Ontario Region Environmental Protection Branch Fact Sheet #7: ( Revised ) POLLUTION PREVENTION FACT SHEET Pollution Prevention Program - Federal Programs Division Hazardous Materials Minimization: Identifying Persistent Toxic Substances This Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet is one in a continuing series prepared under the Pollution Prevention Program of the Federal Programs Division of Environment Canada, Ontario Region. This Program is intended to help federal departments in Ontario become model environmental citizens by managing beyond compliance. This Fact Sheet presents the following: A prioritization of hazardous materials to be considered for reduction or elimination; Sources of information to help you identify Persistent Toxic Substances (PTSs) in the materials used at your facility; Success stories; and Further sources of information. The Ontario Region's Federal Programs Division has been reviewing hazardous waste generated by federal facilities in Ontario with an emphasis on those which may contain Persistent Toxic Substances (PTSs). The emphasis on PTSs is driven by commitments made by the Government of Canada in the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 and the Great Lakes Action Plan. Your efforts as a federal facility should be twofold, to reduce the generation of such substances and to totally eliminate the discharge of PTSs where possible. One of the most effective ways to reduce the generation of hazardous wastes is to reduce the use of hazardous materials. There are several benefits to reducing or eliminating the use of hazardous materials including improvements to our environment; reduced workplace health hazards to employees; reduced costs for storage; and disposal of hazardous wastes generated. These issues have been discussed previously in Fact Sheet #3 - Hazardous Waste Minimization (Revised) and Fact Sheet #5 - Persistent Toxic Substances (Revised) October 1996. Which Hazardous Materials Should You Consider? Fact Sheet #5 focuses on four important lists of substances: 1. Critical Pollutants in the Great Lakes; 2. Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MOEE) Primary List for Bans and Phase-outs; 3. Canadian - Ontario Agreement (COA); and 4. Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxic (ARET) Substances A-1 List of Toxic, Persistent and Bioaccumulative Substances. Your organization may have responded to the ARET challenge. The ARET objective is to reduce or eliminate toxic emissions through a non-regulatory, voluntary, pollution prevention program.
For more information on ARET contact: ARET SECRETARIAT 351 Saint-Joseph Blvd. 13th Floor, PVM Hull, Quebec K1A 0H3 Tel: (819) 953-9086 Fax: (819) 953-7970 Ontario Region: (416) 323-5104 Developing a Hazardous Materials Minimization Program There are a number of important steps that need to be followed to reach the goal of zero discharge/virtual elimination of PTSs used or generated in your operations. STEP ❶ Identify and inventory products containing hazardous materials that are used at your facility. STEP ❷ Identify specific processes that use these hazardous materials and/or generate hazardous waste. STEP ❸ Identify and inventory emissions, effluents and hazardous waste streams at your facility. STEP ❹ Set priorities for action on inputs and waste streams based on volume, toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation of PTSs in those streams. Pay particular attention to processes which transform chemicals into new chemicals or by-products. STEP ❺ Identify applications in which hazardous materials can be substituted with alternative products containing less hazardous materials. For tips on developing a hazardous waste minimization program with a focus on PTSs, you may refer to Fact Sheet #3 - Hazardous Waste Minimization: Reducing Wastes at the Source (Revised) October 1996, and Fact Sheet #5 - Persistent Toxic Substances: Toward Virtual Elimination (Revised). Attached to Fact Sheet #5 is a table summarizing the typical use or source of each of the targeted PTSs and a statement of their potential use or release at federal facilities. Identifying Persistent Toxic Substances in Your Hazardous Materials One of the most difficult aspects of identifying products containing PTSs is knowing where to look for the information you need. One of the primary resources for assisting in the identification of hazardous materials is the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). WHMIS applies to all workplaces in Canada. It is a nation wide system designed to ensure that all employers obtain the information they need to inform and train their employees about the hazardous materials used in the workplace. Through legislation, WHMIS establishes standard classification criteria to ensure that suppliers and employers identify the hazards of materials produced, sold, imported into, or used within workplaces in Canada. WHMIS Key Elements 1. Labels on hazardous materials and their containers and other forms of warning in the workplace. 2. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs). 3. Employee education and training. 4. Hazard identification and ingredient disclosure. 5. Confidential business information exemptions. The MSDS The MSDS is an important starting point for obtaining specific chemical information on the hazardous materials in your workplace. MSDSs are generated by producers of controlled products. They are technical documents which state: The potential health effects of exposure to the product and how to protect workers; Hazard evaluations related to use, storage and handling of the product; and Emergency procedures. 2
The Controlled Products Regulations of the federal Hazardous Products Act outline the MSDS requirements for controlled products produced in a workplace process. The legislation provides flexibility in the MSDS design and wording, however, the MSDS must include, as a minimum, the following nine categories of information: Product Information (product identifiers, manufacturer and supplier names, addresses and emergency phone numbers); Hazardous Ingredients; Physical Data; Fire or Explosion Hazard; Reactivity Data (chemical instability and the substances it may react with); Toxicological Properties (health effects); Preventive Measures; First Aid Measures; and Preparation Information (by whom and when). For the purpose of identifying PTSs, the most important category of the MSDS is Hazardous Ingredients. Compare the ingredients listed in the MSDS with the targeted PTSs listed in the table attached to FACT Sheet #5. Note that some ingredients have synonyms. For example, 1,4 dichlorobenzene may also be listed as paradichlorobenzene. To ensure that you have identified the correct substance, compare the Chemical Abstract Serial numbers (CAS#). The CAS# will be the same no matter which synonym is used. Where to get MSDSs Suppliers must prepare or obtain MSDSs in both official languages for each controlled product they sell or import. The supplier is required to provide the MSDS in the official language or languages requested by the purchaser. MSDSs are to be updated at least every three years or as soon as further information related to the hazard becomes available for a product. Employer Responsibilities Employers are responsible for obtaining an up-todate MSDS (less than 3 years old) from suppliers for each controlled product used in the workplace. The employer may develop an MSDS to use at the workplace in place of a supplier MSDS, provided it contains at least the same content found on the supplier MSDS and indicates that a supplier MSDS is available. Copies of supplier and employer MSDSs for controlled products found in a given workplace are to be kept readily available to employees. At most facilities, the health and safety officer ensures that the MSDSs are kept up-to-date.msdss can be useful in screening products. Before purchasing a product, ask the supplier for the MSDS and check if any of the ingredients are PTSs. If the answer is yes, check if an alternative product is available which does not contain any PTSs. For further information about employer responsibilities under these acts and regulations, contact the Labour Canada office nearest you. Materials Excluded from WHMIS Not every hazardous material will have an MSDS. Some classes of materials are excluded under the legislation related to WHMIS but are covered under other federal legislation. These materials are: hazardous waste; pesticides and other products regulated under the Pest Control Products Act; cosmetics, medical devices, drugs or foods (including alcoholic beverages) within the meaning of the Food and Drugs Act; consumer products regulated under the Hazardous Products Act packaged as a consumer product; prescribed substances (radioactive) subject to the Atomic Energy Control Act; and explosives as defined and regulated by the Explosives Act. Other materials excluded from WHMIS are: wood or products made of wood; tobacco or products made of tobacco; and manufactured articles. Copies of the Hazardous Products Act which includes the Controlled Products Regulations can be obtained by writing to: Canadian Government Publishing Centre Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S9 Tel: (819) 956-4802 Since some PTSs are pesticides, you may wish to consult the Pest Control Products Act available from the: Pest Management Regulatory Agency Health Canada A.L. 6605E1, 2250 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9 Pesticide Information Call Line - 1-800-267-6315 3
Database Services to Help You Find the Information You Need CCINFO The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) provides a comprehensive computerized information service, CCINFO, delivered through compact disc (CD- ROM), an online system, CCINFOline, and diskette products. CCINFOline provides access to CCOHS chemical and occupational health and safety (OH&S) databases through the Internet and other telecommunications networks. Below are listed some of the databases now available: MSDS provides the complete text of about 70,000 Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on chemical products, exactly as contributed directly by over 500 manufacturers and suppliers. New and updated MSDSs are added to the database when they are made available. Records are in English. FTSS provides the complete text of 30,000 French language Material Safety Data Sheets on chemical products. These "Fiche techniques sur la securite des substances" (FTSS) are contributed directly by over 200 manufacturers and suppliers. Records are in French. Chemical Evaluation Search and Retrieval System (CESARS) contains comprehensive environmental and health information on chemicals. It provides detailed description of chemical toxicity to humans, mammals, aquatic and plant life; as well as data on physical-chemical properties; and environmental fate and persistence. CESARS is divided into twenty-three topic areas. All contain references, and most have topic summaries of key information. Records are in English. The system is jointly produced by the Michigan Department of National Resources (MDNR) and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MOEE). CHEMINFO contains comprehensive practical, summarized, occupational health and safety information of chemicals. Produced by CCOHS occupational health and safety specialists, these chemical profiles use non-technical language to describe potential workplace hazards and control measures. Each profile provides a detailed evaluation of health, fire and reactivity hazards, as well as recommendations on topics such as storage and handling, personal protective equipment, accidental release, first-aid, and hazard classifications used by WHMIS and the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA). Using CCINFO line You can access CCINFOline by connecting through the INTERNET ( http://www.ccohs.ca/ ) or other telecommunications networks. However, there is a cost based on both an hourly rate and type of display record. For more information: Customer Service Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety 250 Main Street East, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 1H6 TELEPHONE: (800)668-4284 in Canada FACSIMILE: (905)572-2206 World Wide Web: URL: http://www.ccohs.ca/ E-Mail:CUSTSERV@CCOHS.CA and INFO@CCOHS.CA Spill Information Library Link System (SPILLS) 613-952-1000 The Emergencies Science Division (ESD) of the River Road Environmental Technology Centre manages an electronic bulletin board (BBS) with many databases and services. Soon the bulletin board will be replaced by an Internet World Wide Web site. Details will be announced on the BBS. The most useful database in terms of identifying PTSs is: A Chemical Synonyms database consisting of 60,000 names, prepared as an index for the updated and expanded Hazardous Material Spill Manual Other services of SPILLS include Other services of SPILLS include: The Oil Properties Database; A chemical properties database (soon to be added); A World Wide Tanker Spill Database from the United States Minerals Management Service - 1974 to June 15, 1990; A file exchange service; and An oil properties database. 4
Technical Specifications for Accessing Information: Baud Rate: most up to 14,400 baud; Settings: no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit (usual computer default); and Terminal: monochrome screen using ANSI characters emulates ANSI or VT100 terminals. Cost of Accessing Information: There is no cost to access the system. Users will be required to pay for their own long distance or data transmission costs. Need Help With SPILLS? Contact Robert Nelson, system operator, at: Environment Canada Emergencies Science Division Environmental Technology Centre 3439 River Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3 Tel: (613) 991-1043 Fax: (613) 991-9485 MSDS on CD-ROM by Sigma-Aldrich-Fluka The Sigma-Aldrich Corporation issues Material Safety Data Sheets for its products on a CD-ROM formatted for use on a Macintosh, a PC running DOS, and a PC running Windows. No matter which operating system you use, the information you want is contained on the same CD-ROM. MSDSs can be viewed on screen or printed. The MSDSs are updated quarterly on a CD-ROM containing revised information. For more information, contact Technical Services at: Sigma-Aldrich Corporation 1001 W. Saint Paul Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53233 TEL. (800) 231-8327 or (414) 273-3850 Other Valuable Resources Merck Index The Merck Index is an encyclopaedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals providing information on chemical names and derivatives; literature references; toxicity and physical data; structural formulas; and therapeutic categories. The Merck Index has broadened its scope to include more information on biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and metabolism and to treat a range of topics related to the environment and agriculture. Department of National Defence (DND) Hazardous Material Information Query (HiQ-up) Data Base DND has developed a new data base, Hi-Q, based on Visual FoxPro 3.0 Software. It is comprised of electronic MSDSs with chemical, transport, WHMIS and instructional information attached to them. This database will be attached to DND servers and will be downloadable to a PC. It will also come in a CD- ROM format. Hi-Q has replaced DND's Hazardous Material Guide Sheets. As of January, 1996, Hi-Q will be part of the DND Material Information Management System (MIMS). If you would like more information please contact Scott Leminski at (819) 994-9082. Fact Sheet #5 described the Department of National Defence (DND) success story concerning the development of an action plan to reduce or eliminate the use of those substances included under the ARET program. To date, DND has identified and is reviewing over 1000 products which contain ARET substances. The review includes determination of the product's application / use; replacement where possible with a more environmentally responsible alternative; or, at a minimum, the development of the best management practice to reduce environmental risk associated with continued use. The project is 60% complete with an elimination / replacement of 80% of the products reviewed. The quantity of the products which could not be replaced has been reduced by restricting use to applications where no alternatives are available. Success Stories Does your department have a pollution prevention success story to share? Other government departments in Ontario would like to hear about your experience in dealing with a particular problem. Please provide relevant information to the Pollution Prevention Coordinator, Federal Programs Division, Environment Canada. We will ensure that all interested parties obtain this information. 5
Further Sources of Information Hazardous Waste Minimization: Reducing Wastes at the Source; Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet #3 (Revised). Federal Programs Division Environment Canada, Ontario Region. Tel: (613) 952-8680. Persistent Toxic Substances: Toward Virtual Elimination; Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet #5 (Revised)October 1996. Federal Programs Division, Environment Canada, Ontario Region. Tel: (613) 952-8679 Environmental Leaders 1: Voluntary Commitments To Action On Toxics Through ARET. 1995. ARET Secretariate. Tel: (819) 953-9086; Fax: (819) 953-7970. For further information about the Pollution Prevention Program for federal facilities in Ontario, please contact: Environment Canada Ontario Region - Environmental Protection Branch Federal Programs Division 49 Camelot Drive Nepean, Ontario, K1A 0H3 phone: (613) 952-8675 fax: (613) 952-8995 e-mail: fpd@ec.gc.ca All Fact Sheets can be found on the Internet at: www.on.ec.gc.ca/ epb/fpd (aussi disponible en français) Environmental Leaders 2. Available December 1996. ARET Secretariate. Tel: (819) 953-9086; Fax: (819) 953-7970. WHMIS Core Material - A resource manual for the application and implementation of WHMIS. Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia, Richmond, B.C. 1988. Tel: (604) 276-3068; Fax: (604) 276-7406. WHMIS in Your Workplace. Labour Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0J2, 1992. Available from the Department of Human Resources, Publications Distribution Centre at (819) 994-0543. Pollution Prevention Training for Environment Canada - Atlantic Region Workshop and Resource Guide. 1996. For information call the Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Centre at 1-800-667-9790. 6