Clean Air Clips

              CLEAN AIR CLIPS: SPRING 2003
US EPA Updates
National Emission Standards Hazardous Air Pollutants May
Update
Toxic air pollutants, also known as hazardous air pollutants, are those pollutants that cause or may cause
cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or adverse
environmental and ecological effects. Examples of toxic air pollutants include benzene, which is found in
gasoline; perchlorethlyene, which is emitted from some dry cleaning facilities; and methylene chloride, which
is used as a solvent and paint stripper by a number of industries. Examples of other listed air toxics include
dioxin, asbestos, toluene, and metals such as cadmium, mercury, chromium, and lead compounds.
Since 1970, the Clean Air Act has provided the primary framework for protecting people and the
environment from the harmful effects of air pollution. A key component of the Clean Air Act is a requirement
that the EPA significantly reduce daily, so-called routine, emissions of air toxics. In the 1990 Clean Air Act
Amendments, Congress directed EPA to use a technology-based and performance-based approach to
significantly reduce emissions of air toxics from major sources of air pollution, followed by a risk-based
approach to address any remaining or residual risks. Under the technology-based approach, EPA develops
standards for controlling the routine emissions of air toxics from each major type of facility within an industry
group (or source category). These standards, known as maximum achievable control technology (MACT)
standards, are based on emissions levels that are already being achieved by the better-controlled and
lower-emitting sources in an industry.
The following source categories have MACT standards recently proposed:
  Asphalt roofing and processing
  Brick, Structural Clay Products & Clay Ceramic Manufacturing
  Combustion Turbine
  Fabric Printing, Coating and Dyeing
  Flexible Polyurethane Foam Fabrication Operation
  Industrial, Commercial, and Institution Boilers and Process Heaters
  Metal Furniture (surface coating)
  Miscellaneous Metal Parts and Products (surface coating)
  Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Production and Processes
  Organic Liquids Distribution (non-gasoline)
  Plastic Parts (surface coating)
  Plywood and Composite Wood Products
  Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines
  Reinforced Plastic Composites Production
  Semiconductor Manufacturing
  Site Remediation
  Wood Building Products
The following source categories have final MACT standards with compliance dates coming in
2004 and 2005:
  Boat Manufacturing
  Flexible Polyurethane Foam Fabrication Operation
  Friction Products Manufacturing
  Large Appliance
  Leather Finishing Operations
  Metal Coil (surface coating) Industry
  Paper and other Web (surface coating)
Most of the MACT standards target only major sources which are defined as those that emit
greater than 10 tons of a single HAP or a total of 25 tons of combined HAPs. For a list of US EPA
regulated HAPs, visit the Web site at: <www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/188polls.html>. For more information