The EPA launched a new, no-cost technical assistance effort focused on reducing exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities. This initiative is part of EPA’s Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) program.The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help eligible public drinking-water systems evaluate emerging contaminant issues, conduct initial water quality testing, and identify next steps in 200 small or disadvantaged communities over the next three years. EPA will also share best practices and amplify successes through case studies, fact sheets, webinars, and other resources regarding addressing emerging contaminants, including PFAS.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing a focused opportunity to help small and disadvantaged communities address PFAS and emerging contaminants to ensure that drinking water is clean and safe for residents,” said EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “By working hand-in-hand with local partners, the Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help ensure that historically underserved areas have access to safer drinking water that is essential for healthy and vibrant communities.”
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided an unprecedented $50 billion to improve water infrastructure across the nation. Of this funding, $5 billion is dedicated to the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) grant program, which supports this latest technical-assistance initiative.
EPA’s free water technical assistance initiatives help communities identify their water challenges, develop plans, build capacity, and develop their application materials to access federal funding. The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative builds on EPA’s robust suite of technical assistance programs and includes diagnostic water quality sampling and analysis, source water assessment, preliminary treatment design and evaluations, operational and sampling training, and identifying solutions to address emerging contaminants and PFAS contamination including community engagement and outreach support.
In April 2024, EPA issued the PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” Exposure to PFAS has been linked to adverse health impacts that include some cancers, liver and heart disease, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children.
The EPA announced a settlement with Edwards Lifesciences, LLC over claims of violations of hazardous waste regulations at the company’s facility located in Irvine, California. Under the settlement, Edwards Lifesciences will pay a civil penalty of $250,000 and certify it’s in full compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).“We will hold companies accountable if they fail to properly manage dangerous substances. It’s a clear matter of public safety,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “This settlement with Edwards Lifesciences helps protect workers, the community, and the environment in the greater Los Angeles region.”
Edwards Lifesciences makes medical devices at its Irvine facility, where it also generates hazardous waste that is temporarily stored on-site. In September 2021, the EPA inspected the facility. After further investigation, the EPA found that the company violated air emission standards under RCRA. The company did not follow rules for hazardous waste storage tanks, lacked a proper leak detection and secondary containment system, and failed to record daily inspections of a hazardous waste tank. Additionally, the company did not comply with hazardous waste air emissions standards, failing to monitor a tank for fugitive solvent emissions.
When released, solvents emit volatile organic compounds, which can combine with nitrogen oxides in sunlight to create ground-level ozone, a major part of smog. This ozone harms the environment by damaging crops and ecosystems. It can also cause or worsen respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis in people. Long-term exposure can lead to chronic respiratory diseases and reduce lung function.
Hazardous waste that is improperly managed poses a serious threat to human health and the environment. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, passed in 1976, was established to set up a framework for the proper management of hazardous waste. The act requires effective monitoring and control of air emissions from hazardous waste storage tanks, pipes, valves, and other equipment. These emissions can cause adverse health and environmental effects as well as contribute to climate change.
A commercial baker in Paterson faces $385,221 in federal penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the employer failed to correct workplace safety hazards identified in 2023.OSHA began a follow-up inspection at Valenti's Bakery, LLC in May 2024 after the employer failed to prove they had addressed hazards cited by OSHA in a June 2023 inspection. The agency initiated an inspection in 2023 after an employee suffered two partial finger amputations after coming into contact with an automatic blade.
During the follow-up investigation, OSHA found that the employer had failed to develop, document and use lockout/tagout procedures for the control of hazardous mechanical energy, which resulted in the agency issuing a notification of failure to abate. Investigators also issued two willful citations for blocked and obstructed exit routes; one repeat citation for machine guarding; and six serious citations for exposure to fall hazards from a ladder and unprotected side and edges.
“Valenti's Bakery failed to take the necessary steps to protect its employees, even after a preventable life-altering injury underscored the hazards in its workplace,” said OSHA Area Office Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. “Employers have a responsibility to correct known dangers promptly, not disregard them and put workers at further risk.”
OSHA's machine guarding and control of hazardous energy webpages provide information on what employers must do to limit worker exposures to machine hazards.
The EPA recently announced a settlement with Grimmel Industries, Inc., that resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and the Maine State Implementation Plan at the company's scrap metal shredding facility in Topsham, Maine. Under the settlement, Grimmel has agreed to pay a penalty of $42,613 and has submitted a permit application to the State of Maine for its shredding activities that will improve the facility's compliance with federal and state laws."Having permits that restrict emissions are incredibly important to keeping communities in-the-know and protecting the environment around us. Facilities like Grimmel Industries' that emit air pollution must follow the law to ensure that local neighborhoods don't face unnecessary air quality burdens," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "Clean Air Act settlements, like this one, reiterate EPA's commitment to protecting public health and the environment, and make sure that companies are being held accountable for their actions."
Grimmel Industries, Inc., owns and operates a scrap metal shredding facility in Topsham, Maine. EPA alleged that the company failed to have the correct air emissions license for its shredder, which limits the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be released into the air, and failed to meet technology requirements. Additionally, EPA alleged that the company failed to get a Clean Air Act Title V operating permit, also known as an air emission license, which is required for major sources of air pollution in Maine.
Grimmel's failure to have the proper permits in place resulted in the facility having incorrect air emission limits at the time of EPA inspection. It's important that regulated facilities have the proper permits in place so regulators like EPA and state agencies can accurately determine whether these facilities are complying with the law.
The CAA was enacted by Congress to promote the public health and welfare through prevention and regulation of air pollution from mobile and stationary sources. The CAA requires states to adopt federally enforceable plans to ensure the implementation and enforcement of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) at the local level. VOC emissions contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and to violations of the NAAQS for ozone. Exposure to VOCs may cause cancer, eye irritation, respiratory problems, and damage to the nervous system.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) under Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to gather information on the potential risks associated with N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its transformation product, 6PPD-quinone. In August 2023, the Yurok Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians submitted a petition under TSCA Section 21 asking EPA to establish regulations (pdf) under TSCA Section 6 prohibiting the manufacturing, processing, use and distribution of 6PPD in tires. EPA granted this petition in November 2023 and committed to publishing an ANPRM by Fall 2024 in order to gather more information that could be used to inform a subsequent regulatory action.“Today, we’re following through on the commitment we made to our Tribal partners to gather more information about this chemical used in rubber products to help protect coho salmon,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “We’ll use the information we get on the health and environmental risks to determine next steps to protect people and the planet.”
“Toxic stormwater runoff is one of the biggest threats facing Puget Sound salmon recovery,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06). “I am grateful that the EPA has been responsive to the petition filed by Tribes from across our region who are helping to lead the effort to better understand how 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone get into our waterways, how they impact our environment and our health, and how we can get these chemicals out of local ecosystems. We have an obligation to protect salmon in the Pacific Northwest in order to honor the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribes in the region. I am excited that the EPA is moving forward with this rulemaking as an important step toward salmon recovery.”
“Salmon are a keystone species and research shows that the 6PPD-Q chemical which runs off from vehicle tires into our waterways is lethal to their survival, and our marine ecosystem,” said Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10). “As co-chair of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, I have secured funding to find solutions to this problem, and the U.S. EPA is taking an important step forward to help us.”
The chemical 6PPD has been used in motor vehicle tires for more than six decades to make them more durable. It can also be found in other rubber products such as footwear, synthetic turf infill and playgrounds. 6PPD reacts with ozone pollution in the air to form a transformation product called 6PPD-quinone, which may be present in stormwater runoff from parking lots and streets due to the presence of tire wear particles. Runoff may be washed into streams and other bodies of water during rain events. As a result, aquatic organisms can be exposed to 6PPD-quinone. Concentrations of 6PPD-quinone in stormwater in the Pacific Northwest were found to be lethal to coho salmon after only a few hours of exposure.
EPA is issuing an ANPRM to solicit information on the chemicals, including but not limited to: environmental effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, potential human health effects, environmental fate and transport, exposure pathways, persistence and bioaccumulation, additional uses of 6PPD, and releases from consumer products such as sneakers, playgrounds, rubber-modified asphalt, reused tire or other rubber products. EPA is also seeking comment and information related to alternatives to 6PPD, as well as potential chemical transformation products associated with potential alternatives.
For example, there are data showing that 6PPD-quinone is toxic to fish, with coho salmon being the most sensitive species studied to date. However, there are still uncertainties about the potential impacts of 6PPD-quinone on human health, as well as the potential for exposure from other sources of 6PPD-quinone.
EPA’s Work on 6PPD
It was EPA-funded research that first established the link between 6PPD-quinone and salmon deaths in the Puget Sound region in 2020. Since then, EPA has been engaged in ongoing efforts with other federal agencies, states, Tribes, industry and other stakeholders to address information gaps and address concerns regarding the use of 6PPD and the risks of 6PPD-quinone.
EPA is continuing to fund research activities to expand its understanding of the impacts of 6PPD-quinone, and to fill data gaps. For example, the Office of Research and Development is continuing further investigation of 6PPD-quinone, including work on fate and transport, ecotoxicity, and green infrastructure solutions for stormwater contamination. The Office of Water developed a draft analytical method for detection of 6PPD-quinone in surface and stormwater and finalized screening values for 6PPD-quinone and 6PPD to protect sensitive salmon and other aquatic life. The agency is also coordinating with the National Science and Technology Council’s Joint Subcommittee on Environment, Innovation and Public Health on potential cross-governmental research on human health effects.
EPA proposed a rule in March 2024 under Section 8(d) of TSCA that would require manufacturers (including importers) of 6PPD to report lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies on 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone to EPA. EPA plans to finalize this rule by the end of 2024.
EPA has also developed a webpage on 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone to keep the public and stakeholders updated as research progresses, alternatives are identified, and ways to mitigate the effects of the chemicals on the environment are implemented.
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