Accidental chemical releases: An ounce of prevention...

When it was added to the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990, Section 112(r) mandated that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish a regulatory program to prevent serious chemical accidents that could adversely affect public health and the environment. The law required EPA to: establish an initial list of substances that would be regulated under an accidental release prevention program; set threshold quantities for each; promulgate reasonable regulations to prevent accidental releases; and provide appropriate guidance. On January 31, 1994, EPA finalized a list of 77 toxic substances, 63 flammable materials, and certain high explosives that would be subject to Section 112(r) regulations. On June 20, 1996, EPA published the final Risk Management Program (RMP) for Accidental Chemical Release. Essentially, the RMP Rule applies to any process (defined by EPA as any activity involving a listed chemical including any use, storage, manufacturing, handling or onsite movement) that contains a regulated substance in excess of its specified threshold quantity (TQ). The paper discusses the basics of the RMP Rule and what industrial plants must do to comply within 2 years.