PRTR - a way for improvements for progressive industry and progressive society Sarajevo, 14th November 2014 RNDr. Jindrich Petrlik Arnika – Toxics and Waste Programme
Pollutant Release and Transfer Register - PRTR
Origin and history of PRTRs, why they were established
How it is build and how does it work
PRTR as win / win tool
How industry can turn the PRTR from chalenge to advantage
Sources of information and international context
History 1978 – first PRTR in New Jersey – 155 chemicals, 7000 reporting facilities
1986 – TRI and RTK in U.S. federal law 1991 – UK 1993 – Canada 2002 – Czech Republic
Why was PRTR in USA created? The TRI Program was created in response to several events that raised public concern about local preparedness for chemical emergencies and the availability of information on hazardous substances. On December 4, 1984, a cloud of extremely toxic methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a Union Carbide Chemical plant in Bhopal, India. Thousands of people died that night in what is widely considered to be the worst industrial disaster in history. Thousands more died later as a result of their exposure, and survivors continue to suffer with permanent disabilities. In 1985, a serious chemical release occurred at a similar plant in West Virginia. In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
Bhopal disaster raised concerns about chemical releases worldwide On December 4, 1984, a cloud of extremely toxic methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a Union Carbide Chemical plant in Bhopal, India.
How are PRTR systems build up? -
pollutants (from several tenths to several hundreds of chemicals)
-
facilities with duty to report into the PRTR (simple systems – more complicated ones with restricted number of e.g. type and size of production, amount of chemicals used in production etc.)
How are PRTR systems build up? Reporting - every year for all releases and transfers per year - facilities calculate those and report them to ministry or environment agency -
not all data need to be measured (measured, expert estimate, calculation based on literature or other data) -
-
verification of data (stays with ministries/agencies collecting data into PRTR)
PRTR - diagram
off site waste transfers
waste disposal / landfilling
pollutants‘ releases and transfers into the environment
releases to air releases to land
transfers energy use
аварийные выбросы
recycling
transfers to public waste water treatment plants
energy use
transfers to landfills
releases to underground recycling transfers to water public waste injections water treatment plants
PRTR Database of chemical releases and transfers from individual facilities across the country Good PRTR: - Chemically specific - Accessible to public (internet) - Every year reporting - Includes accidential releases - Covers waste stream (chemically specific reporting on wastes) - Includes on site as well as off site transfers - Covers all industry sectors and is specific on each facility releases and transfers
PRTR – chemically specific (chemicals)
Examples – releases to air 100 kg of arsenic and 50 kg of mercury
x (and/or) 150 kg of heavy metals
Waste transfers 1.5 kg of PCBs and 100 kg of zinc
x (and/or) 1100 kg of hazardous wastes
Czech PRTR (example – data for formaldehyde – 2013)
http://www.irz.cz
PRTR – win / win tool for industry and society Richard Royall from Xerox Company persented PRTRs advantages for industry during its presentation in the Czech Republic (2000). Besides economic savings it can be:
- improvement of reputation among society - elimination of bariers in communication with comunity in surrounding of facilities - PRTR data prove that environment does matter for industrial facility - engagement of population living near the industrial facilities - basis for improvements of technology - supports to measure effectivness of production and/or reduction of releases (of pollutants) - improvement in efficiency of use of raw materials (you can discover unwanted leakage of chemicals used in production) - ideas for innovative technologies
PRTR – win / win tool for industry An American company 3M was pushed by PRTR to develop and implement its own programme called „Pollution Prevention Pays - 3P“. At the end they decreased waste production by 50% and total savings were 600 millions of USD. Company has implented 2500 projects in its affiliates in 20 countries worldwide leading e.g. to 92% decreased use of solvents in Netherlands.
Based on US PRTR programme (TRI) 3M adopted even more ambicious goal – to reduce total releases of chemicals by 90% with ultimate aim to reduce emissions and transfer to technically feasible minimum level.
PRTR use – Toshiba case study
PRTR and Toshiba – case study Amounts of top five substances targeted for usage reduction currently handled (Toshiba 2008)
Emmissions of top five substances targeted for reduction (Toshiba 2008)
PRTR and Toshiba – case study Changes in the amount released of substances subject to reduction (Toshiba 2008)
PRTR – win / win tool for industry and society US EPA established a programme called 33/50 - 17 priority substances for reduction of their releases - voluntary agreement with industry to reduce those 33% until the end of 1992 and 50% until the end of 1995 (baseline 1988 TRI data) - 1200 industrial companies got engaged in that programme
PRTR enhanced progressive changes in Třinecké železárny steelworks
Releases of pollutants into the air from Třinecké železárny steelworks (Czech republic) 16000
14000
3500
Dust
Emission (tonnes per year)
Steel (kilotonnes per year)
Production of steel
3000
12000 2500 10000 2000 8000 1500 6000 1000
4000
500
2000
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1985
0
1980
0
Latest main projects addressing emissions to air in Třinecké železárny steelworks
Dedusting of sinter plant n. 1
Desulfurization of coke oven gas Reconstruction of dedusting skip pits Dedusting of tippler no. 5 and no. 8 Modernization of coke oven battery no. 12
Since 1996 TŽ has invested around 200 mil. € in environmental protection
Photo: Secondary dedusting of oxygen converter steel plant hall
Photo: Dedusting of blast furnaces
Examples how the information from PRTR is usefull at state level Mercury releases and transfers – Czech Republic Releases and Transfers Releases Air to Water (kg/year) Soil
2004
2005
2006
2007
3 140,9 2 970,9 2 843,0 3 396,4 73,2 86,7 189,2 144,6 8,7 2,6 0,0 48,3
Transfers Wastes 5 463,6 2 558,0 5 707,5 4 303,9 in Waste 88,3 67,7 44,8 57,5 (kg/year) waters Total
8 774,7 5 685,9 8 784,5 7 923,6
Examples how the information from PRTR is usefull at state level Arsenic – releases to air and water, and transfer in wastes (Czech Republic)
Celkem ÄŒR - arsen 140000 120000 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0
Decreased emissions of dichloromethane – PRTR Czech Rep. – former top-ten polluters winners 250000
200000
150000
2004 - celkem 2005 - celkem 2006 - celkem
100000
2007 - celkem 2008 - celkem 50000
0 IVAX Pharmaceuticals JITONA/Tusculum a.s. Celkem ohlášeno v ČR s.r.o.
Decreased emissions of styrene after exposing PRTR data (Czech Republic)
PRTRs – information sources Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) – USA http://www2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program
European PRTR E-PRTR
OECD – PRTR Task Force http://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/pollutant-release-transfer-register/
Canada – Pollution Watch (NGO site) http.//www.pollutionwatch.org
Toshiba about PRTR http://www.toshiba.co.jp/env/en/industry/prtr.htm
Arnika‘s English website http://english.arnika.org/
International Context PRTR Protocol to the Aarhus Convention 1996 - OECD has developed a recommendation on PRTR PRTR Protocol was agreed at Aarhus Convention COP – May – 21 - 2003 in Kiev E-PRTR is a mirror of PRTR Protocol
PRTR and Stockholm Convention Article 10, para 5 5. Each Party shall give sympathetic consideration to developing mechanisms, such as pollutant release and transfer registers, for the collection and dissemination of information on estimates of the annual quantities of the chemicals listed in Annex A, B or C that are released or disposed of.
Jindrich Petrlik, executive director of Arnika – Toxics and Waste Programme, and co-chair of Dioxin, PCBs and Waste Working Group of IPEN (International POPs Elimination Network) http://english.arnika.org/ http://www.ipen.org
Thank you for your attention