Final Amendments to the Air Toxics Standards for the Surface Coating of Metal Cans and the Surface Coating of Metal Coil


FACT SHEET
Final Amendments to the Air Toxics Standards for the Surface Coating of Metal Cans and
the Surface Coating of Metal Coil
ACTION
•	On December 20, 2019 the US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized two
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP):
o Surface Coating of Metal Cans; and
o Surface Coating of Metal Coil.
•	Hazardous air pollutants, also known as air toxics, are known to cause serious health
and environmental effects. The Clean Air Act (CAA) directs EPA to regulate emissions of
187 listed air toxics.
•	The final amendments will enhance the effectiveness of the rules by improving
compliance with the existing requirements and by increasing the efficiency of data
submissions.
•	This action includes emission units covered under the two NESHAP, including all coating
operations; coatings conveyors and transfer equipment; and storage, mixing and waste
containers.
•	On November 13, 2003, EPA issued the Surface Coating of Metal Cans air toxics emission
standards. The rule applies to facilities that conduct the surface coating of cans, can
parts and decorative tins, including: aerosol cans; two-piece beverage cans for beer, soft
drinks, or fruit juices; two-piece food cans manufactured and designed to be
hermetically sealed and contain edible products; steel aerosol cans formed by the three-
piece can assembly process manufactured to contain food or nonfood products, three-
piece cans, decorative tins, crowns, and closures.
•	On June 10, 2002, EPA issued the Surface Coating of Metal Coil air toxics emission
standards. The rule applies to facilities engaged in the coating of aluminum and steel
coils (sheets) which are in turn used by client companies to fabricate a large variety of
end products including buses, trailers, mobile homes, appliances, metal buildings, food
and beverage cans, and construction materials.
•	Following the residual risk and technology reviews conducted under the CAA, with this
action, EPA is finalizing the following amendments for both rules:
o Eliminate startup, shutdown and malfunction exemptions,
o Require facilities to submit electronic copies of compliance reports, including
performance tests.
o Require facilities that use control devices to comply with the emission limits in the
rules to conduct periodic testing of control devices once every five years after the
initial performance test.
•	For the Surface Coating of Metal Coil rule, EPA is finalizing an additional amendment:
o Clarify that operations to apply inventory markings on bare metal are not part of
the source category.
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RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT
• The CAA requires EPA to assess the risk remaining after application of the final NESHAP.
This is known as a residual risk assessment.
• Based on the completed risk assessment, available health information and associated
uncertainties, EPA determined risks from the two product sectors in this action to be
acceptable and provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health.
o The maximum individual cancer risk for inhalation for the Metal Cans category is 3-
in-1 million. The maximum acute hazard quotient is below 1.
o The maximum individual cancer risk for inhalation for the Metal Coil category is 10-
in-1 million. The maximum acute hazard quotient is 3.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
• The CAA requires EPA to assess, review and revise air toxics standards as necessary,
taking into account developments in practices, processes and control technologies since
the standards were first issued.
• The technology assessment of the standards for Surface Coating of Metal Cans and
Surface Coating of Metal Coil identified no new technological developments to reduce
emissions of hazardous air pollutants.
BACKGROUND
• The CAA requires EPA to regulate hazardous air pollutants, also known as air toxics,
from categories of industrial facilities in two phases.
• The first phase is "technology-based," where EPA develops standards for controlling the
emissions of air toxics from sources in an industry group (or "source category"). These
NESHAP establish maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards which are
based on emissions levels that are already being achieved by the best-controlled and
lower-emitting sources in an industry group.
• Within 8 years of setting MACT standards, the CAA directs EPA to assess the remaining
health risks from each source category to determine whether the MACT standards
protect public health with an ample margin of safety and protect against adverse
environmental effects. This second phase is a "risk-based" approach called residual risk.
Here, EPA must determine whether more health-protective standards are necessary.
• Also, every eight years after setting MACT standards, the CAA requires that EPA review
and revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in air pollution
controls and/or prevention.
• EPA has issued 96 air toxic emission standards covering 174 industry sectors. Together
these standards have eliminated 1.7 million tons of toxic air pollutant emissions.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
• Interested parties can download a copy of the rule notice from EPA's website
at the following addresses: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-
pollution/surface-coating-metal-cans-national-emission-standards-hazardous and
https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/surface-coating-metal-coil-
national-emission-standards-hazardous.
• Today's action notice and other background information are also available either
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov. EPA's electronic public docket and
comment system, or in hardcopy at EPA Docket Center's Public Reading Room.
o The Public Reading Room is located at EPA Headquarters library, room number 3334
in EPA WJC West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Hours of
operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday,
excluding Federal holidays,
o Visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal
detector and sign EPA visitor log. All visitor materials will be processed through an X-
ray machine as well. Visitors will be provided a badge that must be visible at all
times.
• Materials for this final action can be accessed using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-
0684 for the Surface Coating of Metal Cans and Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0685
for the Surface Coating of Metal Coil.
• For further technical information about the rules in this action, contact Paula Hirtz,
EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-2618 or
hirtz.paula@epa.gov.
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