The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering taking another look at a 2020 report on national emissions standards for hazardous air pollution from certain chemical manufacturers but will continue to use its own peer-reviewed metrics.
The agency is proposing to reconsider the August 2020 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for chemical plants that fall under the Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing (MON) source category, the EPA announced Jan. 26.
Specifically at question is which of two risk value assessments best represents the toxicity of ethylene oxide pollutants emitted by the manufacturing of specialty organic chemicals, according to the announcement.
“People living near chemical plants are increasingly concerned about exposure to ethylene oxide, and the science shows it is a potent air toxic posing serious health risks,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in the announcement.
The agency reports that following the release of the 2020 MON final rule, it received and granted petitions for two issues to be reconsidered: The use of the EPA's 2016 Unit Risk Estimate (URE) for ethylene oxide in assessing cancer risks, versus using the Texas Commission in Environmental Quality (TCEQ) risk value as an alternative to the EPA's.
In the announcement, EPA states it will propose relying on the agency's 2016 peer-reviewed value, which shows ethylene oxide is significantly more toxic than previously known. The EPA is proposing to decline use of the TCEQ risk value, the agency states.
"The agency is proposing this action because the 2016 ethylene oxide Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment remains the best available science," the EPA stated in the announcement.
The EPA is not proposing any changes to its actual risk assessment for the MON 2020 final rule, the agency states in the announcement
"Today we reinforce and advance EPA’s commitment to protect overburdened communities by following the best available science and data," Regan said in the announcement. "Under my watch, I will do everything I can to listen to folks that are hurting and to take action to protect them.”
