BCMAC supports the EPA’s efforts to evaluate the full spectrum of risks posed by vinyl chloride, while ultimately calling for a ban on the chemical.
Vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen, is widely used in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is found in a variety of consumer products.
The EPA has proposed to designate vinyl chloride as a high-priority substance for risk evaluation under TSCA.
If this designation is finalized, the EPA will be required to initiate a comprehensive risk evaluation process, gathering all reasonably available information about the chemical’s hazards to human health and the environment.
"We strongly support the EPA’s designation of vinyl chloride as a high-priority substance for risk evaluation under TSCA," said Hilary Flint, director of communications at BCMAC. "Our community has firsthand experience with the devastating consequences of vinyl chloride exposure, following the East Palestine train derailment and chemical disaster. We urge the EPA to not only complete the evaluation process swiftly but to ultimately ban the chemical for the safety of all communities."
Key points from BCMAC’s public comment:
-- Transportation hazards: Vinyl chloride is transported across the United States as a liquid under high pressure, making it volatile and dangerous in the event of accidents. The public comment emphasizes the significant risks associated with vinyl chloride transportation, citing incidents such as the East Palestine train derailment.
-- Health risks of vinyl chloride: Vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen linked to liver, lung, and brain cancers. The public comment calls on the EPA to assess the cumulative effects of exposure to vinyl chloride and other chemicals involved in its production and transportation, particularly in communities near manufacturing facilities and transport routes.
-- Unplanned incidents must be considered: Between 2010 and 2023, there were 966 unintentional releases of vinyl chloride, occurring on average every 5.3 days during manufacturing, transport, and storage. The public comment stresses the need for the EPA to account for these frequent, unpredictable incidents in its risk evaluation.
-- Vinyl chloride in PVC pipes: As cities replace lead service lines with PVC pipes, residual vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) presents another exposure risk. Studies show that vinyl chloride can leach into drinking water, particularly after wildfires or periods of disuse. The public comment urges the EPA to assess this pathway, as vinyl chloride in drinking water poses a serious health threat.
-- Environmental justice: Vinyl chloride disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including low-income residents and communities of color, often located near chemical plants and transport routes. The public comment calls for the EPA to prioritize protecting these vulnerable populations.
-- Call for measured data: The public comment recommends that the EPA rely on real-world, measured data—such as fenceline air monitoring—rather than solely on industry-reported data to assess the risks of vinyl chloride.
Click Here for a copy of the BCMAC comments.
For more information on the risks of vinyl chloride, read BCMAC’s fact sheet.
BCMAC encourages all community members to submit public comments to the EPA by the deadline, Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community seeks to protect the residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania, with emphasis on those in Beaver County, by informing them about the health, safety, environmental and economic impacts of fracking infrastructure, including the petrochemical buildout; and by supporting sustainable alternatives to carbon-based energy sources and economic development strategies in Beaver County.
(Photos: Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio involved blowing up five open vinyl chloride tank cars.)
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 12 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 87 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 12 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Pennsylvania Voters Overwhelmingly Support Stricter Regulations On Fracking, New Poll Finds [PaEN]
-- Sen. Bartolotta, Sen. Yaw Announce Bill To Withhold Gas Drilling Impact Fees To Municipalities That Set More Protective Standards On Natural Gas Development Than State Law, And While There Is a Legal Challenge To Local Restrictions [PaEN]
-- Saint Vincent College Study Finds Counties With Shale Gas Fracking Wells Using Chemicals That Target Certain Hormones Have Greater Incidence Of Pre-Term Births, Low Birth Weights [PaEN]
-- The Derrick: PUC Considering Emergency Order To Have Aqua Pennsylvania Take Over 6 Rhodes Estate Water Companies [Fallout Continues From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill 15 Months Ago In Venango County] [PaEN]
-- DEP Begins Accepting Applications For New Methane Reduction Grants To Plug Conventional Oil, Gas Wells Oct. 16 [PaEN]
-- Evangelical Environmental Network Delivers Over 36,000 Comments From Pro-Life Christians To Gov. Shapiro, DEP In Support Of Strong Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emission Controls [PaEN]
-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Receives Grant To Strengthen Communications and Community Engagement Initiatives [PaEN]
-- Beaver County Residents Invited To Join An Oct. 23 In-Person Tour Of Shale Gas Fracking Sites & Infrastructure In Washington County And Discover Its Costs [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Air Quality General Permit (GP-16) Covering Gaseous Fuel-Fired Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines [Copy Of Documents ]
-- Team PA & Clean Air Task Force Convene Leaders To Discuss Challenges, Opportunities Of Industrial Decarbonization; DOE Provides Update On Decarbonization Investments In PA [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available Under Normal Conditions; PJM Delays Next Power Auction After Prices Spike [PaEN]
-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Urges EPA To Move Forward With Strong Regulation Of Vinyl Chloride Under Federal Toxic Substances Control Act, While Calling For A Ban [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- The Energy Age Blog: ‘Amity & Prosperity’ By Eliza Griswold Thrust Fracking In Washington County, PA Into The National Spotlight
-- Observer-Reporter: ‘Amity And Prosperity’ Book By Eliza Griswold Thrust Fracking [And Its Environmental & Health Impacts In] Washington County, Into National Spotlight [PDF of Article] [Part 5]
-- Observer-Reporter: 20 Years On, Fracking’s Potential Health Impacts Eyed [Part 4] [PDF of Article]
-- Observer-Reporter Letter: There’s Another Side To The 'Shale Gas Revolution' [PaEN]
-- Environmental Health Project: Health Professional’s Toolkit On Oil & Gas Development Health Impacts
--Washington & Jefferson College: October Marks 20th Anniversary Of Marcellus Shale In Appalachia
-- Observer-Reporter Editorial: Use Reason With Fracking
-- The Economist: The Shale Revolution Helped Make America’s Economy Great [‘It’s Like A Giant Factory Producing Energy’] [PDF of Article]
-- Spotlight PA: No One Is Using $2.6 Billion Hydrogen, Natural Gas Tax Credit, Shapiro Wants To Rewrite The Law To Boost Electricity Production
-- Utility Dive: Possible PJM Market Changes Could Lower Near-Term Capacity Prices, But Ultimately Give Rise To Higher Prices For A Longer Period Of Time - Morgan Stanley
-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsopple: New Guidelines Center The Needs Of People With Disabilities During Petrochemical Disasters
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: EPA Reaches $4.2 Million Settlement, Largest Of Its Kind, Over 2019 Philadelphia Refinery Explosion [Includes Copy Of Proposed Settlement]
-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: EPA Reaches Historic $4.2 Million Settlement Over 2019 South Philly Refinery Explosion, Fire
-- AP: EPA Reaches $4.2 Million Settlement Over 2019 Explosion, Fire At Philadelphia Refinery
-- WPXI: Small Natural Gas Leaks Found In More Than 30 Homes In Cranberry Twp., Butler County
[Posted: October 17, 2024] PA Environment Digest
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