&EPA OFFICE OF POLLUTION PREVENTION AND TOXICS SUMMER 1995 EPA-745-N-95-001 Chemicals in Progress highlights 6 Enhanced CD-ROM Version of TRI Coming This Summer 17 Cisneros and Browner Accept Lead Paint Task Force Report 23 Special Feature on the Internet: Learning the Basics, Getting on the Superhighway, and How to Reach EPA Services by Randall Brtnkhuis FINAL NOTICE! To save costs, we are paring back the matting list for Chemicals in Progress Bulletin. If you would like to continue to receive your free copy of the Bulletin./?// out and mail in the form at the back of this issue, by August 31,1995. If you have already notified us, you do not need to do so again. Reinventing and Streamlining OPPT by Joe Carra Reinventing Government has been and remains a prominent goal of the Clinton Administration. Vice President Gore is heading the highly visible efforts to encourage federal agencies and departments to change the way they do business. All over America, _llBMM_BII___i^^^^_^^^^ necessity, ever the mother of invention, has pushed industry into reinventing and streamlining activi- ties. Dissatisfied customers of states and local governments, calling for taxpayers' relief, have forced cuts in state and local budgets. The mes- sages are clear at the federal, state, and local level, as well as in indus- try: streamline operations, improve delivery systems, and focus on customer needs. In talking to federal workers around the country, Vice Presi- dent Gore has said over and over: "You want to be proud of Reinventing continued on page 3 "As we move toward the 21 st century, it is important for us to remember that we must have healthy, vital organizations as well as programs. For this to be a reality, we must have healthy, vital people. It is time for us to put our people first. We must continue to support and cultivate a culture where we clearly value the contributions of each employee empowering staff to do the job they need to do, encouraging creativity and innovation, providing the necessary tools and training to make people the best they can be, and creating an atmosphere that will allow us to have a stronger customer focus these are the goals of a Reinvented OPPT." Dr. William H. Sanders, June 1995 Director, OPPT William Sanders Named to Head OPPT Assistant Administrator Lynn R. Goldman has announced the selection of Dr. William H. Sanders III as the new Director of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Sanders was the Director of Environmental Sciences Division in EPA Region 5, where he was responsible for toxics and pesticides programs. He assumed his new duties on May 1. Sanders continued on page 2 VOL. 16/NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Table of Contents Contents General Information 1 William Sanders Named to Head OPPT 1 Reinventing and Streamlining OPPT by Joe Carra TRI 6 EPA Releases New Version of TRI Automated Form R Software, by Delores Evarts 6 Enhanced TRI CD-ROM Product Set for Summer Release 7 TRI Industry Expansion Proceeds by Brian Symmes and Tim Crawford Existing Chemicals Program 6 EPA Releases 8(e) Triage Database Product, Version 2.0 9 Amending the TSCA Inventory Update Rule 9 36th ITC Report Transmitted New Chemicals 10 EPA Revises NCELs to Match OSHA Requirements Community Initiatives 12 Informational Report on New River To Be Issued Soon 12 Promoting Community-Based Environmental Protection Design for the Environment 13 EPA's Environmental Accounting Project, by Holly Elivood Pollution Prevention Activities 15 EPA's 33/50 Program: Acknowledging Accomplishments and Considering a Next Generation, by Mike Burns Lead, Asbestos, PCBs 17 Lead Paint Task Force Issues Comprehensive Report on Private Housing 19 Lead Update Resources 20 Developing Tools for Environmental Education by Kathy Hogan Special Feature on the Internet by Randall Brtnkhuis: 21 Learning the Basics 23 Merge Area Ahead: Getting on the Information Superhighway 24 How to Reach EPA Internet Services 24 Subject Information on the Internet For correspondence and subscriptions: Chemicals in Progress Bulletin U.S. EPA (7407) 401 M Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20460 Mike McDoneH, Co-Editor Wanda Woodburn, Co-Editor Gilah Langner Free Hand Press, Layout William Sanders From page 1 For the past year, Sanders has served as the Senior Executive for Resources Management Training in the Office of Adminis- tration and Resources Manage- ment. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Health, with a major in Environ- mental and Occupational Health Sciences, from the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago; an M.S. in Management of Public Service from DePaul University; and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In announcing the appointment, Goldman noted, "Bill brings a wealth of experience and talent to OPPT. He is recognized within and outside the Agency for his abilities in strategic planning, use of computer technology, advancing environ- mental justice, assessing popula- tion exposure to environmental sources of toxic pollutants, and human resources development. His leadership and expertise will be great assets." Goldman thanked Acting Director Joe Carra and Acting Deputy Director Susan Hazen "for doing an outstanding job" during the past six months. Carra resumes his duties as deputy and Hazen returns to the Environmental Assistance Division as its director. CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I General Information Reinventing OPPT From page 1 what you do for this country. ... Put customers first, cut red tape, empower federal workers." In a speech on February 21, 1995 about Reinventing Government's regulatory reform efforts, the Vice President singled out EPA's 33/50 Program: j "The EPA has put partnership to work ... in their 33/50 program; 1,400 companies agreed to cut pollution in half by the end of this year, and many of them are ahead of that schedule." The 33/50 Program is only one of many OPPT programs that em- phasize better ways to do busi- ness, streamlining, and putting customers first. OPPT has been reinventing itself for over a year, following the guidelines of EPA's Administrator. To begin Reinvention at EPA, Administrator Carol Browner called for program offices to develop Reinvention Plans by March 31, 1995. Her guidance included instructions to streamline and "flatten" organizations, to improve customer focus and core processes, and to increase the number of employees per federal manager. These changes would require a great many changes in offices across the Agency. For example, OPPT is an organiza- tion of about 500 people with 90 supervisors. The new employee/ manager ratio would mean cutting the number of supervisors by more than half. With an annual budget of over $100 million, the Office accomplishes a complex mission that is one of the most diverse in the Agency. The com- plexity and scope of OPPT's mission requires a wide variety of academic disciplines, skills, and technical specialities. Keeping this highly skilled and experienced cadre of experts is important to the program and to the Agency. While cutting 45 supervisory positions is an important step in flattening the organization, it does present some new management challenges. OPPT Then and Now OPPT, formerly the Office of Toxic Substances (OTS), originally was formed to implement the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. Since then, the office's responsibilities have grown almost yearly. They now include all or major portions of: the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA); the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act; the Asbestos School Hazard Abate- ment Act; the Pollution Prevention Act; and the Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, Title X. The addition of multimedia and information-based programs to OPPT's core regula- tory programs complemented the Agency's evolution from its traditional, single statute, regula- tion-based approach to a more complex mix of voluntary, regula- tory, and compliance approaches to environmental protection, with pollution prevention as the method of first choice. When OPPT started its reinven- tion efforts in early 1994, the Office had recently experienced two significant reorganizations. First, incorporating the Pollution Prevention Division while not a major reorganization in terms of numbers of people affected was nevertheless a profound "The EPA has put partnership to work" Vice President Al Gore change for our vision, mission, and strategy. This change recog- nized the multimedia focus of the TSCA and EPCRA programs and provided OPPT with Agency-wide responsibilities for promoting pollution prevention. The larger structural change, implemented in October 1992, realigned functions to better focus the matrix organization on its new mission and approaches. It fol- lowed a comprehensive evalua- tion of functions, responsibilities, and working arrangements, affected a large number of staff at all levels, and exemplified new levels of staff involvement in decisionmaking. The 1992 reorganization included many efforts to improve program processes, internal communica- tion, and staff training. Neverthe- less, a number of areas were still in need of improvement, as indicated by management and staff assessments, including a Reinventing continued on next page B VOL. 16 / NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I General Information Reinventing OPPT From page 3 1994 survey measuring staff opinion of the areas still in need of attention. Involving lower levels of staff in decisionmaking and moving toward a participa- tory management style are major changes in the traditional top- down culture of the office. Revisiting our Vision As we began to develop our reinvention plan, we looked first at our vision. Were we still on target? Did we think changes were necessary? After reviewing it, we decided to keep it as it was; OPPT's vision clearly sets the parameters for the goals we wish to achieve. OPPT Vision: Our purpose is to protect and improve public health and environmental resources that are important to long-term sustainability and quality of life. We serve this purpose by using both regulatory and nonregulatory approaches to: Promote pollution prevention as a principle of first choice to achieve environmental steward- ship throughout society. Promote the design, develop- ment, and application of safer chemicals, processes, and technologies in the industrial sector of the economy. Promote risk reduction and responsible risk management Regions Streamlining Too While EPA headquarters is pro- posing, discussing, and preparing to implement streamlining plans, the EPA Regional Offices are going through the same process. As with headquarters, the regions are charged with ensuring an 11:1 employee/supervisor ratio, reducing the number of adminis- trative layers, improving the efficiency and delivery of ser- vices to customers, and creating recognizable enforcement units within each Regional Office. In some instances, the stream- lining effort is quite far-reaching in its implications. For example, both Regions 1 and 8 propose to move completely away from the traditional media-based organiza- tional structure. That is, instead of having water, air, and waste units, these Regions propose to design their organization around permitting programs, ecosystem protection, and other functional areas. Other regions are creating new Enforcement Divisions by taking enforcement staff from all existing units, and still others are creating smaller enforcement units within the existing division structure. Reorganization pack- ages were due to be submitted to the Administrator by June 30. practices throughout the life cycle of major chemicals of concern. Promote public understanding of the risks of chemicals and public involvement in environ- mental decision-making through dissemination of right-to-know information on toxic chemicals. Reassessing the Organization Having decided that our vision was current, we looked at the Admini- strator's request to flatten the organization, reduce the supervi- sor-to-employee ratio, and make core processes more effective, efficient, and customer-focused. "Flattening" is defined as achiev- ing an organization where: Getting actions completed re- quires minimal levels of review; Employees have more direct access to the decision-maker on any given project; and Managers have more staff to manage. Streamlining and increasing customer focus required that we address any problems inherent in the current structure; be consis- tent with and supportive of our vision, mission, values, and goals; and meet our customer needs. From a wide variety of internal and external comments and feedback, we identified the follow- ing as areas needing improvement: 1. Increasing productivity in the Existing Chemicals Program. B CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I General Information 2. Communication and role-related issues associated with the internal organization of the Chemical Management Division. 3. Increasing productivity in developing public information products. 4. Achieving real pollution pre- vention results in Agency rulemakings. 5. Matrix management issues and their negative impacts on productivity in many of our core program areas. 6. Inefficiencies in the interface between the Chemical Screen- ing and Risk Assessment Division (CSRAD) and the Health and Environmental Review Division (HERD). The New Structure In reaching our new organiza- tional design, we analyzed vari- ous approaches, received comments from OPPT staff and our Assistant Administrator, and selected as our preferred option the one that offers the most benefits for the least amount of disruption. In addition to reaching the goal of a reduced supervisory- to-employee ratio and a flatter organizational structure, the new design will: (1) create a greater customer focus and programmatic focus in the divisions responsible for hazard evaluation, risk assess- ment, and risk characterization; (2) limit the pressures of compet- ing priorities on the Existing Chemicals Program; and (3) help make the Existing Chemicals Program more productive and focused so as to meet the needs of internal and external customers. The reorganized structure calls for merging our two science divisions (HERD/CSRAD) to form a new division, the Risk Assessment Division (RAD). In this division we will establish a High Production Volume (HPV) Team. A second team, the Chemical Testing Team, will be established in the Chemical Control Division. The move toward a team structure is an experiment which we will be evaluating as we establish and work with the teams. The High Production Volume Team and the Chemical Testing Team will be standing teams which will draw together the skills needed to create multi-disciplinary program teams for key aspects of the Existing Chemicals Program. It is expected that these teams will help improve the Existing Chemi- cals Program. Current functions of other divisions, branches, and sections are being realigned, with approximately 30 management units to be established below the division level across OPPT. The responsibili- ties of division directors, deputies, branch chiefs, and section chiefs will change and some deputy division directors will no longer have super- visory responsibilities. Currently, OPPT has 90 supervisors; the new structure will have about 45. While the streamlining takes place over the next year, OPPT will continue its progress toward improving its core processes. With respect to putting customers first, OPPT is conducting customer surveys to gather ideas and sug- gestions on how to improve effectiveness in a number of areas. Delegation of signatory authority to lower levels in the organization has been underway this year, as have efforts to empower employees, providing them with the knowl- In the long run, we expect to improve the way we do business and to follow Vice President Gore's advice. We believe we can "put customers first, cut red tape, and empower federal workers." edge, skills, authority, and account- ability to achieve quality results. Improved external and internal communications and teamwork were targeted for serious work, and efforts in these two areas have been noteworthy. The evaluation of supervisors' work through a feedback system has been piloted and an outstanding mentoring program put in place. A concentrated focus on training has shown us ways to achieve more without increasing our training dollars. A report on OPPT diversity was completed and implementa- tion of its recommendations is in Reinventing continued on page 14 a VOL. 16 / NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I TRI EPA Releases New Version of TRI Automated Form R Software by Delores Evans AFR94 a new, enhanced version of the Automatic Form R software has been provided to companies for submitting Report- ing Year 1994 TRI data to EPA. Reports are due on July 1, 1995 from both companies and federal facilities. Since the inception of TRI, EPA has encouraged facilities to electronically submit their Form R reports instead of using paper forms. Electronic data are then loaded directly into EPA's com- puter systems. "Going electronic" enhances the quality and effi- ciency of data reporting for both EPA and industry. For Reporting Year 1993, over half the Form R reports received were electronic submissions. OPPT expects a much higher percentage of electronic submissions this sum- mer with AFR94. AFR94 incorporates several new features and "user requested" enhancements such as: Choice of operating environ- ments: MS-DOS, IBM PC-DOS, Windows or Local Area Net- works. Quick and easy installation: "user-friendly" menu-driven installation instructions; auto- matically updates PC configura- tion files, if necessary. Easy data entry and editing: validates fields during data entry to reduce errors; field specific help keys; menu-driven screens with special hot keys; pick lists containing valid codes and entries. Improved printing options: supports 11 industry-standard printer models; option to print selected submissions to dis- kette; prints draft or graphic Form R copies (depending on PC environment). Assists with mailing options: generates transmittal letter for Form R's; presents option to mail diskette or paper copies to state agencies. AFR94 also has a new look with exciting graphics. Additional information on AFR94 can be obtained by calling Delores Evans at (202) 260-1625, or the User Support Help at (703) 816-4433- Delores Evans is a member of the TRI Information Management Branch, in the Information Management Division of OPPT. Enhanced TRI CD-ROM Product Set for Summer Release An updated and enhanced version of the TRI CD-ROM will be re- leased early this summer. The comprehensive, two-disc set will contain complete TRI records for reporting years 1987-1993, as well as Chemical Substance Fact Sheets describing potential health and ecological effects of TRI chemicals. Retrieval software provided on the discs will enable users to search and display TRI records by a single field or a combination of fields (such as releases in an area over a certain amount); export records in dBase, Lotus, ASCII and other formats; print standard and customized reports; and compute basic statistics, such as total and average chemical re- leases for records in a designated search set. Enhancements this year include a reduction in the amount of memory required to use the discs; restructuring the databases by year for ease in searching; streamlined installation procedures; implementation of password control to limit users' access to DOS; and a user's manual distributed with the discs. System requirements for using the discs are a 386 computer equipped with a CD-ROM drive and DOS 3-3. or higher. For further informa- tion, please call TRI User Support at (202) 260-1531. e CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I TRI TRI Industry Expansion Proceeds by Brian Symmes and Tim Crawford EPA's efforts to expand TRI reporting requirements to addi- tional facilities outside of tradi- tional manufacturing operations are moving forward towards publication of a proposal in the early part of 1996. OPPT is now stepping up its outreach activities associated with this proposed rulemaking, in an effort to im- prove its dialogue with industry, environmental organizations, and state and local governments. This emphasis on outreach as well as emerging issues that require in-depth attention accounts for the shift in the target date for a proposal. TRI Industry Expansion is a major undertaking and will have long-reaching implications for the entire TRI program. The fundamental purpose of the expansion remains the enhance- ment of community right-to- know. Adding facilities to TRI will allow communities across America to know more about the toxic chemicals released in their environments. It will also give a boost to pollution prevention efforts as additional industries focus on their releases and the potential for reductions. Candidates for TRI expansion continue to be industries with facilities that have significant releases of TRI chemicals, and that are engaged in activities directly related to the support of manufacturing activities currently covered in TRI. These industries include: coal mining, metal and non-metal mining, oil & gas exploration & production, elec- tric utilities, commercial waste treatment & disposal, publicly- owned treatment works (POTWs), municipal incinerators & landfills, materials recovery & recycling, freight terminals, bulk petroleum terminals, warehouses, and airports. OPPT staff are currently review- ing the data used in the initial screening and ranking activities. Staff are also beginning a new round of focus group meetings with industry and environmental organizations, in order to engage these groups in discussions regarding EPA's rulemaking and analyses. These meetings provide a forum for the exchange of information on processes specific to these industry sectors and their use of TRI chemicals. EPA also held a public meeting on May 25, 1995, in which the issues involved in expansion were Among the issues EPA is addressing are the TRI reporting definitions. presented and feedback was received from the public. Among the issues EPA is address- ing are the TRI reporting defini- tions, which may be subject to interpretation as they apply to certain releases at certain facilities. Exemptions, such as the de minimis exemption, may also limit reporting from some industries. In addition, EPA must consider "unfunded mandates" that may be imposed upon the facilities under consideration. Brian Symmes is a member of the Program Development Section, and Tim Crawford is a member of the Technical and Policy Section, ofOPPT's Toxic Release Inventory Branch. For more information contact Brian Symmes at (202) 260-9121 or Tim Crawford at (202)260-1715. B VOL. 167 NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 TRI Phase 3 continued on next page ------- I Existing Chemicals Program EPA Releases 8(e) Triage Database Product, Version 2.0 EPA has recently released an updated version of the "Triage Database," a computerized collec- tion of scientific studies on the health and environmental effects of chemicals. EPA has the authority and respon- sibility under TSCA to gather certain kinds of basic information on chemical risks from those who manufacture and process chemi- cals. The law also enables EPA to require companies to test selected chemicals for toxic effects, and requires the Agency to review most new chemicals before they are manufactured. EPA recognizes the importance of providing the public with access to the information collected under TSCA and other environmental statutes. One important informa- tion gathering tool under TSCA is found in Section 8(e). Under Section 8(e), manufacturers, importers, and distributors of chemical substances and mixtures are required to inform EPA of studies that reasonably support the conclusion that the chemicals present a "substantial risk of injury" to human health or the environment. One intended use of this information is to make it accessible to the general public and organizations whose efforts are associated with protection of health and safety. In 1991 OPPT initiated the volun- tary Compliance Audit Program (CAP) to encourage companies to audit their files for information required by §8(e). EPA reduced the monetary penalties on companies submitting studies that were past the statutory submittal deadline. Under the program, EPA received about 10,000 submissions in addition to the approximately 400 non-CAP §8(e) submissions the Agency receives each year. EPA has developed a user- friendly database to serve as a vehicle for sharing this §8(e) submission information. The Triage Database includes the majority of the CAP and non-CAP submissions received after 1991. Version 1.0 of the Database, released in October 1993, con- sisted of approximately 6,000 studies which had been reviewed to date. The recent version of the Triage Database, released in February 1995, also includes the remaining 4,000 studies that have recently been reviewed. The revised version is easier to install, and also includes Chemical Fact Sheets (developed for another EPA recognizes the importance of providing the public with access to the information collected under TSCA and other environmental statutes. program) which provide addi- tional information about some of the chemicals. To use Triage on your computer you must have the following: IBM PC or compatible (286 processor or better). DOS Version 3.1 or higher. 45 megabytes of free space on the hard drive. EPA is considering making the third version of the §8(e) Triage Program available on CD-ROM due to the increased memory that will be needed to run future versions. For a copy of the most recent version (2.0) of the §8(e) Triage Program, please call the TSCA Hotline at (202) 554-1404. B CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Existing Chemicals Program Amending the TSCA Inventory Update Rule One component of OPPT's Chemical Use Inventory (GUI) project is an amendment of the TSCA Inventory Update Rule (IUR) to collect data from manu- facturers on chemical exposures that can be used to screen the risks of chemicals in commerce. Currently, IUR requires facilities that manufacture or import a chemical to report the facility's location, whether the chemical is fully consumed on-site, and the volume of chemical production or imports. Data have been collected for the 1985, 1989, and 1993 reporting years. OPPT is considering collecting additional chemical-specific, exposure-related data, including: functions during industrial use, industry sectors that process or use the chemical, conditions of use, and consumer uses. OPPT is also considering adding to IUR reporting the number of process- ing and other use sites down- stream of the manufacturer and the total number of potentially exposed workers at those sites. OPPT expects to use these new data to broadly gauge the expo- sures of about 8,000 chemicals that are now in commerce. On April 13, OPPT sponsored a workshop on the IUR amend- ments project. At the meeting OPPT presented a paper describ- ing specific amendments for IUR, the benefits to risk screening of new data, and a draft reporting form for IUR which incorporates the potential new data elements. The workshop was attended by representatives of trade associa- tions, environmental groups, and labor unions. Technical issues associated with the IUR amend- ments were discussed and several ideas for improvements sug- gested. OPPT will be working with interested stakeholders to refine its ideas on amending the IUR over the coming weeks. Rulemaking will be needed to formally implement any IUR reporting changes. For more information on this project, call Ward Penberthy at (202) 260-1730. 36th ITC Report Transmitted The 36th Report of the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) was transmitted to the Administrator of the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA) in May 1995. In this Report, the ITC revised its TSCA Section 4(e) Priority Testing List by solicit- ing use and exposure data for 12 High Production Volume Chemicals (HPVC), removing a previously-designated chemical, cyclohexanone, and removing 34 previously-recommended chemicals, including butyraldehyde, 9 chloroalkyl phosphates, sulfonyl bis(4-chlorobenzene), m-dinitrobenzene, 4 cyanoacry- lates, 2 methyl ethylene glycol ethers and esters, 11 propylene glycol ethers and esters, and 5 HPVC. B VOL 16 / NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I New Chemicals EPA Revises NCELs to Match OSHA Requirements In May 1995, EPA's New Chemi- cals Program distributed revised New Chemical Exposure Limits (NCELs) provisions for TSCA §5(e) Orders (see box on next page). Because the revised provisions are generally less burdensome than before and more consistent with existing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, EPA ex- pects greater utilization of NCELs by chemical companies subject to §5(e) Orders. EPA will now include NCELs provisions in most §5(e) Orders involving potential inhalation risks to workers. The generic NCELs provisions can, however, be modified in indi- vidual, chemical-specific §5(e) Orders if warranted by the facts. NCELs originated in response to industry's request to move away from respirator requirements and instead model new chemical regulations after OSHA's Permis- sible Exposure Limits (PELs). To prevent unacceptable inhalation risks to workers, EPA traditionally required the use of specified respirators. The NCELs provisions reflect a more comprehensive approach to good industrial hygiene. NCELs set a workplace airborne "interim" exposure limit for a new chemical substance, and allow a company subject to the §5(e) Order to use source reduc- tion, process changes, engineering controls, and work practices to achieve the specified exposure limit. If the exposure limit is ex- ceeded, respirators must be worn. EPA's NCELs expressly state a preference for prevention and engineering controls over respira- tors. But because many new chemicals are manufactured in small batches with few workers, EPA's NCELs provisions allow companies to use specified respirators to control inhalation, without first determining the feasibility of attaining the NCEL via engineering controls and work practices. This allows companies handling new chemicals to select the most appropriate control measures for their particular operations. By contrast, OSHA imposes a mandatory "Hierarchy of Controls" whereby respirator usage is allowed only after attain- ment of the PEL via engineering controls and work practices is determined to be unfeasible. Analytical Methods and Monitoring Like OSHA PELs, the NCELs provi- sions require monitoring to measure the new chemical concentration in the workplace air, as well as associ- ated record-keeping. The monitor- ing data represent an improvement over the less direct exposure infor- mation EPA has used in determining respirator requirements. EPA has revised the NCELs analyti- cal method and monitoring re- quirements to make them less burdensome and more like OSHA requirements. EPA has adopted OSHA's performance-based requirement of ± 25% accuracy with 95% confidence for concentra- tions from half the NCEL to twice the NCEL. Since over 300 industrial hygiene laboratories are accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), EPA will accept use of laboratories accredited by AIHA (or another comparable program if approved in advance by EPA), as an alternative to compli- ance with TSCA Good Laboratory Practice Standards (GLPS). EPA added an exemption from monitor- ing requirements based on docu- mented and reliable objective data when exposures are obviously so low that monitoring is unnecessary. However, unlike existing commer- cial chemicals regulated by OSHA, new chemicals subject to TSCA §5 generally do not have analytical methods with which to determine workplace concentrations and compliance with an applicable exposure limit. Therefore, EPA requires the new chemical manu- facturer to develop a valid analyti- cal method. The NCELs revisions, instead of requiring EPA approval of the company's analytical method, now require independent laboratory verification of the method's validity. Do EPA NCELs and OSHA PELs Overlap? Generally, EPA and OSHA will not simultaneously regulate the same substance, because EPA's NCELs apply to uncommercialized new chemicals with little or no data. TSCA does not require manufac- ffl CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I New Chemicals EPA Revises NCELs From previous page turers of new chemicals to de- velop any toxicity test data for submission with the PMN. There- fore, to assess the risk from a new chemical or support a finding that the new chemical may present an unreasonable risk, EPA's New Chemicals Program often must rely on toxicity data on existing chemicals with molecular struc- tures similar to the new chemical. EPA can use this same analogue data to set NCELs concentrations when there is a defined health endpoint and EPA believes the new chemical is not significantly more toxic than its analogue. In setting NCELs for potential carcino- gens, EPA accepts a maximum cancer risk of lO*4. However, EPA will consider setting NCELs con- centrations based on OSHA PELs for analogous existing chemicals (or exposure limits recommended by other organizations). EPA will also consider technological and economic feasibility, especially in cases where there is evidence that the new chemical may replace existing substances that pose a higher risk. If additional data on the new chemical are subsequently developed, companies may peti- tion EPA to modify the NCEL accordingly. EPA has added a sunset provision stating that the NCEL is automati- cally nullified if OSHA promul- gates a PEL for the same substance. Most likely, OSHA will not regulate a PMN substance unless and until (1) the new chemical becomes more widely commercialized with increased human exposures, and (2) toxic- ity data on the chemical are developed showing adverse health effects. In such a case, OSHA could consider the new data in deciding whether to adopt EPA's NCEL or set a differ- ent exposure limit. EPA, OSHA, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) meet peri- odically to coordinate on issues of mutual interest, such as exposure limits. Whenever OSHA revises relevant requirements, EPA will consider adopting those revisions in the NCELs provisions. Comments Received Since receiving comments on draft NCELs provisions from diverse interest groups in 1991, EPA has continued to make revisions and receive input from external organizations. The comprehensively revised TSCA §5(e) Order NCELs provisions distributed in May, accompanied by a Response-to-Comments Document and a Non-Binding Guidance Document on Develop- ment of Analytical Methods for New Chemicals, represent a culmination of EPA's efforts to improve its NCELs provisions based on external comments. For Additional Information For additional information, call Roy Seidenstein, Attorney, at (202) 260-2252, or Cathy Fehrenbacher, Industrial Hygien- ist, at (202) 260-0696. To receive a copy of the new NCELs package, contact the TSCA Hotline at (202) 554-1404. Section 5(e) Consent Orders Section 5 of TSCA was designed to regulate risks from new chemicals before they enter commerce. TSCA defines a "new" chemical as one not listed on the TSCA §8(b) Inventory. The Inventory was initially compiled in 1978 by having chemical manufacturers report substances made during the preceding three years. Additional substances may be added to the Inventory through the pre-manufacture notice (PMN) process. TSCA §5 requires manufacturers of new chemicals to submit a PMN to EPA at least 90-days before commencing manufac- ture for commercial purposes. If EPA finds that available informa- tion regarding possible adverse effects is insufficient and that the chemical substance may present an unreasonable risk of injury to human health or the environment, EPA can "prohibit or limit" activities associated with the substance. In such cases, EPA and the manufacturer typically negotiate a §5(e) Consent Order to mitigate exposures and risk, pending development of data needed for a more thorough evaluation. D VOL. 16 / NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Community Initiatives Informational Report on New River To Be Issued Soon As discussed in the last issue of Chemicals in Progress Bulletin, EPA launched an information gathering effort on September 21, 1994, by issuing administrative subpoenas under TSCA §11 to 95 U.S. parent companies with facilities in the vicinity of the New River in the Mexicali area. Citizens living in the vicinity of the New River had submitted several citizens' petitions to EPA express- ing concern about the river's pollution and its threats to health and the environment. EPA is currently compiling and aggregat- ing the data into a report which will be available to the public in August or September 1995. The report will be available in English and Spanish. The purpose of gathering the information was to help design a monitoring program for the New River to ensure that citizens in the New River vicinity are protected from any imminent hazard or unreasonable risk, and to give citizens information about chemi- cals released into the New River. The information will also be used in determining the contribution of U.S. industries to New River's pollution and to inform the health consultation on the New River currently being conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). EPA has provided a community empowerment grant to the Envi- ronmental Health Coalition (EHC) to assist the communities most affected by pollution in the New River; Calexico, California, USA and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The grant will be used to help create an appropriate com- munity organization to identify research and information needs, and develop and implement a community involvement and education strategy. For more information on obtain- ing the report or on the commu- nity empowerment grant, please contact Michelle Price at (202) 260-3372. Promoting Community-Based Environmental Protection In February 1995, EPA Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen asked the Agency's Regional Administra- tors and Assistant Administrators to develop strategies for how their respective organizations will promote community-based envi- ronmental protection to achieve the following goals: To protect and sustain healthy human and ecological commu- nities. To develop goals and solutions in a collaborative manner, based on sound science. To empower, inform and equip those who make, participate in, and live with environmental management decisions. To create an iterative, dynamic process for ongoing partner- ships, monitoring and adjust- ments. In May, Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., Assistant Administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesti- cides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS), submitted her office's strategy to Deputy Administrator Hansen. In summary, the OPPTS strategy offers to support commu- nity-based environmental protec- tion by identifying, developing, and providing informational, technical and regulatory tools to the Regions, States, and local communities to help them carry out specific community-based initiatives. It also lays out a general action plan for carrying out this strategy. If you would like to get a copy of the OPPTS strategy, please contact the TSCA Hotline at (202) 554-1404. If you have questions about the strategy, please contact Jim Willis, Deputy Director of the Environmental Assistance Divi- sion, at (202) 260-1024. B CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Design for the Environment EPA's Environmental Accounting Project by Hotly Elwood The Environmental Accounting Project, part of OPPT's Design for the Environment Program, has as its goal "encouraging and motivat- ing businesses to understand the full spectrum of their environmen- tal costs and integrate these costs into decision making." Under- standing costs we believe is the first step to increased invest- ment in pollution prevention practices, and to changing the way businesses do business. EPA began the Environmental Accounting Project three years ago, with the realization that traditional accounting practices used by the majority of U.S. companies prevent companies from seeing the benefits of invest- ing in pollution prevention. How do accounting systems create this "blind spot?" Tradi- tional accounting systems sepa- rate environmental costs from the products and processes that generate them and place them in an overhead account, effectively hiding them from decision- makers. The result is that environ- mental costs get left out of many vital business decisions, including capital budgeting decisions. Pollution prevention investments that could save the company money by reducing these hidden environmental costs are not analyzed or chosen in the capital budgeting process. Having identified this problem, project staff convened a focus group of experts to advise us on this issue. The experts told us three things: 1) They strongly encouraged EPA to establish a project that would address this issue. 2) They offered a goal statement for the potential project. 3) They encouraged EPA to convene a larger group of stakeholders in a workshop to formulate a set of actions that each stakeholder group could undertake to help meet the goal of the project. We have heeded the focus groups suggestions, adopting the goal statement, and organizing a stakeholder workshop in Dallas in December 1993. The Stakeholder's Action Agenda OEPA 742-R-94- 003), published in the Spring of 1994, is the product of the Dallas workshop. The document lists action steps that can be taken by every stakeholder group, includ- ing financial, design engineering, operations, accounting, and other business department employees, as well as local, state, and re- gional government officials. Since the development of this Action Agenda, the Accounting Project has focused on the steps our stakeholders wanted the federal government to take to Environmental Accounting continued on next page Traditional accounting practices used by the majority of U.S. companies prevent companies from seeing the benefits of investing in pollution prevention. VOL. 16 / NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Design for the Environment Environmental Accounting from previous page incorporate environmental costs into business decision-making. In response to their suggestions, we have been working as a catalyst for change, conducting education, outreach, guidance, and research. Some examples completed or underway include: Publishing a Network Directory of over 650 stakeholders who are actively participating or interested in environmental accounting. Publishing an Introduction to Environmental Accounting: Key Concepts and Terms, due out at the end of summer, which will orient readers to the underlying key concepts of environmental accounting and clarify com- monly used terms. I Working with Region 10 staff to develop their own Environmen- tal Accounting Project. I Publishing case studies on activities underway at AT&T and Ontario Hydro to imple- ment environmental account- ing. I Developing a software tool for government technical assis- tance use that helps businesses incorporate environmental costs into capital budgeting practices. Funding an academic research conference on environmental accounting in June 1995. Publishing a resource guide on tools being used to account for environmental costs. Publishing results of a survey of corporate capital budgeting practices. Future efforts include upgrading the capital budgeting software tool and making it available to small businesses, funding an interactive roundtable for busi- nesses on environmental account- ing, and conducting environmental accounting indus- try pilots with the chemical industry. Holly Elwood is the coordinator of EPA's Environmental Accounting Project. For more information For more information on the Environmental Accounting Project, or for copies of any of our resources, please call the Pollution Prevention Informa- tion Clearinghouse at (202) 260-1023, or Holly Elwood at (202) 260-4362. Reinventing OPPT Frontpages process. We are still working on a system for rotational assignments but are making progress. In summary, the streamlining efforts in many of our core pro- grams over the past year will continue as we also begin our reorganization. Since the major changes will occur in the science divisions, which are internally- focused for the most part, and in the establishment of a team in the Chemical Control Division, we expect little impact on our external customers while we are making the changes. In the long run, we expect to improve the way we do business and to follow Vice President Gore's advice. We believe we can "put customers first, cut red tape, and empower federal workers." We want to be proud of what we do for this country. And we think what we do contributes to our country's health and environmental protection. Joe Carra is the Deputy Director of OPPT. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service and has been with EPA since 1979. Note: For a copy of the OPPT Reinvention Implementation Plan, write to Mike McDonell, Co-Editor of Chemicals in Progress Bulletin, EPA (7408), 401M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460. Or call the TSCA Hotline, 202-554-1404. H CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Pollution Prevention EPA's 33/50 Program: Acknowledging Accomplishments and Considering a Next Generation by Mike Burns One of EPA's earliest environmental partnership experiments, the 33/50 Program was initiated in 1991 to challenge American industry to show how much leaner and cleaner companies can be when they have the authority to find their own solutions to reducing pollu- tion. Industry has responded with enthusiasm, with nearly 1,300 companies participating to date. The Program's key conceptual .underpinnings have been: Flexibility: Companies set their own goals, focussing on envi- ronmental priorities that make sense within the context of their own manufacturing operations. Simplicity. Participation is simple - companies need only write to EPA to announce their desire to contribute to the national goals, and specify their own reduction targets. No additional reporting is required beyond submission of already mandated TRI reports. Partnership: The relationship between industry and govern- ment is transformed from con- frontational to collaborative. Time and resources previously spent on rule writing and litiga- tion are instead directed toward company pollution reduction projects and government assis- tance and recognition efforts. Companies are well on their way to achieving the 33/50 Program's national reduction goals. The Program's 1992 interim 33% reduction goal was exceeded by more than 100 million pounds. 1993 TRI data show 33/50 Program emissions down by 685 million pounds (46%) from 1988, and facilities are projecting achieve- ment of the Program's ultimate 50% reduction goal in 1994, a full year ahead of schedule. Even though participating compa- nies operate just a third of the 18,000 facilities reporting 33/50 Program chemicals, they account for increasingly large proportions of the reported reductions in the 17 targeted chemicals, including 98% of the 100 million pounds reduced in 1993. Participating companies have achieved a nearly 60% reduction in environmental releases and transfers of 33/50 Program chemicals since 1988. While it is not possible to deter- mine how much of this pollution decline is due to source reduc- tion, facilities report significantly higher rates of source reduction activities for 33/50 Program chemicals than for other chemi- cals reported to TRI. Many people think that the 33/50 Program will be completed at the end of 1995, since its ultimate national 50% reduction goal is targeted for 1995. However, public release of 1995 TRI data, used to monitor the Program's progress, will not occur until the spring of 17 Priority Chemicals Targeted by the 33/50 Program BENZENE CADMIUM & COMPOUNDS CARBON TETRACHLORIDE CHLOROFORM CHROMIUM & COMPOUNDS CYANIDES LEAD & COMPOUNDS MERCURY & COMPOUNDS METHYL ETHYL KETONE METHYL ISOBUTYL KETONE METHYLENE CHLORIDE NICKEL & COMPOUNDS TETRACHLOROETHYLENE TOLUENE TRICHLOROETHANE TRICHLOROETHYLENE XYLENES 1997. Accordingly, EPA's adminis- tration of the 33/50 Program will continue well beyond 1995. As the Program nears its ultimate goal, the Agency is assessing options for commending compa- nies for their achievements. EPA is also working with a panel of representatives from industry, states, and environmental groups to determine whether 33/50 Program Awards should be issued to a select set of companies whose pollution reduction achievements could be considered truly remarkable. Another idea being considered by this panel is Continued on next page B VOL. 16/NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Pollution Prevention EPA 33/50 Program from previous page to encourage companies to submit 33/50 Program "success stories" detailing the ways in which they achieved significant emissions reductions. EPA has already pro- duced a series of 33/50 Program Company Profiles, describing companies' pollution reduction projects, and more are underway. 33/50 The Next Generation EPA initiated deliberations about a Next Generation of the 33/50 Program early this year. A Call- for-Comments was issued to states, industry, and environmen- tal groups asking for input on whether there should be a 33/50 follow-up and how such a pro- gram should be designed. Stake- holders voiced considerable support for continuing a voluntary partnership to reduce pollution, although significant concerns were raised from all sectors regarding the goals and structure of a Next Generation program. EPA will be circulating specific Next Generation proposals for comment this summer. Anyone interested in additional information about the 33/50 Program or in providing ideas about a follow-up voluntary pollution reduction program is encouraged to call or write to us. Mike Burns is a program analyst with the 33/50 Program. He has been with the program since its inception in 1991 and is heading up the development of the next generation of the 33/50 Program. To Offer Comments: Mail: Mail Code 7408, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460 Tel: 202-554-1404 Fax: 202-554-5603 Internet: burns.mike@epamail.epa.gov EPA Regional Offices: Contact the 33/50 Program Coordinators at the following addresses: US EPA - Region I (MS: ATR) 1 Congress Street Boston, MA 02203 Tel: (617) 565-4502 Fax: (617) 565-4939 US EPA - Region n (MS: 105) 2890 Woodbridge Ave, Bldg. 10 Edison, NJ 08837 Tel: (908) 906-6815 Fax: (908) 321-6788 US EPA Region m (MS: 3AT01) 841 Chestnut Bldg Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tel: (215) 597-9302 Fax: (215) 580-2011 US EPA - Region IV 345 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30365 Tel: (404) 347-1033 Fax: (404) 347-1681 Fax: (415) 744-1073 US EPA - Region V (MS: SP-14J) 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 Tel: (312) 886-6219 Fax: (312) 353-4342 US EPA -Region VI (MS: 6T-PT) 1445 Ross Avenue Dallas, TX 75202 Tel: (214) 665-7582 Fax: (214) 665-2164 US EPA - Region VH (MS: ARTX) 726 Minnesota Avenue Kansas City, KS 66101 Tel: (913) 551-7315 Fax: (913) 551-7065 US EPA - Region Vm (MS: 8ART-AP) 999 - 18th St., Suite 600 Denver, CO 80202-2405 Tel: (303) 294-7684 Fax: (303) 293-1229 US EPA - Region IX (MS: A-4-3) 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Tel: (415) 744-1061 US EPA - Region X (MS: AT-083) 1200 - 6th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Tel: (206) 553-4762 Fax: (206) 553-8338 H CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Lead, Asbestos, PCBs Lead Paint Task Force Issues Comprehensive Report on Private Housing On July 11, 1995, EPA Administra- tor Browner and HUD Secretary Cisneros accepted the final report of the Federal Advisory Task Force on Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction and Financing at a joint press conference. Section 1015 of the Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduc- tion Act of 1992 (Title X) required the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in consultation with EPA, to create , this Task Force to address issues related to lead-based paint (LBP) hazard control in private housing. Title X includes a range of hazard evaluation and control mandates for public housing. For private housing, however, the statutory requirements are limited to hazard disclosure during residential sales and lease transactions, training and certification requirements for workers and contractors involved in LBP activities (inspection, risk assessments, and abatement), and standards for LBP activities. Title X does not require owners of private housing to evaluate or control LBP hazards on their properties. The mandate of the Section 1015 Task Force is to identify appropriate hazard evaluation and control procedures for property owners and to examine and develop recommen- dations on financial, insurance, and liability issues. Working closely with EPA, HUD chartered the Task Force in July 1993 and named Gushing Dolbeare, a noted affordable housing expert, as chairperson. The group represents a broad range of interests, from housing providers to tenants and lead poisoning prevention advocates. Four of the 41 Task Force mem- bers are federal officials, including EPA's representative, John Melone, Director of OPPT's Chemical Management Division. Working in committees and in smaller ad hoc groups, the Task Force has forged a consensus on a set of 59 specific recomendations. The Task Force report focuses primarily on rental housing and creates a comprehensive, preven- tion-oriented framework for controlling LBP hazards. In developing this framework, the Task Force had to find a mix of approaches that are protective but flexible and that will not result in wholesale disinvestment in, and abandonment of, affordable rental housing. The Task Force will recommend a set of response actions coupled with market incentives and controls, public subsidies for economically dis- tressed units, flexibility for state and local officials to tailor the recommendations to fit special needs, and several other reinforc- ing strategies. At the core of the Task Force The Task Force report focuses primarily on rental housing and creates a comprehensive, prevention-oriented framework for controlling LBP hazards. framework is a set of benchmark standards of hazard control which the Task Force anticipates will be incorporated into state and local regulations and housing codes. These standards provide a proto- col of maintenance and manage- ment procedures designed to prevent LBP hazards from being created. Additional recommenda- tions (e.g, specialized cleaning) apply to higher priority housing (defined in the report as housing constructed before 1950). To promote implementation of the benchmark standards, the Task Force has adopted a number of recommendations related to liability, insurance, and finance. The Task Force decided to pro- vide liability relief as an incentive to reward owners that have taken action to control hazards. The Continued on next page B VOL. 167 NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Lead, Asbestos, PCBs Lead Paint Task Force from previous page greater the level of control, the more liability relief an owner receives. Limiting liability, how- ever, also limits the ability of poisoned children to be compen- sated for damages that do occur despite implementation of hazard control standards. The Task Force, therefore, couples liability relief with the creation of a no-fault compensation system available to property owners who comply with applicable standards. The Task Force believes that financial institutions also have a role to play and has recom- mended that primary and second- ary mortgage lenders incorporate the standards into underwriting requirements. The report also contains recommendations to mitigate against disinvestment in higher risk properties by limiting lender and new owner liability. Where owners of economically viable properties do not take action voluntarily, enforcement action by local authorities will be necessary. Recognizing that owners of economically distressed properties will not respond to market forces and may operate outside the conventional finance system, the Task Force finds that public subsidies are needed and that a federal abatement trust fund should be established. Additional Reinforcing Strategies The report also recommends implementation of several other reinforcing strategies to promote control of LBP hazards in private housing. First, Tenant-Based Assistance programs operated by HUD, but not covered by Title X, provide an opportunity to imple- ment the benchmark standards for housing that is primarily occupied by families with children. Second, the Task Force believes that communities and property owners should try to match households with young children or pregnant women with units that are safe from lead hazards. Matching allows for protec- tion of children long before hazards have been controlled in the entire housing stock, and provides owners of multifamily properties with flexibility when undertaking hazard control work. Third, the Task Force, through public comment and participation, has learned that many of the people who should be involved in this issue including housing providers, tenants, lenders, local governments are not aware of the problem or do not have sufficient or correct information to address it. The Task Force, there- fore, believes that education efforts must be increased to raise awareness, create a competent workforce, and provide tenants with information on ways to protect their children before a property owner has implemented controls. Finally, the Task Force recommends that research efforts Many of the people who should be involved in this issue including housing providers, tenants, lenders, local governments are not aware of the problem. be intensified to answer critical questions (e.g., the rate of lead dust reaccumulation following hazard control), validate more cost-effective methods to evaluate and control LBP hazards, and set performance standards for hazard evaluation and control products. Copies of the Task Force Report and Executive Summary are available from the National Lead Information Center's Clearing- house (800 424-LEAD and HUDSER (800-245-2691). 1 CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Lead, Asbestos, PCBs Lead Update EPA's Lead-Based Paint Program is moving at a rapid pace. Since enactment of the Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (Title X) in late 1992, OPPT Lead staff have been extremely busy fulfilling its many mandates. The primary focus has been on devel- oping implementing regulations to control lead hazards and to prevent future lead-based paint poisoning to the nation's young children. Here is a status, update on the program's activities: Training, Accreditation, and Certification for Lead-based Paint Activities (§402/$404): EPA proposed a regulation in September 1994 to establish requirements for training program accreditation and certification of contractors involved in lead-based paint inspections, risk assess- ments, and abatement. One element of the proposal was a Model State Plan for states to adopt to implement their own lead programs. Comments re- ceived in response to the pro- posal are currently being reviewed and final promulgation is anticipated for Fall 1995. Lead Hazard Brochure ($406(a)): This mandate required EPA to publish a lead hazard brochure. EPA proposed the draft brochure last year for public comment, and held a series of focus group reviews. The final brochure will be available in late summer, with a Spanish version out sometime soon afterwards. Renovation Information Rule ($406(b)): EPA has proposed a regulation to require renovators, prior to beginning work, to provide their customers with an EPA-developed brochure de- scribing lead hazards and how they can be minimized. The regulation was proposed in March 1994 and is expected to be final by Fall 1995. Disclosure of Lead Hazards During Real Estate Transac- tions ($1018): EPA and HUD are required to jointly promulgate regulations requiring that land- lords and sellers of target housing disclose the presence of lead and lead hazards to prospective renters and purchasers, and provide them with an EPA- developed brochure. This regula- tion was proposed in November 1994 and final promulgation is anticipated for early Fall 1995. Lead Worker Training Grants: In FY 1994, EPA awarded $2.8 million in grants to non-profit training providers to support lead training of workers. In FY 1995, the Agency will award $1.5 million. State Grants: In FY 1994 EPA awarded $11.2 million in grants to 46 states to develop and carry out authorized state programs for lead-based paint. On February 27, 1995, the Agency published the availability of $12.5 million to be awarded in FY 1995. Environmental Justice Grants: EPA, in cooperation with HUD, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Labor, have been promoting environmental justice and fostering community inter- ventions through lead-based paint abatement and public education in low-income minority neighbor- hoods. A key component of the initiative is to develop innovative, community-based programs in urban centers that will create and sustain an ongoing jobs program and help make the community self-sufficient. The first grant has been awarded to Philadelphia. In FY 1995, EPA and HHS will jointly fund three additional projects for $1 million each. D VOL. 167 NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Resources Developing Tools for Environmental Education by Kathy Hogan OPPT's Information Management Division has launched a new initiative to transform EPA infor- mation products into tools for environmental education. Enhanc- ing environmental education is critical to increasing public par- ticipation in managing chemical risks. The first phase of the Environmental Education Initiative will target educators and students in grades 7-12. OPPT has established an Environ- mental Education Workgroup to pursue the objective of providing public education tools. As a first step, the Workgroup has created a Draft Environmental Education Strategy paper to establish short and long term goals. Initially, the Workgroup will identify, collect, and inventory EPA-funded infor- mation products with OPPT- related content. Materials collected will be screened to identify their suitability for adaptation. The Workgroup has already identified the TRI CD-ROM and OPPT's Chemical Fact Sheets as likely candidates for the first two Envi- ronmental Education tools. The Environmental Education Workgroup has received the welcome support of both the Office of Research and Develop- ment and the Office of Environ- mental Justice. OPPT has also formed a partnership with the Environmental Education Division in the Office of Communication, Education and Public Affairs to coordinate efforts in targeting OPPT-related materials elsewhere in the Agency. The Workgroup's next steps include selecting a product evaluation methodology, using focus groups to test the products developed, and determining a distribution plan and user support mechanism that will offer a meaningful opportunity for the public to learn about environmen- tal issues. Kathy Hogan is chair of OPPT's Environmental Education Project. She can be reached at 202-260- 9349. Enhancing environmental education is critical to increasing public participation in managing chemical risks. CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Resources Special Feature on the Internet: Learning the Basics by Randall Brtnkbuis EPA has long known the power of information as a basis for sound environmental decisionmaking. This principle has been captured in President Clinton's Reinventing Environmental Regulation Initia- tive. Providing for public elec- tronic access is one of the 25 The Internet is a gigantic 'network of networks' linking computers around the world. High Priority Actions contained in the Initiative and we here at OPPT are looking to do our part. This article will provide a brief introduction to OPPT information available on the Internet and will also describe some of the Internet services that people can use to retrieve other EPA information. The Internet is a gigantic "net- work of networks" linking com- puters around the world. A number of services have been developed to allow users to navigate this huge network. The services that will be discussed in this article (ranging from basic to the most sophisticated) are e-mail (especially as enhanced by llstservers), telnet, gopher, and World Wide Web. You can use any of these services to retrieve EPA information. (See the sidebar on How to Reach EPA Internet Services for information on the EPA Internet sites mentioned in this article.) Be warned that while some information is available through all these services, much is not. This is true not only for EPA, but many other organizations that allow Internet access. E-mail & Listservers One of the most basic Internet services is e-mail. The exchange of electronic mail from person to person or from one person to multiple recipients on a distribution list has been taken a step further on the Internet through the creation of so-called listservers. These are computers that are programmed to automatically maintain a number of distribution lists and redistribute e- mail to everyone who has sub- scribed to that list. Listserver lists are usually orga- nized around a particular topic or relationship. For instance, one list may be devoted to chemistry while another is intended for government documents librarians. Most lists allow subscribers to send and respond to messages to a large group of people in this fashion without having to send each message individually. EPA has a listserver which allows the agency to send information to several lists. Most of these lists, Listserver lists are usually organized around a particular topic or relationship. however, are one-directional (allowing the EPA staff who manage the list to send e-mail messages to the distribution list). These lists include selected Federal Register notices from EPA program offices, and two lists devoted to notices from OPPT one con- cerning TRI and the other dealing with all other OPPT programs. Another list which readers might find of interest is the OPPT Library's daily electronic current awareness service, OPPT- NEWSBREAK, which provides summaries of newspaper articles on environmental and other issues of interest to OPPT staff. Telnet Telnet is an Internet tool that allows a computer user to con- nect, or "log in," to another computer system. Thus, for Internet continued on next page 0 VOL 16 / NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Resources Internet Continued from previous page example, Internet users can telnet to EPA's Online Library System (OLS). This system contains a number of databases, including the EPA Library Network's online catalog and Access EPA. The online catalog contains not only the holdings of EPA libraries, but also records for EPA reports that are available through the National Technical Information Service. Access EPA is a database listing EPA information resources such as dockets, clearinghouses, hotlines, libraries, environmental databases, and scientific models. It provides a description of each resource, as well as information on the spon- soring office, the name and phone number of a contact, and, in the case of online systems, instructions on how to access them. Gopher Another Internet tool, the Gopher, provides access to Internet infor- mation through a series of menus. The Gopher provides access to Internet information through a series of menus. A gopher site can be set up to provide access to files, telnet sites, and even other gopher sites, reflecting the needs and interests of its creator. Information avail- able through the EPA gopher includes EPA rules and regula- tions, consumer information, press releases, speeches, and database records. The EPA gopher also provides access to environ- mental information from other sources and information from other government agencies. Files can either be read online or e- mailed to an Internet address of your choosing. The gopher can also provide access to telnet sites. For instance, OLS can be accessed from the EPA gopher. In the Fall 1994 Chemicals in Progress Bulletin, the article "OPPT Explores (and Exploits) the Internet" described some of the information available from OPPT through the EPA Gopher. Files from the 1993 TRI Public Data Release have been uploaded since that time. Those files can be found under the heading: 1993 Toxics Release Inventory. World Wide Web The World Wide Web or simply the Web, as it is increas- ingly known pulls together many different types of informa- tion using "hypertext links." These . links allow the computer user to leap from one document or site to another with the press of a key or the click of a mouse. Information stored on the Web includes text, pictures, and sounds. You need special software, called a "browser," to navigate the Web. The browsers that best take advantage of the Web's features are Windows-based, although there are a few text-based brows- ers as well. Organizations, and even individu- als, have set up their own Web "home pages" through which they set up links to other sites. You connect to the World Wide Web through a specially formatted Internet address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). You will need a high-speed modem or The Web pulls together many different types of information using "hypertext links." Internet connection, along with a Web browser such as Mosaic, to access the Web. By searching on key words basic to OPPT's pro- grams, such as lead or toxics, you can find information relevant to OPPT's programs on other parts of the WWW. These sources are only the begin- ning. OPPT is actively looking for ways to make more of its informa- tion resources publicly available and enhance the utility of the informa- tion resources already available. We welcome your ideas as well. Randall Brtnkbuis works in the Information Access Branch of OPPT's Information Management Division. CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- I Resources Special Feature on the Internet Merge Area Ahead: Getting on the Information Superhighway The fact that EPA is providing this information through the Internet is all well and good, but it's not helpful if you don't have Internet access. The obvious question is: what do you need to do to gain access? There are a variety of ways to accomplish this. Many national on-line services now provide Internet access for a fee. Ads (and sometimes even dis- kettes containing software) for these services can be found in almost any computer magazine. You can also gain access through local Internet service providers, some electronic bulletin board systems, and what are called "freenets." Freenets are commu- nity-based networks that provide access to the public free or for a very low fee. Most Internet books will contain a section listing Internet providers, both alphabeti- cally and by area code. Many books on the Internet also include what is advertised as "free" software to allow readers to access the Internet. You should know, however, that this software will not by itself provide access, nor is it the only way to access the Inter- net. You will need to establish a connection with an Internet service provider, no matter what software you use. Depending upon the services you want to use, you may even be able to access the Internet using your current communications software. Criteria for evaluating a particular Internet service provider include: the services offered (whether you want just e-mail, e-mail and telnet, World Wide Web access, etc.); the cost for the different levels of service; the availability of either an 800 number or a local access number for connecting to the Internet; how much time you are al- lowed on-line and the charges for exceeding that limit; the hours during which you can access the Internet; whether a service provider requires special software (and if they do, how much that costs); and whether your PC and modem are powerful enough to handle Internet access (the software may require large amounts of hard disk space and memory, while your modem must be able to maintain certain baud rates). In addition to EPA's offerings, many other federal agencies and organizations have their own gophers and Web sites. There are The best source of information about the internet is the Internet itself. now dozens of books available, ranging from the beginner level to the advanced, that go into great detail about the Internet and its resources. Check with your local bookstore or public library. While we recommend starting with a book to familiarize yourself with the resources available on the Internet, the best source of information about the Internet is the Internet itself. Among the resources you will find there is the Clearinghouse for Subject- Oriented Internet Resource Guides which contains a wide variety of topical guides (see box for information on accessing the clearinghouse). Files describing the Internet and its resources can also be found under "Internet Resources" on the EPA gopher. Happy surfing on the Internet! Randall Brinkhuis VOL. 16 /NO. 1 SUMMER 1995 ------- I Resources Special Feature on the Internet: How to Reach EPA Internet Services EPA Listserver The two lists which deal specifi- cally with OPPT topics are EPA- TRI (concerned with the Toxics Release Inventory exclusively) and EPA-TOXICS (which handles all other OPPT matters). To subscribe to a list, send the command: SUBSCRIBE LISTNAME FIRSTNAME LASTNAME to the EPA listserver. In this command, LISTNAME is the name of the list to which you want to subscribe, and FIRSTNAME and LASTNAME are your first name and last name, respectively. The Internet address of the EPA listserver is listserverOunix maiLrtpnc.epa.gov. To get more information on the listserver and its commands, send the message HELP in the body of your e-mail text to that address. To receive a list of the lists available through the listserver, send the command LISTS. Telnet To reach EPA's Online Library System (OLS), telnet to epaibm.rtpnc.epa.gov. Select option 4 ("Public Information"), then option 1 ("OLS"). For more information on OLS, contact EPA's Public Information Center at (202) 260-2080. EPA Gopher The Internet address of the EPA Gopher is gopher.epa.gov. The 1993 TRI Public Data Release files can be found under: EPA Offices and Regions/Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances/ Toxic Substances/1993 Toxic Release Inventory (as the gopher menu is presently arranged). In the event that these files are moved in the future, the gopher menu also includes an option for searching for keywords within the menu structure. EPA World Wide Web The Internet address of the EPA World Wide Web is http:// www.epa.gov. For Help: Users can e-mail their questions about the content of EPA's public access servers to: internet. support ©unixmaiLrtpnc. epa.gov. Bear in mind that general questions about the Internet cannot be answered. Subject Information on the Internet Here's a handy tip to find out where the Internet keeps all its information. To locate Internet sites concerning any specific topic, consult the Clearinghouse for Subject- Oriented Internet Resource Guides. The Clearinghouse includes guides to Internet resources on chemistry, chemi- cal engineering, the environ- ment, and over 160 other topics. The Uniform Resource Locator for accessing the Clearinghouse using the Web is: http://http2.sils.umich. edu/~lou/chhome.html. Or gopher to una.hh.lib.umlch. edu/11/inetdirs.) CHEMICALS IN PROGRESS ------- FINAL NOTICE; To save costs, we are paring back the mailing list for Chemicals in Progress Bulletin If you would like to continue to receive your free copy of the Bulletin, fill out and mail in this form by August 31,1995. If you have already notified us, you do not need to do so again. Chemicals in Progress Bulletin U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (7408) 401 M Street SW Washington, D.C. 20460 To continue receiving Chemicals in Progress Bulletin Comments / suggestions: Please fill out and mail in this form: (or attach mailing label) Name Organization Address Please fill out form, remove this page, fold and staple with address (above) showing, affix stamp and mail to EPA. ------- |