United States Off ice of January 1985
Environmental Protection Public Affairs (A-107)
Agency Washington DC 20460
v>EPA Environmental Facts
Methyl Isocyanate
On December 3, 1984, the escape of a poisonous
cloud of methyl isocyanate (MIC) in Bhopal, India,
created one of history's most devastating chemical-
industry disasters. While many details about the
Bhopal.incident still are unknown, government
agencies and industries in this country are responding
by reviewing measures for preventing or counteracting
any similar accidents in the U.S. The American
public has asked numerous questions about the health
and environmental effects pf methyl isocyanate, the
likelihood of a Bhopal-like accident occurring
here, and specific procedures that are in place to
prevent or minimize such an accident. Here are
answers to frequently asked questions about methyl
isocyanate.
Q. What is methyl isocyanate (MIC) and how is it
used?
A. MIC is a chemical used mainly in the process of
manufacturing certain pesticides such as Temik
and Sevin. It is not contained in the finished
products. It is not a pesticide.
0.- What are the health effects of MIC?
i
A. MIC attacks any part of the body which is
particularly moist, such as the eyes and
respiratory tract. The short-term effect is
eye irritation and difficulty in breathing.
Eventually the symptoms are similar to those of
pneumonia. The long-term effect may be permanent
lung impairment and eye damage. MIC may also
cause allergic reaction such as asthma. If MIC
is inhaled in high concentrations, as evidenced
by the Bhopal incident, it can cause death.
0- What are the environmental effects of MIC?
A. MIC is not known to linger in the environment.
Moisture in the air breaks down MIC, or
"hydrolizes" it, forming carbon dioxide and a
largely inert compound.
-------
Q. Where are MIC production and storage sites
located in the United States?
A. Union Carbide, the only U.S. manufacturer of MIC
for resale, has a plant in Institute, West
Virginia (near Charleston) which makes MIC and
sends it to other plants where the chemical is
used in pesticides production. Union Carbide
has shut down the MIC part of the West Virginia
plant until the accident investigation is
completed at the Bhopal site.
Other facilities known to store and use MIC
are located in Middleport, New York; LaPorte and
Pasadena, Texas; Weeks Island, Louisiana;
Muskegan, Michigan, and Woodbine, Georgia.
O. How likely is it that a MIC release could occur
in the United States?
A. While accidental releases of toxic chemicals,
including MIC, have taken place in this country,
the probability of a disaster on the scale of
Bhopal occurring here is low. Although no laws-
-no matter how well written or enforced—are
ever fool-proof, the regulatory controls governing
our chemical industries reduce the chance of
such a large-scale release. And, our emergency
response capabilities mitigate the effects of
releases that do occur.
0. How would Federal, State and local authorities
respond to protect the lives and property of
citizens in case of an accident?
A. The federal government has a National Contingency
Plan to deal swiftly with releases of hazardous
substances. Twelve agencies with environmental
and public health responsibilities form a
coordinated national response team to provide
leadership in responding to emergencies. Parallel
regional teams work with state and local agencies
to bring together the expertise, personnel,
equipment and money necessary to counteract
chemical and other accidents.
In addition, EPA has an Environmental Response
Team staffed by specially trained scientists and
engineers. The team provides information on
chemicals and means of dealing with chemical
emergencies throughout the country.
This national/regional/state/local network
can act to evacuate an area, take measures to
stop a release, and clean up any contamination.
The system works. In mid-November of 1984, the
FMC plant in Middleport, N.Y., experienced a
release of MIC. Company, state and local officials
reacted rapidly, evacuating a school and neigh-
boring residents. There were no serious injuries
and the incident was quickly resolved.
-------
When an accident is declared by the President
to be a "disaster" or an "emergency," the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authority
to respond, and coordinate all federal recovery
efforts.
Q. What does the Federal Government do to help
prevent chemical accidents?
A. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) is responsible for ensuring that every
U.S. worker has a workplace that is safe, healthful,
and free from hazards likely to cause death or
serious injury. Specific health exposure
standards for methyl isocyanate have been set at
0.02 parts per million over eight hours. This
is one thousand tiroes below the level determined
by OSHA to be immediately dangerous to life or
health. OSHA recently adopted a "Hazard
Communication Standard" commonly known as "Right-
to-Know Law." This standard, scheduled to take
effect in November 1985, will require chemical
manufacturers and importers to notify employees
of the use and hazard of chemicals in the
workplace.
The Environmental Protection Agency administers
several laws that serve to prevent or respond to
threats to human health and the environment:
e The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act commonly known as
"Superfund," gives EPA authority and resources
to deal with immediate threats to human health
and the environment. It also provides a mechanism
for drawing together other federal response
capabilities and coordinating comptehensive
responses to imminent hazard situations.
o The Toxic Substances Control Act gives EPA
broad authority to obtain from industry information
on what chemicals they produce, where they make
and store them, and the potential dangers they
pose to our society.
o The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) deals with the safe management of hazardous
wastes. Under RCRA, materials such as MIC must
be managed in a way that protects human health
and the environment when those substances are
disposed of. New RCRA amendments signed into
law by President Reagan on November 8, 1984,
broaden EPA's authority to prevent releases from
underground storage tanks into subsurface soils,
ground water, or surface water.
• The Clean Air Act gives EPA authority to set
standards limiting emissions of hazardous air
pollutants. EPA has generally established
-------
standards only for hazardous air pollutants
known to be routinely emitted. Because MIC is
not emitted into the air under normal circumstances,
no standard has been established for the chemical.
However, EPA has emergency authority that might
be used to respond to a dangerous chemical
release to protect against any "imminent and
substantial" threat to human health due to air
pollution.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has responsi-
bility for the transport of hazardous materials. MIC
is classified now as a flammable liquid under DOT
regulations, which means that certain protective
shipping requirements must be met. DOT recently
proposed special packaging and more stringent
labelling requirements for certain poisonous liquids,
such as MIC, based on their potential inhalation
hazards. Union Carbide, the only U.S. manufacturer
of MIC, treats MIC as a "poison" and uses double-
walled tankers for its transport.
Q. Is EPA taking any specific action since the
tragedy in India?
A. • EPA is reviewing existing federal authority and
capabilities for preventing and responding to
gas releases in light of the Bhopal accident.
• The Union Carbide facility at Institute, West
Virgin-ia, has been inspected to make sure the
plant is in compliance with federal and state
environmental laws. At EPA's request, Union
Carbide has provided more data on releases of
MIC that have occurred in past years. Additional
studies will be carried out if necessary to
assure that the facility does not pose a danger
to the community.
• The Agency also is compiling information about
chemical releases nationally to re-evaluate the
potential threat to the environment and public
health.
0. Where should I call if a chemical accident
happens in my community?
A. The National Response Center in Washington
D.C., which is staffed 24 hours a day, at (800)
424-8802.
------- |