
levels are
lower than
human threshold-
health effects
unlikely
Environmental
levels are
lower than
human threshold-
health effects ,
unlikely
Notes: 1 meg per day - 1 mlcrogram per day - 1 millionth of a gram per day.
1 gram
- 0.035 ounces.





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                                                3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS
                    Table 4, presents EPA's estimated LOG for a few extremely hazardous
                    substances and gives examples of possible community sources. Comparing
                    the LOG for formaldehyde (15,000 mcg/m3) with typical environmental
                    exposure levels shown in Table T (1. mcg/m3) shows that the LOG is 15,000
                    times higher. Nevertheless, accidental releases, if large enough, can result in
                    levels above the LOG. -An example of such a release was the 1985 release of
                    methyl-isocyanate in Bhopal, India, that killed 1 i500 people.
Table 4. EPA's Level of Concern (LOG) for Accidental Releases
of Selected Extremely Hazardous Chemicals
Chemical
Parathion
Cadmium oxide
Methyl-isocyanate
Chlorine
Formaldehyde
Ammonia
Chloroform
Notes: 1 ,000,000 meg
meter.
Possible sources
Pesticides
Batteries
Pesticides
Water treatment
Permanent press textiles
embalming
Household and commerc
agents
Industrial solvents
per m3 - 1,000 milligram per
LOG (mcg/rrt3)
2,000
4,000
5,000
9,000
15,000
iaj cleaning 35,000
490,000
cubic meter - 1 gram per cubic
1 gram - 0.035 ounces; 1 cubic meter - 35 c ublc feet - volume of cooking stove.
More Information
                   This chapter has provided the information you nbed to have a basic under-
                   standing of how EPA and other organizations estimate your health risks from
                   exposure to hazardous substances.  If you would like to know more about this
                   topic, the publications listed below would be a good place to start.

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36        3. ESTIMATING YOUR HEALTH RISKS	__	„_
                   Chemical Exposures: Effects on Health
                   Write to:    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II
                              26 Federal Plaza, Room 737
                              New York, NY 10278
                              Attn:  Dr. Maria Pavlova                      »
                   or call:     (212)264-7364


                   Toxicology: A Primes-on Toxicology Principles
                   and Applications by M. A. Kamrin		_—_	_	—-

                   Write to:    Lewis Publishers                                                  I
                              121 South Main Street
                              P.O.  Drawer 519
                              Chelsea, Ml 48118
                   or call:     1-800-525-7894

                    Toxicology for the Citizen bv A. E. Marczewski, and M. Kamrin	_^__	

                   Write to:   Center for Environmental Toxicology
                              Michigan State University
                              C231 Holden Hall                     ,                 ,
                              East Lansing, Ml  48824
                    or call:     (517)353-6469
                    Cost:      $1.00

                    Technical Guidance for Hazards Analysis        	_	.—_

                    Write to-   Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Information
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                              OS-120
                              401  M Street, SW
                              Washington, DC  20460
                    or call:    1-800-535-0202
                              In Washington, DC and Alaska
                              (202)479-2449


                     The Risk Assessment Manual: A Guide to Understanding ana'
                     Using Health and Environmental Assessments by B. Brockbank,
                    J. nohrsson. and V. T. Covello. 1988   	—	
                    Write to:   National Technological Information Service
                               5285 Port Royal Road
                               Springfield, VA 22161
                    or call:     (703)487-4650
                    Cost:      $17.50

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                                   4. JUDGING THE SERIOUSNESS OF HEALTH.fl/SKS
                         37
        JUDGING THE SERIOUSNESS
        OF HEALTH RISKS
                      HIGHLIGHTS:
                      9  Many situations can make you aware that hazardous substances exist in your
                        environment. The actions you take (or don't take) to reduce your exposure to
                        those substances are influenced, in part, by your perception of the seriousness
                        of the risk.

                      •  Your personal concerns may differ from researchers' estimates of the risk
                        perceptions of the public as a whole.

                        Risk perceptions grow out of people's reactions to a number of characteristics
                        of the health effects of the exposure as well as
attributes of the risk itself.
                      •' EPA uses research on people's risk perceptions as one consideration in
                        developing actions under environmental laws.
Determining Your Personal Concerns About Risks


  ,                 Do any of these situations sound familiar?
 ' :  '     . '  '  '    • ,    '       '      • -      ,           .     '    r       ' •  •  . .    ,'

                   •  You notice that the air in your place of work has an unusual smeil.

                   «  You see a notice at work, "Danger—Asbestos Removal in Progress."
  i             ..".',•     .                . - '   •           • :       .        •
  I                 «  You notice a dreadful smell in the air about 4 miles from your house.
                       You read in the paper that a cancer-causing
                       on fruits and vegetables.
pesticide is commonly used
                   •  You read in the paper that 80 tons of a cancer-causing chemical are
                      released to the environment from a factory 2 miles from your house.

                   •  You hear on the local news that high levels of radon have been found in
                      houses in your subdivision.

                   All the above situations can make you aware of the possibility that hazardous
                   substances exist in your environment.  Whenever you experience one of these

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38        -4. JUDGING THE SERIOUSNESS OF HEALTH RISKS
                   situations, you have to decide whether to seek more information and/or
                   whether to try to reduce your exposures to the hazardous substances.

                   Consider the first example—an unusual smell in the air in your place of work.
                   Ignoring it could be fatal, if the smell comes from a poisonous gas.  Leaving
                   the building immediately may save your life.  On the other hand, the smell may
                   not come from a hazardous substance.

                   People may react to any of these situations in different ways. In the case of a
                   strange odor, some people may leave the building, while others may stay.
                   You often have to make your own decisions on when to act and when not to
                   act. '      ,           •' . -     •'....*    .    '        '   ' •.          •

                   You may decide to get more information about your exposure and possible
                    health effects.  Or you may decide to take immediate steps to reduce your
                    exposure. The actions you take or decide not to take are influenced by your
                    perception of the seriousness of the risk.

 Characteristics that Influence People's Perceptions of Risks

                    Though people judge the seriousness of a risk of illness partly with respect to
                    the size of their exposure and the associated health risks, they also consider
                    certain characteristics of the risk:

                    •  Seriousness of illness—is it a temporary illness, or a permanent one, or
                       death?
                               1   i                  . -       ' •       ..                 -.  • .
                    •   Dread factor—is it cancer?
                    •  Timing of illness—is there a long time gap between exposure and the
                        illness?
                   , •   Scientific knowledge—how certain are scientists about the relationship
                        between exposure to a hazardous substance and illness in humans f
                     •  Social and political dynamics of the community—have community action
                        groups made people aware of the risk?
                     •  Catastrophic potential—could many people be killed at one time?

                     •  Recent trend—is it a new and increasing risk?
                     •  Equity—who bears the risk:  rich or poor, black or white, children or
                        adults?
                     •  Control/voluntariness—how easily can people control the risk and do they
                        have a choice about their exposure?
                     •  Physical distance—-do people  live or work close to the source of
                        exposure?                                        '

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                4. JUDGING THE SERIOUSNESS OF HEALTH RfSKS
•   Benefits—do the exposed people benefit from the source of exposure?
• '  Visual image—does the source of exposure) conjure negative images? r'~

The first two health characteristics, seriousness of illness and dread, are
connected ideas.  Seriousness of an illness cari be measured both by the
likelihood that it will result in death and by how long the illness lasts and
whether or not there is likely to be a lot of pain and discomfort. Independent
of the health effects, however, people dread some illnesses more than others.
Cancer is one such illness.                   i
Timing may also influence people's perception of seriousness. Risk of death
or illness occurring immediately after exposure to the hazardous substances
will, all else being equal, be less tolerable to most people than the same risk
of death or illness delayed until 20 years after exposure.  When the risk of
illness is delayed, the effect may never be realized.
       Ranking Health Risks with Different Health Characteristics

  How do most people rank the following hypothetical health risks in order of
  their level of concern?        '            :

  1.  A risk of one chance in 1,000 of a mild csise (upset stomach for 2 days)
      of salfnonellosis immediately after eating [Contaminated food, with the
      additional risk of one chance in 100,000 of dying from the food
      poisoning.                           [

  2.  A risk of one chance in 1,000 of eating fruit contaminated with enough
      cyanide to make you seriously ill or to kill you.

  3.  A risk of one chance in 1,000 of contracting cancer in 20 years' time as
      a result of eating a food containing an illegal pesticide residue.

  Most people rank risk 3 as more serious thar  risk 2, probably because the
  dread factor of cancer is sufficient to outweigh the benefits of a 20-year
  delay.  Salmonellosisis, for the most part, a i
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40
JUDGING THE SERIOUSNESS OF HEALTH RISKS
                    The catastrophic potential of the hazardous substance may increase people's
                    perception of seriousness. People usually find it is worse to contemplate
                    death if it is likely to be accompanied by the death of many other people,
                    especially if these people are likely to include family members. People may be
                    more willing to tolerate risks they have been living with for a long time and that
                    are stable or even decreasing than risks that are new or increasing.


                    The fairness and distribution of risks also affect people's perceived serious-
                    ness of risks.  People who are part of the group most at risk will probably
                    perceive the risk to be more serious than if they are not part of that group,
                    .especially if it seems unfair that their group should be more at risk than other
                    groups. Also,  people's perception of the seriousness of a risk will probably
                    vary depending on whether they bear the risk voluntarily and how easily they
                    can reduce the risk if they should want to. Finally, the benefits that people
                    receive from the same activity that produces the risk may influence their
                    perception of its seriousness.
                                       Comparing Different Types of Risk

                       How would you compare the seriousness of the following pairs of contrast-
                       ing types of risk?

                       • The very uncertain estimates of the risks of cancer and other illnesses
                         (because of lack of scientific knowledge) from living near a hazardous
                         waste landfill compared with the better, understood risks of illness from
                         food contaminated with Salmonellaor botulinum toxin.

                       • Risks of cancer and other illnesses from livjng near coal-fired power
                         plants, which have been around a long time, compared with the same
                         risks from nuclear power plants, which are newer and have some
                         catastrophic potential.                              ,

                       •  Risks of cancer and other illnesses from a nearby municipal incinerator
                         that burns your neighborhood trash only, compared with risks from an
                          incinerator that also burns trash from many other neighborhoods.

                       •  Risks of injury or death from skydiving, a voluntary risk, compared with
                          risks from living near a hazardous waste facility or chemical factory,
                          involuntary risks.                               ;

                       •  Risks of. cancer and other illnesses from arsenic in the air from a copper
                          smelter where you are employed, compared with the same risks from
                          arsenic in the air when you work elsewhere.

                       There are no correct choices between these types of risk. Your choices
                       indicate the relative importance of different risk characteristics for you.  In
                       general, people are more concerned about new, uncertain, catastrophic,
                       and involuntary risks.

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                                    4. JUDGING THE SERIOUSNESS OF HEALTH RISKS
 How the Government Uses Risk Perceptions to Help Develop Legislation

                    Traditionally, the government considered only the size of a risk in developing
                    legislation to control hazardous substances—placing more stringent controls
   I                 on hazardous substances posing greater risks, jln recent years, however,
                    pressure from environmental activist groups and the political system has led
                    the government to consider the public's concerns about the seriousness of a
                    risk as well as the actual size of the risk from scientific studies when
                    developing legislation.

                    Unfortunately, government controls cannot completely reduce your exposure
   ;                 to hazardous substances. Whether you decide f hat you are willing to accept
                    the remaining risks or you decide that these risks are serious enough to take
                    further action depends on your own perception of the seriousness of those
                    risks.  You may also decide that you need more information.

                    Part II of this guidebook describes actions to reduce your health risks from
                    exP°sure to hazardous substances. Chapter 5 describes, government actions
 .  i                 and Chapter 6 describes community actions to reduce your exposure to
                    hazardous substances.  Chapter 7 discusses personal actions that you can
                    take if you want to reduce your risk even further, land Chapter 8 provides a list
                    of sources for further information on your exposures and health risks.

More Information
                   This chapter has provided the information you nejed to have a basic under-
                   standing of how people judge the seriousness of risks.  If you would like to
                   know more about this topic, the publications listed below would be a good
                   place to start.
                   Chemical Risk: A Primer
                   Write to:    American Chemical Society
                              Department of Government Relations and Science Policy
                              1155 16th Street, NW                              y
                              Washington, DC 20036
                   or call:     (202) 872-4395, (202) 872-4391

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42
4.  " "vsiAM THP SERIOUSNESS OF HEALTH RISKS
                   Effective Risk Communication by V. T. Covello, D. B. McCallum,
                   M T. Pavlova. New York: Plenum	—:—	
                   Contact your local library or book store to obtain a copy.
                    Deartment of Energy
                    Write to:   Library Services
                              Battelle Seattle Research
                              P.O. Box C-5395
                              Seattle, WA 98105-5428
        Cost:
                                            ion No. BHARC-800/87/023
                               $20.00

                    pp. 171-182
                    Contact your local library to obtain a copy.

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                                        PART II
Reducing Your Health Risks from Exposure
                    to Hazardous Substances
                                         CHAPTERS:
          Government Actions Aimed at Reducing Your Exposure to
                                 (Hazardous Substances
                                 I        CHAPTERS:
          Community Actions Aimed at Reducing Your Exposure to
                       <          ; Hazardous Substances
                                 I        CHAPTER?:
               Actions You Can Take to Ribduce Your Exposure to
                                 [Hazardous Substances
                                         CHAPTERS:
             Getting More information on ^Hazardous Substances

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                                                   5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
43
        GOVERNMENT ACTIONS AIMED AT REDUCING
        YOUR EXPOSURE TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
                     HIGHLIGHTS:
                       EPA has many responsibilities under federal environmental laws: setting and
                       enforcing standards, developing pollution control and measurement methods
                       requiring the cleanup of polluted sites, working with and informing the public '
                       and assisting Local Emergency Planning Commlittees in planning for
                       emergencies.                                    •  y

                       Government actions that improve human health\ impose costs on us as
                       consumers and taxpayers. These costs may be counter-balanced by other
                       benefits to the economy, the environment, and people.

                       Government actions aimed at reducing people's exposure to hazardous
                       substances cannot totally eliminate these exposures.
Environmental Legislation
                  In the past two decades, the U.S. Congress has passed many laws to restore
                  the environment and to protect the environment and people from further
                  exposure to hazardous substances.  Each of these laws is geared toward
                  reducing health risks and covers a specific area of the environment. For
                  example, different laws cover pollution to the air, water, or land; pollution from
                  products, such as pesticides or chemicals; and pollution in the workplace.
                                                      Mil III!
                                                              ill  |

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44
S. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
                   The environmental laws are carried out by several different federal, state, and
                   local agencies;,


                   •
                    •   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates
                       indoor air in the workplace.
                    -   The Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates,hazardous substances
                       while they are in transit.
                    •   The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) protects consumers
                       through proper labeling of products.
                    •  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors jP^scription drug^ _

                        and poultry produces.
                    -   The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Aspects fnd
                        provides safe handling and labeling guidelmes for meat and poultry
                        products.
                    Since the beginning of the nuclear age, safe management and disposal of the
                    radioactive materials used by energy, defense, medicine, industry, and
                    research have presented a tremendous challenge to society. Several federal
                    agencies regulate various aspects of radioactive waste management,

                     .  The Nuclear Requlatory Commission (NRC) licenses and regulates
                        radloSfmaferials users and low-level radioactive was^^
                        facilities.
                     .  PPA issues radiation emissions standards to protect the general public
                        from radiation^^xposu?S from low-level radioactive waste management
                        and disposal facilities.
                     •  DOT regulates the shiprnent of radioactive materials.
                     •  The Department of Energy (DOE) governs the interstate system of low-
                        level radioactive waste facilities.
                     If you would like to know more about the major federal laws and the areas that
                     they address, refer to Table 5 beginning on page 53.
  EPA's Responsibilities
                      Once Congress enacts an environmental law, EPA must administer programs
                      to support the legislation. EPA's responsibilities include

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                                          5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS       ,    45
        •  setting and enforcing standards,
        •  developing pollution control and measurement methods,
        •  requiring the cleanup of polluted sites,
                        .  .                        |  •,   .  -
        '•  working with and informing the public,     j
        •  assisting Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) in planning for
           emergencies, and               ,        !
        •  coordinating efforts of local government groups.

Setting and Enforcing Standards
        Often, EPA's first step in carrying out a law is to: set standards for environmen-
        tal quality based on the intent of the law.  EPA follows specific criteria in devel-
        oping standards for each environmental law.  For example, under the
        Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCFJIA) a waste must exceed
        certain numerical threshold concentrations of toxic constituents before it falls
        under EPA jurisdiction.  On the other hand, the pomprehensive Environmental
        Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) gives EPA jurisdiction
        to control any release of a hazardous substance), pollutant, or contaminant into
        the environment, regardless of the level.       !

        EPA allows facilities to release low levels of hazardous substances into the
        air, water,  or land that are not harmful to  human1 health or the environment.
        EPA develops and issues permits to ensure that the facility does not violate
        the standard in the area. The permit usually limits the amounts and types of
        pollutants that the facility can release. For example, the permit may state the
        maximum amount of a substance that the facility can discharge over a certain
        time period. The permit may also state various steps the facility must take to
        lower emission levels, such as installing a filtering system. An environmental
        permit often requires the facility to monitor different pollutants. To ensure that
        a facility follows the requirements in its permit, EEPA has the right to inspect a
        facility and can fine the facility for violations.

        Environmental laws also allow EPA to limit the types of hazardous substances
        that can be contained in pesticides and synthetic chemicals and products.
        These laws require industry to test new products and submit information to
        EPA about the health and environmental effects of the contents of the
        products before marketing them. Based  on the results of these tests, EPA can
        limit the use of the product, ban the product, or require that the product label
        contain Information about the hazards of the product.

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46
•B. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
                                           Lead in the Atmosphere

                      Most emissions of lead into the atmosphere are from one of three main
                      sources: automobiles and other vehicles, nonferrous smelters, and battery
                      plants.  Historically, automotive emissions have been the primary source of
                      atmospheric lead.  In the 1970's, EPA began two pollution control . ,
                      programs that have significantly reduced the contribution of automotive
                      emissions to lead pollution.  Consequently, the overall concentrations of
                      lead in the air have fallen dramatically.

                      One EPA program introduced unleaded gasoline in 1975. Since then, the
                      percentage of unleaded gasoline in the gasoline market has grown—in
                      1987, unleaded gasoline accounted for 76 percent of all gasoline sales.
                      EPA has issued regulations that require a gradual reduction of the lead
                      content in gasoline. In July 1985, the lead content was reduced from 1.0
                      gram per gallon to 0.5 gram per gallon, and in January 1986 to 0.1 gram
                      per gallon.  As a result, the automotive contributions to lead pollution in the
                      air fell from 73 percent of all lead emissions in 1985 to 37 percent in 1987.

                      In a study of 394 urban areas in 44 states, EPA found that total lead
                      emissions had been reduced by 83 percent from 1983 to 1987.  EPA
                      credits the decrease in automotive emissions for 99 percent of this
                      improvement in air quality.
                    EPA sets and enforces standards to the extent possible given the available
                    resources for the federal and state governments. Often, EPA must make
                    decisions on resource allocation to ensure that standards address the
                    environmental problems that pose the most significant and serious risks.
                    Focusing on less important, but popular, issues can take funds away from
                    programs that cover the most serious environmental problems.
                                                                                 f
             Promoting Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention
                    EPA conducts research programs to develop and test new ways to reduce the
                    effects of hazardous waste in the environment.  For example* the Superfund
                    law establishes a research budget to demonstrate site cleanup methods. The
                    federal government and some state governments have set up programs to
                    reduce the volume of hazardous waste shipped from plant sites.

                    Pollution prevention programs in many states help businesses reduce the
                    amounts of hazardous waste they generate. One example is regional waste
                    exchanges, which connect generators of hazardous by-products with potential
                     users of those by-products.  Regional waste exchanges remove hazardous
                     by-products from the wastestream by promoting their reuse.

                     EPA's Pollution Prevention Office (PPO) develops and implements programs
                     to reduce or eliminate the generation of waste. Among its activities are

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                                         5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS            47
       programs to encourage industry to develop and implement technologies that
       prevent pollution. PRO provides grants to states; for this purpose and also
       maintains the Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC).

       Through the PPIC, the PPO provides information on government and industry
       pollution prevention programs, grant and project funding opportunities,
       upcoming events, conferences, and seminars. PPIC contains the Electronic
       Information Exchange System (EIES) which is a computerized information
       network that anyone can access, either through a PC with appropriate
       communication software or through the RCRA/Stuperfund hotline (1-800-424-
       9346). The hotline answers or refers pollution prevention questions, provides
       access information in the PPIC, provides instruction on how to use the EIES
       databases, and assists in document searches and ordering.
              t  '                                                     "^ '
Requiring the Cleanup of Polluted Sites             i
       The Superfund and hazardous waste laws allow EPA to reduce the risks from
       hazardous wastes in the environment by requiring the cleanup of sites where
       the environment is already damaged by industrial activities. In some cases
       hazardous substances have been illegally dumped into the land or water and
       abandoned.  In other cases, the methods used for legal disposal of the wastes
       did not adequately protect the environment. The chemicals or the runoff from
       the chemicals may have entered the water supply or may be contaminating
       the air or the soil.

        Once a Superfund site is identified, EPA makes a concentrated effort to find
        and compel those responsible to fund necessary studies and to pay for the
        cleanup.  If an immediate problem threatens human health and welfare or the
        environment, EPA takes action under the Supeirfund cleanup program and
        later tries to recover costs from those responsible.

        EPA can initiate either removal actions or remedial actions. Removal actions
        are short-term actions to stabilize or clean up a hazardous site that poses an
        immediate threat to human health or the environment. Typical removal
        actions include removing tanks or drums of ha2:ardous substances on the sur-
        face, installing fencing or other security measures, and providing temporary
        alternative sources of drinking water.

        Remedial actions involve the study, design, and construction of longer term
        and usually more expensive actions aimed at permanent remedy. EPA can
        respond this way for sites that are on the National Priority List (NPL)—a list of
        the nation's most serious hazardous waste sitejS. Typical remedial responses
        include treating wastes at the site, installing cls[y caps over sites, constructing
        underground wells to control movement of groUndwater, performing on-site

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48         -5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
                    incineration or solidification of wastes, or providing permanent, alternative
                    sources of drinking water.

                    For sites not on the NPL, EPA or the states can initiate removaf or remedial
                    actions or require the responsible parties to do so under the hazardous waste
                    laws. The hazardous waste laws cover considerably more sites than the
                    Superfund program. But the Superfund sites are considered the worst sites in
                    terms of human health risk.

                    As of September 1989, EPA had completed long-term cleanup at 50 sites.  In
                    addition, removal actions had been undertaken at 300 sites on the National
                    Priority List. Remedial action had been undertaken at 885 sites, EPA takes
                    into account the number of people exposed at a given site and seriousness of
                    the health risk to those exposed in deciding which sites to clean up first and
                    what actions to take.

            Working with and Informing the Public
                    EPA programs provide information to the public and businesses about
                    regulatory requirements, environmental programs,,procedures to reduce
                    exposure to hazardous substances, and the health effects of certain
                    hazardous substances. Several national information lines answer questions
                    about rules and regulations under different laws. For example, the
                    RCRA/Superfund hotline (1-800-424-9346) answers questions about solid and
                    hazardous wastes.  EPA also provides information through published
                    materials, training programs, and certification courses.

                    EPA and state governments collect the information on chemical inventories
                    and emissions that manufacturers must submit under the Emergency Planning
                    and Community Right-to-Know Act.  This information is intended for use by the
                    public and by community planners.  Chapter 8 provides information on various
                    publications and services provided by EPA.

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                                         5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
                        EPA's Information Program for Radon

          EPA has developed the following materials and programs to educate the
          public about the health risks of radon and what to do about them:
                                                               A Citizen's Guide
                                                               To Radon

                                                               What His
                                                               And What To Do
                                                               About It
» A booklet for the public, A Citizen's Guide To
  Radon: What It Is And What To Do About It,
  published in conjunction with the Department
  of Health and Human Services.         ;
•               '                "        i
• A booklet for the public, Radon Reduction
  Methods: A Homeowner's Guide.        j
                                       ii
• A report, Radon Measurement in Schools. |

• A program to evaluate the proficiency of ration
  testing procedures used by independent
  companies.
           N -        "                    I
• Training and certification courses to teach
  independent building contractors radon-free
  building methods and mitigation methods.
  Three regional training centers are being set
  up.
                                       I
• A program to encourage homeowners to test for radon and correct
  problem levels.                        !

• Pilot programs to test new mitigation methods.

• A hotline, 1 -800-SOS-RADON.

EPA works with state governments to distribute and disseminate these
materials and implement the programs. Table 12 beginning on page 108
contains information on how to obtain the materials listed above. To find
out  more on the radon programs, contact one of the state radon contacts
listed in Table 7, beginning on page 91.
Assisting Local Emergency Planning Committees
in Planning for Emergencies
       As required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act,
       local communities and state governments must Use information submitted by
       certain types of facilities to prepare for an emergency situation involving the
       unplanned release of a hazardous substance. l[he act calls for the formation
       of local groups called Local Emergency Planning Committees (LJEPCs), which
       prepare the plan for responding to a chemical emergency. State Emergency
       Response Commissions (SERCs) are also set up to assist and coordinate
       activities of the local communities. (See Chapter 6 of this guidebook for more
       information on LEPCs and SERCs.)  EPA assists other state and local
       organizations and publishes guidance documents on developing emergency
       plans.

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50        '5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
            Coordinating Efforts of Local Government Groups                  ....
                    EPA often works with local government groups on environmental initiatives.
                    For example, in recent years Denver, Colorado, has been plagued by a visible
                    air pollution problem. Because of Denver's unique geographic location and
                    climate, warm air is trapped above the city, causing a buildup of carbon
                    monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates. These pollutants impair the
                    blood's ability to carry oxygen and can lead to cardiovascular, pulmonary,
                    respiratory, .and nervous system problems.

                    The EPA and local government groups are .working together to clean up
                    Denver's air. The Metropolitan Air Quality Council has enacted a carbon
                    monoxide reduction plan with stringent inspection and maintenance
                    requirements for vehicles. In addition, the plan requires all vehicles to use
                    high oxygen fuels to improve combustion and reduce emissions of carbon
                    monoxide. Denver and four surrounding communities have adopted wood
                    burning restrictions to reduce the concentration of particulates in the air. The
                    Council is also considering ideas such as special pollution control devices for
                    cars driven at high altitudes to further improve the city's air quality.

 The Benefits and Costs of Government Action

                    When the government cleans up abandoned dump sites, places stricter
                    controls on landfills or pesticide uses, or stops some very toxic wastes from
                    being generated, these actions provide benefits for some people. These
                    actions also can benefit the whole ecosystem. As consumers and as tax-
                    payers, however, we pay for the  costs of reducing exposure to hazardous sub-
                    stances. The strong support for the environment in most polls suggests that
                    people believe these efforts are important.  Even so, EPA must consider
                    benefits and costs carefully when carrying out the responsibilities described
                    above.                                       ,        "

                    While discussion of most of these benefits and costs is beyond the scope of
                    this guidebook, they are summarized on the next page to show the complexity
                    of issues involved in environmentallegislation.

                     One of the benefits of environmental legislation—improved  human health—is
                     the focus of this guidebook. By carrying out laws to reduce your risk of illness
                     from exposure to hazardous substances, EPA works to improve human
                     health. Part I of this guidebook described methods that  scientists use to
                     estimate the human health benefits from reduced exposures to hazardous
                     substances.

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                                   ,5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
51
         Some Benefits and Costs of Environmental Programs

 Benefits    V                            j

 •  Improved human health. Reducing the amount and types of pollution
    improves human health. These improvements range from fewer acute illnesses
    such as asthma caused by poor air quality to reduced risk of chronic diseases
    such as cancer.  Improved human health also reduces health care costs.

 •  Improved human welfare. Reducing pollution improves human well-being.
    For example, cleaner water means more fishable water bodies.
                                            !''
 •  Increased employment. Industries  supporting pollution abatement efforts,
    such as air pollution control equipment manufacturers, experience increased
    employment.                             i
                                            i                          '
 •  Increased tax revenues.  Industries supporting pollution abatement efforts pay
    increased taxes as their profits increase.

 •  Species preservation. Reducing pollution lowers the likelihood that plant and
    animal species will be adversely affected.     |
                                            ! '     .         •
 •   Improved aesthetics. Reducing pollution can prevent plants from losing
   leaves, spotting, or losing their flowers prematurely.  Reducing pollution also
   may  increase visibility (reduce smog).

 •  Reduced deterioration rates. Reducing air pollution lowers the rates of
   building deterioration caused by acid  reactions.!

 Costs

 •  Increased prices of goods and services. Laws requiring an industry to use
   pollution control equipment often increase the industry's costs.  These cost
   increases tend to  be passed along in  higher prices for products or services
   provided by that industry.

 •  Reduced availability of goods and services. \ Bans on products that are
   determined to be excessively harmful  make theise products unavailable.

 •  Reduced employment. If installing pollution controls adds to the costs of the
   plant  so that a company in that industry can no longer make a sufficient profit a
   company may shut down a particular plant or reduce the number of workers at
   a plant.

•  Reduced tax revenues.  If a facility closes down or reduces its production
   capabilities because of environmental laws,  tax revenues paid by the facility to
   the city, county, state, or federal government will be lost.

•  Reduced expenditures on other programs.  CJiven a limited budget the use
   of government monies for environmental programs may mean reducing
   expenditures on programs in other areas such as educatipn or defense

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52
GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
                               costs of environmental regulation become smaller over time
                              is such as reduced employment could be offset over the long term
                          growth of employment in companies that produce po lut,on reduction
                                 services. Laws that require pollution controls may cause
                    W           tt» immediate future on goods produced by'that industry.
                    Eventually entrepreneurs discover new methods of production or new
                    poSon-confrortechnologies that reduce pollution and are less costly Laws
                    t'htmquire bans on products may reduce the availability of those products.
                    Eventually, new products may be developed that are less harmful than

                    existing ones.
                                         The DDT Ban and Bald Eagles

                       Bv the early 1970's, the toll of hunting, pesticide use, and disappearing




                       lay eggs with shells so thin that they broke under the we.ght of nesting.  AS
                       a result, few eaglets survived.

                             the EPA's ban on DDT in 1972, a remarkable resurgence in the bald
                       the ipSrrty of removing it from the endangered spec.es hst.
  Effectiveness of Government Actions
                     Although the government has developed a wide variety of programs to reduce
                     environmental risks, there are limits to the effectiveness of these programs.

                      •  .Enforcement can be a difficult, expensive, and lengthy process,

                      .   The Government cannot eliminate accidental releases of substances by
                         IdulSwever, facilities that routinely have accidental releases may
                         cLml under increased scrutiny especially because of the new report ng
                         requtrements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
                         KnowAct.                                                  -

                      .  Pollution control devices, such as catalytic converters on automobiles are
                         only effective for controlling air pollution if they are rna.nta.ned properly.

                      •  The government cannot control improper use of pesticides or other
                         consumer products by citizens in their homes.

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                                                    5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
                                                                         53
                   EPA has responded to these limitations by setting up programs for local
                   governments.  The next chapter explains what these local government groups
                   do to reduce your community's exposure to hasiardous substances. You also
                   may want to know what actions you can take or^ your own to reduce your
                   exposure to hazardous substances; Chapter 7 describes these personal
                   actions. Chapter 8 lists many helpful publications, hotlines, and organizations
                   that provide information to citizens about hazardous substances in the
                   environment.
 Table 5. Areas Addressed Under Major Federal Environmental Laws
  Area
 Air
Drinking
water
Water
    Law
                                   Description of Law
 Clean Air Act
                                          Responsible
                                           Party(ies)
Safe Drinking
Water Act
Clean Water Act
            Marine Protection,
            Research, and
            Sanctuaries Act
  Sets and monitors ambient air quality
  standards in order to protect public health
  and environmental quality. Limits pollution
  (including radioactive emissions into the
  outdoor air) from factories, powrer plants,
  cars, and other major sources of air
  pollution.

  Establishes national standards for
  maximum contaminant levels in public
  drinking water systems. Bans lead in water
  coolers and in new water supply solder and
  piping. Regulates discharge of pollutants
  into groundwater.            |

  Enforces quality standards for all interstate
 and coastal waters by requiring discharge
 permits for factories, sewage treatment
 plants, and storm runoff.  Sets minimum
 national effluent standards for each
 industry.

 Limits the dumping of all types of material in
, U.S. ocean waters unless authorized by
 permit.
                                                                           EPA, state
                                                                           govern-
                                                                           ments
EPA, state
govern-
ments
                                                                          EPA, state
                                                                          govern-
                                                                          ments
                                                              EPA, Coast
                                                              Guard,
                                                              Army

                                                              (continued)

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54
        5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
  Tables. Areas Addressed Under Major Federal Environmental Laws (continued)


                  l_aw	Description of Law       	.
Area
  Waste
  treatment,
  storage,
  and dis-
  posal
   Food
    Products
                                                                      Responsible
                                                                        Party(ies)
           Resource
           Conservation and
           Recovery Act
           (including
           Hazardous and
           Solid Waste
           Amendments)
               Comprehensive
               Environmental
               Response, Com-
               pensation, and
               Liability Act (or
               Superfund)
            Federal Insecticide,
            Fungicide, and
            Rodenticide Act
            Food, Drug, and
            Cosmetic Act

            The Federal
            Insecticide, Fungi-
            cide, and Rodenti-
            cide Act
Places a "cradle-to-grave" management
requirement on generators and transporters
of hazardous wastes as well as on owners
and operators of treatment, storage, and
disposal (TSD) facilities. Regulates
disposal of solid and hazardous wastes to
the land and also regulates groundwater
contamination around TSD facilities.

Requires the cleanup of hazardous •
substances released into the air, soil,
surface water, and groundwater.  Imposes
liability requirements on parties responsible
for hazardous waste sites created in the
past and establishes a fund for cleaning up
abandoned sites. Provides authority and
funding for responding to hazardous
substance spills.
Sets maximum legal limits for pesticide
residues on all food marketed in the U.S.

 Limits the contamination or adulteration of
 food to tolerance levels that will protect
 human health.
 Sets safety standards for pesticide products
 and allows EPA to restrict or ban
 substances that do not meet human health
 or environmental standards.  Limits  the
 manufacture and importation" of pesticides
 to those compounds that have been
 registered by the EPA.
                                                                            EPA
                                                                            EPA
                                                                             EPA
                                                                             USDA, FDA
                                                                             EPA
                                                                              (continued)

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5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
55
Table 5. Areas Addressed Under Major Federal Environmental Laws (continued)

Area
Products
(cont.)
\ /








- . • r
| Workplace








Transpor-
tation
Informa-
tion






Agency key:


Law
Toxic Substances
Control Act



(

Hazardous
Substances
Labeling Act


Occupational
Safety and Health
Act

Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act
Toxic Substances
Control Act

Hazardous Materi-
als Transportation
Act
Emergency Plan-
ning and Com-
munity Right-to-
Know Act— Title III
of the Superfund
Amendment and
Reauthorization
Act

Description of Law
Requires testing of chemical substances,
both new and old, theoretically even before
human or environmental exposure occurs.
Regulates the production, use,, distribution,
and disposal of potentially hazardous
substances. Regulates the development of
_ biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Establishes information requirements for the
labels of consumer products such as soaps,
detergents, cleansers, bleaches, polishes,
paints, hobby products, oils, automotive
products, and solvents.
Sets health and safety standards for
workplace environments.


Limits worker exposure to pesticides.


Requires manufacturers of toxic substances
to provide notification that identifies any
potential workplace hazards.
Sets standards for the shipment of
hazardous materials.
'• ' "•• • ' ' 1 •"
Requires many factories and businesses to
report information to the government about
chemical inventories and the environmental
release of certain chemicals.




Responsible
Party(ies)
EPA






CPSC




"OSHA,
state gov-
ernments,
OSHRC
. EPA


EPA


DOT

EPA, state
and local
govern-
ments,
citizens



CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission
DOT Department of Transportation .
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

FDA Food and
Drug Administration

OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSHRC Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

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56        5. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
More Information
                   This chapter has provided the information you need to have a basic under-
                   standing of government actions to reduce your exposure to hazardous
                   substances. If you would like to know more about this topic, the sources listed

                   below would be a good place to start.


                   Environmental Progress and Challenges:
                   EPA's Update	                      .'  ;_   \ '  •  '  ;   	

                   Write to:   Public Information Center PM-211B
                             U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                             401 M Street, SW
                             Washington, DC 20460
                   or call:     (202)382-2080
                   Trends In the Quality of the Nation's Air

                   Write to:    Public Information Center PM-211B
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                              401 M Street, SW
                              Washington, DC 20460
                   or call:     (202)382-2080
                    Waste Minimization: Environmental Quality
                    with Economic Benefits	 -.    •

                    Write to:   RCRA/Superfuhd Hotline
                              OSW/OPMS Hotline
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                              401 M Street, SW
                              OS-305
                              Washington, DC 20460
                    or call:     1-800-424-9346
                              In Washington, DC:  (202) 382-3000
                    Superfund: Looking Ahead, Looking Back

                    Write to:   Public Information Center PM-211B
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                              401 M Street, SW
                       :       Washington, DC 20460
                    or call:     (202)382-2080

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                                                  6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
57
       COMMUNITY ACTIONS AIMED AT REDUCING YOUR
       EXPOSURE TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
                    HIGHLIGHTS:
                      Your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEEPC) collects information about
                      hazardous substances in your community and develops a plan for emergency
                      actions that will be taken if an accident occurs. You can get this information
                      from your LEPC.

                      You can help organize programs with your state or local government to reduce
                      sources of environmental problems.
Your Local Emergency Planning Committee
                  The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is the local group charged
                  with developing an emergency plan for evacuation or emergency response to
                  an accident involving hazardous substances.  LIEPCs are designated by the
                  State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) for each state. SERCs
                  coordinate arid supervise LEPC activities. SERCs were established as part of
                  Title III of the Superf und Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986
                  (SARA), also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
                  Know Act of 1986. There are more than 4,000 LEPCs nationwide. The
                  easiest way to find a contact person for the nearest LEPC is to call your local
                  government or SERC representative listed in Tsible 6, beginning on page 84.

                  Your LEPC has the following mission:

                   •   To develop a comprehensive emergency plan for your community and
                      keep the plan up to date.  To be effective, planning must be an ongoing
                      activity.

                   •   To receive and maintain information about siccidental chemical releases

                   •   To collect, manage, and provide public access to information on
                      hazardous substances in your area.

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58
•6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                    •   To educate the public about risks from accidental and routine releases of
                       hazardous substances and to work with facilities to minimize the risks.

                    These LEPC activities ultimately can reduce your community's risks from
                    hazardous substances.
                                                                            !
                    Your LEPC includes representatives from all parts of your community,
                    including elected state and local officials; law enforcement, civil defense,
                    firefighting, health, environmental, hospital, and transportation professionals;
                    owners and operators of facilities covered by Title III of SARA; broadcast and
                    print media; and community groups. Your LEPC also welcomes volunteer
                    citizen representatives.  As a citizen representative, you can review and
                    comment on your community's emergency response plan and ask questions
                    about how the procedures affect you, your family, and your place of business.
                                 Membera of
                                 a typical LEPC
            The Emergency Plan
                    By October of 1988, each LEPC was to have developed an emergency plan,
                    which the LEPC must review and update annually. The LEPC also
                    recommends a budget to the local government for developing, implementing,
                    and carrying out the emergency plan. Each emergency plan must include the
                    following information:                  .

                    •  names of facilities using or producing specific chemicals;

                    •  transportation routes used by the facilities;

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                                                 1.

                                                m
6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS        ,    59
 "-.-•'  •  emergency response procedures for facilities and for local emergency and
           medical personnel;

        •  names of community and facility emergency coordinators;

        •  procedures for notifying officials and the public in the event of a release of
           a hazardous substance;                 j
         • '  .         .               ' -    - '         !'             "
        •  methods for detecting a release and identifying areas and populations at
           risk;                                                    .

        •  a description of emergency equipment and facilities in the community and
           at specified facilities;                "     \ .   '   '           "
               "                   .      ,     '    'i   •".-'•        -  . '   .
        •  evacuation plans;

        •  training programs; and

        •  schedules for exercising the emergency plan.

Information Available from Your LEPC
        You can get several types of information from trie LEPC about the hazardous
, i       substances in your community:


        1 .  A list of the facilities In the planning ares that store certain hazardous
           substances and the amounts and types 6f extremely hazardous
           chemicals they use or store. Many  LEPCs already have made this infor-
           mation available to the public by putting  a copy in the local library.  (You
           may want to get EPA's Title III List of Lists, which lists hazardous sub-
           stances, and a booklet that explains the  Emergency Planning and Com-
           munity Right-to-Know Act. The Act requires! different reporting require-
           ments for different substances. See Table 1|2, beginning  on page 1 08, for
           printed materials and Table 13, on page 1 1 7, for cornputerized materials.)
                                          -        i                • . '  •   • ' •"
        2.  A list of facilities that have reported accidental releases to  the LEPC
         ~ In the past. As part of the law, companies must report to the government
         • -' releases that exceed a specified quantity. This information may be use'ful
           to you to determine if facilities in your  area have had a history of accidents
           and to find out the type and amounts of hazardous substances that have
           been released in these accidents.
        3.  nformation on the releases of hazardous substances to the airi to
           water, or through land disposal from manufacturing facilities. This
           information may or may not be available from the LEPC because com-
           panies do not have to submit this information directly to the LEPC.
           Nevertheless, the LEPC may request any information it needs to develop
           the plan — some LEPCs have  used the release information in their plans.
           If release information is not available from the LEPC, you can obtain it
           from the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Database or from your state's

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60         6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                       Section 313 contact (see Table 6 beginning on page 84, for the name of
                       the Section 313 contact in your state).  Table 13 on page 117 tells you
                       how to access the TRI database by computer and how to make written -
                       requests.

                    4  Material Safety Data Sheets. Material safety data sheets (MSDSs) are
                       one-page documents that show results of analyses done on chemicals.
                       The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) hazard
                       communications regulations require businesses at which hazardous
                       substances are present to prepare MSDSs and provide a list of the MoDS
                       titles to the SERC, the LEPC, and the local fire department with jurisdiction
                       over the facility.                                                     ,

                    5  The Hazards Identification and Analysis that the LEPC is required to
                       prepare as part of the emergency plan. A hazards identification and
                       analysis is a critical component of the LEPC'S  emergency plan. The infor-
                       mation developed in this analysis provides both the factual basis to set
                       priorities for planning and also the necessary documentation for supporting
                       the LEPC's planning and response efforts.

                       Three different types of analysis  make up the hazards identification and
                       analysis:

                       •    Hazards Identification. Determines which situations have the poten-
                            tial for causing injury to life or damage to property and the environ-
                            ment.      '..'.--

                       •    Vulnerability Analysis. Determines the susceptibility of life,
                            property, and the environment to injury or damage if a hazard mani-
                            fests its potential.

                       «    Risk Analysis. Estimates the probability that injury to life or damage
                            to property and the environment will occur.

                     In practice, your LEPC may not have completed a hazards identification and
                     analysis for the hazardous substances in  your community. This is because
                     the LEPC is partly a volunteer organization and many LEPCs have only begun
                     the complex task of assembling and interpreting the technical information they
                     receive. Nevertheless, the LEPC may be able to show you a map of the facil-
                     ities in your area and the types of substances they use or store (see items 1 -4
                     above).  This will give you a general idea of the sources in your area.

                     The hazards identification provides  information on the facility and transporta-
                     tion situations that have the potential to cause injury to life or damage to
                     property and the environment due to a spill or release of a hazardous
                     substance. The hazards identification should include the following

                     information:

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                                    8. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                        6t
«  the types and quantities of hazardous substances located in or transported
   through a community;

•  the location of hazardous substances facilities and routes; and

•  the nature of the hazard (e.g., fire, explosions) most likely to accompany
   hazardous substances spills or releases.

The vulnerability analysis identifies areas in the community that are
susceptible to damage should a hazardous substances release occur. The
vulnerability analysis should provide the following information:


•  the extent of the vulnerable zone (i.e., the significantly affected area) for a
   spill or release and the conditions that influence the zone of impact (e.g.,
   size of release, wind direction);            j

•  the population, in terms of size and types (e^g., residents, employees,
   sensitive populations—hospitals, schools, nursing homes, day care
   centers) that could be expected to be within the vulnerable zone;
                  •                        ' ' I            -          '" •
•  the private and public property (e.g., homes, businesses, offices) that may
   be damaged, including essential support systems (e.g., water, food,
   power, medical), and transportation corridors; and

 •  the environment that may be affected and the impact on sensitive natural
   areas and endangered species.
                          Vulnerability Analysis

   A vulnerability analysis is a required component of the emergency plan.  It
   determines the segment or segments of the community that are vulnerable
   to injury or damage if the worst-case scenario of an accident were to occur
   at a facility using a hazardous substance or on a transportation route.  As
   part of the analysis,  a "vulnerable zone" is eistimated for each hazardous
   substance present at a facility. Vulnerable zones are the areas that may
   be exposed to concentrations of an airborne hazardous substance at
   unsafe levels following an accidental release; they are based on

   • the size and rate of  release;

   '•• the physical characteristics of the chemical such as its physical state
     (solid, liquid, gas), its toxicity,  its ability to react with other chemicals, its
     corrosivity or flammability, and its ability tci disperse in the environment;

   • the airborne concentration at which the chemical causes irreversible  ,
     damage to the public health and environment;
     the wind speed and direction at the time o
the accident; and
     the surrounding topography and landscape features.

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62        -6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                   The risk analysis assesses the probability of damage (or injury) taking place in
                   the community due to a hazardous materials release and the actual damage
                   (or injury) that might occur, in light of the vulnerability analysis. Some
                   planners'may choose to analyze worst-case scenarios. The risk analysis may
                   provide the following information:

                   •   the probability that a release will occur and any unusual environmental
                       conditions, such as areas in flood plains, or the possibility of simultaneous
                       emergency incidents (e.g., flooding or fire hazards resulting in release of
                       hazardous materials);

                   •   the type of harm to people (acute, delayed, chronic) and the associated
                       high-risk groups;

                   •   the type of damage to property (temporary, repairable, permanent); and

                   •   the type of damage to the environment (recoverable, permanent).

                   You should be aware that any information you receive from your LEPC Will not
                   include releases from Superfund or other priority abandoned disposal sites,
                   municipal land disposal facilities or incinerators, nonpoint sources such as run-
                   off from agricultural fields, facilities that do not meet the minimum reporting
                   requirements of Title III  of SARA, and other facilities that are not covered or
                   have not yet reported under Title III of SARA. For information on potential
                   sources from a Superfund site, you can find a record of any reports at the
                   documents repository, which is normally located in the county library nearest
                   the Superfund site. You also can call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at
                   1-800-424-9346.

            Industry Response to the LEPC

                   The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) requires its member
                   companies to participate in the Community Awareness and Emergency
                   Response (CAER) program.  CAER's objectives are to inform people about
                   industry operations in their communities and to help develop and test
                   emergency response plans. Through participation in CAER, the industry is
                   providing technical assistance to LEPCs, communicating SARA Title  III
                   emissions information to the public, and donating equipment to LEPCs and
                   emergency response agencies.

                   The LEPC's ability to focus community attention on the releases and
                   inventories of chemicals at  facilities in the community has forced some
                   facilities to rethink their chemical housekeeping practices. In some cases,
                   companies have decided to change the amount of inventories they keep as a
                   result of the law.

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                                                      6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                                            LEPC Success Stories
                     One railroad company, Conrail, typically has an annual average 0(5*500
                     freight cars carrying hazardous substances through a major population
                     center.  Conrail recently reported to the LEPC that it has re-routed 2,500 of
                     these cars onto rail lines in less populated areas outside the city.
                                                             i
                            "       '•                        •[...'•
                     Ciba-Geigy's Toms River, New Jersey, plant is informing the community
                     about its SARA Title III information by compiling an annual report, which
                     contains information on the chemicals used at the plant that come under
                     Title III, a summary of Section 313 of Title III with reportable releases, and
                     background information about the operations at the plant.
                                                            .i
                     Management and employees of Solkatronic Chemicals in Morrisville,
                     Pennsylvania,  instructed public officials and emergency responders in the
                     properties of the company's products.  Solkatronic also donated a weather
                     station to the communities surrounding its facility and held a seminar on
                     dispersion modeling to help local officials understand its use during an
                     emergency.

                     3M and Ashland Chemical Co. in Minnesota {donated computers and
                     software to the local LEPC. The software contains information on 2,600
                     chemicals; keeps Title III plans; and records, runs, and stores scenarios
                     for quick retrieval. The software also performs preliminary risk assessment
                     calculations.

                     Dow Chemical U.S.A. and other companies in the LaPorte, Texas, area
                     are working with the LEPC to perform hazard assessments at each facility.
                     The assessments are being conducted to identify potential hazards at
                     each facility and to find ways to reduce them.
Other Community Organizations or Agencies that Support
Community Actions                               ,
                   In addition to your LEPC, other organizations or agencies in your community
                   provide helpful services and information:      i
                       state and local emergency management agencies,

                       fire departments,

                       police departments,

                       state and local environmental agencies,

                       state and local transportation agencies,

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64         6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                   •  state and local public health agencies,

                   •  state, regional, and local nonprofit environmental groups,

                   •  public service agencies,  .

                   •  volunteer groups, such as the Red Cross,

                   •  local industry and industrial associations, and

                   •  regional offices of federal agencies such as EPA and FEMA.

                   You and your neighbors can use these resources to help take actions to
                   reduce sources of environmental problems in your community.  You may want
                   to attend public hearings or encourage community groups to sponsor
                   programs and other opportunities for community education. Here are just a
                   few examples:

                   •   Lead In drinking water or radon may be problems in your area.  To
                       find out, call state or county health officials, your state radon office, or your
                       state drinking water office. If you determine that your community has
                       problems with lead in drinking water or radon in homes, help organize
                       community awareness programs to educate the public about these
                       environmental problems and what to do about them. Information programs
                       at malls and libraries can be successful for reaching other community
                       members.
                                           Radon Awareness Week

                      Some cities have conducted radon awareness days as part of community
                      outreach programs to alert citizens to the danger of radon.  For example,
                      in Frederick, Maryland, the mayor signed a proclamation of Radon
                      Awareness Week and the local paper carried articles about radon
                      throughout the week.  State and local health officials made presentations
                      to civic organizations, including the Lions Club and the League of Women
                      Voters.  The American Lung Association also participated in several
                      activities.  Contact your state radon office about how to organize a radon
                      awareness week in your community.  State radon offices are listed in
                      Table 7 beginning on page 91.
                         In most-communities, the Improper disposal of household
                         hazardous wastes is a serious environmental problem. Materials
                         that are improperly disposed of often end up in local water bodies either
                         because they are dumped into the ground or they cannot be extracted
                         during waste treatment.  Organize an information program on household
                         hazardous wastes or, if your community does not already have a
                         household hazardous waste collection program, participate in
                         developing one.

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                                                      6. COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                               Household Hazardous Waste Collection Programs
                      Many cities and counties in the United States
                      have organized programs for household hazard-
                      ous waste collection.  Some  local governments
                      have developed programs to educate the public
                      about the problems of improper disposal of
                      household hazardous wastes and have offered a
                      collection day or amnesty day on which residents
                      are encouraged to bring in household wastes for
                      proper disposal. The wastes are then disposed
                      of appropriately, usually by paying a hazardous
                      waste facility to accept them. Some areas have
                      adopted programs to collect  household hazard-
                      ous wastes on a regular basis,             i
"""SSSSSSSSS'
                      Planning a household hazardous waste collection program is a complex
                      and expensive process. If you are interested in starting a program in your
                      community, first consult EPA's A Survey of Household Hazardous Waste
                      and Related Collection Programs.  See page 66 for information about how
                      to order this publication.
                       Hazardous substances from automobile exhaust by-products enter
                       the environment with the runoff from parking lots, commercial
                       developments, roadways, and other impermeable surfaces. Work with
                       your city council or local governing body to reduce the pollution caused by
                       runoff. Stormwater management techniques can limit the amount of
                       hazardous substances that run off impermeable surfaces into surface
                       Water bodies during periods of heavy rainfall:

                       Automobile emissions contribute to environmental degradation.  In
                       some areas, automobile emissions are the largest source of pollution.
                       Organize carpools and/or use public transportation to reduce the amount
                       of automobile emissions.
More Information
                   This chapter described community actions aimed at reducing your exposure to
                   hazardous substances. If you would like to knoviir more about this topic, the
                   publications listed below would be a good place to start

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66        6.  COMMUNITY ACTIONS
                   Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guide         	j_	..

                   Write to:    Hazmat Planning Guide (NRT-1)
                             U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                             OS-121                            .-'•'.,'
                             401 M Street, SW
                             Washington, DC 20460

                   Chemicals In Your Community: A Guide to the Emergency Planning and
                   Community Riaht-tO'Know Act	—:—_

                   Write to:    Emergency Planning and Community
                              Right-to-Know Information Line
                             U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                             OS-120
                             401 M Street, SW
                             Washington, DC 20460
                   or call:     1-800-5355-0202
                             In Washington, DC and Alaska
                             (202) 479-2449


                   What It Means to You: A Videotape on the Emergency Planning and
                   Community Rlght-to-Know Act	_		

                   Write to:   Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances
                             U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                             TS-799
                             401 M Street, SW
                             Washington, DC 20460


                   Reducing the Risk of Chemical Disaster:
                   A Citizen's Guide                       		_	_^	^_—

                   Write to:    National Wildlife Federation         ,_ .
                              Environmental Quality Division
                              1400  16th Street, NW
                              Washington, DC 20036
                   or call:     (202) 797-6800
                   Cost:      $7.00

                   A Survey of Household Hazardous Waste and Related Collection
                   Programs	'         	:	—
                   Write to:    RCRA/Superfund Hotline
                              OSW/OPMS Hotline
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                              401 M Street, SW
                              Washington, DC 20460
                   or call:     1-800-424-9346
                              In Washington, DC
                              (202)382-3000                            ,

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                                                  7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
67
       ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO REDUCE YOUR
       EXPOSURE TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
Getting Started
                     HIGHLIGHTS:
                       Although the government takes a number of actions to reduce people's
                       exposure to hazardous substances, you may want to take further action on a
                       personal .level.

                       You can reduce your exposure to some hazardous substances by taking
                       actions In the following four general categories: (1) decrease indoor exposures;
                       (2) select and use products carefully; (3) change personal habits; and
                       (4) improve your diet.
                   We are exposed to many hazardous substances because we make decisions
                   about all kinds of risks in our daily lives based cm best scientific judgments,
                   common sense, and even habits or superstitions. These decisions range from
                   the food we choose to eat and drink, whether or not we smoke, where we live
                   and work, and even the recreational activities ini which we participate.
                   Chapter 5 discussed government legislation aimed at reducing people's
                   exposure to hazardous substances. Unfortunately, many factors such as the
                   following limit the effectiveness of government actions:
                                                     .-''.[•
                   •  Scientific knowledge is incomplete.
                      There is a time lag between discovering a risk and regulating its source.
                                            •-;'•".•   \-       '    '
                                         .   •     ,          •[ •  '  •         -  •"
                      Regulated substances still have residual (leftover) risks that when added
                      together may cause adverse health effects.

                      Not everyone obeys the laws.

                      Accidental releases still occur.

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68         .7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                    •   Uninformed parties may misuse hazardous substances.

                    The local government and community programs described in Chapter 6 are
                    designed to help communities reduce their citizens' exposure to environmental
                    substances. Depending on the source of a hazardous substance, you also
                    may be able to lessen your exposure (and,  hence, your risk of illness) by
                    changing your personal habits.

                    This chapter discusses some personal actions you can take to reduce the
                    hazardous substances in your environment. This chapter is not intended to be
                    comprehensive. You may decide you need more information, especially for
                    indoor environmental exposures or improving your personal health habits.
                    You can get some of this information from local organizations such as LEPCs
                    (see Chapter 6).  Additional information is available from hotlines, federal and
                    state agencies, and private organizations. Chapter 8 provides telephone
                    numbers and addresses of these organizations and information on available
                    printed materials.

                    You may want to tailor these suggestions to fit your needs.  Following some of
                    these suggestions may be less convenient  or take more time or effort than
                    your current habits.  Merely finding out about new  methods and products
                    requires time and effort.  But changing your habits can reduce your exposure
                    to hazardous substances. By taking a little more time to think and plan before
                    you buy,  mix, or use products, you can help protect yourself.

                    You do not have to change all your habits at once.  Make easier changes first
                    and begin learning about others so that you gradually reduce the number and
                    types of risks you are exposed to.


Personal Actions

                    The actions that we suggest you take fall into four general categories:

                    •   Decrease indoor exposures,
                    •   Select and use products carefully,
                    •   Change habits that expose you to hazardous substances, and
                    •   Improve your diet.

                    This chapter provides useful suggestions in each of these areas.

            Decrease Indoor Exposures
                    Some hazardous substances may be present in your home—for example, in
                    the air, building materials, furniture, and carpet.

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                                 7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
69
Radon: The Public Health Service and EPA recommend that all single-family
detached houses and apartments and condominiums below the third floor be
tested for radon. You can test your home for radon using simple detectors
that are available at hardware stores or through radon testing companies. The
tests cost between $10 and $50 depending on the type.  When a radon    •". '-
problem is found, homeowners can reduce the problem for expenditures
ranging from $200 to $2,000. To get more information on radon, call
1*800-SOS-RADON, call your state radon office, or read one of EPA's radon
information booklets.  Table? beginning on page 91 lists the state radon
offices in all 50 states, and Table 12 on page 113, lists a number of
publications on radon that are available from EPA.
               Charcoal
               Detector
               Recommended
               Test Period:
                2 to 7 days
               Approximate
               Cost:  $12 to $25.
               Alpha Track Detector
               Recommended Test Period
                3 to 12 months
               Approximate Cost:
                $25to$50.
                 Radon test devices are available fipm hardware
                 stores or radon testing companies!.
Asbestos: EPA prohibited the spraying of asbestos-containing materials for
insulation, fireproofing and soundproofing in 1973. Several other asbestos-
containing materials were prohibited in the-1970's by EPA and the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  Houses and apartments that were built
or remodeled before 1970 may contain asbestos. If you suspect that
fireproofing, insulation materials, or other building materials in your
environment contain asbestos, do not disturb them. Generally,  a health risk
only exists when asbestos fibers are released from the material.  Get
professional advice to identify and alleviate potential asbestos problems.* Call
the Toxic Substances Control Act Assistance Information Service [(202) 554-
1404] for information on asbestos and for a list 6f laboratories that can test for
asbestos problems. EPA's and CPSC's Asbestps in the Home contains more
information (see Table 12, page 113).

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70
7. ACTIONS.YOU CAN TAKE
                   Indoor tobacco smoke: Tobacco smoke may be a problem even for
                   nonsmokers indoors where smoking is allowed. Ventilation will reduce but not
                   eliminate exposure to tobacco smoke. Because smoking produces such large
                   amounts of pollutants, natural or mechanical ventilation techniques do not
                   remove them from the air in your home as quickly as they build up. The most
                   effective way to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke in the home is to eliminate
                   smoking there. EPA's and CPSC's The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air
                   Quality contains further information about environmental tobacco smoke (see
                   page 79 for information on how to order this publication).

                   Lead In paint: Older homes and apartments may have walls painted, with
                   lead-based paint. If you suspect the interior or exterior of your house has
                   been painted with lead-based paint, do not disturb it unless it is in bad condi-
                   tion and children could eat it. If you need to remove the paint, wear a mask.
                   Do not sand or burn off paint that may contain lead. If paint is cracked or
                   peeling, cover it with wallpaper or some other building material or replace the
                   painted surface. EPA's and CPCS's  The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air
                   Quality contains further information about lead in paint (see page 79 for
                   information on how to order this publication).

                   Lead In drinking water: You cannot see or taste lead in water.  Homes and
                   apartments most likely to have high lead levels are those that have water
                   service connections or interior plumbing made of lead, or those that are less
                   than 5 years old and have copper pipes soldered with lead. In dwellings with
                   copper piping more than 5 years old, mineral deposits have formed a coating
                   on the inside of the pipes if the water is not too corrosive. This coating
                   insulates the water from the lead solder. If you suspect that you have high
                   levels of lead in your drinking water, have your water tested. Many city water
                   departments offer testing, sometimes at no cost.  Call the Safe Drinking Water
                    Hotline or your State Pollution Control Department for information about where
                   to have your water tested.                                      ,

                    If your water contains lead, you can reduce the problem in several different
                   ways:

                    •   Run your water from the  tap until you feel that the water,has become as
                        cold as it will get before you drink it or cook with it;

                    •   Do not cook with or drink water from the hot-water tap;

                    .   Use bottled water; or

                    •   Replace the plumbing.                     .              ,

                    EPA's Lead and Your Drinking Water contains further information about lead
                    in drinking water (see Table  12, page 108, for information on how to order this
                    publication).

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                                        7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                         71
        Other sources of indoor exposures: Other sources of indoor exposures to
        hazardous substances include pressed wood products (such as furniture)
        containing formaldehyde, new carpets that give |off benzene, combustion
        products from improperly maintained wood stoves, and consumer products
        such as cleaners and pesticides. The next section discusses the selection
        and proper use of consumer products.  EPA's and CPSC's The Inside Story:
        A Guide to Indoor Air Quality contains further information about other indoor
        air contaminants (see page 79 for information on how to order this
        publication).

Select and Use Products Carefully
        Many consumer products contain hazardous substances.  To find out if a
        product contains hazardous substances, read the label. If you are unaware of
        the hazards from a particular chemical on the label, call EPA's Toxic
        Substances Control Act (TSCA) assistance infoifmation service (see Table 9,
        page 99). The following contains tips about product selection, product use,
        preparation, storage, and disposal that will help reduce your exposure to
        hazardous substances from these products.
        Product Selection: In many cases there are nonchemical products that can
        be used instead of a product that contains hazardous substances These
        products may be as effective as one that is hazardous. .Consider substituting
        products that do not contain hazardous substances or ones that contain less
        hazardous substances. Also choose products that are packaged in materials
        that are environmentally safe.
                Examples of Less Hazardous Alternatives to Hazardous
                                 Household Products

          •  Use boiling water, a plunger, or a metal snake to clear drains.
          «  Leave one-fourth cup of ammonia in the oven overnight to prepare oven
            for cleaning.
            Use rubbing alcohol or cold water and dete
            clothing is stained instead of spot remover.
rgent immediately after
          •  Sand off old paint or lacquer finish in a well-ventilated area rather than
            using paint stripper.                   „

          For further information see EPA's A Survey of Household Hazardous
          Wastes and Related Collection Programs (sete Table 12, page 109).

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7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                     Alternatives to Insecticide and Herbicide Use

          Use natural pesticides rather than chemical ones for your garden and for
          indoor plants. Depending on the site or the pest to be controlled, one or
          more of the following steps can be effective:

          . use microorganisms like milky spore disease to controlJapanese
            beetles in your garden.

          • Use companion plants such as marigolds (a natural bug repellent) near
            vegetable plants.

          • Use disease-resistant plants.

          Appropriately fertilizing, watering, and aerating lawns can reduce the need
          for chemical pesticide treatments of lawns. Mechanical treatments> such as
          cultivating to control weeds, hand-picking weeds from the lawn and pests
          from plants, and trapping to control rodents and some insects can be   ^
          useful  Use traps to control rodents and insects and screen off living areas
          to limit mosqutto and fly access. Wash indoor plants and pets frequently.

           For further information see EPA's A Citizen's Guide to Pesticides (page 79
           or Table 12, page 114).
                    Alternatives When Using Commercial Pest Qontrol

           If you decide to use a pest control company for pest removal or for ter-
           mites, choose one carefully.  Ask the company to use the least toxic ^
           means available or to use chemical-free pest control. Some pest control
           companies offer an electro-gun technique to control termite and similar
           infestations by penetrating infested areas and using heat treatments to
           eliminate the problem pests.

           Ask for an inspection of your home and get a written control program for
           evaluation before you sign a contract. The control program should list
           specific names of pests to be controlled and chemicals to be used. It
           should also reflect your safety concerns.                  ,

           For further information see EPA's A Citizen's Guide to Pesticides (page 79
           or Table 12, page 114).

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                                  TRACTIONS'YOU CAN TAKE
73
 Preparation for Product Use: Before you use products containing
 hazardous substances, prepare your work environment to reduce
 unnecessary exposures.  Here are some tips:
   •.'•'.   •  "          '      •    '' •     '  .'.  i     '  - '•   '.      '     •'    :
 •   Choose the least hazardous product that will accomplish the task.

 •   Read the labels of pesticides, paints, solvents, glues, and household
    cleaning products. Follow the directions carefully. Even if you have used
    the products before, read the label again. Refresh your memory about the
    details.                                 |
                   :      ,.       '    '"'[,-.
 •   Use only the amount of pesticides directed, at the time and under the
    conditions specified, and for the purpose listed. It is not true that twice the
    dosage will do twice the job.               !
                 -'                         • i
 •   Wear protective equipment to reduce exposiire to your skin, eyes, and
    lungs from such products. The label will indicate what protective equip-
    ment is recommended. Follow these directions.  Protective equipment
    may include impermeable gloves (made from materials such as vinyl), long
    sleeves, long pants, footwear, goggles, and/or a respirator.

•   Make sure your work space is well ventilated to reduce the concentration
    of any exposure you may receive. Use products outside or with the
    windows open to provide fresh air.

e   Close the windows in the house if you are spraying pesticides outdoors.
              Labels provide important information
              for proper product use.

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74         7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                    Product Usage: Using products properly will reduce unnecessary exposures
                    to hazardous substances.


                    •   Determine the correct dosage of the product.  Mix only the amount of
                       product you need for the job at hand to avoid storing or disposing of the
                       excess.

                    •   Use products in a well-ventilated area or outdoors.  If you cannot avoid
                       using products on a windy day, make sure you are standing upwind of the
                       product.                 •   .  "

                    •   Avoid spraying pesticides near wells or fish ponds.  Do not over-apply
                       pesticides when treating the lawn, shrubs, or the garden. Runoff or
                       seepage from excess pesticides can contaminate water supplies.  Also,
                       excess spray may leave harmful residue on home-grown produce.

                    •   Stand so that you do not smell gasoline when filling your tank at a self-
                       service gas station. Use the automatic pump setting, if available, so you
                       can walk away from your car while your tank |s being filled.

                    -   Place items stored with mothballs in trunks or other containers that can be
                       stored in areas that are separately ventilated from the home, such as the
                       attic or a detached garage.

                    •   Do not accept dry cleaning goods if they have a strong chemical odor
                       when you pick them up. Wait until they have properly dried, or leave them
                       outdoors until they are dry.                             /   .    .   •

                    •   Wear gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants when spraying
                       hazardous materials. Wash hands and clothes after spraying.

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                               7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
75
         Tips for What to do in an Accident with a Pesticide
                   or Other Hazardous Substance

First aid is the first step in treating a pesticide; poisoning. Study the
product label before you use a pesticide, especially the statement of
treatment. The best source of information is the label since the appropri-
ate first aid treatment depends on which pesticide was used.  Here are
some tips for first aid before, but not instead of, medical treatment:

•  Poison on skin.  Drench skin with water aind remove contaminated
   clothing. Wash skin and hair thoroughly with soap and water. Dry vic-
   tim and wrap in blanket. Later, discard contaminated clothing or
   thoroughly wash it separately from other laundry.

•  Chemical burn on skin. Drench skin witti water and remove contami-
   nated clothing. Cover burned area immediately with loose, clean, soft
   cloth. Do not apply  ointments, greases, powders, or other drugs.  Later,
   discard or thoroughly wash contaminated clothing separately from other
   laundry.
                                         i       "
•  Poison In eye. Eye membranes absorb pesticides faster than any
   other external part of the body. Eye damage can occur in a few minutes
   with some types of pesticides.  Hold eyelid open and wash  eye quickly
   and gently with clean, running water from the tap or a hose for 15 min-
   utes or more.  Do not use eye drops or chemicals or drugs in the wash
   water.                                 |

•  Inhaled poison.  Carry or drag victim to fresh airimmediately.  (If proper
   protection for yourself is unavailable, call for emergency equipment from
   the fire department.) Open doors and windows so no one else will be
   poisoned by fumes.  Loosen victim's tight clothing.  If the victim's skin is
   blue or the victim has stopped breathing, give artificial respiration and
   call rescue service for help.

•  Swallowed poison. A conscious victim should rinse  his mouth with
   plenty of water and drink up to one quart oif milk or water to dilute the
   pesticide.  Induce vomiting only if instructions to do so are on the label.
   If there is no label available to guide you, do not induce vomiting if the
   victim has swallowed a corrosive poison or; an emulsifiable concentrate
   or oil solution, or if the victim is unconscious  or is having convulsions.

In dealing with any poisoning, act fast; speed is crucial.  After initial first
aid has been performed, get medical help immediately.           '

Call the National Pesticides Telecommunications  Network at 1 -800-858-
PEST or your local poison control center for further information on how to
deal with poisonous substances. The number can be found on the inside
cover of your telephone book with the other emergency numbers.

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76
7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                    Product Storage and Disposal: Properly storing and disposing of products
                    that contain hazardous substances is important for reducing your exposures to

                    them.

                    .  Buy only the amount of product you need for the intended use (or for a
                       season's use).  This will reduce storage problems.

                    •  Keep a list of all the hazardous substances you have in your home and
                     v  where they are stored.

                    .  Store products containing hazardous substances awayJhrorn children and
                       pets. Store them in a locked cabinet in a well-ventilated utility area or
                       garden shed.

                    .  Store products in a safe place as specified by the label. Avoid storing pes-
                       ticides in places where flooding is possible, or in open places where they
                        might spill or leak into the environment. Store flammable liquids outs.de
                        living quarters and away from ignition sources.

                    .   Contact your city government to see if you city has a household hazardous
                        waste cleanup program where you can bring your waste from hazardous
                        household products.

                     .   Do not flush leftover pesticides or hazardous substances in the toilet or
                        down the sink as they could interfere with the operator! of the septic tank
                        or oollute waterways. Many municipal sewage treatment systems cannot
                        remove all pesticide or hazardous substance  residues from wastewater.

                     .  Dispose of unfinished containers of powdered household cleaners, window
                        cleaners, dyes, and water-based paints by wrapping them tightly in     -
                        newspaper or putting them in a box, taping shut, and placing in garbage
                        can.

                     •  Dispose of unfinished containers of drain cleaners, oven cleaners, spot
                        removers, tile cleaners, silver and furniture polishes, lead-based paints,
                        lacquer, varnish, and stripper by taking them to a househoW hazardous
                        waste collection site or call  your garbage disposal service for disposal
                        information.

                     •   Dispose of used oil by placing it in a closed container and taking it to a
                         service station or other facility that offers collection services. Do not mi*
                         other substances such as gasoline, paint stripper, or pesticides into used
                         oil. Trade in car batteries or take them to a special recycling center.

                     •   Do not reuse empty containers because they may contain residues.

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                                          7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                                           77
                                  Recycling Used Oil

          Used oil is recycled mostly as a fuel. In some! areas, local gas stations
          accept oil for recycling. When virgin oil prices drop, used oil prices also
          drop and facilities (such as gas stations) have: to pay used oil collectors to
          pick up used oil. Consequently, some stations no longer accept used oil
          from do-it-yourself oil changers. This means that it may be difficult to find
          a facility that will accept used oil.  Your state pollution control office may be
          able to tell you which facilities currently accept used oil.

          Do not dump used oil down drains or storm seiwers—it kills wildlife and
          causes human health risks.
Change Habits that Expose You to Hazardous Substances
        Some exposures to hazardous substance can be reduced or prevented by
        changing habits or behaviors. Here are some examples:


        •  Avoid long exposures to heavy concentrations of environmental tobacco
           smoke. And if you smoke, quit.

        •  Avoid outdoor activities when the air quality is poor.  For example, in some
           cities air pollution alerts are issued on occasion. Avoid exercising outside
           during these periods.                     1

        •  Avoid e'ating fish from Waterbodies where water contamination is known to
           have occurred.  Pay attention to posted signs warning of contamination.

Improve Your Diet
        Paying attention to
        your diet is impor-
        tant for two reasons.
        First, your diet is
        one possible way of
        being exposed to
        hazardous sub-
        stances. Second,
        some studies
        suggest that certain
        dietary components
        reduce or increase
        the risks of certain
        diseases. And third,
        some studies
        suggest that
        healthier people are
        better able to resist
        harm from hazard-
        ous substances.
A healthy diet includes
fruits and vegetables.

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78        '7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                    Nature puts some hazardous substances in our food.  Aflatoxin is an example.
                    In addition, we constantly consume small amounts of natural and man-made
                    pesticides in our diet,  Fruits, vegetables, and grains as well as meat, poultry,
                    eggs, and milk all can contain measurable pesticide residues.

                    Although EPA regulations limit the amount of man-made pesticide residues
                    that can be contained in commercial foods, you can further reduce risks in
                    other ways. Rinsing fruits and vegetables with water, scrubbing them with a
                    brush and peeling them, if possible, will remove much of the existing surface
                    residues and dirt but not the "systemic" pesticide residues taken up into the
                    qrowing plant.  Also, trimming the fat from meat and poultry and discarding the
                    fat and oils in broths and pan drippings reduce risks of residues because most
                    are concentrated in fat.

                    The Department of Health and Human Services promotes proper diet as one
                    of the best ways to reduce risks. The department suggests varying your diet
                    to include foods high in fiber and low in fat.  Your daily diet should include
                    fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain breads and cereals.

                    The following dietary factors have been linked with disease:
                                                                                          i
                     •   High saturated fat diets are linked to coronary heart disease;

                     •   Elevated levels of serum cholesterol are also linked with coronary heart
                        disease;
                     •  A fat-rich diet is linked to various kinds of cancer, with the strongest link
                        between high fat diet and colon cancer;

                     •  High sodium diets have been linked with hypertension for some groups of
                        people;
                     •  Low potassium diets have been linked with hypertension; and

                     •  Obesity is linked with diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.

                     A recommended source for further information on diet is Diet and Health:
                     Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk, published by the NaUonal
                     Academy Press (see page 79 or Table 12, page 115),
  More Information
                      This chapter has suggested actions you can take on your own to reduce your
                      exposure to hazardous substances.  If you would like to know more about this
                      topic, the sources listed below would be a good place to start.

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                                7.. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
79
 The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality
 Write to:   Public Information Center PM-211B
           , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
           401 M Street, SW              i
           Washington, DC 20460         |
 or call:     (202)382-2080                j
 A Citizen's Guide to Pesticides
 Write to:   Public Information Center PM-211B
           U.S. Environmental Protection Ageincy
           401 M Street, SW
           Washington, DC 20460
 or call:     (202)382-2080
Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing
Chronic Disease Risk
Write to:    National Academy Press
           2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
           Washington, DC 20418
or call:     (202) 334-3313
Cost:      $49.95
Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer Prevention:
The Good News
Write to:    Office of Cancer Communications
           National Cancer Institute
           Bethesda, MD 20892
or call:     1-800-4-CANCER
Chemical Risks: Personal Decisions
Write to:   Office of Legislative and Regulatory Programs
          Department of Government Relations and Science Policy
          American Chemical Society
          11155 16th Street, NW
          Washington, DC 20036
or call:    (202)872-8725

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80
7. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
                             in Drinkin
                   Write to-    Public Information Center PM-21 1 B
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

                              401 M Street, SW
                              Washington, DC 20460

                   or call:     (202)382-2080

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                                               a GETTING MORE INFORMATION
81
       GETTING MORE INFORMATION
       ON HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
                   This chapter provides tables that list sources of further information on hazard-
                   ous substances. The first six tables provide telephone numbers and addres-
                   ses for contact persons in federal and state governments and in other organi-
                   zations who can help answer questions about h azardous substances. The
                   last two tables provide information about printed and computer resources that
                   are publicly available.
Reference Tables: A Guide
                  You may want to get more information on some of the techniques and actions
                  described in this guidebook. This chapter lists stdditional sources of
                  information, including hotlines, booklets, public information sources, and
                  computerized information. These sources are organized under the following
                  tables:                                        :
                    •      •  ' '        "   ':   '   -      ••''•!-'•'.    '  ••  • '   '
                              . -,            .    -    *      • -\        \ '      ,      ' . '
                  Table 6 State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 313
                  Contacts Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know
                  Act (SARA Title III) (pages 84-90)—lists the Commissions and Section 313
                  contacts for each state in the United States. The State Emergency Response
                  Commission (SERC) can help you find a contact person at the Local
                  Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) in yourlarea. The Section 313
                  contacts can help you get information on releases of certain types of
                  hazardous substances.                      [
                  Table 7 State Radon Contacts (pages 0r-95>Mists the name and address
                  of a contact person in the state radon office for ejach state.
                                                          i    • ,        ' '

                  Table 8 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Offices (page
                  96)—lists the name and address of the Superfurid Community Relations
                  Coordinator for each EPA region, A map showing the EPA regions follows the
                  table on page 97.

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82
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                    Tables U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources (pages 98-
                    10r>_lists hotlines and other public information services that are operated or
                    funded by EPA. The table also lists the main services each resource
                    provides.  Many of the services relate to a particular law so it may be most
                    useful to read the description of the information they provide to get. a sense of
                    whom to call. The toll-free information services are listed first in alphabetical
                    order by name, followed by other public information resources,

                    Table  10  Other Federal Government Resources (pages 102-104)—lists
                    hotlines and other public information services that are operated by other
                    federal agencies that have jurisdiction over hazardous substances.  Thetebie
                    lists the main service.-, each resource provides. The resources are listed in
                    alphabetical order.

                     Table 11 Private and Nonprofit Organizations (pages 105-T07>-list8
                     some  national private and nonprofit organizations that provide useful
                     information or resources concerning hazardous substances.  A brief      ^
                     description of the main services of each organization ,s also included. These
                     organizations  are listed in alphabetical order.
                                                       •-i _   ; ' '       •           •     -  •
                     Table 12 Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (pages 108-
                     t f 5)-lists information available to the public about hazardous substances
                     and^vhat EPA, other branches of the federal government, and the public can
                     do about hazardous substances. These publications are listed according to
                     the type of exposure (for example, indoor air). The table also provides general
                     sources of health effects information.

                      Table 13 Computerized Information on Hazardous Substances (page
                      177>-provides health effects information available on line through a personal
                      computer from the National Library of Medicine.
  How to Use the Resources
                      Local health departments and local environmental groups generally are more
                      familiar with the particular characteristics of your local environment.
                      Information on releases of hazardous substances from certain facilities^ ^
                      (information required by the Emergency Planning and Community R.ght-to-
                      Know Act) is available from a variety of sources. The EPA regional offices
                      listed in Table 8 cannot provide information on local and regional nonprofit
                      environmental groups.

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                              8, GETT/NGMCHE INFORMATION
S3
You also may want to contact your Local Emergency Planning Committee
(LEPC) or look in your public library for information produced by your LEPC.
Your LEPC already may be in the process of making this information more
meaningful by putting it into context in your locsjl community. To contact your
LEPC, call your State Emergency Response Commission and ask them for
information on the LEPC in your area. If some ipf the release data you are
interested in obtaining are not available from the LEPC, contact your state's
Section 313 contact listed in Table 6 or obtain siccess to the Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI) database listed in Table 9. TheiTRI database itself can be
accessed by computer and modem and at the public reading room in
Washington, DC.
Information is also available through state pollution control agencies. This
chapter does not list all the state pollution control agencies, because many
states have more than one agency with jurisdiction over hazardous
substances. To contact the appropriate agency in your state, call the operator
in your capital city and ask for the main number of the state environmental or
pollution control agency. Once you contact that agency, ask them to help you
find the office that can address your question.

National public  information services can supplement information you get from
local and state agencies and provide information  about federal laws and
regulations, health effects from exposure to hazardous substances, and
methods for reducing environmental problems. Also, they can refer you to
specific program offices within the federal agency or in the state government
for more detailed information.

Skim the tables in this chapter to find out what information sources are
available. Beside each listing is a brief description of the services provided by
each hotline, information service, or organization. Even after you have read
these lists, you may still  have difficulty deciding whom to contact.  If you
decide to call someone in a local office, ask that person for names of people to
contact in other offices inside or outside the agency. Also, ask for names in
other levels of government. For example, ask federal officials for contacts at a
regional or state office, or ask a local official whom to call at the state,
regional, or federal level. Check to see if local environmental groups have
developed a list of contact persons that may be useful.

You may need  to make several calls to get the information you need. Keep in
 mind that every contact will not have all the answers. Be persistent—it is your
 right as a citizen to learn about the hazardous isubstances in your
.environment.

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84
•8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 8.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 313 Contacts Under the
           Emergency Planning and Community Rlghfrto-Know Act (SARA Title III)
   Alabama
   Alabama Emer goncy Response
    Commission
   Alabama Emergency Management
    Agency
   520 South Court Street
   Montgomery, AL 38130
   (205) 834-1375

   Section 313 contact
   Alabama Emergency Response
    Commission
   Alabama Department of Environmental
    Management
   1751 Congressman W. l_ Dickinson
    Drive
   Montgomery, AL 36109
   (205) 271-7700

   Alaska
   Alaska Emergency Response
    Commission
   900 Otd Glacier Highway
   P.O. Box 32420
   Juneau, AK  99601
   (907) 485-2630

   American Samoa
   Territorial Emergency Management
    Coordination Office
   American Samoan Government
   Pago Pago, AS 96799
   (684) 633-2331

   Section 313 contact:
   Pali Falai, Director
   American Samoa, EPA
   Office of the Governor
   Pago Pago, AS 96799
   (684) 633-2304

   Arizona
   Arizona Emergency Response
    Commission
   Division of Emergency Services
   5636 East McDowell Road
   Phoenix, KZ.  85008
   (602)231-8328

   Arkansas
   Arkansas Department of Pollution
    Control and Ecology
   P.O. Box 9583
   8001 National Drive
   Ltt«eRock,AR 72219
   (501)562-7444

   Section 313 contact:
   Depository of Documents
   Arkansas Department of Labor
   10421 W. Markham
   UtUe Rock, AR 72205
   (501) 682-4534	•
                                                   California           ,
                                                   Chemical Emergency Planning
                                                    and Response Commission
                                                   Office of Emergency Services
                                                   Hazardous Material Division
                                                   2800 Meadowview Road
                                                   Sacramento, CA 95832
                                                   (916)427-4287

                                                   Section 313 contact:
                                                   Office of Environmental Affairs
                                                   ATTN: Section 313 Reports
                                                   P.O. Box 2815                   ,
                                                   Sacramento, CA 95812              .
                                                   (916)324-8124

                                                   Colorado
                                                   Colorado Emergency Planning
                                                    Commission  .
                                                   Colorado Department of Health
                                                   4210 East 11th Avenue
                                                   Denver, CO  80220
                                                   (303)331-4830

                                                   Section 313 contact:
                                                   Same address as above             .
                                                   (303)331-4858
                                                   Emergency Release Notification:
                                                   (303)331-4858
                                                   After hours; (303) 377-6326

                                                   Connecticut
                                                   Connecticut Emergency Response
                                                    Commission
                                                   Department of Environmental Protection
                                                   State Office Building
                                                  • Room 161
                                                   165 Capitol Avenue
                                                   Hartford, CT 06106
                                                   (203)566-4856

                                                   Delaware
                                                   Emergency Planning & Operations
                                                   Department of Public Safety
                                                   P.O. Box 527    '
                                                   Delaware City, DE 19706  ,    .
                                                   (302)834-4531
                                                   (800)292-9588,

                                                   Section 313 contact:
                                                   Air Resource Section
                                                   Department of Natural Resources and
                                                     Environmental Control
                                                   89 Kings Highway
                                                   P.O. Box 1401,
                                                   Dover, DE 19903
                                                   (302)739-4791
                                                   Emergency Release Notification:
                                                   (302)739-4764
                                                   In Delaware (800) 662-8802

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                                                             8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                          85
Table 6.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section »13 Contacts Under the
           Emergency Planning and Community R|ght-to-Know Act (SAFIA Title 111) (continued)
   District of Columbia
   District of Columbia Emergency
    Response Commission       .
  , Office of Emergency Preparedness
   200014th Street, NW
   Frank Beeves Center for Municipal Affairs
   Washington, DC 20009
   (202)727-8161

   Florida
   State Emergency Response
    Commission
   Florida Department of Community
    Affairs,
   2740 Centerview Drive
   Tallahassee, FL 32399-2149
   (904) 488-1472~
   In Florida (800) 633-7179

  i Georgia        •
   Georgia Emergency Response
    Commission
   Georgia Department of Natural
    Resources
   205 Butler Street, SE
   Floyd Towers East, 11 th floor
   Atlanta, GA 30334
  \ (404) 656-4713

   Section 313 contact:
   Same address as above
   (404) 656-6905
   Emergency Release Notification:
   (800)241-4113

   Guam
   Guam State Emergency Response
  \  Commission
   Civil Defense
   Guam Emergency Services Office
  i Government of Guam
   P.O. Box 2877
   Aguana,GU 96910
   (671) 472-7230

   Section 313 contact:
   Guam EPA
   P.O. Box 2999
   Aguana.GU 96910
   (671) 646-8863
Hawaii
Hawaii State Emergency Response
 Commission:
Hawaii Department of Health
P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801
(808)548-41519
Section 313 contact:
Same address as above
(808) 548-6505
Idaho
Idaho Emergency Response
 Commission
1410 N. Hilton, 2nd Floor    ,
Boise, ID  83706
(208) 334-58IJ8
Emergency Release Notification:
(800)632-8000

Illinois
Illinois Emergency Response
 Commission
Illinois Emergency Services
 and Disaster Agency
ATTN: Hazmat Section
11OE. Adams Street
Springfield, II. 62706
(217)782-4694
Section 313 (Contact:
Emergency Planning Unit
Illinois EPA
ATTN: JoeCloodner
P.O. Box 192176
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield, II. 62794-9276
(217)782-3637

Indiana
Indiana Emergency Response
 Commission
5500 West Bradbury Avenue
Indianapolis,  IN 46241
(317)243-5176

Iowa
Iowa Disaster Services Division
Hoover Building
Level A, Room 29
DesMoines.lA 50319
(515)281-3231

Section 313 contact:
Department of Natural Resources
Records Department        ,  '
900 East Grand Avenue  ,
Des Moines,  IA 50319
(515)281-8852

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86
•8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 8.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 313 Contacts Under the
           Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (SARA Title III) (continued)
   Kanaaa
   Kansas Emergency Response
    Commission
   Community Right-to-Know Program
   Mills Building, Suite 501
   109 S.W. 9th Street
   Topeka, KS 68612
   (913) 296-1690
   Emergency Release Notification:
   (913)296-3176

   Kentucky
   Kentucky Emergency Response
    Commission
   Kentucky Disaster and
    Emergency Services
   EOC BWg.
   Boone National Guard Center
   Frankfort, KY 40601-8188
   (502) 584-8660

   Section 313 contact:
   Section 313
   Deputy Commissioner for
    Special Projects
   Kentucky Department for Environmental
    Protection
   18 Rellly Road
   Frankfurt, KY 40601
   (502) 564-2150

   Louisiana
   Louisiana Emergency Response
    Commission
   Office of State Police
   P.O. Box 66814
   7901 Independence Boulevard
   Baton Rouge, LA 70896
   (504)925-8113

   Section 313 contact:
   Emergency Response Coordinator
   Department of Environmental Quality
   P.O. Box 44068
   Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4066
   (504) 342-8617
   Contact: R. Bruce Hammatt,
    Director of Emergency Response

   Main*
   State Emergency Response
    Commission
   Station 72
   Augusta, ME 04333
   (207) 289-4080
   In Maine (800) 452-8735
                                                   Maryland
                                                   Governor's Emergency Management
                                                   'Agency
                                                   Maryland Emergency
                                                    Management Agency
                                                   2 Sudbrook Lane East
                                                   Pikesville, MD 21208
                                                   (301) 486-4422

                                                   Section 313 contact:
                                                   State Emergency Response Commission
                                                   Maryland Department of the
                                                    Environment
                                                   Toxics Information Center
                                                   2500 Broening Highway
                                                   Baltimore, MD 21224
                                                   (301)631-3800

                                                   Massachusetts
                                                   Title III Emergency
                                                    Response Commission
                                                   C/O DEP
                                                   Department of Environmental
                                                    Quality Engineering
                                                   Orre Winter Street, 10th floor
                                                   Boston, MA 02108
                                                   (617) 292-5993
                                                   For LEPC Information: (508) 820-2000

                                                   Michigan                         •
                                                   Michigan Department of Natural
                                                    Resources
                                                   Environmental Response Division
                                                   Title III Notification
                                                   P.O. Box30028
                                                   Lansing, Ml 48909
                                                   (517)373-8481      .

                                                   Minnesota
                                                   Minnesota Emergency Response
                                                    Commission
                                                   290 Bigelow Bid.
                                                   450 N. Syndicate
                                                   St. Paul, MN 55104
                                                   (612)843-3000

                                                   Mississippi
                                                   Mississippi Emergency Response
                                                    Commission
                                                   Mississippi Emergency Management
                                                    Agency
                                                   P.O. Box 4501              .  "  •"
                                                  , Fondren Station
                                                   Jackson, MS 39296-4501
                                                   (601)960-9973

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                                                             8. GETTING MOKE INFORMATION
                                          87
Table 6.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 1313 Contacts Under the
  j         Emergency Planning and Community Rlght-to-Know Act (SAflA Title III) (continued)
   Missouri
   Missouri Emergency Response
  i  Commission
   Missouri Department of
  !  Natural Resources
  i 2010 Missouri Blvd.
   Jefferson City, MO 65109
   (314)751-7929

  ; Montana
   Montana Emergency Response
    Commission
   Environmental Sciences Division
   Department of Health
    and Environmental Sciences
   Cogswell Building A-107
   Helena, MT 59620
   (406)444-6911

   Nebraska
   Nebraska Emergency Response
    Commission
   Nebraska Department of
  i  Environmental Control
   P.O. Box 98922
   State House Station
   Lincoln, NE 68509-8922
   (402)471-2186
   Emergency after hours:
   (402)471-4545

  I Nevada
   Nevada Division of Emergency
    Management
   2525 South Carson Street
   Carson City, NV 89710
   (702)885-4240
  ; Emergency Release Notification:
   (702)885-5300

   New Hampshire
  i State Emergency Management
    Agency
   Title III Program
  ! State Office Park South
   107 Pleasant Street
   Concord, NH 03301
  i (603)271-2231

  I New Jersey
   New Jersey Emergency
  :  Response Commission
   SARA Title III Project
   Department of Environmental
    Protection'
   Division of Environmental Quality
   CN-405
  i Trenton, NJ 08625
   (609)292-6714
   Emergency number (609) 292-7172
New Mexico
New Mexico Emergency Response
 Commission
New Mexico {Department
 of Public Safety
P.p. Box 1628
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1628
(505) 827-9222

New York
State Emergency Management Office
Building 22
State Campus
Albany, NY 12226
(518)457-9996
Section 313 (jontact:
New York Emergency Response
 Commission
New York State Department
 of Environmental Conservation
Bureau of Spiill Prevention
 & Response
50 Wolf Road, Room 326
Albany, NY  12233-3510
(518)457-4107
Contact: William Miner

North Carolina
North Carolina Emergency
 Response Commission
North Carolina Division of Emergency
 Management
116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-1335
(919)733-38167
In North Carolina (800) 451 -1403 for
. general information only

North Dakota
North Dakota Division of Emergency Management
P.O. Box 5511
Bismarck, NID 58501-5511   ,
(701)224-2111
 Section 313 contact:
 SARA Title III Coordinator
 North Dakota State Department of
  Health and Consolidated Laboratories
 Environmental Health Section
 1200 Missouri Avenue
 P.O. Box 5520
 Bismarck, ND 58502-5520
 (701)224-2374

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88
8.  GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 6.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 313 Contacts Under the
           Emergency Planning and Community Rlght-to-Know Act (SARA Title III) (continued)
   Ohio
   Ohio Emergency Response
    Commission
   Onto Environmental Protection
    Agency
   Office of Emergency Response
   P.O. Box 1049
   Columbus, OH 43266-0149
   (614) 644-2260

   Section 313 contact:
   Division of Air Pollution Control
   1800 Watermark Drive
   Columbus, Ohio 43215
   (614) 644-2270

   Oklahoma
   Oklahoma Emergency Response
    Commission
   Office of Civ!! Defense
   P.O. Box 53385
   Oklahoma City, OK 73152
   (405)521-2481

   Oregon
   Oregon Emergency Response
    Commission
   c/o State Fire Marshall
   3000 Market Street Plaza
   Suite 534
   Salem, OR 97310
   (503) 378-2885

   Pennsylvania
   Pennsylvania Emergency Response
    Commission
   c/o Pennsylvania Emergency
    Management Agency
   P.O. Box 3321
   Harrisburg, PA 17105
   (717) 783-8150, (717) 783-7388

   Section 313 contact:
   Pennsylvania Emergency
    Response Commission
   c/o Bureau of Rkjht-to-Know
   Room 1503
   Labor and Industry Building
   Harrisburg, PA 17120
   (717) 783-2071
                                                   Puerto Rico
                                                   Puerto Rfco Emergency
                                                    Response Commission
                                                   Environmental Quality Board
                                                   P.O. Box 11488
                                                   Semades Ounces Station
                                                   Santurce, PR 00910
                                                   (809)722-1175

                                                  > Section 313 contact:
                                                   SERC Commissioner
                                                   Title HI-SARA and1313
                                                   Same address as above

                                                   Rhode Island
                                                   Rhode Island Emergency
                                                    Response Commission
                                                   State House Room 27
                                                   Providence, Rl 02903-1197
                                                   (401)277-3039
                                                   Emergency release no. (401) 274-7745

                                                   Section 313 contact:
                                                   Department of Environmental
                                                    Management
                                                   Division of Air and Hazardous Materials
                                                   291 Promenade Street
                                                   Providence, Rl 02908
                                                   Atln: Toxte Release Inventory
                                                   (401)277-2808
                                                   Emergency Release Notification:
                                                   (401)277-3070

                                                   South Carolina
                                                   South Carolina Emergency
                                                    Response Commission
                                                   Division of Public Safety Programs
                                                   Office of the Governor
                                                   1205 Pendleton Street
                                                   Columbia, SC 29201
                                                   (803) 734-0425

                                                   Section 313 contact:
                                                   Department of Health and
                                                    Environmental Control
                                                   2600 Bull Street
                                                   Columbia, SC  29201
                                                   (803)734-5200

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                                                             8.  GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 6.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 5113 Contacts Under the
           Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (SARA Title III) (continued)
   South Dakota
   South Dakota Emergency.
    Response Commission
   Department of Water
    and Natural Resources
   Joe Foss Building
   523 East Capitol
   Pierre, SD 57501-3181
   (605)773-3151

   Section 313 contact:
   Same address as above
   (605) 773-3298

   T«nn«33«»
   Tennessee Emergency Response
    Commission
   Tennessee Emergency
    Management Agency
   3041  Sidco Drive
   Nashville, TN 37204
   (615)252-3300
   In Tennessee (800) 262-3300
   Out of State (800) 258-3300

   Texas
   Texas Emergency Response
    Commission
   Division of Emergency
    Management
   P.O. Box 4087
   Austin, TX 78773-0001
   (512)465-2138

   Section 313 contact:
   Emergency Response Unit
   Texas Water Commission
   P.O. Box 13087-Capitol Station
   Austin, TX 78711-3087
   (512)463-8527
   i Emergency Release Notification:
   (512)458-7410

   Utah
   •Utah Comprehensive Emergency
    Management
   P.O. Box 58136
   Salt Lake City, UT 84158-0136
   (801) 584-8370
Section 313 contact:
Utah Hazardous Chemical Emergency
 Response Commission
Utah Division of Environmental Health
288 North 1460 West
P.O. Box 166!30
Salt Lake City,  UT 84116-0690
(801) 538-612'.1

Vermont
Department of  Labor and Industry
State Office Building
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802)828-226)6
Section 313 contact:
Department of Health
60 Main Street
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VI; 05402
(802)863-728(1
Virgin Islands
Department of Planning and Natural
 Resources
US Virgin Islands Emergency
 Response Commission
Title III
Suite 231
Nisky Center i
Charlotte, Amalie
St. Thomas, VI 00802
(809) 774-3320, ext. 169,170
Virginia
Virginia Emergency Response
 Council
Department oil Waste
 Management
James Monroe Building
11th Floor
101 North 14«h Street
Richmond, VA  23219
(804) 225-2513

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90
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Tab!© 6.   State Emergency Response Commissions and State Section 313 Contacts Under the
           Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (SARA Title HI) (continued)
   Washington
   Washington Emergency Response
    Commission
   Department of Community
    Development
   MaHStopQH-51
   9th and Columbia Building
   Olymp(a,WA 98504-4151
   (206) 753-5625, (208) 459-9191       '
   In Washington (800) 633-7585

   Section 313 contact:
   Department of Ecology
   Hazardous Substance Information Office
   MaBSlojiPV-11
   Olympia,WA 98504-8711
   (206) 438-7252

   W««t Virginia
   West Virginia Emergency
    Response Commission
   West Virginia Office of Emergency
    Sen/tees
   State Office Building; EB-80
   Charleston, WV 25305
   (304) 348-5380
                                                  Wisconsin
                                                  Wisconsin Emergency Response
                                                   Commission
                                                  Division of Emergency Government
                                                  4802 Sheboygan Avenue
                                                  P.O. Box 7865
                                                  Madison, Wl 53707
                                                  (608)266-3232

                                                  Section 313 contact:
                                                  Department of Natural Resources
                                                  P.O. Box7921
                                                  Madison, Wl 53707
                                                  (608) 266-9255

                                                  Wyoming
                                                  Wyoming Emergency Response
                                                    Commission
                                                  Wyoming Emergency
                                                    Management Agency
                                                  Comprehensive Emergency Management
                                                   P.O. Box 1709
                                                  Cheyenne, WY 82003
                                                   (307) 777-7566
    Information about your Local Emergency Planning Committee can be obtained by contacting the State Emergency Response
    Commission which Is the first contact listed for each state. Information on releases of certain hazardous substances from facilities in
    your area can bo obtained from the State Section 313 contact listed or from the State Emergency Response contact if a separate
    Section 313 contact is not listed. This table also provides emergency release notification telephone numbers in those states where it i
    not already listed under the State Emergency Response Commission.

    Ust Is current as of August 1990.    	          .     	,	

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                                                                8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 7. State Radon Contacts
   Alabama
  i Aubrey V. Goodin, Director
   (Jim McNee)
   Radiological Health Branch
  ; State Department of Public
    Health
   State Office Building
  i Montgomery, AL 36130
   (205)261-5315

  "Alaska
  I Sidney Heidersdorf, Chief
  i Radiological Health Program
   Department of Health and Social
    Services
  : Division of Public Health
  i P.O. Box H
   Juenau.AK 99811-0610
   (907)465-3019

   Arizona •    .              •
  | Charles F. Tedford, Director
   (Paul Weeden)
   Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency
   Environmental Surveillance   ,
   4814 South 40th Street
   Phoenix, AZ 85040
   (602)255-4845

   Arkansas
   Greta Dteus, Director
   Arkansas Department of Health
   Division of Radiation Control and
  ',  Emergency Management
   4815 W. Markham Street
   Little Rock, AR 72205-3867
  1(501)661-2301

   California
   Dr. Jack S. McGurk, Chief
  ; (Dave Quinton)
  1 Environmental Health Division -
  ; California State Department of
    Health
   714 P Street, Office BIdg. #8
  , Sacramento, CA 95814
  i (916) 322-2040

   Colorado
   Robert Quillin, Director
   Radiation Control Division
  : Colorado Department of Health
   4210 East 11 th Avenue
   Denver, CO  80220
  ] (303)331-4812
Connecticut
Alan J. Siniscatehi
Radon Program         .  ,'
Connecticut Department of
 Health Service
150 Washington Street
Hartford, CT 06106
(203)566-31)22

Delaware
Allan C. Tap^irt, Program
 Administrator
Office of Radiation Control
Division of Public Health
Bureau of Environmental Health
Robbins Bldg., Silver Lake Plaza
P.O. Box 637
Dover, DE1S901
(203)738-4731
1-800-544-INFO

District of Columbia
Frances A. Bowie, Administrator
Department of Consumer and
 Regulatory Affairs
614 H Street, NW, Room 1014
Washington, DC 20001
(202)727-77128

Florida
Dr. Lyle E. Jerret, Chief
(N. Michael  Ciilley)
Office of Radiation Control
Department of Health and
 Rehabilitative Services
1317 Winew
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92
a. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 7. State Radon Contacts (continued)
   Idaho
   Brian Monson
   (Joanne Mitten)
   Department of Health and
    Welfare
   Bureau of Preventive Medicine
   450 West State Street
   Boise, ID  83720
   (208) 334-5927

   Illinois
   Richard Alien,  Chief
   Department of Nuclear Safety
   Radfoecotogy Division
   Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety
    Laboratory
   1301 Knotts Street
   Springfield, IL  62703
   (217)788-7128

   Indiana
   Jade C. Corpuz
   Indiana State Board of Health
   1330 W. Michigan Street
   P.O. Box 1964
   Indianapolis, IN 46206-1964
   (317) 633-0153
   1-800-272-9723 fjn State)

   Iowa
   Donald A. Rater, Chief
   Department of Public Health
   Lucas State Office Building
   DesMotnes.lA 50319
   (515)281-5605

   Kansas
   Gerald W. Allen, Chief
   Radiation Control Program
   Bureau of Environmental Health
    Services
   Division of Health
   Department of Health and Environment
   Forbes Reid, Building 740
   Topeka, KS 66620-0110
   (913) 296-1560

   Kentucky
   Donald R. Hughes
   Radiation Control Branch
   Division of Radiation and Product
    Safety
   Department of Human Resources
   275 East Main Street
   Frankfort, KY  40621
   (502) 584-3700
                                                     Louisiana
                                                     William H. Spell, Administrator
                                                     Louisiana Nuclear Energy Division
                                                     Louisiana Department of Environmental
                                                      Quality •'-•-.
                                                     P.O. Box 14690
                                                     Baton Rouge, LA 70898-4690
                                                     (504)925-4518

                                                     Maine
                                                     W. Ctough Tappan
                                                     Indoor Air Program
                                                     Division of Health Engineering
                                                     Department of Human Services
                                                     State House, Station 10
                                                     Augusta, ME 04333
                                                     (207) 289-3826

                                                     Maryland
                                                     Roland G. Fletcher, Administrator
                                                     Maryland Air Management Administration
                                                     Department of the Environment
                                                     2500 Broening Highway
                                                     Baltimore, MD 21224
                                                     (301)631-3300
                                                     1-800-872-3666 (in State)

                                                     Massachusetts
                                                     Robert M. Hallisey, Director
                                                     Radiation Control Program
                                                     Massachusetts Department of
                                                      Public Health,
                                                     150 Tremont Street, 11th Floor
                                                     Boston, MA 02111
                                                     (617)727-6124

                                                     Michigan
                                                     George W. Bruchmann, Chief
                                                     (Robert DeHaan)
                                                     Michigan Department of Public
                                                      Health
                                                     Bureau of Environmental and
                                                      Occupational Health
                                                     Division of Radiological Health
                                                     3423 North Logan, P.O. Box 30195
                                                     Lansing, Ml 48909             .
                                                     (517)335-8190   .

                                                     Minnesota      "               •
                                                     Alice T. Dolezal Hennigan, Chief
                                                     (Laura Oatman)           ,
                                                     Environmental Health Division      '
                                                     Minnesota Department of Health
                                                     717 Delaware Street, SE,-
                                                     Minneapolis, MN 55440
                                                     (612)627-5062
•ft

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                                                                8.  GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table?. State Radon Contacts (continued)
   Mississippi
   Eddie S. Fuerrte, Director
   (Robert Bell)
   Division of Radiological Health
   Department of Health
   31 SO Lawson Street,          ,
   P.O. Box1700
   Jackson, MS  39215-1700
   (601) 354-8657

   Missouri
   Kenneth V. Miller, Chief
   Bureau of Radiological Health
   Missouri Department of Health
   1730 E. Elm
   P.O. Box 570
   ilefferson City, MO 65102   ,
   (314)751-6083     '
   T-800-669-7236 (hi State)

   Montana
   Adrian C. Howe, Chief
   Occupational  Health Bureau
   Montana Department of Health
    and Environmental Sciences
   Cogswell Building
   Helena, MT 59620
   (406)444-3671

   Nebraska
   Harold R. Borchert, Director
   Division of Radiological Health
   Nebraska Department of Health
   301 Centennial Mall, South
   P.O. Box 95007
   Lincoln, NE 68509
   (402)471-2168

   Nevada
   Stan Marshall, Supervisor
   Radiological Health Section
   Health Division
   Department of Human Resources
   505 E. King Street, Room 203
   Carson City, NV 89710
   (702) 885-5394

   New Hampshire
   Diane E. Tefft, Administrator.
   Bureau of Radiological Health
   Division of Public Health Services
   Health and Welfare Building
   6 Hazen Drive
   Concord, NH  03301-6527
   (603)271-4674
New Jersey
Christopher J. JDaggett, Commissioner
New Jersey Department of
 Environment^ Protection
410 State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402
(609) 987-6402
1r800-648-03£)4 (in State)
New Mexico j
Benito J. Garcia, Chief
Radiation Licensing and
 Registration Section
Environmental Improvement
 Division    k
New Mexico Health and
 Environment^ Department
1190 Street Francis Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87503
(505) 827-2943
New York
David Axelrod, Commissioner
New York State Department of
 Health
Coming Tower
Albany, NY 1S!237
(518)458-6450
1-800-458-11S8 (in State)

North Carolina
Dayne  H. Brov/n, Chief
(Dr. Felix Foncfl
Radiation Protection Section
Division of Facility Services
Department of Human Resources
701 Barbour Drive
Raleigh, NC 27603-2008         T
(919)733-4283

North Dakota
Dana K. Mount, P.E., Director
Division of Environmental Engineering
North Dakota Department of Health
 and Consolidated Laboratories
1200 Missouri Avenue^ Room 304
P.O. Box 5520
Bismarck, ND  58502-5520
(701)224-23413

Ohio
Bob Owen
Radiological Health Program
Division of Technical
 Environment^ Health Services
Ohio Department of Health
1224 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH  43212
(614)644-2727
1-800-523-4439 (in State)

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94
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 7. State Radon Contacts (continued)
   Oklahoma
   Paul Brown
   Radiation Protection Division  ,
   Consumer Protection Service,
   Oklahoma State Department of
    Health
   P.O. Box 53551
   Oklahoma City, OK 73152
   (405) 271-5221

   Oregon
   Ray Paris, Manager
   Radiation Control Section
   Department of Human Resources
   Health Division
   1400 SW 5th Avenue
   Portland, OR 97201
   (503) 229-5797

   Pennsylvania
   Thomas M. Qerusky, Director
   Radon Program Office
   Department of Environment
    Resources
   Bureau of Radiation Protection ,
   P.O. BOX 2063
   200 N.TWrd  Street
   Harrisburg, PA 17120
   (717)787-2163
   1-800-23RADON

   Puirto Rico
   Enrique Mendez, Jr., M.D.
   CailBox-70184
   San Juan, PR 00938
   (809) 767-3563

   Rhode Island
   James E. Hlckey, Chief
    Division of Occupational Health
     and Radiation Control
    Rhode Island Department of Health
    206 Cannon BIdg., Davis Street
    Providence,  Rl 02908
    (401) 277-2438

    South Carolina
    Heyward Q.  Shealy, Chief
    Bureau of Radiological Health
    Department  of Health and
     Environmental Control
    2600 Bull Street
    Columbia, SC 29201
    (803) 734-4700/4631
                                                    South Dakota
                                                    MikePochop
                                                    Division of-Air Quality and
                                                      Solid Waste
                                                    South Dakota Department of
                                                      Water and Natural Resources
                                                    Joe Foss Building, Room 217
                                                    523 East Capitol
                                                    Pierre, SD 57501-3181
                                                    (605)773-3153

                                                    Tennessee
                                                    Division of Air Pollution Control
                                                    Bureau of Environmental Health
                                                    Department of Health and
                                                      Environment Customs House   .
                                                    701 Broadway
                                                     Nashville, TN 37219-5403
                                                     (615)741-4634

                                                    Texas
                                                     Ruth E. Bumey, Treasurer
                                                     (David K. Lacker, Chief)
                                                     (Gary Smith)
                                                     Bureau of Radiation Control
                                                     Texas Department of Health
                                                     1100 West 49th Street
                                                     Austin, TX 78756-3,189
                                                     (512)835-7000

                                                     Utah
                                                     Larry Anderson, Chief
                                                     Utah Division of Environmental
                                                      Health
                                                     Bureau of Radiation Control
                                                     288 North 1460 West
                                                     P.O. Box16690
                                                     Salt Lake City, UT 84116-0690
                                                     (801)538-6734

                                                     Vermont
                                                     Raymond N. McCandiess, Director
                                                     Occupational and Radiological  .
                                                      Health Division
                                                     Vermont Department of Health
                                                      10 Baldwin Street
                                                      Montpelier, VT 05602
                                                      (802)828-2886

                                                      Virginia
                                                      Leslie P. Fo|desi, Director
                                                      Bureau of Radiological Health
                                                      Department of Health  ,
                                                      109 Governor Street
                                                      Richmond, VA 23219
                                                      (804)786-2163
                                                      1-800-468-0138 (in State)

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                                                               8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                           95
Table 7.  State Radon Contacts (continued)
  ! Virgin Islands
  i Alan D. Smith, Commissioner
  ] Department of Planning and
    Natural Resources
   Charlotte, Amalie
  j Street Thomas, VI 00801

  i Washington
   T. R. Strong, Chief
  • (Robert Mooney)     -   -
  i Office of Radiation Protection
   Department of Health
   Airdustrial Building 5, LE-13
   Olympia,WA  98504
  I (206) 588-3303

   W»st Virginia
   Dr. Kazim Sheikh, Director
  | Radiological Health Program
   Industrial Hygiene Division
   Department of Health
   15111th Avenue
   South Charleston, VW 25303
   (304)348-3427
Wisconsin  j
Department of Health and
 Social Services
Section of Radiation Programs
P.O. Box 7850
Madison, Wl1153707
(608) 273-64IJ1

Wyoming   [
Julius E. Haees, Director
Radiological (Health Services
Division of Health and
 Medical Services
Hathaway Building, 4th Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0710
(307) 777-601J5
  List is current as of June 1990.

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96
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Offices
  Region I
  Diane Ready, Chief
  Regional Community Relations
   Coordinator
  Office of Public Affairs
  EPA - Region I
  John F. Kennedy Federal Building
  Boston, MA  02203
  (617)565-3715

  Region II
  Lillian Johnson, Chief
  Community Relations Staff
  Office of External Programs
  EPA-Region II
  26 Federal Plaza
   New York, NY 10278
   (212)264-2657

   Region III
   Harold Yates, Chief
   Regional Community Relations
    Coordinator
   (3EA21) Public Affairs
   EPA-Region  III
   841 Chestnut Street
   Philadelphia, PA 19107
   (215)597-9800

   Region IV
   Patricia Zweig, Chief
   Community Relations Coordinator
   Office of Public Affairs
   EPA - Region IV
   345 Courtland Street, NE
   Atlanta, GA 30365
    (404)347-4727

    Region V
    Ton!  Lesser, Chief
    Regional Community Relations
     Coordinator
    Office of Public Affairs
    EPA-Region V(5PA-14)
    230 South Dearborn
    Chicago, IL 60604
    (312)353-2000          '
                                    Region VI
                                    Ellen Greeney
                                    Hazardous Waste Management Division
                                    EPA-Region VI (6H/SS)
                                    1445 Ross Avenue
                                    12th Floor, Suite 1200
                                    Dallas, TX 75270
                                    (214) 655-6444         ,

                                     Region VII
                                     Rowena Michaels, Chief
                                     Community Relations Coordinator
                                     Office of Public Affairs
                                     EPA - Region VII
                                     725 Minnesota Avenue
                                     Kansas City, KS 66101
                                     (913)236-2800

                                     Region VIII
                                     Wanda TaUnton
                                     Regional  Community Relations Coordinator
                                     EPA-Region VIII (80EA)
                                     1 Denver Place - 999 18th Street
                                     Denver, CO 80202
                                     (303)293-1603                     ,

                                     Region IX
                                     Pam Cooper, Chief
                                     Communication Relations Coordinator
                                     EPA-Region IX (T-1-3)
                                     215 Fremont Street
                                      San Francisco, CA 94105
                                      (415)744-8071

                                      Region X
                                      Janet O'Hara, Chief
                                      Hazardous Waste Policy Office
                                      EPA - Region X(HW-117)
                                      1200 6th Avenue
                                      Seattle, WA  98101
                                      (206)442-1200

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                                        8. GETTING MOKE INFORM A TION
97
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98
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                                                                            1
Table 9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources
             RESOURCE
                                               DESCRJPTION OF SERVICES
  Hotlines                           ;

  Emergency Planning and Community
     Rlght-to-Know Information Hotline
  1-800-535-0202
  In Washington, DC and Alaska
  (202) 479-2449
  Operates 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM EST
     Monday through Friday

  Address written questions to:
  Emergency Planning and Community
     Right-to-Know Information
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  OS-120
  401 M Street, SW
  Washington,  DC 20460

   National Pesticides
     Telecommunications Network
   1-800-858-PEST
   Operates 24  hours a day all year

   Address written questions to:
   National Pesticides Telecommunications
      Network
   Texas Tech University
   Health Sciences Center, Room 1A111
   4th Street and Indiana
   Lubfaock,TX 79430

   RCRA/Superfund Hotline
   1-800-424-9346
   In Washington, DC:
   (202) 382-3000
   Operates 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM EST
      Monday through Friday

   Address written questions to:
    RCRA/Superfund Hotline
    OSW/OPMS Hotline
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    401 M Street, SW
    Washington. DC 20460
                            This toll-free hotline answers questions about local
                            emergency response planning committees, state
                            emergency response commissions; emergency
                            planning, and reporting requirements under various
                            sections of Title III. Refers technical information
                            requests to the appropriate office in EPA. Can also
                            provide publications about the Emergency Planning
                            and Community Right-to-Know Act and on
                            community planning.  Requests for publications
                            should be made in writing.
                             This toll-free hotline provides information about
                             pesticides to the general public and to the medical,
                             veterinary, and professional communities.  Pro-
                             vides information on the health effects of pesti-
                             cides, pesticide use, treatment procedures for acci-
                             dents with pesticides, and exterminators.
                              This toll-free hotline provides information on federal
                              regulations regarding solid and hazardous wastes
                              and on the Superfund law. Refers technical infor-
                              mation requests to the appropriate office in EPA.

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                                                8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                             99
Table 9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources (continued)
F    ~"RESOURCE                   ~~
         DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
  (Hotlines (cont'd)
  ! •
  iSafe Drinking Water Hotline
  1 -800-426-4791
  In Washington, DC and Alaska
  (202) 382-5533
  ^Operates 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM EST
    Monday through Friday

  Address written questions to:
  Safe Drinking Water Hotline
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  WH-550
  401 M Street, SW
  Washington,  DC 20460

  Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
  Assistance Information Service
  (202)554-1404
  Operates 8:30 AM to 5 PM EST Monday
    through Friday
 This toll-free hotline provides information on federal
 regulations regarding drinking water, including lead
 in drinking water, and maintains a list of state
 drinking water offices. Also provides information on
 water testing laboratories.  Refers technical infor-
 mation requests to the (appropriate office in EPA.
 This information servjce provides information on
 federal regulations of toxic substances and on
 EPA's asbestos programs.  Provides information
 about such substances as ammonia, asbestos,
 formaldehyde, and hexanes in household products.
 Maintains a list of laboratories that analyze poten-
 tial asbestos samples.  Refers technical information
 requests to the appropriate office in  EPA.
 General Information

 Public Information Center PM-211B
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20460
 (202) 382-2080
 Operates 8 AM to 5:30 PM EST Monday
  i through Friday
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 Center for Environmental Research
  J Information
 26 West Martin Luther King Drive
 Cincinnati, OH 45268
 (513) 569-7391
This information center distributes general,
nontechnical information about EPA to the public,
as well as to other government agencies at all
levels. Also refers technical information requests to
the appropriate office in EPA or the appropriate
government agency.
This information center distributes many EPA
publications including information about Superfund.

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Table 9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources (continued)
                                               DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
  Pesticides

  Office of Pesticide Programs
  Document Management Section
     (H7502C)
  ISB/PMSD
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  401 M Street, SW
  Washington, DC 20460
   (202)557-4474
   Emissions Data
This office provides a number of free handouts on
pesticide use and safety. Also can provide docu-
ment numbers for Pesticide Fact Sheets available
through the National Technical Information Service.
   Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
     Database
   Title III Reporting Center
   Suite 7103
   470/4901'Enfant Plaza
   Washington, DC 20022
   (202) 488-1501

   Toxics Release Inventory Database
   U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
   P.O. Box 70266
   Washington, DC 20024-0266
   Attn. TRI Public Inquiry
 This center is a public reading room where paper
 copies of the reporting forms submitted to the
 Toxics Release Inventory Database are available.
 This database contains information on releases of
 certain hazardous substances from factories and
 businesses in your area. Information from the
 database is available by personal computer and a
 modem through the National Library of Medicine
 Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET) System.  Call
 the National Library of Medicine at 1-800-638-8480
 for information on how to obtain a MEDLARS
 account for accessing the database. Local  infor-
 mation on releases eventually will be available on
 computer in a county library in each county in the
 United States. Release data are also currently
 available from state Section 313 contacts.

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                                                8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                           101
Table 9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources (continued)
             RESOURCE
        DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
  Pollution Prevention

  Pollution Prevention Office             Through the Pollution Prevention Information
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency   Clearinghouse (PPIC), EPA's Pollution Prevention
  401 M Street, SW                      Office provides information on government and
  Washington, DC 20460    y           industry pollution prevention programs, grant and
  ,  .  -                                  project funding opportunities,  upcoming events,
  !                                      conferences, and seminars and contains the
                                        Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES).
  ;                                      The EIES is a computerized information network
                                        that anyone can access, either through a PC with
                                        appropriate communication software or through the
  !                                      RCRA/Superfund hotline (1-800-424-9346). The
  |    .       .                           hotline provides a telephone service to answer or
                                        refer any pollution prevention questions, access
  I                                      information in the PPIC, provide instruction on
                                        accessing the EIES date bases, and assist in
                                        document searches and ordering.
  Super-fund

  Superfund Document Repositories
EPA has established document repositories for the
studies developed in conjunction with Superfund
site cleanups. Usually these repositories are in the
county library nearest the site.	

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102
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 10. Other Federal Government Resources
             RESOURCE
  Agency for Toxic Substances and
     Disease Registry (F-38)
  U.S. Public Health Service
  Department of Health and Human
     Services
  Caffllene Allen, Public Relations
  1600 Clifton Rd.,NE
  Atlanta, GA 30333
  (404) 488-4630
     	—————•••^•^••^
   Cancer Information Service (CIS)
   1-800-4-CANCER
   On Oahu, Hawaii
   524-1234   .
   (neighbor Islands call collect)

   Address written questions to:
   Office of Cancer Communications
   National Cancer Institute
   Bethesda, MD 20892

   ____———————
   Consumer Products Safety
   Commission (CPSC)
   1-800-638-2772
   Operates a completely automatic hotline
   24 hours a day for touchtone phones. If
   you have a rotary phone or if you want to
   register specific complaints about haz-
   ardous products, you may speak to
    operators from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM
    EST, Monday through Thursday

    Address written questions to:
    Consumer Products Safety Commission
    Westwood Towers
    5401 Westbard Avenue
    Bethesda, MD  20207

    Food and Drug Administration
    Office of Consumer Affairs
    HFF-88
    5600 Fishers Lane
    Rockville, MD 20857
    (301) 443-3170
                                    DESCR8PTION OF SERVICES

                             This agency provides toxicoiogical profile docu-
                             ments for some hazardous substances commonly
                             found at Superfund sites. Answers questions
                             about human health effects at refuse sites. Works
                             with private physicians during emergencies to
                             answer human health related questions.
                             This toll-free information service provides informa-
                             tion about cancer causes, prevention, diagnosis,
                             and treatment.  Supplies information about which
                             substances are known carcinogens. The CIS also
                             provides booklets containing dietary recommenda-
                             tions and cancer prevention.

                             Spanish-speaking staff are available to callers from
                             the following areas (daytime hours only):
                             California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, northern
                             New Jersey. New York, and Texas.     	__

                             This toll-free hotline provides information about the
                             specific titles of CPSC publications on household
                              chemicals and on asbestos and allows you to order
                              them. This hotline is a prerecorded message.
                               Provides consumer information and consumer
                               publications on food safety and a variety of other
                               subjects.  May also be able to identify an FDA
                               Consumer Affairs office in your area to serve as a
                               resource.

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                                               8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                                                                103
Table 10. Other Federal Government Resources (continued)
            RESOURCE
                                              DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
 Meat and Poultry Hotline
 1-800-535-4555
 In Washington, DC
 447-333
(Operates 10 AM to4 PM ESTMonday
   through Friday

 Address written questions to:
 Meat and Poultry Hotline
 U.S. Department of Agriculture
jRoom 1163-S
 Washington, DC 20250
                                       This toll-free hotline provides information on food
                                       safety and storage mostly with respect to meat and
                                       poultry. They can* hov/ever, answer general
                                       questions about food safety,or can refer questions
                                       to appropriate sources;
  National Hazardous Materials
    Information Exchange (HMIX)
 (Federal Emergency Management
    Agency   .
  State and Local Programs and Support
 j   Directorate
  Technological Hazards Division
 |800 C Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20472
 1-800-752-6367
 (In Illinois, call 1-800-367-9592)
                                      The Federal Emergency Management Agency and
                                      the Department of Transportation sponsor this
                                      computerized informatipn exchange bulletin board.
                                      It is a centralized database set up for the distribu-1
                                      tion and exchange of information pertaining to haz-
                                      ardous materials, emergency management, train-
                                      ing, resources, technical assistance, and regula-
                                      tions.  For access, by a personal computer and
                                      modem, call 312-972-3275.
 JNationai Library of Medicine (NLM)
 8600 Rockville Pike
 Bethesda, MD 20894
 1-800-638-8480 or
 (301)496-6193
                                      The library maintains the Toxicology Data Network
                                      (TOXNET) System, an Online, database file
                                      available through a personal computer and modem
                                      connection. There are four database files in
                                      TOXNET: (1) The Hazardous Substance Data
                                      Base, (2) the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical
                                      Substances, (3) the Chemical Carcinogenesis
                                      Research Information Service, and (4) the Toxic
                                      Release Inventory. The,' NLM must issue a.
                                      MEDLARS account, for billing purposes, before the
                                      database can be accessed.

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8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 10. Other Federal Government Resources (continued)
             RESOURCE
  National Response Center
  1-800-424-8802
   National Technical Information Service
     (NTIS)
   Attn: Order Desk
   5285 Port Royal Road
   SprIngfield,VA 22161
   (703) 487-4650
   Occupational Safety and Health
     Administration
   Office of Information and Consumer
     Affairs
   Department of Labor
   200 Constitution Avenue, NW
   Washington, DC 20210
   (202)523-8151
                                               DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
                            This center is a single continuously staffed location
                            that receives and refers for action or investigation
                            all reports of environmental incidents throughout
                            the United States.  Use this hotline only to report
                            an incident.                       	   —

                            This information service provides government  ,
                            documents.  Several EPA publications that are not
                            available through the EPA Public Information
                            Center can be ordered through NTIS. There is a
                            charge for these publications. Orders may be
                            placed by telephone or by mail.  Reference the
                             NTIS PB order number and the document title. In
                             most cases, you must also specify a method of
                             payment for the document.      	______

                             This information office answers questions about
                             safety and health laws in the workplace. Refers
                             technical questions to specialists in the appropriate
                             Program Office of OSHA. Maintains a list of
                             publications on workplace health and safety.

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                                                8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                            105
Table 11. Private and Nonprofit Organizations*
          ORGANIZATION
        DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
  American Chemical Society
 | Department of Government Relations
    and Science Policy
 i 1155 16th Street, NW
 ! Washington, DC 20036
  (202) 872-4395, (202) 872-4391
 A member organization of chemists and chemical
 engineers. Can help citizens interpret technical
 data or can refer citizens to a scientist in their local
 community who can.
  American Petroleum Institute
 ! 1220 L Street, NW
 ! Washington, DC 20005
  (202)682-8000
 The Health and Environmental Sciences Depart-
 ment of the American Petroleum Institute sponsors
 research and information programs in the fields of
 occupational health, prpduct safety, environmental
 biology, environmental technology, arid community
 health.  Reports and publications are available to
 nonmembers for a $0.25 per page fee.
 Center for Emergency Response
   Planning (CERP)
 Workplace Health Fund
 !815 16th Street, NW
 ;Washington, DC 20006
 {202)842-7834
 A consortium of industrial union departments, AFL-
 CIO, and the Workplace Health Fund. CERP is
 involved in planning, information dissemination,
 and research. CERP provides educational
 resources for workers, labor officials, and com-
 munity leaders; planning assistance to worker
 representatives on LEPCs; and general chemical
 information through unions.
 Chemical Manufacturers Association
 2501 M Street, NW
 Washington, DC 20037            '' '
 (202)887-1255
A research organization for chemical companies.
Operates a Chemical Referral Center to provide
nonemergency health and safety information on
chemicals. Call the Referral Center at 1-800-CMA-
8200 in U,S. or 202-887|-1315 (call collect in
Alaska):
 Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous
   Wastes
 Box 926
 Arlington, VA 22216
 (703)276-7070
An organization that provides information about
hazardous wastes to citizens.
                                 onprofit organizations that
                                                                              ab,e to

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            8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 11.  Private and Nonprofit Organizations (continued)
  Clean Water Action
  186 South Street, 5th Floor
  Boston, MA 02111
  (617) 423-4661
   Electric Power Research Institute
   3412 Hillview Avenue
   P.O. Box 10412
   Palo Alto, CA  94303
   (415)855-2411
   Friends of the Earth
   218 D Street, SE
   Washington, DC 20003
   (202) 544-2600
    Greenpeace
    1436 U Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20009
    (202)462-1177
    League of Women Voters
    1730 M Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20036
    (202)429-1965
    National Toxics Campaign
    37 Temple Place, 4th Floor
    Boston, MA 02111
    (617) 482-1477
                                                DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
A grassroots organization that was organized to
help citizens get information about toxics in their
area.  Provides technical assistance and maintains
a list of publications.
A research organization for the electric utility
industry. Conducts research on environmental
assessment issues affecting the electric power
industry. Technical reports are available at a fee
for nonmembers.
 A member organization that has recently merged
 with the Environmental Policy Institute and the
 Oceanic Society.  The organization's main function
 is lobbying the federal government for grassroots
 citizens groups. Can also provide guidance for
 lobbying in state and local government and strate-
 gies for citizen education and assistance in com-
 munity organizing.
   -
 An international organization dedicated to the pro-
 tection of the natural environment through direct
 action, education, and legislature lobbying.  Main-
 tains a number of position papers on environmental
 problems.  „   ,   '
  Nonpartisan political organization that promotes the
  informed and active involvement of citizens in
  government and influences public policy through
  education and advocacy.  A multi-issue
  organization with interests including natural
  resources and environmental protection.


  A coalition of citizens, consumer organizations,
  environmental groups, and others who are dedi-
  cated to implementing citizen-based preventive
  solutions to toxic and environmental problems.
  L

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                                               8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                           107
Table 11; Private and Nonprofit Organizations (continued]

          ORGANIZATION
       DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
  National Wildlife Federation
  Environmental Quality Division
  1400 16th Street, NW
  Washington, DC 20036
  (202) 797-6800
A nonprofit organization that develops education
programs, publications, and research activities to
promote the wise use of national resources.
  Sierra Club
  730 Polk Street
  San Francisco, CA 94109
  (415)776-2211
A cfub organized to h^lp members and the public
understand environmental problems and their risks
and solutions. Publishes the Sierra Club Hazard-
ous Materials/Water Resources Newsletter for vol-
unteer activists to communicate with each other
about resources, research, and activities.
  Working Group on Community Right-
    to-Know
  218 D Street, SE
  Washington, DC 20003
  (202)544-2600
A coalition of public interest and environmental
groups that provides information on the Emergency
Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The
coalition compiles documents on Title III for which
they request donations to cover the cost of copying
and mailing.        |

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108
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
  EPA—An Overview

  Environmental Progress and Challenges:  EPA's
  Update EPA, 1988, EPA-230-07-88-033,140 pages
  Provides an overview of environmental problems in
  the United States and the steps being taken by EPA
  and states and local governments to address these
  issues.		—
   Outdoor Air

   Trends in the Quality of the Nation's Air, EPA, 1988,
   OPA-87-019,19 pages               ..
   Contains a general summary of outdoor air quality
   with data on six primary air pollutants.

   ___————————
   Outdoor Water

   America's Wetlands—Our Vital Link Between Land
   and Water, EPA, 1988, OPA-87-016,10 pages
   Provides a basic geographical description of wet-
   lands, their importance, and statistics on how they
   are now being threatened.	
    Drinking Water

    Lead and Your Drinking Water, EPA, 1987.OPA-87-

    Gives a comprehensive overview of how lead gets
    into drinking water, information on testing, and ways
    to reduce your risk.

    Health Advisory Summaries, EPA, Office of Water,
    1989, about 2 pages for each summary, available for
    110 drinking water contaminants
    Provides information on health effects of pesticides
    and suggests actions to take to ensure a safe drink-
    ing water supply. Health advisory information has
    been prepared for substances that have the poten- -
    tial for reaching drinking water supplies.
                                                      WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
                                                       i        "*       .
                                         Public Information Center PM-211B
                                         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                         401 M Street, SW
                                         Washington, DC 20460
                                         (202) 382-2080
                                          Public Information Center PM-21 IB
                                          U S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          401 M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460
                                          (202) 382-2080
                                          Public Information Center PM-211B
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          401 M Street, .SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460
                                          (202) 382-2080
                                           Public Information Center PM-211B
                                           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                           401 M Street, SW
                                           Washington, DC 20460
                                           (202) 382-2080

                                           Safe Drinking Water Hotline
                                           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                           OS-305
                                           401 M Street, SW
                                           Waterside Mall
                                           Washington, DC, 20460
                                           1-800-426-4791
                                           In Washington, DC and Alaska
                                           (202)382-5533

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                                               8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                               109
table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
   WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
  Hazardous Waste Cleanup

  }The New Superfund:  What It is, How It Works, EPA,
  rl 987,10 pages
  Gives a detailed description of the Superfund law, its
  provisions for cleaning up hazardous waste sites,
  and how individual communities are involved in the
  process.

  Waste Management

  The Solid Waste Dilemma: An Agenda for Action,
  EPA, 1989, EPA/530-SW-89-019,70 pages
  pffers a concrete strategy for action by EPA, state
  and local governments, industry, and citizens for
  improving the nation's management of municipal
  solid waste.
  Waste Minimization: Environmental Quality with
  Economic Benefits, EPA, 1987, EPA/530-SW-87-
  026, 26 pages
  Focuses on EPA's waste minimization program
  under the 1984 RCRA amendments. Also describes
  general waste minimization practices and lists
  federal and state offices that can assist in
  generating, initiating, or expanding their programs.
  i      ''      -     ,    ""-"'*       - -

  A Survey of Household Hazardous Wastes and
  Related Collection Programs, EPA, 1986, EPA-530-
  SW-86-038, PB 87-108072,128 pages
  Summarizes the results of a study that addressed
  the quantities of household hazardous wastes in the
  rnunicipal waste stream and the impacts o,f house-
  hold hazardous wastes on homeowners and the
  environment. Also provides information on collec-
  tion programs conducted at state and local levels
  and the benefits and problems associated with these
  programs.                                •
 Public Information Center PM-211B
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC  20460  "'
 (202)382-2080
 RCRA/Superfund Hotline
 OSW/OPMS Hotline
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 OS-305
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20460
 1-800-424-9346
 In Washington, DC:
 (202)382-3000

 RCRA/Superfund Hotline
 OSW/OPMS Hotline
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 OS-305
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20460
 1-800-424-9346
 In Washington, DC:
 (202)382^3000

 RCRA/Superfund Hotline
OSW/OPMS Hotline
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
OS-305   i
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
1-800-424-9346
In Washinqton, DC:   ,
(202)382-3000

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8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                                                                           1
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
                      and Community R3aht-to-
   Chemicals in Your Community: A Guide to the
   Emeraency Planning and Community Right-to-Know
   Act EPA OSWER-88-002,1988,36 pages
   Describes the EPCRA Act passed by Congress, how
   it affects various groups, and what rights each group
   has in terms of getting information about hazardous
   substances in its area.

   Community Right-to-Know and Smalt Business,
   EPA, 1988, OSWER-88-005,23 pages       .
   Provides information for small businesses to help
   them comply with the Community Right-to-Know Act.
   It's Not Over in October: A
   Emergency Planning Committees, EPA/FEMA/CMA
   and Working Group on Community Right-to-Know,
   1988, OSWER-88-004,27 pages
   Provides information for the Local Emergency
   Planning Committees on implementing Title III and
   on creative solutions to problems that may arise.

   Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guide,
   U.S. EPA, 1987 (NRT-1)            .„..'''
   Provides information to assist communities in
   planning for hazardous materials incidents. This
   guide outlines how to develop planning teams and
   hazardous materials emergency plans.

    Technical Guidance for Hazards Analysis:
    Emergency Planning for Extremely Hazardous
    Substances, EPA, 1987,186 pages
    This guidebook supplements the Hazardous
    Materials Emergency Planning Guide by providing
    technical assistance to LEPC to assess the lethal
    hazards related to potential airborne releases of
    extremely hazardous substances.
                                                     WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
                                         Emergency Planning and Community
                                           Right-to-Know Information
                                         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                         OS-120                         .
                                         401 M Street, SW
                                         Washington, DC 20460


                                         Emergency Planning and Community
                                           Right-to-Know Information
                                         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                         OS-120
                                         401 M Street, SW
                                         Washington, DC 20460

                                         Emergency Planning and Community
                                           Right-to-Know Information
                                         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                         OS-120
                                         401 M Street, SW
                                         Washington, DC 20460


                                         Hazmat Planning Guide (NRT-1)
                                         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                         OS-120
                                         401 M Street, SW
                                         Washington, DC  20460


                                          Emergency Planning and Community
                                            Right-to-Know Information
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          OS-120     ,
                                          401 M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460

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                                               8.  GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                111
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
    WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
  Emergency Planning and Community Rlaht-to-
  'Know Act—Title III (cont'd)

  The Community Plume, a publication for the
  members of America's Local Emergency Planning
  Committees, Environmental Policy Institute
  ($10 donation)
  Provides news and information to Local Emergency
  Planning Committees and other emergency man-
  agement personnel about incidents involving toxic
  substances and other aspects of complying with
  Title III.
 ,'i
  Chemical Risk Communication—Preparing for
  Community Interest in Chemical Release Data,
  American Chemical Society, 1988,28 pages
  Presents a basic explanation of risk assessment and
  risk communication that can be used when respond-
  ing to public questions about chemical releases.
 _ This booklet is written for public information person-
  nel in the chemical industry and local leaders.

  Layperson's Guide to Reading MSDSs,        '•.
  Massachusetts Department of Environmental
  Quality, 4 pages
  Explains how to interpret Material Safety Data
  Sheets (MSDSs).  MSDSs are the fact sheets on
  health effects and treatment information on specific
  Chemicals that are prepared by manufacturers and
  must accompany certain chemicals under Title III
  requirements.

  Reducing the Risk of Chemical Disaster: A Citizen's
  Guide, National Wildlife Federation, 1989,85 pages
  ($7 donation)   ,.
  Explains different elements of gathering information
  and using it for emergency planning and discusses
 barriers to effective planning.

  Using Community RighHo-Know: A Guide to a New
 Federal Law, 1988, OMB Watch, 72 pages ($25 for
 businesses and national organizations, $5 for
 communities and individuals)
 Presents information for citizens on understanding
 the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
 Know Law and on the different types of information
 available.
 Friends of the Earth
 218,D Street, SE
 Washington, DC 20003
 (202) 544-2600
 American jChemical Society
 Department of Government Relations
   and Science Policy
 1155 16th Street, NW
 Washington, DC 20036
 (202) 872-4395, (202) 872-4391
         ;l     . '

 Massachusetts Department of
   Environmental Quality
 1 Winter Street
 Boston, MA 02108
 (617)292-5993
National Wildlife Federation
Environmental Quality Division
1400 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202)797-6800
OMB Watch
1731 Conriecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 234-8494

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8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)
                                     "                WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
  Emergency Planning and nnmmunltv RIaht-to-
  Know Act—Title III (cont'd)   .

  Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Wastes

  Contains a list of presentations and publications
  maintained by the Citizens Clearinghouse.


   Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet
   Provides summaries of available information on the
   health effects of certain chemicals based on poten-
   tial exposures and provides information on ways to
   reduce exposure.


   We HI List of Lists, EPA, 1988, EPA-560/4-88-003
   Lists the chemicals subject to reporting under TitleJIl
   of SARA. The document lists the extremely hazard-
   ous substances with their threshold planning quanti-
   ties  the CERCLA hazardous substances with their
   reportable quantities, the Section 313 toxic chemi-
   cals, and the RCRA hazardous wastes.

   Chemical Advisories, EPA, 1984-1986
   These fact sheets provide information to manufac-
   turers, employees, and homeowners of the hazards
   from used motor oil and other hazardous substances
   such as 2-nitropropane, nitrosamines, p-tert-butyl
   benzoic acid, 4,4;-methylene bis(2-chloroanilme),
   and toluenediamines.

    Publicly Available Title III Documents (A Bibliogra-
   phy), EPA, 1989                       <_,
    Contains title, availability, and a summary of docu-
    ments concerning Title III
    Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals, Title III and
    Communities, EPA 56-1-89-002,1989
    This outreach manual is written for community
    groups.
                                         Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous
                                           Wastes
                                         Box 926
                                         Arlington, VA 22216
                                         (703)276-7070

                                         TSCA Assistance Information Service
                                         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                         TS-799
                                         401 M Street, SW
                                         Washington, DC 20460
                                          (202) 554-1404

                                          Emergency Planning and Community
                                            Right-to-Know Information
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          OS-120
                                          401 M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460


                                          TSCA Assistance Information Service
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          TS-799
                                          401 M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460   -
                                          (202) 554-1404


                                          Emergency Planning and Community
                                             Right-to-Know Information
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          OS-120
                                          401  M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460

                                           Office of Pesticides and Toxic
                                             Substances
                                           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                           TS-799
                                           401 M Street, SW
                                           Washington, DC  20460

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                                               8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                113
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
    WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
  Indoor Air

  The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality,
  EPA and Consumer Product Safety Commission,
  1988, EPA/400/1-88/004, 32 pages
  Provides information on sources of indoor air
  pollutants, as well as ways to mitigate or eliminate
  the problems; discusses indoor air quality in the
  workplace; contains good list of where to obtain
  additional information,

  indoor Air—Asbestos

  Asbestos in the Home, EPA and Consumer Product
  Safety Commission, 1982,12 pages
  Describes what asbestos is, where it may be found
  In the home, and possible health risks of exposure to
  asbestos; also describes proper procedures to use
  for asbestos removal.                   ,
  t                     '
  ABCs of Asbestos, EPA, the  National Educational
  Association, and the National Parent Teacher
  Association, June 1989.
  Describes how to avoid asbestos exposure in
  schools.
  Indoor Air—Radon

  A Citizen's Guide to Radon, EPA and U.S. Depart-
  ment of Health and Human Services, 1990,
  14 pages
  Discusses general information on what radon is,
  how to test your home, and how radon exposure
  increases the risk of lung cancer.

  Ration Reduction Methods: A Homeowner's Guide,
  EPA, 1986,24 pages
  Provides information on various methods for
  reducing radon exposure in the home.
 Radon Reduction Techniques in Schools, EPA,
 October 1989
 Provides information on various methods used to
 reduce radon exposure in schools.
 Public Information Center PM-211B
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC  20460
 (202)382-2080
 "Asbestos in the Home"
 Washington, DC 20207
 Office of Pesticides and Toxic
   Substances
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 TS-799
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20460
 Public Information Center PM-211B
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20460
 (202)382-2080
 Public Infoirmation Center PM-211B
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, DC 20460
 (202) 382-2080

 Public Information Center PM-211B
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 401 M Street, SW
-Washington, DC 20460
 (202)382-2080   -

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8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)

                                                       WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
  Pesticides

  A Citizen's Guide to Pesticides, EPA, 1989, OPA-
  008-89,24 pages
  Contains information on pesticide options, handling
  pesticides, determining the correct dosage level and
  storage and disposal methods, choosing a pest
  control company, reducing your exposure to
  pesticides, and helping someone who s been
  poisoned.

  Pesticides in Drinking-Water Wells, EPA, 1989,
  12 pages
  Contains information on how pesticides are
  regulated, how pesticides get into drinking-water
  wells, the health concerns related to pesticides in
  drinking-water wells and EPA's advisory guidance,
   how to determine if your well water is safe to drink,
   testing methods, and actions to take.

   Pesticide Fact Sheets
   Describes the chemical composition, use patterns
   and formulations, scientific findings (on health
   effects), regulatory positions and rationale, labeling
   statements, summary of data gaps, and an EPA
   contact person for each of 206 pesticides.
    Health Advisory Summaries, EPA Office of Water,
    1989 (2 pages each)                    '.._,••
    Provides information on health effects of pesticides
    and suggests actions to take to ensure a safe
    drinking water supply. Health advisory information
    has been prepared for substances that have the
    potential for reaching drinking water supplies.
                                          Public Information Center PM-2116
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          401 M Street, SW           '
                                          Washington, DC 20460
                                          (202)382-2080
                                          Public Information Center PM-211B
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          401 M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460
                                          (202) 382-2080
                                          Information about:
                                          Office of Pesticide Programs
                                          Document Management Section
                                             (H7502G)
                                          JSB/PMSD
                                          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                          401 M Street, SW
                                          Washington, DC 20460
                                          (202) 557-4474

                                          Order from:
                                          National Technical Information Service
                                          Attn. Order Desk
                                          5285 Port Royal Road
                                          Springfield, VA 22161
                                           (703)487-4650         ,

                                           Safe Drinking Water Hotline
                                           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                           OS-120
                                           401 M Street, SW
                                           Washington, DC  20460
                                           1-800-426-4791
                                           In Washington, DC and Alaska
                                           (202)382-5533           .

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                                               8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                 115
Table 12. Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)
          TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
    WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
  Food

  Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer Prevention: The Good
  News, U.S. Department of Health and Human
  Services, 1986,15 pages
  Provides general recommendations and information
  on food choices that reduce cancer risk and promote
  better health; good listings of high-fiber and low-fat
  foods.                                   ,

  Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer Prevention; A Guide to
  Food Choices, U.S. Department of Health and
  Human Services, 1987,39 pages
  Presents comprehensive information on healthy diet
  and nutrition; contains information on low-fat and
  high-fiber goods, shopping tips, recipes, and
  explanations of how to calculate the percentage of
  fat in your diet.

  Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic
  Disease Risk, National  Research Council, 1989,
  748 pages ($49.95)
 General Sources of Health Effects Information

 Everything Doesn't Cause Cancer, U.S. Department
 of Health and Human Services, 1987,16 pages
 Answers common questions about the causes and
 prevention "of cancer and about the laboratory
 animal tests that can identify cancer-causing
 substances.
 Good News, Better News, Best News—Cancer
 Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human
 Services, undated, 22 pages
 Describes various factors that increase the risk of
 cancer and simple things that you can do to lower
 your risk.
  Office of Cancer Communications
  National Cancer Institute
  Bethesda,, MD 20892
  1-800^4-GANCER
  On Oahu, Hawaii
  524-12341
  (neighbor islands call collect)

  Office of Cancer Communications
  National Cancer Institute
  Bethesda, MD 20892
  1-800-4-CANCER
  On Oahu, Hawaii
 .524-12341,
  (neighbor islands call collect)
 National Academy Press
 2101 Constitution Ave., NW
 Washington, DC 20418
 (202)334-3313
 Send prepayment
. Office of Cancer Communications
 National Cancer Institute
 Bethesda, MD 20892
 1-800-4-CANCER
 On Oahu, Hawaii
 524-1234          _
 (neighbor islands call collect)

 Office of Cancer Communications
 National Cancer Institute
 Bethesda, MD 20892
 1-800-4-CANCER   ,
 On Oahu, Hawaii
 524-1234 |
 (neighbor islands call collect)

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116
8. GETTING MORE INFORMATION
Table 12 Printed Information on Hazardous Substances (continued)

I	  TITLE AND DESCRIPTION                    WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
                    	
  General Sources of Health Effects
  information (cont'd)

  Good News for Blacks About Cancer, U.S.
  Department of Health and Human Services,
  1987, 8 pages
  Describes preventive steps that blacks can
  take to reduce their risk of various forms of
  cancer.


   Toxicological Profiles, ATSDR
   Provides profiles for the hazardous
   substances most commonly found at
   Superfund sites. Each profile charactenzes
   the toxicological and health effects
   information for the substance and identifies
   and reviews key literature that describes the
   substances toxicological properties. Written
   for health professionals and for the public.
                                   Office of Cancer Communications
                                   National Cancer Institute
                                   Bethesda, MD 20892
                                   1-800-4-CANCER  ,
                                   On Oahu, Hawaii
                                   524-1234           '        '
                                   (neighbor islands call collect)

                                   Information about:
                                   Agency for Toxic Substances and
                                      Disease Registry (F-38)
                                   U.S. Public Health Service
                                   Department of Health and Human
                                      Services
                                   Caffilene Allen,  Public Relations
                                    1600 Clifton Rd., NE
                                   Atlanta, GA 30333
                                    (404) 488-4630

                                    Order from:
                                    National Technical Information Service
                                      (NTIS)
                                    Attn: Order Desk
                                    5285 Port Royal Road
                                    Springfield, VA 22161
                                    (703)487-4650
    Publication list is current as of November 1989.

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                                                    8.  GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                                          117
Table 13. Computerized Information on Hazardous Substances
           TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
           WHERE TO WRITE OR CALL
  Toxicology Data Network System (TOXNET),
  i Bethesda, MD, National Library of Medicine
  Available on line through a personal computer
  and modem connection, or in a medical library.
  The database provides citations, and often
  ! abstracts, for journal articles and monographs.
  TOXNET contains four databases:
  !«  Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB),
     which focuses on toxicology of potentially
     hazardous chemicals;
  •  Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical
     Substances (RTECS), which contains informa-
     tion on the toxic effects of some 90,000
     chemicals;                   _
  •  Chemical Carcinogenesis Research
     Information System (CCRIS), which contains
     information on carcinogenicity of substances;
  •  Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which contains
     information on the annual estimated releases
     of toxic chemicals in the environment.
  To access these files by personal computer, you
  must receive a MEDLARS account by calling the
  National Library of Medicine.

  The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
  An electronic on-line database that provides risk
  iassessment and regulatory information on
  chemical substances of environmentalconcern.
  IRIS provides reference citations and EPA
  contacts for finding further information.
 Publication list is current as of November 1989.
  National Library of Medicine (NLM)
  8600 Rockville Pike
  Bethesda, MD  2D894
  1-800-638-8480 or
  (301)496-6193
IRIS can be purchased from either
Dialcom Inc. at (301) 770-4280
or
Stu Wiseman
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road, R32
Springfield, VA 22161
(703) 487-4807

Also, state and local health departments can contact
The Public Health Foundation, which provides IRIS
through the Public l-lealth Network. Contact Paul
Johnson at (202) 898-5600 for more information.
For other questions about IRIS contact:

IRIS User Support
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office,
  MS-114
Cincinnati, OH  45286
(513)569-7254

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118

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GLOSSARY

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                                                GLOSSARY
119
 Aflatoxin—A mycotoxin produced by molds that grow on nuts and seeds,
 especially corn or oil-seed meals. Humans exposed may have an increased
 risk of liver cancer.                         !

 Air Quality Standards—The level of air pollutants prescribed by regulations
 that may not be exceeded during a specified time in a defined area.

 Alar—Trade name for daminozide, a pesticide once used to make apples
 redder, firmer, and less likely to drop off trees before growers were ready to
 pick them. It also was used to a lesser extent on peanuts, tart cherries,
 concord grapes, and other fruits. Humans exposed to Alar residues may have
 an increased risk of cancer.
                                          !•               -
 Ammonia—A pungent colorless gaseous alkaline compound of nitrogen and
 hydrogen that is very soluble in water. Ammonija is a household cleaning
 product, and ammonia compounds are used as fertilizers.

 Arsenic—A solid, brittle, poisonous element that is used to harden lead alloys
 that end up as bullets, bearings, battery grids, and cable sheathings.  Large
 dose causes acute poisoning leading to convulsions and death. Chronic
 exposure to small amounts may cause a number of health effects including
 cancer.
Asbestos—A mineral fiber that can pollute air or water and cause cancer or
asbestosis when inhaled.  In the past, was used in manufacturing,
construction, and fireproof fabrics. EPA has banned or severely restricted its
use.                           •     .

Ban—Legal prohibition.
                                          i      (        -

Benzene—A colorless, volatile, flammable, toxic liquid used in organic
synthesis, as a solvent, and as a motor fuel. Also given off by new carpets.
Humans exposed have an increased risk of leukemia, other blood disorders,
and other cancers.

By-product—Material, other than the principal product, that is generated as a
consequence of an industrial process.         i

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120
GLOSSARY
                   CAA-Clean Air Act-provides the basic legal authority for the nation's air
                   poll^ncontrol programs and is designed to enhance the quality of air
                   resources.

                   Cadmium-A bluish white, toxic metallic element used7 in electroplating,
                   alloys, batteries, pigments (dyes), and fungicides.

                   Cancer-A tumor of potentially unlimited growth that can expand locally and
                   to other prgans.                        ,

                   Carbon-* nonmetallic element often found as a constituent of coal
                   petroleum, and asphalt; limestone and other carbonates; and orgamc
                   compounds. Can be obtained artificially in varying degrees of punty.
        Carbon
             °
                                      ej— A colorless nonflammable toxic liquid that has an
                                                   Has been used as a solvent for greases,
                    a  aiit; and in fire extinguishers. In 1970, EPA banned the
                    use of carbon tetrachloride in consumer products.

                    Carcinogen— A substance or agent capable of causing cancer.

                    CERCLA-Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and
                    Liabintv Act-* federal law passed in 1980 and modified in 1986 by the
                    Super^nd Amendments and Reauthorization Act. The acts <*««**»"*.
                    tex that goes into a trust fund, commonly known as Superfund, to nves 'gate
                    art dean up abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.  Under
                    lupeSlJEPAcan either pay for site cleanup when parties responsible for  -
                    fhe Salivation cannot be located or are unwilling or unable to perform the
                    SiK?S^"4al action to force parties responsible for site  contam.nat.on
                    to clean up the site or pay back the federal government for the cost of the
                     cleanup.

                     Chlorlne-A heavy greenish-yellow gas of pungent odor used in its liquid
                     fon-n as ableach, oxidizing agent, and disinfectant in water punf.cat.on.

                     Chloroform— A colorless, volatile, toxic liquid with an ether odor used
                     especially as a solvent.

                     Contamlnant-Any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance
                     or matter that has an adverse effect on air, water, or soil.

                     CPSC-Consumer Product Safety Commission-Protects consumers through
                     proper labeling of products.

                     CWA—Clean Water Act-the basic authority for water pollution control
                     programs; goal is to make national waters fishable and swimmable.

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                                               GLOSSARY
121
                                          :.  •                    i  •
 Cyanide—Found as a highly toxic compound (such as potassium cyanide)
 with other elements. Hydrogen cyanide is used as a fumigant for killing
 insects and rodents; sodium cyanide is used to extract silver and gold from
 ore.    -              '      -             [       /•'•-''•...-.

 DDT—The first chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide (chemical name:
 Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichlorometharie).  It has a half-life of 15 years and can
 collect in fatty tissues of certain animals. EPA banned registration and
 interstate sale of DDT for virtually all but emergency uses in the United States
 in 1972 because of its persistence in the environment and accumulation in the
 food chain.                                      ,..•

 DHHS—Department of Health and Human Services.

 DOE—Department of Energy—Governs the interstate compact system of low-
 level radioactive wastes.

 DOT—Department of Transportation—Regulates hazardous substances while
 they are in transit.
                                          i

 Ecosystem—Any physical area defined by an interrelated group of plants arid
 animals, including humans.

 Emergency Planning and Community RlghMo-Know Act (SARA Title
 III)—-Legislation to set up programs for communicating chemical information to
 local agencies or the public, as established by the Superfund Amendments
 and Reauthorization Act of 1986.

 Emission—Pollution discharged into the atmosphere from smokestacks,
 other vents, and surface areas of commercial or industrial facilities; from
 residential chimneys; and from motor vehicle, locomotive, and aircraft
 exhausts.        -
                                          i    •
                                         - .
 Environment—The sum of all external conditions affecting the life,
 development, and survival of an organism.
       •*     -        .           •        -i      . .
           . • -     •   •                      |:      r
 EPA—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agenpy, established in 1970 by
 Presidential Executive Order, bringing together fiarts of various government
 agencies involved with pollution control.

 Exposure—The amount of pollutant present in ian environment that may
 represent a potential health  threat to the living organisms in that environment

 FDA—Food and Drug Administration—Monitors prescription drug advertising
 and labeling; also develops standards and regulations on the consumption,
quality, and safety of cosmetics and foods, except meat and poultry products.

FD&C Act—Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

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122
GLOSSARY
                   FEMA	Federal Emergency Management Administration.

                   FIFRA—Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which provides
                   the basis for regulations governing the registration, distribution, sale, and use
                   of pesticides in the United States.

                   Formaldehyde—A colorless, pungent, irritating gas, used chiefly as a
                   disinfectant and preservative and in synthesizing other compounds and resins.
                   Used in pressed wood products (furniture, building products).

                    Hazard—The inherent characteristic of a substance to cause harm.

                    Hazardous chemlcal-A chemical for which there is evidence that acute or
                    chronic health effects may occur in exposed organisms.

                    Hazardous substance—Any material that poses a threat to human health
                    and/or the environment.

                    Hazardous waste—By-product of society that can pose a substantial or
                    potential  hazard to human health or the environment when improperly
                    managed. Possesses at least one of four characteristics (ignitability,
                    corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity), or appears on special EPA lists.

                    Insecticide—An agent that kills insects.

                    L-J-iter—a metric unit of capacity equal to the volume of 1 kilogram of water
                    at 4 degrees Celcius (°C) and at standard atmospheric pressure of 760
                    millimeters of mercury; slightly more than 1 quart in volume.

                     Lead—A heavy metal that is hazardous to health if breathed or swallowed.
                    The use of lead in gasoline, paints, and plumbing compounds has been
                     sharply restricted or eliminated by federal laws and regulations.

                     Lealslatlon—The exercise of the power and function  of making rules (as
                     laws) that have the force of authority by virtue of/their promulgation by an
                     official organ of a state or other organization.

                     LEPC—Local Emergency Planning Committee. A commi«ee0^P°illt®d ^ tn
                     the State Emergency Response Commission, as required by SARA Title III, to
                     formulate a comprehensive emergency plan for its jurisdiction.

                      LOG—Level of Concern. The concentration in air of an extremely hazardous
                      substance above which there may be serious immediate health effects to
                      anyone exposed to it for short periods of time.

                      mcg/m3—Micrograms per cubic meter.

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                                                 GLOSSARY
123
  Methylene chloride—A nonflammable liquid used especially as a solvent,
  paint remover, and refrigerant. Released by scime factories into the air.
  Humans exposed may have an increased risk 6f cancer.

  Microorganism—An organism of microscopic size.
                             *-                  /
  NPDES—National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.  A provision of the
  Clean Water Act that prohibits discharge of pollutants into waters of the United
  States unless a special permit is issued by EPA, a state, or (where delegated)
  a tribal government on an Indian reservation.   !

  NRC—Nuclear Regulatory Commission—Licenses and regulates radioactive
  materials users and low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities.

-  NRDC—Natural Resources Defense Council.

  OSHA—Occupational Safety and Health Admir istration—Agency under US.
  Department of Labor that administers and enforces the adoption and
  promulgation of occupational standards, regulations, and safety and health
  rules for the protection of most employees in the nation's workplaces.

  Oxide—A compound of oxygen with a chemical

  Parathion-^-An extremely toxic insecticide.

  Permit-^An authorization, license, or equivalent control document issued by
  EPA or an approved state agency to implement the requirements of an
  environmental regulation, e.g., a permit to operate a wastewater treatment
  plant or to operate a facility that may generate harmful emissions.

  Pesticide—General term for insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides
  Insecticides are any substance or mixture of sufcistances intended for
 preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating ariy pest.  Herbicides are any
 substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator,
 defoliant, or desiccant. Fungicides are used to control plant diseases.
 Pesticides can accumulate in the food chain  and/or contaminate the
 environment.                ,

 Pollution—Generally, the presence of matter or energy whose nature,
 location, or quantity produces undesired environmental effects. Under'the
 Clean Water Act, for example, the term is defined as the man-made or man-
 mduced alteration of the physical, biological,  and radiological integrity of water.

 Radon—A colorless, naturally occurring, radioactive, inert gaseous element
 formed by radioactive decay of radium atoms in soil or rocks.  Long-term
 exposure can cause lung cancer.

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124
GLOSSARY
                   RCRA—Resource Conservation and Recovery Act—A federal law that
                   esteUbheda regulatory system to track hazardous substances from the time
                   o?generation to disposal. The law requires safe and secure procedures to be
                   usedi^ treating^ansporting, storing, and disposing of hazardous substances.
                   RCRA is designed to prevent new, uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.

                   Remedial action—The actual construction or implementation phase of a
                   Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design.

                   Risk—Probability or chance of loss or injury; a dangerous element or factor.

                   Sa/mone/fe-Any of the genus of bacteria that are pathogenic for man and
                   other warm-blooded animals and cause food poisonmg, gastromtestmal
                   inflammation, or diseases .of the genital tract.

                    Salmonellosls— Infection with or disease caused by Salmonella.

                    SARA—Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986.

                    SARA Title III—See Title III.

                    SDWA—Safe Drinking Water Act.

                    SERC-State Emergency Response Commission. Commission appointed by
                    each state governor according to the requirements of SARA T.tle III. The
                    SERCs designate emergency planning districts, appoint local emergency
                    planning committees (LEPCs), and supervise and coordinate LEPC actwit.es.

                    Solvent—A liquid substance capable of dissolving or dispersing one or more
                    other substance(s).

                    Substance-Physical material from which something is made or which has
                    discrete existence; matter of particular or definite chemical constitution.

                                             operated under the legislative authority of
                                       that funds and carries out EPA's solid waste emergency
                     and long-term removal remedial activities. These activities include
                     establishing ihe National Priorities List, investigating sites for inclus.on on the
                     list determining their priority level on the list, and conducting and/or
                     supeS the ultimately determined cleanup and other remed.al act.ons.

                     Title III—Third part of SARA, also known as the Emergency Planning and
                     Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986. This Act concerns emergency
                     planning, emergency notification, community right-to-know reporting  and tox.c
                     chemical release reporting; it requires that detailed information about the   ;
                     Se of hazardous substances be made available to the publ.c; rt prov,des
                     stiff penalties for companies that do not comply; and it also allows c,t,zens to

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                                               GLOSSARY
125
file lawsuits against companies and government agencies to force them to
obey the law.                             |
                                         "k

trtl—Toxics Release Inventory. A national inventory of annual toxic chemical
releases from manufacturing facilities.
                  '        *•>•
TSCA—Toxic Substances Control Act.

Xylene—Any of three toxic, flammable substances related to benzene and
obtained from wood tar, coal tar, or petroleum distillates; also a mixture of
xylenes and ethyl benzene used chiefly as a solvent

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