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EPA announces five priority chemicals used by the Federal government that are targeted for reduction in accordance with Executive Order 13148
Reducing Federal Agency Usage of Priority Chemicals
In order to reduce Federal agencies' usage of harmful chemicals, section
503(b) of Executive Order 13138, "Greening the Government Through
Leadership in Environmental Management," directed EPA to develop a list
of priority chemicals "used by the Federal Government that may result in
significant harm to human health or the environment and that have known,
readily available, less harmful substitutes for identified applications
and purposes." The E.O. directs Federal agencies to develop and support
goals to reduce the usage of these chemicals by 50 percent by December 31, 2006.
EPA recommends that Federal agencies begin their efforts by focusing on
cadmium, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, and
naphthalene. This step will allow the Federal community to move begin
reducing its usage of these chemicals. According to Federal
Environmental Executive John Howard, "The remainder of calendar year
2004 will be used to develop the baseline against which we will measure
progress towards the goal of Section 503 and further refine existing
assistance information. In coordination with the E.O. 13148 Workgroup
and Agency Environmental Executives, my office will review the schedules
and related provisions set forth in the E.O. to determine the need for
necessary changes to facilitate implementation."
There are known alternatives to the five priority chemicals or products
containing them. For example, electronic thermostats can be used in
place of mercury-bearing switches. Solders containing copper or silver
can substitute for solder containing lead. And integrated pest
management can be used in place of naphthalene. As more information
about alternatives becomes available, OFEE will post it in the Waste
Prevention portion of this web site.
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