Transcript Overview - The Wercs

U.S. EPA Design for the
Environment (DfE) Program
WERCS
June 9-11, 2009
Melanie Vrabel, U.S. EPA
Presentation Outline
• DfE Program Overview
• DfE Product Recognition
–
–
–
–
–
Overview and Purpose
OPPT Tools and Expertise
Continuum of Improvement
What does the logo mean?
Industry Partners
• CleanGredients™
– Overview and Purpose
– DfE Screens for Safer Chemicals
2
DfE Principles
• Green Chemistry
• Informed Substitution
• OPPT technical tools and expertise
• Multi-stakeholder participation
3
DfE – Informing Substitution to Safer
Alternatives
• Labeling of Safer Products
• Alternatives Analysis
– Flame Retardants
• Furniture Foam
• Printed Circuit Boards
– Alternatives to Lead Solder in Electronics
– Nano-Enabled Batteries for Electric Vehicles
• Best Practices for Protection of Workers
and Communities
– Auto Refinishing
– Insulation Foam
4
Furniture Flame Retardants Partnership
Alternatives Assessment
• Predominant flame retardant (pentaBDE) was being found
increasingly in human tissue, breast milk and the
environment.
– PentaBDE was phased-out at the end of 2004.
– Need for fire safety will likely increase based
on planned national standards.
– Decision-making for alternatives to this
19 million pound per year chemical.
• The Report
– Provides data to inform industry.
– Summary assessments of chemicals in flame retardant formulations.
– Detailed hazard reviews.
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Furniture Flame Retardants Partnership
Alternatives Report
Human Health
Hazard Concern
Ecotoxicity
Hazard Concern
Environmental
Hazard Concern
Potential Exposure
Chart is valued by industry as a decision-making tool
6
DfE Safer Product Labeling
• Cleaning products
• Household
• Industrial and Institutional
• Direct release, car-wash, boat wash, graffiti removers, etc…
• Biological-based Products
• Holding tank treatments
• Bioremediation products
• Deicers
• Aircraft conversion coatings
• Industrial Coatings
• Inks
• Odor Removal
• Field Paint
• Tire balancing liquid
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DfE Safer Product Labeling Program
Millions of Pounds of Chemicals of Concern
2005
2006
2007
2008
0
100
200
300
400
•DfE is on track to reduce the use of more than 560
million pounds of chemicals of concern in 2009
8
Continuous Improvement:
As innovation occurs, continuum may shift
•Continuum of Improvement
•Formula Ingredient by Functional Class
Of Concern
Characteristics of
Ingredient of Concern
Improved
Characteristics of
Improved Ingredient
Sustainable
Characteristics of
Sustainable Ingredient
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Review – 3 Basic Components
1) Review every ingredient by functional use class
•
•
To promote green chemistry
To understand toxicity
-
Literature
Analogous chemicals – SAR
2) Review formulation as a whole
•
•
•
Synergistic effects
pH
Performance testing
3) Partnership Agreement
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Steps to Becoming a DfE Partner
Applicant
Submits its
application for
partnership to
qualified third-party
reviewer.
Applicant makes necessary
improvements & re-submits application
Applicant makes
necessary improvements &
re-submits application
Yes
No
Reviews all
product ingredients
against DfE
criteria, collects
performance
information, and
develops chemical
profiles.
Communicates
findings to
applicant.
Third-Party
Reviewer
Third-Party
Reviewer
Submit to
DfE?
Yes
Performs QA on
third-party
assessment and
confirms that
ingredients meet
DfE criteria for
human health and
the environment.
Discusses its
assessment with
applicant and thirdparty reviewer.
DfE
DfE
Improvements
needed?
No
Partnership
begins.
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Third-Party Profilers
• DfE-Qualified Third-Parties
• Ensure DfE can Meet Demand
• Offer Choice
• Bring Excellent Technical Qualifications and Reputations
• NSF
• Teresa McGrath: [email protected], 651 493-4247
• ToxServices
• Dr. Ann Marie Gebhart: [email protected],
202-429-8794
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Screens for Safer Ingredients
• General Screen for Safer Ingredients
– Overarching Environmental and Human Health Screen
(Completed in January of 2009)
• Functional Class Screens
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–
–
–
–
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Surfactants
Solvents
Fragrances
Chelants
Polymers
Others
– Complete
– Complete
– Summer 2009
– Summer 2009
– Summer 2009
– TBD
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CleanGredients™ - Marketplace for
Green Chemistry Ingredients
• Leverages EPA green chemistry expertise and tools
• CleanGredients™ is a marketplace…
– for suppliers to showcase safer chemical ingredients for
cleaning products, and
– for formulators to find those ingredients.
• CleanGredients™ is at the intersection of safer
chemistry and high performance ingredients
• DfE Screens for Safer Chemical Ingredients
– Defined for functional classes of ingredients (e.g. surfactants,
solvents)
– Chemicals that are acceptable under the DfE Product
Recognition Program
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CleanGredients™ - Marketplace for
Green Chemistry Ingredients
• Multi-stakeholder development
– More than 800 stakeholders
– Technical Committees define modules for safer functional
ingredient classes
• 15-30 organizations typically represented on each Technical
Committee
• Expertise in formulary chemistry and toxicology
• Formulators, chemical suppliers, NGOs, and Government
• Steering Committee overseas project development
• Akzo Nobel
• BASF
• Consumer Specialty
Products Association
• Corporate Express
• Dow Chemical
• EPA DfE
• Green Blue Institute
• International Sanitary Supply
Association
• Investor Environmental
Health Network
• NSF International
• Reckitt Benckiser
• SYSCO
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DfE Screen for Surfactants
• Safer surfactants degrade quickly to low toxicity degradates.
Acute Aquatic Toxicity
(L/E/IC50 Value)
Rate of Biodegradation
≤1 ppm
May be acceptable if biodegradation1 occurs within a
10-day window
>1 ppm and ≤10 ppm
Biodegradation1 occurs within a 10-day window
>10 ppm
Biodegradation1 occurs within 28 days without
products of concern2
1
Generally, >60% mineralization (to CO2 and water) in 28 days.
Products of concern are compounds with high acute aquatic toxicity (L/E/IC50 ≤ 10ppm) and a
slow rate of biodegradation (greater than 28 days).
2
16
Screen for Direct Release Products
Acute Aquatic
Toxicity Value
(L/E/IC50)
Persistence
(Measured in terms of rate of
biodegradation)
≤1 ppm
>1 ppm and ≤10
ppm
>10 ppm and
<100 ppm
≥100 ppm
Status
Not acceptable
Biodegradation must occur within a
10-day window without
products of concern
Could be improved
Biodegradation occurs within 28
days without products of
concern
Could be improved
Biodegradation occurs within a 10day window without products of
concern
Acceptable
Biodegradation occurs within 28
days without products of
concern
Acceptable
17
DfE Screen for Solvents
• Safer solvents demonstrate low impacts to human health and the
environment.
PHASE I SOLVENT
CLASSES
Alcohols
Esters
Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs)
Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs)
ATTRIBUTES OF
CONCERN FOR
PHASE I SOLVENTS
Carcinogenicity
Neurotoxicity
Acute Mammalian Toxicity
Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity
Repeated-Dose Toxicity
Environmental Fate and Toxicity
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CleanGredients™
Search by Performance/P-Chem/Tox Properties
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CleanGredients™
Search Results
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Contact Information
Melanie Vrabel
[email protected]
202-564-1843
http://www.epa.gov/dfe
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