FACT SHEET Final Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Boat Manufacturing and Reinforced Plastic Composites Production ACTION • On February 25, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized amendments to the 2001 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Boat Manufacturing and the 2003 NESHAP for Reinforced Plastic Composites Production. • The Boat Manufacturing NESHAP covers the production of fiberglass and aluminum boat hulls or decks, mold building to manufacture hulls or decks and boat assembly from premanufactured parts. The regulated processes include fiberglass resin and gel coat operations, carpet and fabric adhesive operations, and painting operations. • The Reinforced Plastic Composites Production NESHAP includes the production of reinforced and/or nonreinforced plastic composites or plastic molding compounds. It includes the cleaning, mixing, storage and repair operations of air toxics-containing materials associated with the production of plastic composites. • Following a residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA determined that risks from the source categories are acceptable and that no new cost-effective controls are available. The agency is not making any changes to the standards based on the results of the RTR. • EPA is, however, finalizing minor amendments to enhance the effectiveness of the standards by improving compliance and implementation. Specifically, EPA is: o revising requirements for periods of startup, shutdown and malfunction (SSM) to be consistent with recent court decisions; and o requiring electronic reporting of performance test results and compliance reports. RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT • The CAA requires EPA to assess the risk remaining after application of the final air toxics emission standards. This is known as a residual risk assessment. • The maximum individual cancer risk (MIR) for inhalation based on allowable emissions for the Boat Manufacturing source category is estimated to be less than 1-in-l million. The MIR for inhalation based on allowable emissions for the Reinforced Plastic Composites source category is estimated to be 4-in-l million. • A MIR of less than 1-in-l million implies that less than one person out of one million equally exposed people could contract cancer if exposed continuously (24 hours per day) to the specific concentration over 70 years (an assumed lifetime). This would be in addition to cancer cases that would normally occur in one million unexposed people. Similarly, a MIR of 4-in-l million implies that up to four out of one million equally exposed people could ------- contract cancer if exposed continuously (24 hours per day) to the specific concentration over 70 years (an assumed lifetime). • Chronic inhalation cancer risks for actual and allowable emissions were below a hazard index (HI) of one for Boat Manufacturing and were equal to an HI of one for Reinforced Plastic Composites Production. A hazard index of one or lower means air toxics are unlikely to cause adverse noncancer health effects over a lifetime of exposure. • Based on the completed risk assessments, available health information and associated uncertainties, EPA determined risks from the Boat Manufacturing and the Reinforced Plastic Composites Production source categories to be acceptable and that the rules provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health. 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. • The technology review of the standards for Boat Manufacturing and Reinforced Plastic Composites Production manufacturing facilities did not identify any developments that would further reduce hazardous air pollutant emissions beyond the original NESHAP. BACKGROUND • The CAA requires EPA to regulate toxic air pollutants, also known as air toxics, from large 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 maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards are based on emissions levels that are already being achieved by the best-controlled and lower-emitting sources in an industry. • Within eight years of setting the 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 EPA to review and revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in air pollution controls and prevention practices and technologies. FOR MORE INFORMATION • Interested parties can download a copy of the final action from EPA's website at the following address: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/boat- manufacturing-national-emission-standards-hazardous-air and https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/reinforced-plastic-composites- production-national-emission. 2 ------- • Today's final action and other background information are also available either electronically at https://www.regulations.gov/. EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, or in hardcopy at the EPA Docket Center's Public Reading Room. o The Public Reading Room is located at the EPA Headquarters Library, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., 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 the 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. o Materials for this final action can be accessed using Docket ID Nos. EPA-HQ-OAR- 2016-0447 and EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0449. • For additional information about this final action, contact Dr. Tina Ndoh of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Sector Policies and Programs Division, at (919) 541-1516 or by email at ndoh.tina@epa.gov. 3 ------- |