EPA proposes new chemical plant regulations aimed at cutting exposure to toxic substances

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposal on Thursday that aims to reduce Americans’ exposure to toxic chemicals. 

The EPA proposed to tighten regulations on chemical plants, a move that they said will cut more than 6,000 tons of toxic air pollution each year. 

This includes regulations on substances that are known to be or likely to be cancer-causing. One such substance is vinyl chloride, which is one of the chemicals that spilled in February’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Emissions of carcinogens known as benzene and ethylene oxide are also expected to be reduced as a result of the EPA’s action, as will smog-forming compounds. 

The Biden administration said that the action was particularly aimed at helping communities that are disproportionately exposed to toxic air pollution. 

“For generations, our most vulnerable communities have unjustly borne the burden of breathing unsafe, polluted air,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a written statement.

“When I visited St. John the Baptist Parish during my first Journey to Justice tour, I pledged to prioritize and protect the health and safety of this community and so many others that live in the shadows of chemical plants. I’m proud that this proposal would help deliver on that commitment and protect people from toxic air pollution in communities across the country,” he added, referencing a community in Louisiana that is part of an industrial corridor known as “cancer alley” due to the prevalence of toxic chemical emissions there.

Studies have shown that communities of color tend to be disproportionately impacted by air pollution. 

In addition to proposing to change the requirements for plants to limit their actual emissions, the regulation also requires them to monitor how much pollution is getting into the air at the fenceline of their facility. 

A press release from the EPA also said that the agency has more work to do to prevent exposures to these chemicals, particularly ethylene oxide. 

It said in the coming weeks, the EPA will announce proposed updates to regulations for sterilization facilities that use that chemical. 

The EPA recently outlined communities near 23 facilities that use the chemical and that also have elevated cancer risks. The plants in question use the substance to sterilize things ranging from medical equipment to spices used in food. 

The agency is also working to regulate other facilities that release this chemical. 

Compliance with the rule that was proposed Thursday is expected to cumulatively cost the industry about $501 million, according to agency documents. 

The new rule won praise from environmental groups that said it was an important measure for protecting communities. 

“Today’s proposed air toxics standards mark a critical first step in protecting communities from our nation’s largest and most hazardous chemical plants,” Earthjustice attorney Adam Kron said in a written statement.