U.S. Disclosure Regs Tighten for Toxic Chemicals

President Clinton announced that as of January 1, 2000 companies will be required to report the release of even small amounts of 27 persistent, bioaccumulative toxics – such as dioxin, mercury, PCBs – into the air or water. These are the first reporting mandates for dioxin, a toxic byproduct of waste incineration and chemical and pesticide manufacturing that has been linked to cancer and birth defects.

Currently, companies must publicly report discharges only if they handle more than 25,000 pounds or emit over 10,000 pounds of the chemicals a year. The new rules mean companies must report if they use as little as 100 pounds a year, and for some particularly toxic chemicals, 10 pounds a year. Companies that produce as little as a tenth of a gram of dioxin each year must disclose.

Industrial toxic pollution has fallen by almost 50 percent in the decades since public right to know rules for chemical releases took effect. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) lauded the rules which close a “major loophole” in the federal right to know program. Since the thresholds were previously so high, many of the most toxic chemical releases were not reported. USPIRG noted that the rules also need to include lead, a move that has been blocked by industry opposition.

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