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The Use of the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) Program to evaluate 13 Counties of Northwest Florida

TRI & RSEI Evaluations. The Use of the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) Program to evaluate 13 Counties of Northwest Florida. What Is the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)?.

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The Use of the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) Program to evaluate 13 Counties of Northwest Florida

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  1. TRI & RSEI Evaluations The Use of the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) Program to evaluate 13 Counties of Northwest Florida

  2. What Is the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)? • The TOXICS RELEASE INVENTORYBegun in 1988, the Toxics Release Inventory contains information on releases of nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories from industries including manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste treatment, among others. • http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer • http://www.epa.gov/enviro • http://www.scorecard.org • http://www.rtk.net

  3. What Is the Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators Model? RSEI is ascreening-level model for assessing potential chronic human health impacts of industrial releases of toxic chemicals: RSEI provides the following types of screening analyses: • Pounds • Hazard • Risk-related RSEI uses TRI pounds of release data and adds toxicity, fate and transport, and an estimate of exposed population to allow new perspectives on hazard and risk.

  4. Where Do You Want Me To Start??? • A. Who Reports to TRI?? • B. How Does RSEI Work?? • C. How is RSEI Data Processed?? • D. The NW FL Example

  5. Introduction to TRI Introduction to TRI Reporting Exemptions Determining Thresholds Form R/ Form A PBT Overview Reporting Thresholds Met; Form R/Form A Required *MPOU: Manufacture (including import), process, or otherwise use TRI REPORTING PROCESS Covered Primary SIC Code(s) or Federal facility? NO Ten Employees? (20,000 hours) NO YES MPOU* Section 313 Chemicals? STOP NO YES MPOU* Thresholds Exceeded? NO YES YES A-5

  6. COVERED SIC CODES Introduction to TRI Introduction to TRI Reporting Exemptions Determining Thresholds Form R/ Form A PBT Overview A-6

  7. THRESHOLDS TRIGGERING EPCRA SECTION 313 REPORTING • A facility meeting the SIC code (or Federal facility) and employee criteria must file a TRI report for a non-PBT Section 313 chemical if the facility (40CFR§372.25): • Manufactured (including imported) more than 25,000 pounds per year, or • Processed more than 25,000 pounds per year, or • Otherwise used more than 10,000 pounds per year • Threshold calculations are based on cumulative quantities per Section 313 chemical over the reporting year

  8. Type of Chemical Reporting Threshold, by Activity Manufacture Process Otherwise use Highly persistent and bioaccumulative compounds 10 pounds 10 pounds 10 pounds Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds 0.1 grams 0.1 grams 0.1 grams Other persistent and bioaccumulative compounds (lead and lead compounds) 100 pounds 100 pounds 100 pounds THRESHOLDS TRIGGERING EPCRA SECTION 313 REPORTING • If a facility manufactures, processes, or otherwise uses any chemicals that are listed as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT), the threshold quantity is one of the following per Section 313 chemical or category per year (40CFR§372.28):

  9. Additional Resources . Additional Resources • EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Home Page http://www.epa.gov/tri • EPA EPCRA Hotline (800) 424-9346 • EPA Envirofacts: http://www.epa.gov/enviro • TRI Explorer: http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer

  10. EPA’s Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI)

  11. What Is the Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators Model? RSEI is ascreening-level model for assessing potential chronic human health impacts of industrial releases of toxic chemicals: RSEI provides the following types of screening analyses: • Pounds • Hazard • Risk-related RSEI uses TRI pounds of release data and adds toxicity, fate and transport, and an estimate of exposed population to allow new perspectives on hazard and risk.

  12. RSEI and Risk Assessment • RSEI incorporates components of risk assessment: • Amount of chemical released • Toxicity of the chemical • Fate and transport of the chemical • Route and extent of human exposure • Number of people affected • RSEI isnot a formal risk assessment, but is useful for performance measurement, prioritization, and trend analysis because it systematically incorporates toxicity and exposure considerations in a screening-level analysis.

  13. How RSEI Works -- Calculations • Risk-related results = Surrogate Dose * Toxicity Weight * Population • Hazard-based results = Pounds * Toxicity Weight • Pounds-based results = TRI Pounds released   

  14. RSEI Model Details Inhalation (Air) surrogate dose - • divides U.S. and territories into 1-km x 1-km grid cells • calculates air concentrations for each cell in 101 x 101 km grid around facilities • uses population-specific exposure factors Ingestion (Water) surrogate dose - • calculates water concentrations in receiving streams up to 200 km downstream of outflow • finds downstream drinking water intakes • calculates fish ingestion exposure for population within 80 km of receiving stream • uses population-specific exposure factors

  15. What Kinds of Questions Can RSEI Answer? • What are the trends in hazard and risk associated with toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities at industrial facilities? • When comparing industries, how can I rank which industry sectors are associated with relatively more risk? • What is the relative contribution of specific chemicals to overall risk in a community (state, county, city), and how do I prioritizethese for follow-up activities? • For any given scenario, what release pathway for a particular chemical poses the greatest risk-related concerns? • Also questions concerning: Tribal lands, EJ issues, important age groups (e.g., children & elderly), etc.

  16. Points to Remember RSEI PROVIDES QUICK PERSPECTIVES ON HAZARD & RISK, BUT IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP! • RSEI uses facility-reported TRI data which can contain reporting errors. TRI data is limited to major industrial point sources. • RSEI toxicity weights are based on chronic human toxicity associated with long-term exposure and do not address acute human toxicity or environmental toxicity. • Dermal and food ingestion pathways (other than fish consumption), as well as some other indirect exposure pathways are not evaluated.

  17. Points to Remember cont. • Metals and metal compounds are assumed to be released in the valence (or oxidation) state associated with the highest chronic toxicity weight. • Some generic assumptions for stack heights, diameters, and exit gas velocities are used where facility-specific data are unavailable. • RSEI results do not indicate whether hazard or risk from a chemical or facility is “acceptable” or “unacceptable” to a population or individual. • RSEI is useful in many applications where TRI pounds have been used as a risk surrogate.

  18. RSEI Team Contacts • Gary Cole: (202) 564-8811 • Richard Engler: (202) 564-8587 • Robert Lee: (202) 564-8786 • Cody Rice: (202) 564-8769 URL: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/rsei

  19. Region 4 CONTACT INFORMATION Ezequiel Velez, EPA Region 4 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Coordinator Tel. (404) 562-9191 velez.ezequiel@epa.gov Douglas Chatham, EPA Region 4 TRI Program Assistant Tel. (404) 562-9113 chatham.douglas@epa.gov U.S. EPA Region 4 61 Forsyth Street, S.W. Atlanta, GA 30303

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