1. Addressing Policy Barriers to Green Chemistry
American Chemical Society
Green Chemistry & Engineering
June 24th, 2008
Michael P. Wilson, PhD, MPH
Megan R. Schwarzman, MD, MPH
UC Berkeley School of Public Health – Center for Occupational & Environmental Health 1

2. Implications of U.S. Chemicals Policy
DATA GAP
SAFETY GAP
(Information)
(Accountability)
TECHNOLOGY GAP
(Capacity)

3. Data Gap: Business and Consumer Choice Necessary Information:
Current U.S. market:
Function
Price
Performance
Hazards

4. Data Gap: State Governments’ Ability to Prioritize Risks
Necessary Information:
Available Information:
Identity
Sales volume
Uses
Hazards 4

5. Implications of U.S. Chemicals Policy
DATA GAP
SAFETY GAP
(Information)
(Accountability)
TECHNOLOGY GAP
(Capacity)

6. Safety Gap: TSCA’s “Catch 22”
Definitive evidence of cause-and-effect
Balance of the evidence
Reasonable grounds for concern
Scientific suspicion of risk
Standard of evidence required for regulation
Degree of certainty possible based on information currently available to EPA

7. Implications of U.S. Chemicals Policy
DATA GAP
SAFETY GAP
(Information)
(Accountability)
TECHNOLOGY GAP
(Capacity)

8. Technology Gap:
Intellectual and technical capacity to support green chemistry
Chemistry education lacks
Toxicology
Exposure
Principles of green chemistry
Producers lack
Metrics for continuous improvement
Assistance with commercialization

9. Chemicals Policy Stakeholders
Producers
Business
Green
Chemists
Local
Governments
Consumers
Chemicals Policy Stakeholders
Environmental
Justice
Environmental
Groups
Public Health
Labor

10. Global Chemical Production Growing 3% per year Doubling every 25 years

11. European Union Affecting Global Change
                     
REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals
Data generation and disclosure to government, public and through supply chains
Management of chemicals of concern
Global effects: applies equally to European and foreign producers and importers 11

12. REACH vs. TSCA Data disclosure for 30,000 chemicals
Reversal of burden of proof: “no data, no market”
Level playing field for new and existing chemicals
Public access to information
Two-way communication in supply chain
Substances in products
Authorization of substances of high concern

13. Policy Drivers of Green Chemistry
EU: REACH
State &
Federal
Legislation
Biomonitoring
Data
Expanding
Global
Production
Ecosystem Harm
Policy Drivers of Green Chemistry
Regrettable
Substitutions
Product Safety
Product &
Hazardous
Waste
Occupational
Disease

14. Graphic arts courtesy of Chris Jordan -- chrisjordan.com
Product Waste
Graphic arts courtesy of Chris Jordan -- chrisjordan.com

17. Two million plastic bottles discarded every 5 seconds in the U.S.

18. Plastic Contamination: the Pacific Gyre
90% floating debris in oceans is plastic
Plastic outweighs phytoplankton 6:1
Projected to grow 10-fold in 10 years
Plastic found in 48-86% seabirds & marine mammals

22. 426,000 cell phones retired each day in the U.S.

23. Global Transport of Hazards
Transport of electronic waste to China
Basel Action Network 23

24. Hazardous waste
61 of 85 of CA largest hazardous waste sites leaking into groundwater
94% pose “a major threat to human health or the environment.”
US EPA estimates 600 new sites needed each month until 2033

25. Perception of Product Safety

26. Biomonitoring Studies
Hundreds of synthetic chemicals in breast milk and umbilical cord blood
Mercury Polyaromatic hydrocarbons Polybrominated dibenzodioxins Polybrominated dibenzofuranss Perfluorinated chemicals Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins Polychlorinated dibenzofurans Organochlorine pesticides Polybrominated diphenyl ethers Polychlorinated naphthalenes Polychlorinated biphenyls
PBDE Levels in Breast Milk, Sweden
The data from Sweden show a drastic increase in the quantity of PBDEs detected in women's breast milk prior to 1997, with concentrations doubling every five years between 1972 and Sweden's voluntary phaseout of PBDEs by companies and branches of the government began as early as 1990, and the Swedish government strongly encouraged the European Union to ban PBDEs outright.22 A striking response to Sweden's voluntary PBDE controls can be seen after Total PBDE levels in Swedish women's breast milk fell about 30 percent between 1997 and 2000, from a high of about 4 ng/g of milk fat, to 2.79 ng/g fat.23 Sweden is the only nation with a comprehensive breast milk monitoring program, so it has been difficult to track PBDE concentration trends elsewhere. However, in regions where bans and restrictions have not been established, available studies are showing that PBDE concentrations in breast milk have risen far past Sweden's 1997 peak of 4 ng/g milk fat. US levels higher than any other country. SF bay area levels 21x higher than Sweden’s 1997 peak
Darnerud et al. 2002

27. Serial Phase-Outs & Substitutions
1970: Stoddard solvent Fire hazard
1978: CFCs Ozone depletion
1980: Methylene chloride Carcinogen
1985: 1,1,1-Trichloroethane Ozone depletion
1990: Perchloroethylene Dioxin emissions
2002: Hexane/acetone blends Neurotoxin
Next: 1-Bromopropane Reproductive toxin

28. U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):
An 82,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

29. Green Chemistry Opportunity: Eliminating the Policy Barriers
Policy objectives
Close the data gap (Information)
Close the safety gap (Accountability)
Close the technology gap (Capacity)
Policy strategies
Demand side: increasing the competitive advantage of safer substances
Supply side: building capacity to meet demand

30. The Power of Policy Per Capita Electricity Consumption, 1960-2007
Source: California Energy Commission, 2007

31. University of California, Berkeley
Program in Green Chemistry & Chemicals Policy
UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Center for Occupational & Environmental Health 31