TURA Reports
News of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Program
Volume 3, Number 1
Winter 1994
In November of 1989, the Massachusetts legislature unanimously passed the Toxics Use Reduction Act thus setting into place an historical event in Massachusetts environmental activities. In the years following passage of the Act, the Massachusetts industrial and environmental communities have achieved many goals and reached many important milestones which were mandated by the Act. For example, the three offices mandated to implement TURA - the Office of Toxics Use Reduction of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), The Office of Technical Assistance (OTA), and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) - were set up and are fully operational. The Office of Toxics Use Reduction has developed regulations and guidelines on TUR planning, conducted numerous training workshops on TUR compliance and planning, and has developed a certification program for those who wish to become Toxics Use Reduction Planners (TURPs). OTA has provided technical assistance in the form of consultations, training programs, a guide on TUR for filers, and a host of other services to well over 300 Massachusetts companies. TURI has produced several important documents, among them the "Chemical Restrictions Report", and has successfully developed and conducted a Toxics Use Reduction Planners Course (TURP) that as of this date, has graduated 420 individuals. TURA Reports, the TURA Program's newsletter, is a collaborative effort of the three offices as are several other important TURA activities. These are but a few of the program's many accomplishments over the past four years.
It is now time to set our sights on the next important milestone in the TURA Program - the TUR Plans. TURA requires that by July 1, 1994, TURA filers have toxics use reduction plans prepared and available on-site. The importance of these plans must be underscored as we believe that they are the very core of the TURA Program. Realizing the relevance of the TUR plans, OTA, DEP and TURI staff have developed a special training and advisory program - the Plan Enhancement Program (PEP) - to assist TURA filers in preparing plans. You have by now received PEP's newsletter, PEP Talk which focuses specifically on TUR planning. However, you can receive additional information if you need it by contacting OTA at (617) 727-3260 or TURI at (508) 934-3141 or 3248.
We have more TUR milestones to reach in the coming years. We are confident that with your support, your willingness, and your commitment to a healthful and safe environment, we will successfully reach them. Enjoy this edition of TURA Reports which features TUR planning, and please do let us know how we are doing.
Respectfully,
Trudy Coxe, Secretary
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
Three Important Milestones since TURA's passage:
M/A-COM, Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of microwave and radio frequency components, devices, and subsystems for commercial and government applications. The company devotes considerable resources to pollution prevention (PP), toxics use reduction (TUR), team-building, and total quality management. Ed Surette, Corporate Environmental Engineering Manager, said "Pollution Prevention should be the mode in which we operate to be competitive in the world market."
Team-building is a big part of M/A-COM's environmental proactive said. "Teaching team-building principles is critical." Each M/A-COM world-wide division has its own pollution prevention task team which meets several times each month to develop and implement TUR and PP programs. Each of these programs is internally driven; the task teams have total divisional as well as corporate management support.
With input from manufacturing engineering, design engineering, purchasing, accounting, manufacturing, quality, and environmental health and safety, the Ozone Depleting Chemicals (ODC)-alternative cleaning process resulted in a multi-million dollar cost avoidance. This program was selected as a result of M/A-COM's Toxics Use Analysis, a technique which identifies each chemical used within a manufacturing process, follows its pathway, and evaluates resultant by-products and emissions. The groups of chemicals are then analyzed through both process and divisional waste stream summaries. The waste stream summaries were broken down and the team asked; what are our options?, what is going to help us to reduce extensive cost in using chemicals with growing financial burdens? They decided on the alternative chemistry ODC elimination program. M/A-COM's decision to fund the ODC elimination was an overwhelming choice. This program has yielded to date the following quick wins on actual production line assemblies:
TURA Reports is produced by the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) based at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. It is co-sponsored by TURI, the Office of Technical Assistance and the Office of Waste Prevention at the Department of Environmental Protection, all founded by mandate of the Massachusetts 1989 Toxics Use Reduction Act. TURA Reports' editorial board welcomes letters, news and suggestions. Send them directly to TURI. Supervising editor is Beverly Johnson. Assistant editor is Patrick Demers and Production editor is Susan Butler.
TURI recently published a report on styrene use in Massachusetts. According to TURA data, styrene was the chemical used in the highest quantity in Massachusetts. The report examines uses of styrene, health effects, occupational exposures, facility emissions, and accidental releases to the environment.
The primary use of styrene in Massachusetts and nationwide is in the production of polystyrene. According to the 1990 TURA data, the polystyrene production industry in Massachusetts consumed 99% of the styrene used. Polystyrene typically is man-ufactured in large, high volume facilities where good engineering controls are in place. The re-maining one percent of reported styrene use for styrene-based resin blending, polymer latex production, and polyester resins present the greatest potential for routine worker exposures to styrene. Typically, exposure occurs through manual operations that require the worker to be in close proximity to the styrene vapors throughout the process.
Styrene has multiple toxic properties. At concentrations less than 100 ppm, styrene can cause irritation of the eyes, respiratory tract and mucous membranes. For long-term occupational exposure, there is evidence of continued on page 8.
This column features a book review, study review or article review to keep you informed of interesting publications and pertinent information on TUR and Pollution Prevention.
OTA technical assistance teams are becoming more directly involved in the nuts and bolts of their clients' pollution prevention efforts. Three recent examples:
OTA teams have been making site visits at the rate of 30 or more a month since spring 1993. The teams continue to make regular site visits to hospitals, schools, state police barracks, MDC and transportation facilities, and other state facilities. These visits are part of Governor Weld's "Clean State" Executive order to bring all state operations into compliance with the state's environmental regulations and to make state facilities as "green" as possible. OTA provides help in assessing procurement practices, identifying and finding ways to overcome institutional barriers, managing stored hazardous materials and identifying pollution prevention opportunities. Workshops are planned for MDC (landscaping and swimming pool concerns), colleges and universities, and state-run hospitals, at which health and safety issues will be addressed.
OTA regional teams conducted clinics each month in each region of the state. These all-day events provided one-on-one assistance to companies attending the clinics. The clinics proved to be a valuable tool not just for helping companies that have been confused about TURA.
In November, OTA held a conference on acid waste prevention and recovery which was co-sponsored by several trade associations, EPA, and the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The evaluations received from approximately 100 attendees were quite favorable. It is the first time, to OTA's knowledge, that anyone has held a conference on this subject.
In September, MBEN held a conference which provided an overview of environmental issues for about 70 business attendees. The conference was sponsored by the Merrimack Business Environmental Network (MBEN). MBEN is a group of businesses that have come together with OTA assistance and an EPA grant to keep each other up-to-date on environmental issues, and all have subscribed to a mission statement that stresses the importance of pollution prevention.
In October, OTA held a conference on pollution prevention for printers. This served as an excellent way not only of imparting useful technical information, but also of breaking the ice in this important industrial sector. Several printers have come forward asking for help from OTA as a result.
OTA has added three new companies to its case studies. Americraft Carton, Inc., in Lowell, a $30 million a year folding carton manufacturer and printer has eliminated isopropyl alcohol (IPA) from the fountain solution for its offset printing presses. Introduction of a $108,000 new fountain solution delivery system has resulted in the elimination of IPA, cost savings that will yield full payback (in materials costs alone) in less than two-and-one-half years, and an end to toxic use reporting.
Hampden Papers, Inc., reformulated a brass-based coating used on paper products and eliminated its copper discharges from this coating application. The Holyoke company avoided both potential U.S. EPA fines of $5,000 per day per violation, and an alternative solution-construction of a $250,000 to $500,000 waste treatment plant.
The Greater Lawrence Sanitary District (GLSD) added an aeration system to its septage treatment tank and eliminated the noxious odors that previously emanated during the treatment process-and large quantities of potassium permanganate used to control the odor as well. GLSD's payback on a $77,000 investment came in less than four months and the facility can now accept septage up to the treatment facility capacity of 100,000 gallons per day. The odor problem prevented acceptance of more than 40,000 gallons per day.
The Masachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Advisory Board announces the first annual "Governor's Award for Toxics Use Reduction." This award program will recognize those Massachusetts companies that have accomplished outstanding achievements in toxics use reduction. Application packages will be sent to all TURA filers. The awards program will be presented at a special ceremony at the State House. Please call (508)934-3275 for more information.
The Education and Training division has been heavily engaged with OTA and the DEP in the implementation of the jointly-managed Plan Enhancement Program (PEP). (See interview on page 3).
As of December 1993, TURI conducted 15 Toxics Use Reduction Planners (TURP) courses state-wide, with 420 participants. The TURP course is 48 hours in duration and represents an estimated 19,000 participant hours of training. This spring TURI will offer five more courses, state-wide. The anticipated total enrollment is approximately 170, TURI will also conduct the TURP Course for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
The Education division has offered several TURP Refresher sessions for those planning to take the state TURP Certification Exam in February.
All seven of the industry matching grants projects are under implementation and the five research fellows are moving forward with their research projects.
A special report entitled, "The Cost of Changing", which provides a total cost analysis on solvent alternatives, was completed in December and was published in January.
The Research staff awarded contracts to private consultants for two new studies. One study will measure performance in toxics use reduction programs. The other study will focus on the development and use of substitution analysis methodologies to assist firms in converting to safer alternative processes to replace those involving listed toxic chemicals.
The Surface Cleaning Testing Laboratory has begun operations. An official opening and open house was held in November and the laboratory staff is now engaged in discussions with several firms interested in using the facilities.
Representatives from the Education and Training division and the Research division have worked with the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association and the federal Environmental Protection Agency through Region I in the establishment of a new network called the "Pollution Prevention Consortium of New England Universities" involving eleven regional institutions.
The results of the printing press blanket wash evaluation were mailed to printers in January. Results were presented at the National Roundtable on Pollution Prevention in Nashville and the Research and Engineering Council of the Graphic Arts Industry Conference in Washington. The project evaluated 14 blanket washes at a commercial printer and at the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation's testing facility.
In December, the Technology Support staff commenced a study funded by the United Nations Environment Program to assess equipment availability and needs in the development of the clean production technologies industries.
The Technology Transfer Center (TTC) maintains a steady acquisition rate of 30 new reports and abstracts and an additional 60 articles each month. During the fall there were 105 users of the TTC. This brings the total number of users for 1993 to 326. About 65 percent of these users are from Massachusetts and of these, about 35 percent are from private firms and 30 percent are from government. The remainder are from universities and non-profit organizations.
TURI is repeating the TURP course during the spring of 1994. Course start dates and locations are as follows:
Springfield - January 31
Lowell - February 2
Worcester - March 18
Metro Boston - March 28
Taunton - March 29
This is the last TURP session before the July 1, 1994 submission of TUR plans. For more information about TURP course offerings, please call TURI at (508) 934-3275.
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The NE Roundtable published "Pollution Prevention Measurement at Facilities: Status of the Northeast States' Programs and Proceedings" from NEWMOA's Workshop on Pollution Prevention Measurement at Facilities in August of 1993. The first report presents the results of a survey of the NE Roundtable states on state measurement of PP at manufacturing facilities. The second report is a packet of material that was presented at a NEWMOA workshop on "PP Measurement at Facilities" in June 1993. NEWMOA has a limited supply of free copies of both reports.
The NE Roundtable recently published "Pollution Prevention Successes: Compendium of Case Studies from the Northeast States". The Compendium brings together the success stories that the assistance programs in the northeast have documented so that other companies and state agencies can learn from these examples. The purpose of the Compendium is to enhance the ability of state technical assistance programs to promote pollution prevention. The Compendium is organized by industry category with an index on chemical and P2 technique. It includes over 100 short case studies. Copies of the Compendium are available from NEWMOA for $30 ($15 for non-profits and government agencies outside of the Northeast).
The NE Roundtable also recently published a Directory of the Northeast States Pollution Prevention Roundtable. This is a phone and address directory that lists over 20 state and local pollution prevention program staffs and contacts, and EPA Headquarters and Regions 1 and 2. Copies of the directory are available from NEWMOA for $15 ($7 for non-profits and government agencies outside of the Northeast).
NEWMOA has published a "Guide to State Pollution Prevention Technical Assistance Programs in the Northeast". The guide provides detailed descriptions of about 18 public programs in the Northeast that provide free assistance to companies interested in implementing pollution prevention. It describes the mission, activities, funding and staffing of each program. Copies of the guide are available from NEWMOA for $15 ($7 for non-profits and government agencies outside of the northeast.
For more information contact: Terri Goldberg, NEWMOA, (617) 367-8558.
The Clean Alternatives Project is a three-year project awarded to TURI by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of the project is to perform a comprehensive technology demonstration analysis of alternatives to "33/50" chemicals used as metal degreasing solvents. The funding is provided through EPA's Clean Technology Demonstration - "33/50" Program, which is an initiative of the Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory in Cincinnati.
Four of the 17 "33/50" chemicals are used as solvents in metal degreasing operations:
Throughout the Clean Alternatives Project, TURI will work closely with electroplaters, metal fabricators, and metal finishers in performing the comprehensive technology demonstration analysis. After the data is compiled and reviewed, TURI will initiate a national technology transfer effort to disseminate the results.
Styrene Use in Massachusetts nervous system and respiratory disorders. Styrene is also considered to be a mutagen and is classified by the EPA as a Group C carcinogen. This category is for chemicals with limited evidence of carcinogencity in animals in the absence of human data. Styrene is highly volatile and flammable. Polymerization inhibitor levels must be properly maintained in order to prevent rapid polymerization which is exothermic (generates heat) and may result in explosive conditions.
To receive a copy of the report, please contact TURI's Technology Transfer Center at (508) 934-3275.
If you would like more information about the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Program, Please Call:
Toxics Use Reduction Office of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection:
(617) 292-5870
Director: Suzi Peck
Office of Technical Assistance:
(617) 727-3260
Director: Barbara Kelley
Toxics Use Reduction Institute:
(508) 934-3275
Director: Ken Geiser
Exploring the Integration of Environmental Initiatives with Economic Growth, EcoTech Second Annual Conference, March 3-6, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. (303) 870-9798
Sixth Annual New England Environmental Expo, April 26-28, Boston, Massachusetts. (800) 543-5259
1994 IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment: A Life-Cycle Environmental Approach for Electronics Products, May 2-4, San Francisco, California. (908) 562-3878
World Class Manufacturing: Meeting the Global Challenge, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences 1994 Annual Meeting and Conference, May 8-10, Anaheim, California. (313) 995-0300
From Greening to Sustaining: Transformational Challenges for the Firm, The Greening of Industry Network Third International Research Conference, November 13-15, Copenhagen, Denmark. (617) 627-3084
Toxics Use Reduction Institute
University of Massachusetts Lowell
One University Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854
Last Updated: January 30, 1996