United States
           Environmental Protection
           Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response 5104
EPA 550-K-99-001
December 1999
<>EPA    Chemicals in Your
           Community

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 Contents
Part 1
Preface 	3
Dealing with Chemicals: It's Everybody's Job  	7
How Do I Build a Picture of Chemical Use in My
Community? 	13
Hazard vs. Risk	21

Part 2
Stakeholders	29
   Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)	31
   Citizens 	33
   Fire Departments	35
   Public Institutions  	37
   Land Use Planners	41
   Industry and Small Businesses	43
   States  	47
   The Federal Role	49
For More Information .                           . .51

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Part 1

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Chemicals in Your Community
                                Preface
                                  Chemicals are an important
                                  part of the modern world.
                               They make our water safe to
                               drink, provide fuel for our cars,
                               increase the production from our
                               farms,  and are often key parts of
                               products we use every day.
                               Many of the properties of chemi-
                               cals that make them valuable to
                               us, however, such as their ability
                               to kill dangerous organisms in
                               water and pests on crops, pose a
                               hazard to us and the environ-
                               ment if the chemicals are used or
                               disposed of improperly.
                                 EPA is committed to providing you
                               with as much information as possible
                               about chemicals at your local businesses,
                               and other facilities, so that you can work
                               with local government agencies, citizen
                               groups, and business to ensure that the
                               chemicals in your community are used
                               safely. You can also ensure that facilities
                               and emergency responders are prepared
                               to respond appropriately to accidents.

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                Chemicals in Your Community
You and your family and neighbors are the
people most at risk if chemicals in your
community are being used unsafely or
released into the environment.  You are
in the best position to work with local
agencies to ensure that you, your neigh-
bors, local agencies, and responders  are
prepared to handle any accidents that do
happen.
    Two laws, the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
and the Clean Air Act's (CAA) chemical
accident prevention provisions (also  called
the risk management program), were
specifically designed to provide you with
information on chemicals at individual
facilities, their uses, and releases. Many
other EPA programs also have data avail-
able, as do States, local governments,
trade associations, public interest groups,
and individual facilities.  Much of this
information is easily available on the
Internet; other information is available
from State and local agencies who receive
annual reports from facilities.
   This pamphlet:
•  Summarizes the information you can
   obtain under EPCRA and CAA;
•  Tells you where to find it;
•  Tells you about other information you
   may also find helpful; and
•  Indicates how you can use these vari-
   ous sources of information to build a
   snapshot of chemicals stored and
   released in your community.
   It also discusses how specific groups,
such as fire departments, health care pro-
fessionals, State and local agencies, citi-
zens, and industry can use the information
to improve the safety of our communities.

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                              Chemicals in Your Community
                                                           Dealing with Chemicals:

                                                           It's  Everybody's  Job

                                                              The Emergency Planning and
                                                              Community Right-to-Know
                                                           Act (EPCRA) and the Clean Air
                                                           Act (CAA) both require facilities
                                                           to report on hazardous chemicals
                                                           they store or handle, and both
                                                           provide for  public access to
                                                           these reports.  These laws help
                                                           build better relationships among
                                                           government at all levels,  business
                                                           and community leaders, environ-
                                                           mental and  other public-interest
                                                           organizations, and individual citi-
                                                           zens.
                                                             The laws recognize that citizens are
                                                           full partners in preparing for emergencies
                                                           and managing chemical risks. Each of
                                                           these groups and individuals has an
                                                           important role in making the program
                                                           work:
                                                           •  Local communities and State govern-
                                                             ments are responsible for understand-
                                                             ing risks posed by chemicals at the
                                                             local level,  managing those risks,
                                                             reducing those risks, and dealing with
6

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                               Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                                                                  &
emergencies. Developing
emergency planning and
chemical risk management
at the levels of govern-
ment closest to the com-
munity helps to ensure the
broadest possible public
representation in the deci-
sion-making process.
The Local Emergency
Planning Committee (LEPC)
develops and reviews the
community chemical emer-
gency response plan and
receives annual inventory
reports. The State
Emergency Response
Commission (SERC)
reviews local emergency
response plans and
receives annual inventory
reports. LEPC and SERC
contact names and phone
numbers are available at
www.rtk.net/lepc.
•  Citizens, health profes-
   sionals, public-interest
   and labor organizations,
   the media, and others
   work with government and
   industry to use the infor-
   mation for planning and
   responding to emergencies
   in the community.
•  Facilities that use haz-
   ardous chemicals are
   responsible for operating
   safely, using the most
   appropriate techniques
   and technologies; gather-
   ing information on the
   chemicals they use, store,
   and release into the envi-
   ronment and providing it
   to government agencies
   and local communities;
   and helping set up proce-
   dures to handle chemical
   emergencies. Some indus-
   try groups and individual
   companies have gone
   beyond  the letter of the
   law and have reached out
   to their  communities by
explaining the hazards
involved in using chemi-
cals, by opening communi-
cation channels with com-
munity groups, and by
considering changes in
their practices to reduce
any potential risks to
human health or the envi-
ronment.
The Federal government
provides national leader-
ship and assistance to
States and communities to
ensure they have the tools
and expertise necessary to
receive, assimilate, and
analyze all data, and to
take appropriate measures
to reduce the risk of acci-
dents and chemical emis-
sions. EPA helps facilities
comply with the laws'
requirements; it ensures
the public has access to
information on chemical
storage and releases as
well as other information
to protect the nation's air,
water, and soil from pollu-
tion. EPA works with
industry to encourage vol-
untary reductions in the
use and release of haz-
ardous chemicals wherev-
er possible.


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                                             Chemicals in Your Community
What  Information  is  Available?
    EPCRA and the Clean Air Act's Risk
    Management Program provide an array
    of complementary information:

    Emergency Release Notification.
    Companies must immediately report
    accidental releases of certain chemicals
    to the SERC and LEPC and file follow-up
    reports. Minimum reportable quantities
    vary from one pound to 10,000 pounds.
    More than 1,000 chemicals are covered
    by this requirement. You can find out
    the name and quantity of the chemical;
    the duration of the release; whether the
    release was to air, water, or land; the
    potential health impacts; and who to
    contact for more information.

    Annual Chemical Inventories.
    Companies must file annual chemical
    inventory reports on hazardous chemi-
    cals they store on site above  certain
    quantities, usually 10,000 pounds;
    chemicals may be reported by hazard
    type or by name.  The reports tell
    where the chemical is located in the
    facility, how much is stored, and who to
    contact in an emergency. This informa-
    tion will allow you to map these facili-
    ties  and see where heavy concentra-
    tions of chemicals are located. You can
    get copies of these reports from your
    LEPC or  SERC.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).
Companies must submit copies of the
MSDSs or list of chemicals to the SERC,
LEPC, and local fire department. MSDSs
are available for more than 500,000
products that could create physical
hazards or adverse health effects and
include the chemical identity, compo-
nents of chemical mixtures, the physi-
cal properties (e.g., boiling point), haz-
ards (e.g., flammability, corrosivity, toxi-
city), and health hazards. The SERC or
LEPC can tell you which MSDSs facili-
ties have; and, they or the facility can
provide you with a copy of the MSDS.
MSDSs do not have a standard format
and can sometimes be confusing. On-
line databases, which often have multi-
ple versions of MSDSs for individual
chemicals, can help you find an MSDS
that is well organized and easy to read.

Toxics Release Inventory (TRT). Certain
facilities file annual reports on all
releases of about 650 chemicals.  The
data include estimates of the quantities
of chemicals released to air, water, and
land and otherwise managed as waste.
TRI data are available on-line. You can
search for specific facilities or search
for all facilities in a town, county, or
State.
Risk Management Plans (RMPs).
Certain companies file chemical acci-
dent prevention plans that include a
summary describing the facility and its
processes; the worst-case and other
more likely accident scenarios; the facil-
ity's accident prevention practices; its
emergency response program; a recent
history of serious chemical accidents (if
any); and planned improvements to
safety design or operations. You also
will learn why accidents have happened
and find out  what companies have done
to prevent recurrences.You can get
RMPs from EPA's Envirofacts database
in a system called RMP*Info.

Community Emergency Response Plan.
The LEPC has developed a community
emergency response plan for chemical
accidents. You can review the plan,
which addresses facilities with certain
quantities of 356 extremely hazardous
substances (acutely toxic chemicals).
Your LEPC can provide information on
which local facilities have been
involved in the planning process.
          u
jj.  * a
H-I j L*T-
What's Available on the Internet?

Profiles of the extremely hazardous sub-
stances:
www.epa.gov/ceppo/ep_chda.htm#ehs

ERNS online (release reports by State
by year):
www.epa.gov/ernsacct/pdf/index.html

Access to the on-line copies of MSDSs
maintained  by a number of universities:
www.hazard.com

TRI and RMP data through Envirofacts:
www.epa.gov/enviro. (Also available in
Envirofacts, data on facilities that have:
• Permits to release substances to
  water, in  the Permit Compliance
  System database.
• Permits to release hazardous pollu-
  tants to air, in the air release data-
  base.
• Permits to store and treat hazardous
  wastes, in the RCRA database.)

TRI data also are available at
www.epa.gov/tri, www.rtk.net, and at
www.scorecard.org, which maps the
location of facilities in a county or city.
10
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                                    Chemicals in Your Community
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                                                                       How  Do I Build a Picture  of
                                                                       Chemical  Use in My Community?
   If you have Internet access, the easiest
way to begin is to search RMP*Info and
the TRI database for your city and county.
Use these to develop a list of facilities and
chemicals in your area. Ask your SERC or
LEPC to provide information from their
records on other facilities in the communi-
ty that have filed reports.
   Annual  chemical inventories (available
from the SERC and LEPC) are likely to be
the most comprehensive source because
they cover the largest number of chemi-
cals.  But remember that some facilities
covered by other environmental regula-
tions may not be required to file these
inventories. The threshold for reporting
chemicals also varies among the regula-
tions and not all companies are required
to report information under every environ-
mental regulation. Some facilities may
report acutely toxic chemicals to help
LEPCs prepare local emergency response
plans, but are not required to file Risk
Management Plans. In some cases, chemi-
cals will be reported under TRI, but not
under any of the other rules because TRI
is based on the total quantity used during
the year, not the quantity on site at any
one time.
  12
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                                       Chemicals in Your Community
                       Land View
    Another way to build your
 comprehensive list of all the
 facilities that use or store haz-
 ardous chemicals in your com-
 munity is to download your
 county information from the
 LandView web site:
 www.census.gov/geo/www/
 tiger/landview.html.  LandView
 is a geographic reference, like
 an atlas. It displays:
 •A detailed network of roads, rivers,
 and railroads  based on Census files.
 •Jurisdictional and statistical bound-
 aries — a set  of generalized boundary
 files for States, congressional districts,
 metropolitan areas, Native American
Indian Areas, Alaska Native lands,
counties.

•EPA-regulated sites, a subset of the
facilities, sites, and monitoring sta-
tions represented in five EPA databas-
es including sites with air and water
permits, sites handling hazardous
wastes, Superfund sites, and TRI facili-
ties.

•Selected demographic and economic
information from the 1990 Census, and

•Key geographic features of the
United States provided by the United
States Geological Survey and other
Federal agencies.

LandView will give you a map which
you can then fill in with data from
other sources.
       You may be surprised at
   the variety of businesses that
   use and store hazardous
   chemicals. While everyone
   generally knows that chemical
   manufacturers and refineries
   have chemicals on  site, many
   people  don't realize that food
  processors and food distribu-
  tion centers may have large
  quantities of ammonia in their
  refrigeration systems. Your
  local drinking water system
  and sewage treatment plant
  also store toxic chemicals that
  are used to kill dangerous bac-
teria in the water. Many industrial and
commercial sites also use and sell chemi-
cals.


What's Missing?

1. Trade Secrets and Confidential Business
Information. Under the community right-
to-know law, facilities are not required to
disclose the identity of a chemical on a
Toxic Release Inventory or an annual
inventory report if it is a trade secret, but
they must indicate what type of chemical
it is. The risk management program
allows facilities to withhold from their Risk
Management Plans any information that
would reveal confidential business infor-
mation. In practice, less than one percent
of the facilities that have filed any of these
reports have claimed information as confi-
dential or trade secret. If a facility in your
community has made such a claim, you
may ask EPA to determine whether the
claim is legitimate.
2. Facilities Not Required to Report.  Some
facilities that handle hazardous chemicals
are not required to report information
under  community right-to-know laws. EPA
recently exempted virtually all gas stations
14
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                                        Chemicals in Your Community
                 Data Limitations

    You should know that:

 The TRI annual release reports are based on estimates, not actual measure-
 ments. They also represent annual emissions; you cannot tell from the data
 whether the chemicals were released in large amounts over a short period of
 time or in small amounts every day. Information on the rate of release is need-
 ed to determine effects on human health and the environment.

 The release estimates do not show the extent of human exposure.  Many things
 can happen to a chemical when it is released; these natural  processes (e.g.,
 wind) make it difficult to determine the extent of actual exposure.
 The initial reports on releases to LEPCs, SERCs, and EPA are  often made while
 the release is occurring.  The data from those reports, such as in EPA's
 Emergency Release Notification System (ERNS), may not accurately reflect the
 quantity released, the chemicals released, or the impacts.

 The quantities on site reported under EPCRA 312 and TRI are given in broad
 ranges; it is not possible to tell the actual quantity.
 All the requirements limit the number of facilities covered, usually by including
 only certain chemicals and setting thresholds below which reporting is not
 required. TRI also covers facilities in only certain industrial sectors with more
 than nine employees.  Other facilities may handle the same  chemicals or may
 handle other chemicals that could pose hazards.

 The offsite consequence analysis data in the RMP are usually based on conserva-
 tive assumptions about the accident scenario and weather conditions and on
 conservative modeling; the distances reported are likely to overestimate the
 area potentially affected.
from EPCRA reporting
because the public and emer-
gency responders are aware
of the location of these facili-
ties and of the hazards of
gasoline. Likewise, facilities
that handle relatively small
quantities of acutely toxic
chemicals and up to 10,000
pounds of other hazardous
chemicals are not required to
report. Many agricultural
chemicals are not subject to
reporting under these rules,
as well.
3. Transportation.  Chemicals
transported through your
community by rail, barge, or
truck are not reported to
EPA.  You may assume that
any of the chemicals you find
at facilities  in your locality
are moving through your
community via railroad lines
or major highways. But,
chemicals also may be trans-
ported through your commu-
nity on the  way to some
other location.  Some LEPCs
have surveyed traffic on
major roads and rail lines to
determine which chemicals
are being transported and
who is transporting them.
Most vehicles that carry haz-
ardous materials must be
marked with placards that
identify the hazard class and
give a number that identifies
the specific chemical.
4. Non-Filers.  Although envi-
ronmental laws impose sub-
stantial penalties for facilities
that fail to report, some com-
panies may be unaware  of
their reporting obligations.
When you develop a list of
facilities in your community
that have reported under
these rules, you should check
whether other, similar facili-
ties exist in your community.
Work with those facilities and
your LEPC to determine
whether they should also be
reporting.
16
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                                      Chemicals in Your Community

            Information  Sources
Type of Information

Facilities in city, county, State
Name and address of facility
Contact names

Parent Company

Quantities of chemicals on site

Chemicals and quantities in processes

Annual releases to the environment

Accidental or significant releases

Physical properties of chemicals
Health and safety hazards
Exposure limits

Offsite consequence analysis

Prevention practices
Hazard controls

Wastes generated/recycled
Where Can I Get It?

LEPC, SERC, Toxic Release Inventory
(TRI) and RMP*Info (located in EPA
Envirofacts at www.epa.gov/enviro)

LEPC, SERC, EPA TRI and RMP*Info
TRI and RMP*Info

LEPC, SERC, TRI database

RMP*Info

TRI

ERNS and RMP*Info

LEPC, SERC, on-line MSDS databases



RMPs

RMP*Info


TRI
What Do These Data Mean?

   The presence of hazardous chemicals
does not necessarily mean that the com-
munity is at risk. These chemicals can be,
and usually are, handled safely. Many of
the substances covered by EPCRA pose lit-
tle risk to the community because, even if
spilled, they will not migrate beyond the
facility; they may, however, pose risks to
workers at the facility. (Other right-to-
know regulations provide information  to
workers on workplace hazards.) Some
chemicals are hazardous only if you are
exposed to them over a long period  of
time. Most of the chemicals are dangerous
only if  people are exposed to them above
certain concentrations.  For some of the
chemicals EPA has set standards detailing
how much  of the chemical can be released
safely to the air or water per hour or day.
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has set permissible
exposure levels for workers for many
chemicals that  are generally included  on
MSDSs.

                                                                                                                                       19

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                                     Chemicals in Your Community

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                                                                          Hazard  vs.  Risk
   To evaluate the dangers these chemi-
cals may create for your community it is
useful to understand the difference
between hazard and risk.
   Hazards in chemical properties gener-
ally cannot be changed. Chlorine is toxic
when inhaled or ingested; propane is flam-
mable. There is little that you can do with
these chemicals to change their toxicity or
flammability. Similarly, if you live in  an
earthquake zone or an area affected  by
hurricanes, earthquakes and hurricanes
are hazards.  When a facility conducts a
hazard review or process hazards analysis,
it will identify hazards and determine
whether the potential exposure to the haz-
ard can be reduced in any way (e.g.,  by
limiting the quantity of chlorine stored on
site).
   Risk usually is  evaluated based on sev-
eral variables, including the likelihood of a
release occurring,  the inherent hazards  of
the chemicals combined with the quantity
released, and the potential impact of the
release on the public and the environment.
For example, if a release during loading
occurs frequently,  but the quantity of
chemical released  is typically small and
20
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                                      Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                                                                           •
   does not generally migrate off-
   site, the overall risk to the
   public is low. If the  likelihood
   of a catastrophic release
   occurring is extremely low,
   but the number of people who
   could be affected  if it
   occurred is large,  the overall
   risk may still be low because
   of the low probability that a
   release will occur. On the
   other hand, if a release occurs
   relatively frequently and a
   large number of people could
   be affected, the overall risk to
   the public is high.


   Can We Really Assess Risk?

       EPA, under the right-to-
   know and accident prevention
   regulations, does not require
   facilities to assess risk.  In
   most cases, the data that are
   needed to estimate risk levels
   quantitatively do not exist.
   Even when such data are
   available, it is difficult to
assign a numerical value to
risk. Generally, facilities and
emergency planners estimate
risk - in qualitative terms - as
high, medium, and low. Most
potential worst-case releases
are considered to be low risk,
but that does not mean they
could not happen; it simply
means that they are unlikely
to occur. Smaller releases
may be more likely, but may
have little effect on the sur-
rounding community and,
therefore, still would be con-
sidered low risk.
   The challenge for the com-
munity and for facilities is to
decide which risks need to be
reduced and where time and
resources can best be  spent.
For example, a serious release
may be very unlikely, but if it
could affect schools or hospi-
tals if it happened, a commu-
nity might decide to work with
the facility to reduce the risk.
If the same release occurred
at a facility that is a consider-
able distance from anyone
else, it might not merit any
steps to reduce the likelihood.


How Can Risk Be Reduced?

   Communities and facilities
can work together to reduce
risk. Many companies have
already cut back on routine
emissions, reduced the quanti-
ties of chemicals stored, or
switched to less hazardous
chemicals.  In all cases,
improved operations, such as
better employee training,
operating procedures, and
preventive equipment mainte-
nance, can reduce risks and
improve the efficiency of the
business. EPA and OSHA have
imposed such safe practices
requirements on facilities that
handle the most hazardous
chemicals. Through RMP*Info,
companies  and communities
can compare the quantities
stored, hazard controls, detec-
tion systems, and mitigation
systems used for one facility
with those reported by similar
facilities elsewhere. These
data may provide ideas on
how to improve safety.
   Facilities handling chemi-
cals that could pose risks to
the public have a general duty
to identify the hazards of their
operations, design and oper-
ate safe plants, and be pre-
pared to mitigate  any releases
that occur.  The community
can use the data available
under the right-to-know laws
as a way to spark dialogue
with facilities to find out
which risks need to be
reduced and how to do it.
22
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                                            Chemicals in Your Community
    What's  in  RMP*Inf o
    Besides basic facility information (name, location, contacts), RMP*Info pro-
    vides information on chemicals, processes, prevention practices, and acci-
    dents. You can review the following information in RMP*Info when you call
    up a facility's RMP.
    Facility Information
    Executive summary
    Read a description of the facility—what it does and the chemicals it uses.
    The summary describes the worst-case and alternative release scenarios, the
    general approach to preventing accidents, the five-year accident history, and
    steps being taken to reduce risks.

    Parent company name.
    Find out if a facility is owned by a larger corporation. You can search
    RMP*Info by the parent company name to look at RMPs from other facilities
    owned by the same company.
    Chemical Information
    Process chemicals
    Find out which chemicals the facility has, the quantity of each chemical, the
    general hazard of the chemical (flammable or toxic), and number of covered
    processes. One chemical may appear in more than one process.  If you want
    to review RMPs for similar facilities with the same chemical, search RMP*Info
    by chemical and NAICS code (which identifies the industrial sector).

    Accident history
    Find details of serious accidental releases in the past five years. You can
    learn when the accident occurred, what type of release it was (gas, liquid,
    fire), what impacts it had (deaths, injuries, property damage), what caused
    the accident, and what the facility has done to prevent a recurrence.
Prevention Program
Provides a list of covered processes, the NAICS code (which identifies the
type of activity, such as petrochemical manufacturing), and the program level.
If you want to review RMPs for similar facilities in your state or nationwide,
search RMP*Info by the NAICS code.

Major hazards identified
Find out which major hazards are associated with a process.  You can com-
pare the list to the hazards identified by other facilities in the same NAICS
code using the same chemical (search RMP*Info by NAICS code and chemi-
cal).

Process controls in use
Find out what kinds of process controls (safety measures) the facility uses to
reduce  the risk of an accident. You can compare the controls to those identi-
fied by  other facilities in the same NAICS code using the same chemical
(search RMP*Info by NAICS code and chemical).

Mitigation systems in use
Find out what kinds of mitigation systems (e.g., dikes, scrubbers) the facility
uses to limit the quantity of the chemical accidentally released that reaches
the community. You can compare the systems to those identified by other
facilities in the same NAICS code using the same chemical (search RMP*Info
by NAICS code and chemical).

Detection systems
Find out what kinds of systems the facility uses to detect releases early so
they can respond quickly and limit the risk to you and your community. You
can compare the systems to those identified by other facilities in the same
NAICS code using the same chemical (search RMP*Info by NAICS code and
chemical).
Emergency Response Program
Find out whether the facility has an emergency response plan and which local
response agency the facility coordinates with to ensure a rapid and safe
response if an accident occurs.
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                                  Chemicals in Your Community
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27

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                                    Chemicals in Your Community


                     67-
                       r
                           ""liter
28
                                                                       Part  2:  Stakeholders
   Right-to-know laws have forged a clos-
er relationship among citizens, health pro-
fessionals, industry, public-interest organi-
zations, and the local, State, and Federal
government agencies responsible for
emergency planning and response, public
health, and environmental protection.
   Under the provisions of EPCRA and the
CAA, all of these groups, organizations,
and individuals have vital roles to play in
making the laws work for the benefit of
everyone. The laws require facilities to
provide information on the presence of
hazardous chemicals in communities
directly to the people who are most affect-
ed, both in terms of exposure to potential
risks and the effects of those risks on pub-
lic health and safety, the environment,
jobs, the local economy, property values,
and other factors.
   These "stakeholders" include people
who are best able to do something about
assessing and managing risks through
inspections, enforcement of local codes,
reviews of facility performance and, when
appropriate, political and economic pres-
sures.
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                                   Chemicals in Your Community
      This relationship between
   the data and community
   action can best occur at the
   local level, through the work
   of the LEPC and other local
   groups. For example, if a local
   firm has reported the pres-
   ence of extremely hazardous
   substances at its facility, sev-
   eral accidents, substantial
   quantities of chemicals, and
   continuing releases of toxic
   chemicals, a community has
   the data it needs to seek
   appropriate corrective action.
   In short, the laws open the
   door to community-based
   decision-making on chemical
   hazards for citizens and com-
   munities throughout the
   nation.
      EPA and States implement
   and enforce a number of envi-
   ronmental laws to protect you
   and the environment, but
   these laws set minimum stan-
   dards. Many industries, stim-
   ulated by  right-to-know laws
   and public pressure, have
gone beyond these standards
to create a higher level of safe-
ty and performance. You can
work with your local facilities
to ensure that not only are
they complying with State and
Federal laws, but that they are
also moving beyond them to
protect your community.
   This section describes
how each of the key groups
and organizations—as well as
individual citizens can use the
information available under
these laws  to fulfill the
promise of community right-
to-know laws: a safer, healthi-
er environment for you and
your family.
                                                                      Local  Emergency  Planning
                                                                      Committees  (LEPCs)
   LEPCs are crucial to the success of
community right to know and can play a
vital role in helping you understand chemi-
cal information and other environmental
data.
   LEPCs include local elected officials;
law enforcement, civil defense, firefighting,
first aid, health, and local environmental
and transportation agency employees;
hospital staff; broadcast and print media
journalists; community activists; and
industry representatives.
   The LEPCs developed a community
response plan to prepare for and respond
to chemical emergencies, focusing on 356
extremely hazardous substances. The
plans are reviewed annually, exercised,
and updated. Because LEPC members rep-
resent the community, they are familiar
with factors that affect public safety, the
environment, and the local economy and
can help you understand the chemical haz-
ards and risks present in your community.
   The LEPC also receives emergency
release notifications and the annual haz-
ardous chemical inventory information
submitted by local facilities. They will
make this information available to you
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                                     Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                          Citizens
       What's In  An  Emergency  Plan?

An emergency plan includes:
      Identity and location of hazardous materials;
      Procedures for immediate response to a chemical accident;
      Public notification and evacuation or shelter-in-place procedures;
      Industry contact names; and
      Timetables for testing and updating the plan.
                     upon written request.  Facilities covered
                     by the CAA risk management program also
                     coordinate their on-site emergency
                     response plans with the LEPCs. If there is
                     more information that you want on partic-
                     ular chemicals or facilities, the LEPC can
                     request it on your behalf and can serve as
                     a forum for discussions with community
                     groups, the public, and facilities.
   Community right-to-know laws and reg-
ulations were written specifically with you,
the citizen, in mind. They are based on the
principle that the more you and your
neighbors  know about hazardous chemi-
cals in your community, the better pre-
pared your community will be to manage
these potential hazards and to improve
public safety and health as well  as envi-
ronmental quality. By volunteering to work
with your LEPC and engaging in a dialogue
with local industry, you can play a major
role in making the laws work.
   The laws require industry and others
to give you information on potential chem-
ical hazards and inventories, on releases
of toxic chemicals into the environment,
on accident scenarios, and on prevention
practices. There are several ways you can
become involved in obtaining and using
this information to enhance the  quality of
life in your community:
•  Attend LEPC meetings and make sure
   all appropriate groups are members.
   Volunteer to serve on the LEPC as a
   citizen representative.
•  Make sure that the LEPC  has obtained
   all the information it needs  from local
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                                    Chemicals in Your Community
      facilities to prepare a com-
      prehensive emergency
      response plan.
   •  Review and comment on
      the emergency response
      plan, and ask questions
      about how procedures set
      out in the plan affect you,
      your family, or your place
      of business.
   •  Ask for information from
      your LEPC or SERC about
      chemical hazards, invento-
      ries, and releases in your
      community. Make sure
      both the SERC and LEPC
      have established proce-
      dures  to make the informa-
      tion reported under
      EPCRA readily available to
      the public. Ask your LEPC
      what facilities are doing to
      reduce chemical hazards.
   •  Use the national databas-
      es available from EPA at
      www.epa.gov/enviro to
      obtain information on
      chemicals in your  commu-
   nity. This web site con-
   tains links to other govern-
   ment and non-government
   web sites that may be of
   interest. Many facilities
   may also have web sites
   that provide information
   on safety policies and
   practices.
•  Call or visit facilities in
   your community and ask if
   they have complied with
   the reporting, emissions,
   and prevention require-
   ments of State and Federal
   environmental laws.
   These laws  give  you the
opportunity to  become direct-
ly involved in the decisions
that affect your safety and
health. Your knowledge of and
participation in these pro-
grams can help ensure that
they accomplish their goals in
your community.
                                                                         Fire  Departments
   Fire departments are essential mem-
bers of their LEPCs not only because they
are often the first to respond, but also
because fire departments have important
expertise regarding chemical hazards and
emergency planning. Any responders who
will be involved in hazardous materials
response will have specific training to han-
dle such emergencies.
   Fire departments receive the same
information about annual hazardous chem-
ical inventories and MSDSs as LEPCs do.
Having access to this information helps a
fire department responding to a chemical
emergency know which chemicals, as well
as their quantities and locations, to expect
at the scene. A fire department can request
additional, more specific information about
chemical inventories at a plant, and it can
also request an on-site inspection.
   Fire departments may find the emer-
gency release notifications filed with the
LEPC and the five-year accident histories
reported in the RMP useful in identifying
facilities in the area that are having acci-
dents  even if those accidents have not yet
required a response from fire fighters.
Talking to the facilities about these smaller
accidents may help identify steps that can
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                                     Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                           Public  Institutions
 CAMEO
 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and EPA developed a
 computer software program called CAMEO™ to help firefighters meet their informa-
 tion management needs. CAMEO contains information about commonly transported
 chemicals; an air dispersion model to evaluate accident release scenarios and evacu-
 ation options; and several easily adaptable databases and computer mapping pro-
 grams. Information on CAMEO can be obtained from www.epa.gov/ceppo/.
                      be taken to prevent more serious accidents
                      later.
                         Facilities subject to the RMP rule must
                      coordinate their emergency response plans
                      and activities with the local fire depart-
                      ment or LEPCs.  Fire departments may
                      want to use the opportunity to review facil-
                      ity plans and equipment, discuss joint
                      exercises, and consider whether the facili-
                      ty can provide additional training or sup-
                      port equipment when needed.  Fire depart-
                      ments may also want to review RMP infor-
                      mation on detection and mitigation sys-
                      tems at local facilities to determine how
                      these may facilitate a response.
   Hospitals, schools, and State and local
governments can be vital to the success of
any emergency response action.
Ambulance crews and emergency room
personnel must know how to transport
and treat victims of exposure to hazardous
chemicals. Schools and public buildings
should plan for emergencies. The informa-
tion available under  EPCRA and the CAA
can help these institutions prepare for
emergencies and identify opportunities for
risk reduction. Here  are some ways public
institutions can participate in emergency
planning and hazardous chemical risk
reduction:
•  Join the LEPC, or at least learn who
   represents public institutions on the
   committee and stay in contact with
   that person.
•  Inform the LEPC of sensitive facilities
   within the community (hospitals,
   schools, and nursing homes) that
   should be included in the emergency
   response plan. Know how they will be
   notified in the event of an accident and
   be prepared to respond. Become famil-
   iar with plans for responding to fires
   and other emergencies involving haz-
   ardous chemicals.
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                                       Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                                                                                          :•
                                                                                                                                        .
 Health  Professionals

    Doctors, nurses, and other trained medical professionals who
 serve in government health departments, hospitals, and private prac-
 tice should have a particular interest in the information available
 under EPCRA and the CAA. Combining their medical knowledge with
 the specific information about chemicals obtained from the reports
 can make them an important source of information about risks to the
 public health in their communities. Here  are some of the ways these
 professionals can participate:
 • Volunteer to be a health professional representative on the LEPC.
 • Participate in programs to train medical personnel to deal with emergencies
 involving chemical hazards (health professionals should contact their State training
 officer through their LEPC or SERC for more information on training programs).
 • Screen information submitted to LEPCs to determine if any acute or chronic health
 effects may be associated with hazardous substances in their communities. Health
 professionals may want to use this information to develop a list of hazardous sub-
 stances in the community and ensure that they or the hospitals and medical centers
 have copies of MSDSs for every chemical or have the web addresses to locate infor-
 mation on these chemicals quickly in case of an emergency. MSDSs and other data
 available from EPA and other agencies provide emergency treatment data.
 • Talk with representatives of local facilities to determine whether other chemical
 hazards are created by the chemicals that are present.  For example, chemicals
 could react during a release to form other dangerous substances.
•  Work with the LEPC to build an infor-
   mation base about hazardous chemi-
   cals in the community. Be sure that
   hospitals and other medical personnel
   are familiar with chemical hazards that
   exist in the community, with the steps
   to take to treat people exposed, and
   with the actions needed to avoid cont-
   amination.
•  Use the information base to identify
   "hot spots," or potential problem areas
   that warrant further investigation to
   determine if they represent unaccept-
   able risks to the public health or the
   environment. Use this information to
   work with industry on voluntary pro-
   grams to reduce the amounts and
   risks of hazardous chemicals used or
   released in the community.
   Public institutions may also be subject
to the reporting requirements under
EPCRA and the CAA if they have the cov-
ered substances above  the thresholds for
each requirement.  Water treatment and
wastewater  treatment plants are particu-
larly likely to be subject to the  rules.
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                                    Chemicals in Your Community
        Anticipated  Chemical  Use

   The community and planners should question any new business
seeking to locate in the community about their anticipated chemical
use.  Many types of facilities use hazardous chemicals: food distribu-
tors and cold storage facilities may have ammonia refrigeration sys-
tems; some retailers store flammable gases.  All of these can be han-
dled  safely, but placing them close to homes, schools, or hospitals
may increase the risk unnecessarily.  In some cases, risks are
increased by locating facilities with hazardous chemicals close to each
other; for example, allowing storage of explosive flammable gases next
to a facility that stores chlorine for water treatment could increase  the
risk of a chlorine release. Planners can work with facilities to ensure
that storage at a site is not dangerously close to chemicals at adjacent
sites.
                                                                        Land  Use  Planners
   One of the best ways to reduce risk to
the public from hazardous chemicals is to
locate the chemicals at a considerable dis-
tance from areas where the public lives,
shops, and plays. The information collect-
ed under community right-to-know laws
provides land use planners, school boards,
property developers, and businesses with
data they can use to make informed deci-
sions about where to locate new industrial
facilities and where to allow development
close to existing facilities that handle haz-
ardous chemicals.
   Land use planning agencies and others
involved in planning decisions should
work with the LEPC to develop maps that
locate facilities with chemical inventories.
The more likely scenarios (alternative
scenarios) reported in the RMPs may be
useful to planners.  If facilities have report-
ed that these releases could travel a half
mile  from the site before dispersing, plan-
ners  may want to refrain from allowing
new  residential development, nursing
homes, day care centers, or hospitals with-
in that area; school  boards may want to
ensure that  new schools are not located in
areas within the zones of alternative
release scenarios.

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                                    Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                       Industry and  Small
                                                                       Businesses
                        New industrial facilities will not have
                     filed information under these laws, but the
                     data from similar facilities can be used to
                     develop estimates of how large a buffer
                     zone is needed to protect the public.
                     Planners should ask the new facility about
                     the chemicals and quantities it expects to
                     have on site. They and the facility owner
                     can work with the LEPC to develop esti-
                     mates of what a reasonable buffer would
                     be. They can also look at RMPs submitted
                     by facilities using similar types and quanti-
                     ties of these chemicals to determine what
                     distances the chemicals may travel. RMP
                     data can also help both the community
                     and the facility determine what types of
                     safety measures should be installed to
                     help reduce the risk.
   Hazardous substances are not found
only at large chemical plants and refiner-
ies. They are also used routinely by other
manufacturers, by food processors and
distributors, most of whom have refrigera-
tion systems, by water treatment and
sewage treatment plants, and by many
small operations such as garages and dry
cleaners. Even if these  chemicals are han-
dled and used safely, they may be of con-
cern if stored or used improperly, or dur-
ing an emergency such  as a fire.
   Facilities and the public should review
environmental data to determine which
chemicals are being used in the immediate
area. Even if a business does not handle
any chemicals, it should be aware of any
nearby facilities that are handling haz-
ardous chemicals.  A release of these
chemicals could affect the business's
workers, customers, and property.  Talking
with the facility and with the LEPC can
ensure that should an emergency occur,
the business will know what to do to pro-
tect workers and customers.
   The RMP data can help both the public
and industry assess its  practices.  You can
look at RMPs from other facilities in the
same sector with similar numbers of
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                                        Chemicals in Your Community
               Responsible  Care'
Besides complying with the law, some chemical manufacturers, distributors, and
other industries have developed codes of practice that address accident preven-
tion and community involvement.  The Chemical Manufacturers Association has
adopted Responsible Care®, a set of management codes that address safety prac-
tices, product stewardship, and community involvement. The National
Association of Chemical Distributors has adopted the Responsible Distribution
Process8™, which covers the same issues for the shipping and handling of chemi-
cals. These programs require trade association members to reach out to the pub-
lic and involve the community as a partner in managing chemical risks and plan-
ning for chemical emergencies.  You should talk with your local facilities to see if
they have adopted these codes or  have similar programs. More information on
these codes is available online at www.cmahq.com and www.nacd.com.
employees and determine the typical
quantity of chemicals used and common
process controls, detection and mitigation
systems  used, and training approaches.
Reviewing the prevention program data
may provide ideas for additional steps that
could be implemented. Reviewing acci-
dent histories may indicate potential prob-
lem areas that should be considered.
   Safer operations are not only good for
the public, they are also more cost-effec-
tive and  efficient for businesses.
Preventing accidents eliminates worker
injuries,  as well as costly down-time and
clean-ups. Reducing routine emissions
cuts hazardous wastes  that require treat-
ment and special care.

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                                      Chemicals in Your Community
                                                                            States
                   Indian  Tribes
Because of the sovereignty of many
Indian tribes, Federally recognized tribes
may act as States, with the same respon-
sibilities as States.

Tribes may negotiate agreements with
States in which they are located so that
the State assumes some or all of the
responsibilities imposed by law.
Tribes that function as Tribal Emergency
Response Commissions (TERCs) receive
all reports on hazardous or toxic chemi-
cals, and citizens should go to the TERC
for information. If, however, the tribe
has entered into an agreement with a
State, the agreement will designate who
will receive reports and answer ques-
tions.
   State agencies serve a
number of roles in collecting
chemical information and
implementing environmental
rules. In some States, all infor-
mation will be collected by
the same State agency; in
other States, different agen-
cies may have the lead for
chemical inventories, TRI, and
RMP data. All of the agencies
should, however, be members
of the State Emergency
Response Commission, or
SERC, and, therefore, if you
are seeking information across
all of the right-to-know rules,
your SERC is a good starting
point. It will either provide the
information  to you directly or
tell which other State agency
has the data and how to con-
tact the right person. Besides
providing you with informa-
tion submitted to it, the SERC
can:
•  Ask for further information
   from facilities about a par-
   ticular chemical or facility.
•  Help you identify other
   sources of environmental
   data.
•  Help you interpret the
   data or identify experts
   who can assist you in
   understanding chemical
   risks and risk reduction
   methods.
   Data available under the
right-to-know laws can also be
useful to State agencies, such
as the State and regional
water authorities and air per-
mitting authorities.  The RMP
data can help water agencies
identify patterns of chemical
use and practices among
water treatment and waste
water treatment plants nation-
ally;  with that information,
they can help local water
authorities improve their
knowledge of chemical stor-
age and handling.

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Chemicals in Your Community
                                    The Federal  Role
                                      States and local communities have the
                                   primary governmental responsibility to
                                   make community right-to-know programs
                                   work. The Federal government, however,
                                   also has important contributions to make.
                                   The Federal government's major responsi-
                                   bilities include:
                                   •  Providing guidance, technical assis-
                                      tance, and training to States, communi-
                                      ties, and industry;
                                   •  Enforcing the laws to ensure compli-
                                      ance;
                                   •  Maintaining a national databases for
                                      TRI reports and making the data acces-
                                      sible to citizens;
                                   •  Ensuring that LEPCs have the informa-
                                      tion they need to take appropriate
                                      steps to reduce the risks in their com-
                                      munities; and
                                   •  Collecting and distributing RMP data to
                                      States, LEPCs, and the public.
                                      The Federal government also has a
                                   variety of responsibilities to regulate cer-
                                   tain toxic and hazardous substances under
                                   other Federal environmental and occupa-
                                   tional health and safety laws.



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Chemicals in Your Community

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                                     For More  Information
                                    For a list of names, addresses, and telephone
                                    numbers for SERCs and LEPCs, check the
                                    Right-to-Know Net web site at
                                    http://www.rtk.net/lepc/
                                    For EPA regional EPCRA contacts, check
                                    http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/sta-loc.htm

                                    For RMP regional and State contacts, check
                                    http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/
                                    For access to EPA's on-line databases, check
                                    http://www.epa.gov/enviro
                                    State TRI program officials and EPA Regional
                                    TRI contacts can be found at
                                    http://www.epa.gov/tri/statecon.htm.

                                    TRI data releases can be ordered from the
                                    National Service Center for Environmental
                                    Publications (NSCEP) at:
                                    Box 42419
                                    Cincinnati, OH 45242-2419
                                    (800) 490-9198
                                    Fax:   (513) 489-8695 or 8692
                                    Online orders: http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom/.
                                    For general information about EPCRA and
                                    CAA RMP, call the EPCRA Hotline at
                                    (800) 424-9346.

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