Feb 2004: ACCN, the Canadian Chemical News

L’Actualité chimique Chemical News Canadian

canadienne

February février

2004 Vol. 56, No./no 2

Process Safety and Loss Management Coping with CEPA S200 Changes in Major Hazard Control New Environmental Emergency Regulations Review of the Hamilton PSLM Education Workshop

Plus …

Choose Your Valentine!

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Pull-Out List of Hazardous Substances

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L’Actualité chimique canadienne

Canadian Chemical News

February février

2004 Vol. 56, No./no 2

Table of contents Table des matières

A publication of the CIC Une publication de l’ICC

Page

• Guest Column/Chroniqueur invité The CSChE’s Role in PSM Gerry Phillips, MCIC

6

Page

2

8

Feature Articles/Articles de fond From Zero to a Hundred

• Letters/Lettres

3

Page 10

10

Big Changes in Major Hazard Control Graham Creedy, FCIC

• Personals/Personalités

3

• News Briefs/Nouvelles en bref

5

• Chemputing Am I OK? Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC

8

• Chemfusion Too Tough on Teflon®?

Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

9

Hand in Hand

11

An informed look at the relationship between risk management and the new emergency response planning regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Section 200.

Ertugrul Alp, MCIC

A Meeting of the Minds

14

Highlights on the CSChE 2003 interactive workshop on process safety and loss management and education Paul R. Amyotte, FCIC

• Local Section News/ Nouvelles des sections locales

22

Environment Canada’s New Environmental Emergency Regulations

17

• Student News/ Nouvelles des étudiants

23

Pull-Out List of Hazardous Substances

18

John Shrives, MCIC

• Professional Directory/ Répertoire professionnel

25

• Careers/Carrières

27

• Events/Événements

30

As the whole world turns its attention to issues of security, Canada's new PSLM legislation is put into practice. Will it keep us safe?

Guest Column Chroniqueur invité Section head

The CSChE’s Role in PSM Gerry Phillips, MCIC hirty years ago, the process industrie experienced the u n i m a g i n a b l e.

The disaster at the Nypro Chemical plant plant in Flixborough, England resulted in the deaths of 28 people and injuries to 36 more, extensive damage to the surrounding community, and complete destruction of the facility. It was caused by a failure to manage changes to the pressure envelope.

The Institution of Chemical Engineers in the U.K. responded to the incident by commissioning a study of vapour cloud explosions, and the major chemical companies changed their design practices to address the potential for vapour cloud explosions. They also reviewed their processes for managing facility changes and implemented procedures to review the hazards associated with such changes. But it wasn’t enough!

Twenty years ago the disaster at Bhopal, India resulted in the deaths of over 4,300 people and injuries to over 10,000. Again, the incident was caused by the failure to manage changes to the facility, although the changes were subtler and brought into question the whole concept of operational safety. The chemical industries recognized the severity of this incident; the American Institute of Chemical Engineers established the Center for Chemical Process Safety.

Many of the industry associations responded to the disaster by establishing processes to deal with Process Safety Management (PSM). In Canada, the Canada’s Chemical Producers’ Association established the Responsible Care® program, which has been adopted by over 40 countries. The Canadian government established the Bhopal Aftermath Review to assess the Canadian situation. One of the recommendations arising from this review led to the establishment of the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC). The CSChE chose not to get involved.

The CSChE was established in 1966 to advance the principles and practice of chemical engineering in Canada for the benefit of society. This approach is unique

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among societies in that it commits the CSChE and its members to improving the general well-being of Canadian society. The reluctance to take a positive stand following Bhopal conflicts with this basic purpose of the Society. When MIACC dissolved, the CSChE Board of Directors endorsed the principles of PSM by approving the establishment of the CSChE PSM subject division, with the expectation that it would help reduce the likelihood and consequences of a major industrial accident in Canada.

In order to do so, the CSChE must continue to offer programs to increase the competency of members in hazard identification and risk assessment. The CSChE needs to assist and encourage local sections to meet the technical needs of the members and to use the annual conference to advance the science in PSM. Plans are being developed to introduce the basic concepts at the university level, but every company must assure that their engineers understand the risks of their work. Engineers who design for success must have a concept of what the results of failure might be.

We need to take reasonable positions and assist in the development of laws and regulations. Through involvement in developing CEPA Section 200 regulations and implementation guidelines, the CSChE was able to provide expertise in prevention and preparedness for an environmental incident.

This involved application of the principles of PSM, for although the methodologies were developed to deal with chemical manufacturing facilities, the principles are widely applicable to all facilities that handle chemicals, and generally to all manufacturing and processing industries. In essence, PSM is synonymous with good operating practices. All operators need to adopt these practices to adequately protect people, property, and the environment.

The CSChE has a great opportunity to lead the development of PSM in academia, research, government, communities, and industry. By getting involved, the Society can help ensure that should a major industrial accident occur in Canada, employees and the public will be safe.

Gerry Phillips, MCIC, is the leader of process safety and risk management for NOVA Chemicals worldwide and is serving as the vice-president of the CSChE. He has over 30 years of experience in process safety and loss management in the chemical and petrochemical industries.

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Editor-in-Chief/Rédactrice en chef Michelle Piquette Managing Editor/Directrice de la rédaction Heather Dana Munroe Publications Assistant/Adjoint aux publications Jim Bagrowicz Graphic Designer/Infographiste Krista Leroux Editorial Board/Conseil de la rédaction Terrance Rummery, FCIC, Chair/Président Catherine A. Cardy, MCIC Cathleen Crudden, MCIC Milena Sejnoha, MCIC Editorial Office/Bureau de la rédaction 130, rue Slater Street, Suite/bureau 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 613-232-6252 • Fax/Téléc. 613-232-5862 editorial@accn.ca • www.accn.ca Advertising/Publicité advertising@accn.ca Subscription Rates/Tarifs d’abonnement Non CIC members/Non-membres de l’ICC : in/au Canada CAN$50; outside/à l’extérieur du Canada CAN$75 or/ou US$60. Single copy/Un exemplaire CAN$8.

Canadian Chemical New/L’Actualité chimique Canadienne (ACCN) is published 10 times a year by The Chemical Institute of Canada / est publié 10 fois par année par l’Institut de chimie du Canada. www.cheminst.ca Recommended by The Chemical Institute of Canada, The Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of the Institute, or of the societies that recommend the magazine. Translation of any article into the other official language available upon request. / Recommandé par l’Institut de chimie du Canada, la Société canadienne de chimie, la Société canadienne de génie chimique et la Société canadienne de technologie chimique. Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement la position officielle de l’Institut ou des sociétés constituantes qui soutiennent la revue. La traduction de tous les articles dans l’autre langue officielle est disponible sur demande.

Change of Address/Changement d’adresse circulation@cheminst.ca Printed in Canada by Gilmore Printing Services Inc. and postage paid in Ottawa, ON./ Imprimé au Canada par Gilmore Printing Services Inc. et port payé à Ottawa, ON. Publications Mail Agreement Number/ No de convention de la Poste-publications : 40021620. (USPS# 0007-718) Indexed in the Canadian Business Index and available on-line in the Canadian Business and Current Affairs database. / Répertorié dans la Canadian Business Index et à votre disposition sur ligne dans la banque de données Canadian Business and Current Affairs.

ISSN 0823-5228

Personals Personalités Section head

Letters / Lettres

Government

Sulph(f)ate Debate Re: “The Charming and Alarming Copper Sulphate,” ACCN Vol. 55, No. 10.

An interesting and amusing piece, but “... silver, like iron, can donate electrons to copper ions....” Really?

By the way, “sulfate” is now the customary spelling, even in Great Britain.

Robert A. Stairs, FCIC Editor's note: Dr. Joe Schwarcz acknowledges the gooph. Phor spelling, we depher to the Canadian Oxphord Dictionary.

Industry

Douglas Stephan, FCIC

The 2004 F. G. Ciapetta Lectureship is awarded to Douglas Stephan, FCIC, of the University of Windsor department of chemistry and biochemistry. The F.G. Ciapetta Lectureship in Catalysis is cosponsored by Davison Catalyst, a business unit of W. R. Grace & Co and The North American Catalysis Society (NACS), of which the Catalysis Division of the CIC is a member. The award is given in recognition of substantial contributions to one or more areas in the field of catalysis with emphasis on industrially significant catalysts, catalytic processes, and the discovery of new catalytic reactions and systems of potential industrial importance.

In collaboration with a team of chemists and engineers at NOVA Chemicals, Stephan's team worked to explore and develop these new catalyst families towards commercialization.

Stephan and his group have

continued to study the structurereactivity relationship of these single-site catalysts. In addition, Stephan's group has discovered and studied a number of unusual deactivation pathways that these new catalysts exhibit, allowing optimization of process conditions. More recently, Stephan's group has been studying modified systems that exhibit living catalyst behaviour and their use in the formation of coand block polmers. His new efforts are focused on developing new co-catalysts as well as strategies to late transition metal catalysts. Stephan will present his award address to the Catalysis Division at the 18th Canadian Catalysis Symposium in Montréal in May 2004.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is a key federal agency investing in people, discovery, and innovation. Over the last 10 years, it has invested $5 billion in basic research, university-industry projects, and the training of Canada’s next generation of scientists and engineers.

Dalhousie University’s Jeff Dahn and 3M Canada Company received a 2003 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation for new electrode materials that can double the storage capacity and operating time of lithium-ion batteries. Each of the seven partnerships singled out for national recognition will receive a research grant.

A 2003 NSERC Steacie Fellowship was awarded to the University of Toronto’s Molly Shoichet, MCIC. The award is given to outstanding Canadian university scientists or engineers who have earned their doctorate within the last 12 years.

Jean-Paul Lacoursière, MCIC, (left) and Reid McPhail, MCIC

Jean-Paul Lacoursière, MCIC, of J.P. Lacoursiere & Associates, received the newly created CSChE Process Safety Management (PSM) Division Award from sponsor representative, Reid McPhail, MCIC, of AON Reed Stenhouse Inc. The award was presented at the recent Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference held in Hamilton on October 26–29, 2003.

Victor Snieckus, FCIC, has received the 2003 ArfvedsonSchlenk Award from the

Distinction

University Donald Lloyd Hooper, FCIC, chose to retire from his position at Dalhousie University in December 2003. He was the first specialist spectroscopist to be appointed to the chemistry department and his 36.3 years of regular service is one of the longest terms in the 140-year history of the department.

Peter Wentzell, MCIC, of Dalhousie University was awarded a two-year contract from PRECARN Inc. and Avensys. The contract is part of a m u l t i - u n i ve rs i t y / i n d u s t r y collaboration aimed at developing an Intelligent Advanced Environmental Monitoring System (IAEMS).

Victor Snieckus, FCIC

John A. Gray, MCIC

John A. Gray, MCIC, recognizes that public speaking can be a loathsome task. He has written an article entitled, "Scared Speechless" that will be published in this month’s issue of The Journal of Antiques and Collectables. If you would like a copy of Gray’s article (but are too afraid to ask), you can contact him at appleknocker@cogeco.ca.

February 2004

German Chemical Society (GDCh). The award recognizes scientists for outstanding scientific and technical achievements in the field of lithium chemistry.

Snieckus is cited as an exemplary representative of the synthetic organic community who has made fundamental contributions to the field of organolithium chemistry.

In his research, Snieckus has devised new organometallic reactions based on lithium and

Canadian Chemical News 3

Personals Personalités Section head

transition metal catalytic reactions which, aside from having fundamental value, have had considerable impact in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries for the production of drugs, plant-protection agents, and liquid crystals. His discoveries have led to the development of a new anti-inflammatory drug by Pharmacia and a unique antifungal agent for grain crop protection by Monsanto. His work shows the ability to transmit a discovery into a general synthetic concept and to insightfully demonstrate its application for the construction of bioactive molecules and complex natural products.

Erratum In ACCN Vol. 55, No. 10, we congratulated John Grace, FCIC, on the Chairman’s Award presented to him by the University of British Columbia. The award was in fact presented by the Science Council of British Columbia.

Obituaries

Karl Kiril Georgieff, FCIC

Karl Kiril Georgieff, FCIC, died on January 2, 2004 following a brief illness. Most of his career was spent as a research and development scientist. After graduating from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering in 1944, he joined Shawinigan Chemicals Ltd. in Shawinigan Falls, QC. In 1972, when the laboratory in Shawinigan closed, he was transferred to Gulf Chemicals Ltd. in Sheridan Park, Mississauga, ON. Karl’s greatest contribution to science was the development of polymer chemistry, particularly in acetylene and carbide polymers. He also carried out research in anti-oxidants and

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cancer inhibitors. His published papers exceed 18. He also wrote numerous private briefs and papers on polymer science.

Karl joined the CIC in 1944, becoming a Fellow in 1989, and a 50-year member in 1996. He joined the Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario (ACPO) in 1986, and assisted the late Rod Vaillant, FCIC, in the ACPO to achieve Chartered Chemist status for the ACPO. He served as a councillor for the Oakville-Burlington District for three 2-year terms. He was an ardent promoter of the ACPO attaining professional standing.

Karl leaves his devoted wife and a brother.

Submitted by Walter Brown, FCIC

On November 2, 2003, the Ottawa Section lost one of its proudest members, Horace Philipp, FCIC. A continuous and active member of the CIC since 1955, he worked as senior paint chemist at Sherwin-Williams Paints, Montréal, QC. As part of the protective coatings division of the CIC, he was instrumental in improving the participation from both industrial and academic members of the Montréal and Toronto sections in an annual coatings symposium.

Horace Philipp, FCIC

More recently, as part of the Ottawa Section executive, he displayed a commitment to bridging the gap between chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical technologists. Philip never stopped raising public awareness of the chemical industry through his role on a number of committees for various professional societies for nearly half a century.

Philipp is an example of what a lifetime commitment to the chemical professions should be.

His 49 years of membership and service to the CIC and other professional societies is remarkable.

He will be missed.

The Ottawa Section Executive Committee

2003 Rise in Canadian Chemical Sales Overall sales of Canadian manufactured chemicals increased by 6 percent in 2003, despite a delay in the recovery of the U.S. economy. According to the annual survey of business conditions compiled by Canada’s Chemical Producers’ Association (CCPA), respondents expect to see further growth of 5 percent for 2004.

Respondents expect sales value and volumes to grow by another 5 percent in 2004.

Exports are expected to grow by 13 percent, led by an increase of 16 percent in exports to the U.S. Operating profits are expected to recover, increasing to $1.1 billion in 2004. Fixed capital investment by the chemical manufacturing industry is estimated to have increased by 12 percent during 2003 to $1.2 billion, and is expected to increases to $1.4 billion in 2004.

Although growth is strong, profitability continues to be threatened. “Ontario and Quebec have increased corporate taxes just as the business cycle is set to enter the capital and investment phase,” said CCPA chair Steve Griffiths. “This may hurt companies seeking new investment to add capacity and new technologies; improve productivity; create jobs; and respond to sustainability challenges.”

For a copy of the complete year-end survey, visit www.ccpa.ca/english/new/ccp a/index.html.

Canada’s Chemical Producers

Photo by Carol Thorbes

News Briefs Nouvelles en bref Section head

journal Nature in collaboration with their British American and colleagues’ on the discovery of BBS8, the sixth gene linked to the development of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). BBS is a potentially fatal hereditary Michel Leroux and Oliver Blacque disease characterized by blindness, obesity, kidney dysfunction and learning disabilities. Leroux and Blacque helped discover the BBS8 gene codes for a protein that seems to operate specifically at the base of cilia, microscopic hairs projecting from certain cells.

Cilia are known to act as appendages that propel cells A pair of researchers at Simon through fluid or as small antenFraser University (SFU) has nae that sense cells’ surrounding uncovered clues as to what environment, sniffing such things causes a rare disease whose as chemicals and food, and warntraits are becoming increasingly ing of a threatening environment.

Leroux and Blacque made their common. Michel Leroux’s and Oliver Blacque’s research could discoveries while studying tissue and point the way to developing tests mammalian to screen for and correct cellular C. elegans, tiny worms. They also defects potentially linked to the found that 3 other BBS proteins development of obesity, kidney (BBS1, 2 and 7) are turned on in disease and learning disabilities. C. elegans, but only in cells with Leroux, a professor, and cilia. They have yet to work out Blacque, a post-doctoral fellow, the location of the genes’ are researchers in SFU’s depart- proteins function within cilia.

The information they’ve gathment of molecular biology and biochemistry. They recently pub- ered so far indicates that BBS8 lished a paper in the science (and perhaps the other BBS genes

Biochemists Focus on BBS

found only in cilia) makes cilia do something important. The big question is what, and is that function linked to the development of a variety of conditions in BBS sufferers?

“Obesity and learning disabilities, found in BBS patients, have not yet been associated with a problem with cilia, which accounts for the novelty of this research,” notes Leroux. “It has been known for a long time that problems with cilia cause diseases. For example, kidney disease and retinal degeneration are associated with ciliary problems.”

Leroux and Blacque are interested in seeing what happens when BBS genes in C. elegans are disrupted. “We’re checking to see if the disruption causes some malfunction in the structure, shape or function of cilia,” explains Leroux. “It’ll take some time to uncover why defects in cilia can cause obesity, diabetes or learning difficulties in BBS patients. But establishing such a link could help doctors screen for and possibly correct these defects, not only in BBS patients but the growing number of people in the general population who suffer from some of BBS’ common traits.”

Reprinted with permission from Carol Thorbes, Simon Fraser University

2004 Canadian Chemical Directory Camford Information Services has published the 2004 Canadian Chemical Directory. It is the most comprehensive listing of suppliers of feedstocks, intermediates, minerals, metals, resins, and pharmaceuticals in Canada. The “Companies” section provides a complete alphabetical listing of approximately 570 chemical manufacturers and distributors, listing addresses, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses,

executives, sales contacts, manufacturing plants, branch sales offices, parent and subsidiary companies, principals (foreign firms represented in Canada), chemical products, and trade names. The “Products” section lists over 3,300 chemical products, showing which companies supply each product in Canada and indicating whether they manufacture here.

Additional sections provide cross-

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referenced listings for parent companies, subsidiaries, principals and trade names. For further information or to place orders for the directory, contact Bob Douglas at Camford Information Services Inc, 38 G r o o m s p o r t Crescent, Scarborough, ON M1T 2K9; tel.: 416-291-3215; fax: 416-291-3406; e-mail: bdouglas@camfordinfo.com.

Canadian Chemical News 5

News Briefs Nouvelles en bref Section head

The Birds and the Bees

ger, therefore producing more or bigger eggs, providing a selective advantage in the struggle for survival of the species. The duo's theory may hold a key to unlocking the mystery surrounding the evolution of complex life cycles.

Simon Fraser University

New Labs Rock

Photo by Steve Frost

Which came first, the butterfly or the caterpillar, the tadpole or the frog? The mystery of metamorphosis—the amazing transformation of a larva into a very different adult animal form— has long perplexed humankind.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) have an interesting new theory on the subject that was published in a recent edition of the scholarly journal Evolution and Development. The big quandary is how the larval stage came to be so different from the adult, and whether, in their early evolutionary phase, adults used to look like the much simpler present day larvae or whether the larval stage was somehow inserted into the life cycle.

Bruce Brandhorst, SFU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and post-doctoral fellow Cory Bishop have discovered that a simple gas called nitric oxide controls the timing of metamorphosis animals. "From that, we speculated that since nitric oxide also controls the timing of life cycle changes in the stages of other simple organisms, it may have a long evolutionary history of controlling life cycle transitions," explains Brandhorst, "allowing organisms to regulate when they become sexually mature, which in many animals involves going through metamorphosis from the larval stage to a juvenile or adult stage."

Based on their findings that nitric oxide allows larvae to delay metamorphosis, Brandhorst and Bishop propose that larval forms were an evolutionary insertion that arose because animals could delay their adult formation.

Forming swimming larvae allowed them to more easily escape predation or to grow big-

lab consists of 8 pods, with 16 workstations per pod; each station has access to a fume hood. To facilitate efficient program delivery, each pod has a tutorial area for chalkboard sessions and a demo station with a digitized white board and screen for LCD projection so the teaching assistant can transmit the lesson to the computer stations in a given pod. Each lab also has a central prep room from which the lecturer can project a lesson to any or all 8 pods.

labs, gave the new facility top marks. “The space is highly motivating because it is so bright.

The air quality is pristine and the organization of the space is conducive to small group work while accommodating a large number of students.” As for the students themselves, comments in their written evaluations range from “the new labs rock” to “I feel so inspired.”

The renovation of the remaining chemistry laboratories is currently in the advanced design stages and should proceed shortly in order to accommodate the volume of students who will enrol in higher-level chemistry courses.

Reprinted with permission from Kim Luke, University of Toronto Bulletin

Dow Divides University of Toronto’s deluxe new labs mean “real” chemistry for first year students

It will surprise double cohort doomsayers, but first-year chemistry students are having a better learning experience than their forebears. Thanks to extensive lab renovations, they are experiencing the excitement of research firsthand in a new state-of-the-art facility complete with individual fume hoods in each learning pod and the latest in audiovisual program delivery.

“To learn chemistry, students cannot be mere observers,” said Scott Mabury, ACIC, chair of the department. “A quality experience means doing real hands-on experiments with access to the best facilities and equipment starting in first year.”

The new labs allow 128 students to conduct experiments simultaneously. Each

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“The set up is so flexible that we can teach one large class or eight different classes simultaneously,” said Mabury, noting that pharmacy and engineering students will be using the labs as well.

As further evidence of planning with students’ needs in mind, the offices for teaching staff, technician space, and tutorial rooms are directly beside the labs, making professors and T.A.s readily accessible. The upgrade is also having a significant environmental impact, saving 3 million litres of water by using a closed-loop chill water system, integrating a vacuum instead of using wasteful water aspirators and greatly reducing the number of sinks.

Cecilia Kutas, MCIC, who teaches first-year classes in the

Dow Chemical Company has announced a new organization with three global business portfolios and the appointment of senior vice-presidents who will lead them. Plastics will be headed by Romeo Kreinberg and include polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, polystyrene, engineering thermoplastics, fabricated products, automotive, wire and cable, and rubber and elastomers.

Chemicals and Intermediates will be headed by Michael R. Gambrell. Products include organic intermediates, solvents and monomers (OISM), oxide derivatives, chlor-vinyls, chlorinated organics, Cal/Mag, propylene oxide/propylene glyco,l and acrylates.

Performance chemicals and thermosets will consist of polyurethanes, polyurethane systems, epoxy, Dow latex (emulsion polymers and UCAR emulsion systems), industrial

News Briefs Section head E Nouvelles en bref Section F Section head Sectionhead head

chemicals, specialty polymers (excluding acrylates), water soluble polymers, custom and fine chemicals, and licensing.

It will be headed by Phillip H. Cook.

Camford Chemical News

Sorting Out Sulphur Finding a home for vast amounts of excess sulphur recovered from petroleum and natural gas is turning out to be a perplexing problem for oil and gas companies, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

“Relatively high prices and improved technologies for get-

ting oil and natural gas out of the ground are spurring production of high-sulphur-content grades. As processing plants remove the extra sulphur, the stuff is piling up all over the world,” reports Alexei Barrioneuvo.

The article underscores the need for development of sulphur markets, says Robert J. Morris, president of The Sulphur Institute (TSI). “This is a message that TSI has been espousing for years.”

Air-emissions regulations in Europe, North America and elsewhere require sulphur to be recovered from petroleum and natural gas. Unless new markets are developed and existing markets are expanded, worldwide sulphur supplies could exceed demand by more than six million tons by 2010, especially due to the growing

supplies in the energy-rich Middle East and Caspian Sea regions.

On the flip side, sulphur is a valuable commodity that can be put to good use, Morris says.

Targeted market development can accelerate sulphur demand.

In China, where TSI initiated programs to develop sulphur markets in 1994, the demand for sulphur has soared. Since 1995, sulphur imports into China have increased by 70 percent per year to reach more than four million tons.

China is now the world’s largest importer of sulphur.

TSI maintains that the market potential for sulphur is excellent, if only the entire gas and oil industry will devote the resources to develop them.

“There are already two potential markets with proven

February 2004

track records and promising opportunities to accelerate sulphur consumption. One is sulphur as a plant nutrient and the other is sulphur construction materials for roads and other building applications,” says Morris.

Plant sulphur deficiencies are becoming common, in part due to less airborne sulphur compounds, and there is an increasing need for sulphur in newer fertilizers. The potential consumption for sulphur fertilizers alone could exceed 10 million tons by 2010.

For the construction industry, sulphur asphalt roads are an attractive, cost-effective complement to traditional asphalt. Sulphur concrete has unique properties with significant performance advantages for many

Canadian Chemical News 7

Chemputing Section head

Am I OK? The perils of Internet diagnosis lmost half a century has passed since I joined the CIC as a student in 1956. Any warrantee on my health and body parts has long since expired and, as with others of my era, I have experienced a variety of diseases, syndromes, and worn-out parts. The medical profession has certainly aided us with an ever-increasing number of diagnostic procedures and treatments that have kept us living productive lives. Only decades ago, we would have been pushed over the potential energy barrier to that ultimate zero-energy state from which there is no recovery. Unfortunately, that same profession has clung to some rather archaic concepts about disseminating information. It would seem that they don't consider that we might need to know anything other than what they choose to tell us. As we don't get copies of our own files, we have to survive on what we can remember about the one-liners we're told, often under stress, during that medical examination. I decided to see if I could do better by making use of the medical resources available on the Internet. I found a multitude of sites crammed with information that is both correct and incorrect, applicable and not applicable, or informative and misleading. Simply put, there's a lot of information out there and nobody is policing it. It's worth the effort of searching, but be prepared to sift through lots of misinformation, disinformation and garbage before you find what you need.

I made my first attempt when it became necessary to schedule a medical appointment as a result of some funny feeling I was experiencing. I started at the Mayo Clinic Web site (www.mayoclinic.com/index.cfm?). It’s my favourite starting point for any medical investigation. I entered my symptoms in the search window. If several words are required for the search, link the words together with the word “and.” Back came links to a dozen different syndromes and diseases. Half had no relation to my problem. I checked the others and narrowed that list down to one. I then used this name to

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Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC do a search with Google to see what else I could learn. By the time, I went for my medical appointment, I had a reasonable understanding. Yes that was my problem, and I was told the likely cause and how to go about doing something about it. This turned out to be an excellent example of a cooperative effort between myself and the medical profession.

My next attempt started in a similar manner. I was sent to a specialist who confirmed the findings and said things would clear up by themselves in about a month. They did, but other symptoms started to appear. I repeated my search and looked into some of the less-obvious alternatives. The body is a complex system and any given set of symptoms can come

from more than one cause. How do you determine the cause when you are experiencing symptoms for the first time? A well-established general practitioner will likely have seen your symptoms thousands of times. In my data-handling course, I discuss Pareto's Laws of Maldistribution.

Put simply, 80 percent of the problems can be attributed to 20 percent of the causes.

You don't start with the way-out causes until you have covered all the simpler ones.

Nevertheless, I held out for my diagnosis in spite of it being a rare one. In the end, several specialists confirmed that I did indeed have a rare neurological disorder, and I was quite proud to be the one who actually diagnosed it. If the diagnosis was so perplexing to the medical profession, how did I manage to do better? I guess I was just lucky. It was a good thing I didn't have to go choose the appropriate course of action from the Web resources. They tended to favour chopping out some internals

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rather than the medication I now take to keep it under control.

I started searching the Web because I was getting so frustrated waiting to find out what was wrong. I was going through a series of tests and nobody was prepared to tell me enough along the way. I did manage to get one little snippet of information about a high level of a particular protein in a place where it wouldn't normally be found. A quick check on the Web indicated I had multiple myeloma and would have to face a highly shortened life expectancy. I found a Web site (www.lifeexpectancy.com/index.shtml) with a life expectancy calculator that was prepared to give me a few more decades without this problem.

Healthy Ontario(www.healthyontario.ca/english/index.a sp) agreed. It seemed an eternity before I got the results from my x-rays and bone marrow biopsy. You can imagine the sense of relief when those tests showed no signs of myeloma. That experience gave me a strong warning about delving into areas I don't understand without the knowledge to do so. Wasn't I forgetting the position I had taken when I started working in the industrial water-treatment field? I was horrified to see plant operators put in charge of complex chemical systems. While a few had expert systems, most had little more than a set of general guidelines to follow. That might work if a plant is running as it should, but do plant operators have the knowledge to sense trouble and take the most appropriate corrective actions?

I have spoken to several medical professionals about using the Internet. They all recommended using it as they like to deal with an informed patient, but they all had the same concern. Never forget that you came to them in the first place because you had a problem that needed a diagnosis and a solution. Go ahead and get all the information you want, but leave the diagnosing and troubleshooting to someone who has the knowledge to do it.

You can reach our Chemputing editor, Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC, at Marvin Silbert and Associates, 23 Glenelia Avenue, Toronto, ON M2M 2K6; tel. 416-225-0226;

Chemfusion

Too Tough on Teflon®?

Are surface protectors safe … from scrutiny? knew something was going on when I listened to my messages in the morning. The first caller wanted to know if it was safe to keep using Teflon® dental floss, and the second inquired about the best way to dispose of her Teflon® cookware. The third wanted to know if it was safe to keep wearing a Teflon® coated hat.

It didn’t take me long to find out that the scare had been triggered by a segment on the ABC news program 20/20 that had addressed some concerns about Teflon®.

This issue follows on the heels of the closely related “fabric protector” story.

Let’s start with that one.

Back in 1952, Patsy Sherman, a young chemist at the 3M Company, was assigned the problem of finding a material that was flexible and could stand up to the corrosive nature of jet aircraft fuels. Gaskets and hoses commonly deteriorated and had to be frequently replaced. Sherman was familiar with the chemical-resistant properties of fluoropolymers like Teflon® and began to experiment with similar substances. The research seemed to be going nowhere until one day Sherman’s assistant accidentally spilled a few drops of a novel compound on her new tennis shoe. She became frustrated because neither water, alcohol nor any other solvents were able to remove the stain. Sherman was quite taken by the material’s repellent properties and shifted the focus of her research. By 1956 with the help of fellow 3M chemist Sam Smith, “Scotchgard™ Protector” made a triumphant entry into the marketplace as a virtually magical substance that repelled water and stains from clothes, carpets, and furniture fabrics.

Scotchgard™ was an immensely successful product line, with active ingredients being manufactured by the millions of pounds annually. Then, all of a sudden, in May of 2000, 3M made a startling announcement.

It was phasing out the manufacture of perfluorooctanyl sulfonate (PFOS), the key chemical used to manufacture Scotchgard™ products. Their chemists had found that Scotchgard™ can degrade to release PFOS, which was turning out to be more persistent in the environment than previously

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Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

believed. It had been detected, albeit at very low levels, in the blood of seals, dolphins, mink, bald eagles and, most importantly, humans! For years the company had been monitoring blood levels in employees working with the chemical and had become concerned that uptake was exceeding the body’s ability to excrete it. But the problem came to a head when PFOS was found in samples from blood banks that were to be used as control samples for the workers’ blood. It soon became clear that all humans had some PFOS in their blood.

How was it getting there? Studies have shown that about a third of a sprayed product is lost to the air, ready to be inhaled by people. Given that, and the fact that huge amounts of the repellent chemicals were used in products ranging from fast-food packaging and linens to tents and upholstery, it comes as no surprise that remnants show up in our blood. Of course, just because a chemical is present in the blood does not mean that it presents a danger. In the case of PFOS though, there was an indication from rat and primate studies that excessive exposure might be a concern. No human problems have ever been linked to PFOS, and 3M maintains that its withdrawal of the chemical was due to environmental concerns. Perhaps. Or maybe the company saw the writing on the wall and decided to take action before being forced to by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In any case, 3M has been successful in developing alternate formulations for many (but not all) uses of Scotchgard™. The new key ingredient is a smaller molecule, perfluorobutyl sulfonate, which we are told is non-toxic and non-persisten.

When 3M phased out PFOS, it also stopped production of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which it sold to other companies for use in the production of Teflon®.

There is no viable substitute for this compound in Teflon® manufacture and Dupont now produces large volumes. Like PFOS, it too has been found widespread in the environment. In this case, the source is not obvious because finished Teflon® products

do not contain any PFOA. One possibility is that another type of stain-repellent material made of short chain fluorinated polymers, known as telomers, breaks down to release PFOA. Most people never heard of PFOA until 20/20 focused on it. Highlighting the case of an unfortunate young man born with one nostril and a deformed eye whose mother worked in Teflon® production while pregnant, the piece inferred that exposure to PFOA was responsible. Birth defects are not uncommon and it is unscientific to make such a link without more evidence. The program also went on to describe how heating Teflon® to temperatures above 288 degrees Celsius can cause the release of fumes that are toxic to birds and which, in humans, can cause a reversible “polymer fume fever.” But this in no way means that Teflon® dental floss, hats, or properly used cookware present a risk to the consumer. The persistence of PFOA is an issue and the EPA in the U.S. is looking into it. But this has nothing to do with using cookware in your kitchen. Just use Teflon® cookware as it is meant to be used. Don’t fry foods at extreme temperatures. In any case, if you are heating foods to 288 degrees Celsius, you had better worry more about the toxic compounds that form by heating the food than those released by Teflon®. This type of cookware actually lets you cook foods with less fat so the end product is healthier. And now I’ll go and have some lunch: stir-fried vegetables … in a Teflon® pan, of course. Afterwards, I’ll use some Teflon® floss. And if I had a Teflon® coated hat, I’d happily sport it.

Popular science writer, Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is the director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. He hosts the "Dr. Joe Show" every Sunday at 3–4 p.m. on Montréal's radio station CJAD. The broadcast is available on the Web at www.CJAD.com. You can contact him at joe.schwarcz@mcgill.ca.

Editor’s note: To view DuPont’s statement on the ABC’s 20/20 segment on Teflon®, visit www1.dupont.com/NASApp/dupontglobal/corp/ index.jsp?page=/news/position/pfoac8.html.

February 2004

Canadian Chemical News 9

From Zero to a Hundred Big Changes in Major Hazard Control hat a difference a year makes!

In the last 12 months, Canada has gone from having next to no regulation of major accident hazards to having the basics. And depending on which part of the country we’re talking about, plans are in the works for the creation of a comprehensive framework for their control. Curiously, these changes have gone nearly unnoticed by the mainstream media.

The most obvious change is the regulation under Section 200 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, (see p. 17 for further detail). Much of this regulation is straightforward, but the prevention aspect will likely have a few people scratching their heads. CSChE’s process safety management division can help here. A guide and self-assessment tool are available on the PSM division’s Web site in both official languages, free of charge. But be warned: even the essential level of the self-assessment could be challenging for some.

The second change at the federal level is the passage of Bill C-45 on October 27, 2003. This is the so-called “Westray” Bill, amending the Criminal Code of Canada so that corporations and their senior officials can be prosecuted for serious accidents.

C-45 includes an explicit legal duty for those directing the work of others to take reasonable steps to prevent harm, and

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Graham Creedy, FCIC

penalties can be severe. Due diligence is a defence, but that would imply some familiarity with standard approaches to major hazard control.

Many sites are not in the know, at least not yet.

This means that if you’re in Ontario, the 2003 Emergency Management Act could soon be relevant. This Act requires each Ontario municipality to have an emergency management program as defined by Emergency Management Ontario (EMO). EMO’s program covers all types of hazards, including natural ones, and has three levels based on the community self-assessment of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs’ “Partnerships Toward Safer Communities” initiative. Those familiar with the former Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC) will recognize the community and site self-assessments referred to above—both were originally developed by MIACC teams.

Ontario intends its municipalities to progress through to the comprehensive level by December 2006, then move to compliance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) disaster management standard 1600. NFPA 1600 refers to a range of techniques for assessing risk in hazardous operations—standard stuff for those in the know. But many sites are not in the know, at least not yet. Other provinces are said to be watching Ontario’s lead.

So there’s work to do over the next few years, but to a worthwhile end. Canada may be late in the game, but is now catching up and with luck, will yet be able to avoid repeating history by applying the lessons of the past.

For more information: PSM division: www.cheminst.ca/division/psm/index.htm.

Partnerships Toward Safer Communities: www.ptsc-program.org.

Bill C-45: consult your organization’s legal department.

Graham Creedy, FCIC, is a consultant and senior manager of Responsible Care® for the Canada's Chemical Producers Association.

He is also secretary of the process safety management division of CSChE. The opinions expressed in this piece are his own.

Chemical Health and Safety Workshop and Symposium April 5 and 6, 2004 Canmore, Alberta, Canada

Featuring a full-day workshop on: • Laboratory Health and Safety Management

And ...

A one-day symposium that encompasses: • The Work Safe Alberta Initiative • A Proactive Program for Wellness and Risk Reduction • New Chemical Health and Safety Legislation –Alberta’s New Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code • Toxicology and Chronic Exposures • Process Safety Management For more information and a preliminary conference program, please visit the ACPA Web site: www.pchem.ca.

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février 2004

Hand in Hand An informed look at the relationship between risk management and the new emergency response planning regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Section 200.

Ertugrul Alp, MCIC et’s consider the relationship between risk management and the new emergency response planning regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Section 200.

We’ll begin with a brief discussion of risk concepts, covering some basic terminology, and describe a risk management process model that is used for risk-based continual improvement and innovation. We will then describe how we see CEPA s200 regulations fit within this framework, and provide some thoughts for the future, recognizing the gaps between existing legislation and the framework provided by the risk management process model.

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Risk and risk management Risk is a broad concept that focuses on “unplanned events.” It encompasses five components: 1.A hazard that is inherent in an activity that we undertake to gain some benefit; 2.An unplanned event that might occur and brings out the hazard to the risk receptors; 3.An “adverse consequence” related to the event; 4.“Uncertainty” about whether that adverse consequence will happen to us or not (“likelihood”); 5.The “perception” that we have at a given point in time regarding the seriousness of the adverse consequence, if it does happen, and the likelihood that it might happen.

We make decisions based on our perceptions. If we have accurate information on the hazards, the potential events, the adverse consequences and the chances that they might occur, then our perceptions will also be accurate, increasing the chance of making gainful decisions.

To put these in perspective, here is an example related to environment and CEPA s200:

You are the manager of a new plant. Your manufacturing process uses chlorine to improve product desirability by customers.

You carry a large inventory to minimize transportation costs. You are also aware, though, that if a large release occurs, many people in and around the plant could die.

You figure, based on your knowledge of history of incidents in your industry involving chlorine, there is a “pretty good” chance of retiring before anything serious occurs at your plant.

The risk management process model Here, the fact that you have a process that uses chlorine in a plant surrounded by people, defines the system and scope of the situation you are trying to manage. Your realization that chlorine is hazardous and that it could get released in large quantities

consists of the hazard identification step of the risk analysis you have conducted, albeit perhaps without knowing it as a risk analysis. The number of people whose health could be affected is a measure of the adverse consequences of the release event.

Your gut feel estimation of the chances of retiring before anything serious occurs at your plant comprises the frequency analysis step. Your assessment of the chances to be “pretty good” based on your knowledge of industry is your perception about the acceptability of risk. These steps that you go through in making your strategic decision to accept the plant manager’s position, and your day-to-day decisions in running the plant, comprise the risk management process. This process is shown in Figure 1 as the ever-continuing loops of learning (left loop), continual improvement and innovation (right loop), and quality management (bottom loop).

Figure 1. The risk management process

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Canadian Chemical News 11

The learning loop provides the opportunity to increase our understanding of the risks through a better understanding of the system we are operating in, and the consequences and likelihood of adverse events.

With better understanding comes the opportunity of better deciding whether we need to improve the situation, and if we do, how we can limit or reduce our risks on a continual basis through additional risk treatment measures. The quality management loop provides the opportunity to monitor how things are going on a daily basis, and to make course-corrections as needed so that deviations from the intended way of operating can be caught before they become significant threats.

This model of risk management is very simple to understand and internalize, and is applicable to any situation. It can be used as the ideal risk management model in the years to come.

CEPA Section 200 and the risk management process

loop. Testing of the plan is part of the quality management loop where deficiencies as compared to the plan are identified and corrected. If, as part of the testing, weaknesses in the plan or in the capabilities of the responders are identified, then the risk evaluation decision diamond will require additional training and modifications to the plan itself through the continual improvement loop.

Food for thought

If we have accurate information on the hazards, the potential events, the adverse consequences, and

Let us demonstrate how CEPA s200 regulations fit within the risk management process.

The regulations require companies that have more-than-threshold quantities of specified hazardous materials to prepare environmental emergency plans and to notify government bodies. These plans are to include information on how the facility and the company would respond to an environmental emergency (in this context, an environmental emergency includes an event that could affect public safety as well as the environment). These plans are also to include information on what the facility should be doing to prevent an environmental emergency. (This latter requirement is somewhat new as emergency response plans go.)

The hazardous materials of interest for the purposes of the legislation are specified on a list that also gives the threshold quantity for each material above which an environmental emergency plan is required.

Emergency personnel need to be trained on the plan, and the plan needs to be tested and improved through emergency response exercises.

With respect to the risk management process, the legislation itself is a risk treatment measure. Its purpose is to reduce the chances of undesirable events through its prevention provision, and to mitigate the consequences if such an event does occur.

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This piece of legislation fills a significant gap, and is an important step in further improving the management of environmental, health and safety risks in Canada, posed by industrial facilities that have large quantities of hazardous materials.

The list of hazardous materials and thresholds is a simple risk assessment (risk analysis and evaluation) tool. Risk acceptability evaluation criteria are built into this list in the form of thresholds.

the chances that they might occur—then our perceptions will also be accurate, increasing the chance of making gainful decisions.

The inspection provisions in the regulations provide the basis for monitoring their implementation, and are part of the quality management loop.

The training and testing requirements can be considered as additional risk treatment measures and risk monitoring measures, respectively, to strengthen the usefulness of the environmental emergency plan. While these training and testing requirements provide learning opportunities for emergency personnel, they do not constitute part of the learning loop for decision making.

Training is part of the continual improvement

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First a few thoughts about the specifics of the CEPA s200 regulations: 1. The regulations provide a list of hazardous materials of concern and thresholds. For the derivation of the thresholds, certain consequence (as opposed to risk) criteria were used (Lacoursière, 2002).

These criteria typically consist of a given damage level (for example, Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) concentration in air, for toxic gases; 3 psi overpressure for explosions) at 100 metres from the event location, and follow the U.S. E.P.A. Risk Management Program consequence modeling methodologies for establishing thresholds.

While the above reference is readily available on the Web, the methodology has not been widely publicized. It would be useful for companies to understand these criteria, so that (i) they could do their own risk assessment to establish appropriate thresholds for substances that may not be on the list, and (ii) that they can develop environmental emergency plans for the protection of the public and the environment as part of their efforts of continual improvement, even though such plans may not be required by law.

2. The regulations require “the identification of any environmental emergency” to form the basis of the plan. It is not clear what type of risk identification methods would be acceptable for the purposes of the regulation, other than through indirect references to the CSChE, the AIChE Center for Chemical Process Safety, and the American Petroleum Institute documents in the Implementation Guidelines (Environment Canada, 2003). It would be useful for Environment Canada to specify more clearly, or give direct references for, acceptable risk identification methods that could be used for this purpose.

3. The regulations require an environmental emergency plan to include “the measures to be taken to notify members of the public who may be adversely affected by an environmental emergency.” This implies knowledge of the extent of the potential impact zones by the company to form the basis of the plan. It would be useful to specify, or at least give examples of, acceptable consequence modeling methods for calculating the potential impact zones.

Presumably, the U.S. E.P.A. RMP scenario definitions and consequence modeling methodology would be acceptable for this purpose, given the heavy reliance on this methodology in establishing of the CEPA thresholds.

Here are some further thoughts at a higher level, considering CEPA and other Canadian legislation: 1. Earlier in this article, it was recognized that inclusion of the prevention provision was “somewhat new as emergency response plans go.” This provision fills a significant gap that existed in Canadian legislation, namely process safety management. The U.S. equivalent of this provision is the OSHA 1992 Process Safety Management regulations.

2. The CEPA Section 200 regulations include public health and safety as a specific focus. A particular concern with environmental emergencies is the potential presence of members of the public that could be in harms way. Presence of the public, in turn, is a strong function of the land use around the facility. Land use planning is generally controlled by municipalities, under certain environmental guidelines set by the provincial environment ministries regarding different types of industries. Typically, the potential for environmental emergencies originating from a facility that has hazardous materials do not factor into land use planning unless a municipality has its own (very progressive) by-laws in this regard. This issue seems to be “falling through the cracks” between different jurisdictions, and remains a significant gap within the Canadian legislative framework regarding management of risks to public health and safety.

References Environment Canada (2003). Implementation Guidelines for Part 8 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999—Environmental Emergency Plans. September.

Web reference http://www.ec.gc.ca/ CEPARegistry/guidelines/impl_guid/toc.cfm.

Lacoursière, J.P. (2002). Rationale For the Development of a List of Regulated Substances Under CEPA Section 200 and Their Threshold Quantities.

Prepared for Environment Canada, National Program Directorate, Environmental Protection Service. July.

Web reference http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/ documents/regs/e2_rationale/toc.cfm.

Ertugrul Alp, MCIC, is currently an executive committee member of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) process safety management division, and a member of the CSA technical committee on updating the CSA Risk Management Standard.

February 2004

Canadian Chemical News 13

A Meeting of the Minds Highlights on the CSChE 2003 interactive workshop on process safety and loss management and education

veryone agrees that safety is important. Well … if it’s so important, then what are we doing about educating the next generation of chemical engineers in matters of industrial safety?

That was the question on the minds of about 50 participants from industry, government and academia as they gathered for safety’s sake. Hamilton, ON was the site for an interactive workshop on process safety and loss management (PSLM) and education. The workshop was held on October 28, 2003 during the 53rd Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, and was organized by the education team of the CSChE’s Process Safety Management (PSM) subject division.

PSM is the application of management principles and systems to the identification, understanding and control of process hazards to prevent process-related injuries and accidents. As noted by Gerry Phillips, MCIC, CSChE vice-president and senior loss prevention engineer with NOVA Chemicals, it can take years for an industrial company to fully understand and implement all the elements of PSM to maximum advantage. And frankly speaking, process safety is not a field in which a lot of university professors have much expertise.

Does all this mean that our current and future chemical engineering undergraduate students should wait until they arrive in industry to learn about key PSM elements such as Management of Change, Process Risk Management, and Incident Investigation? Quite the opposite—there’s a fundamental safety axiom that says it’s much better to prevent the occurrence of a loss-producing event than to have to mitigate the consequences of one. What better way to adopt a preventive approach than to provide our undergraduates with the fundamentals of PSM, and more broadly of industrial safety in general, as part of their university curriculum?

With these points in mind, the Hamilton PSLM and Education workshop was designed to present the three key educa-

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tional objectives of the PSM subject division: • To develop a PSM teaching module as a resource for chemical engineering educators; • To encourage Canadian chemical engineering programs to join Safety and Chemical Engineering Education (SACHE), an initiative of the AIChE’s Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS); and • To provide chemical engineering professors with an opportunity to gather and learn more about PSM and the field of industrial safety so that they will be able to integrate safety management concepts into traditional undergraduate engineering courses.

The workshop got off to a great start with a presentation by Jean-Paul Lacoursière, MCIC, of J.P. Lacoursière & Associates and Université de Sherbrooke.

Lacoursière, who the previous day had been named the inaugural recipient of the CSChE’s Process Safety Management Award, spoke on the conclusions arising from an OECD workshop, “Sharing Experience in the Training of Engineers in Risk Management”. This four-day event was held in Montréal, QC the week prior to the Hamilton conference and brought together about 80 experts from 13 countries.

Particularly relevant to the Hamilton audience was the unanimous agreement by the Montréal participants that engineers have a professional responsibility to society, as well as to themselves, their employers and colleagues, and other stakeholders—a responsibility to integrate risk management considerations into every aspect of their work impacting on human health and safety, the environment, and company assets. Further, the group argued, this moral obligation to be accountable for the consequences of their work must be instilled in all engineers throughout their education and training.

Safety and risk considerations should be integrated into the core of every engineer’s practice and not viewed as add-on activi-

février 2004

Paul R. Amyotte, FCIC ties. It is difficult to imagine a more passionate advocate for these sentiments than Jean-Paul Lacoursière, who has dedicated his professional life to living out these very principles.

Next on the workshop agenda was Graham Creedy, FCIC, senior manager of Responsible Care® with the Canadian’s Chemical Producers’ Association. At the conference banquet later that evening, Creedy was awarded the prestigious title of Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (FCIC). For the past several months, he had been hard at work shaping his extensive knowledge of PSM into a coherent package for presentation to undergraduate students. It was time to test the module—or at least part of it. In his usual affable manner, Creedy presented a slimmed-down version of the full lecture to the audience of practitioners and professors. Everyone in attendance was impressed by Creedy’s knowledge of the subject and his ability to communicate the history and essential concepts of PSM in a clear and accessible manner.

The development of the PSM teaching module has been made possible by the generous financial support of Health Canada and the Chemical Engineering Education Trust Fund of the Chemical Institute of Canada. The final package will be ready for distribution in early 2004. It will consist of a PowerPoint presentation complete with speaker’s notes and suggested exercises. A key feature of the dissemination strategy is to link Canadian chemical engineering programs with industrial contacts in the local area. This will afford the opportunity for a guest lecture on PSM or—with guidance from an industrial colleague if desired—the integration of the lecture into a course syllabus by a faculty member.

The third speaker was Ron Willey, professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Willey had accepted the invitation to attend the Hamilton conference and speak on behalf of the CCPS Undergraduate Education Committee. As a long-time supporter of

safety and chemical engineering education and the developer of many SACHE products, Willey was the ideal candidate to demonstrate the multitude of ways in which SACHE can benefit a chemical engineering program looking to integrate process safety into its curriculum.

The workshop attendees witnessed an accomplished educator take them through a process safety related case study—one of the most effective ways to impart information in this area. Willey’s choice to present was especially appropriate. First, he had authored the case history himself. And second—in recognition of his Canadian audience—the subject was a batch polystyrene reactor runaway incident that had occurred in 1966 in LaSalle, QC. Proving that PSM takes a team effort to be truly successful, Steve Coe, MCIC, of Irving Oil Limited (and Canadian representative on the CCPS Undergraduate Education Committee) had packed a suitcase full of about 30 SACHE products to accompany him on his drive from Saint John, NB to Hamilton.

Willey’s excellent presentation, coupled with Coe’s array of SACHE teaching modules for participants to view over coffee, convinced at least two more Canadian chemical engineering programs to become SACHE members. They joined the 12 other programs across Canada that were already members.

The final workshop speaker was Bruce Orr, MCIC, manager of public policy and regulatory affairs (safety, health and environment) with the products and chemicals division of Imperial Oil Limited. Orr had stepped up to the plate to pinch hit for Doug McCutcheon, MCIC, industrial professor and director of the Industrial Safety and Loss Management Program in the faculty of engineering, University of Alberta.

McCutcheon is chairing a team dedicated to bringing a first-ever event to the Canadian PSM scene—an Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Summer Institute being planned for May 30-June 2, 2004 at NOVA Chemicals in Sarnia, ON. The Institute will bring together chemical engineering educators from across Canada to learn more about teaching industrial safety and related topics to undergraduate students.

Drawing on his extensive EHS experience in industry, Orr engaged the audience in an interactive discussion by posing three questions to the attendees from academia (who numbered about half the group):

• What is your level of interest in the Summer Institute?

• What advice and direction can you offer concerning the design of the initiative (for example, the curriculum)?

• Would you be willing to commit to attend personally (or identify a suitable delegate if you are a department head or program chair and are unable to attend yourself)?

That was all the opening the audience needed, and the comments, suggestions and questions came at a rapid pace. Many made the personal commitment to attend, and first up as a “champion” for the Institute was Allan Gilbert, MCIC, Chair of

It’s much better to prevent the occurrence of a loss-producing event than to have to mitigate the consequences of one chemical engineering at Lakehead University. Sohrab Rohani, FCIC, Chair of chemical and biochemical engineering, and Maurice Bergougnou, FCIC, professor emeritus, both from the University of Western Ontario, pledged attendance from their program—as did Denis Rodrigue, MCIC, Associate Chair of chemical engineering at Université Laval. Faculty members Huu Doan, MCIC, Mike Fowler and Tom Marlin of Ryerson University, University of Waterloo and McMaster University, respectively, were vocal in their support of the need for such an initiative.

So … was the overall workshop a success? In the short term— absolutely!

This was the first time a significant number of faculty members (representing about half of the Canadian chemical engineering

programs) had gathered with their industry and government counterparts to do more than just talk about how important safety is to all constituencies.

The workshop was a small and necessary step toward addressing the issue of just exactly what we need to do to educate the next generation of chemical engineers in matters of industrial safety.

But the workshop was just that—a small step—albeit a critical one. Just as a PSM system must incorporate the management functions of follow up and further action, the long-term success of the workshop will be measured by what happens in the next few months: • Will chemical engineering educators use the PSM lecture in their undergraduate courses to the good effect envisioned by its developers?

• Will the remaining Canadian chemical engineering programs become members of SACHE and reap the benefits of a wealth of educational products?

• Will industry and government organizations provide the financial and intellectual capital necessary to make the 2004 EHS Summer Institute a reality?

• Will each of the Canadian chemical engineering programs be represented at the 2004 EHS Summer Institute?

•Will the Summer Institute participants commit to sharing their new knowledge with their faculty colleagues, spreading the message that not only is process safety important, but that there are sound pedagogical methods for teaching this important subject?

The answers to these questions will help shape the future of process safety education in Canadian universities. What a bright future that will be if the answer to each question is affirmative. What better testament could there be to the meeting of the minds that occurred in a Hamilton conference room on October 28, 2003?

Paul R. Amyotte, FCIC, is a professor of chemical engineering at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS. His interests in process safety relate to both undergraduate education and research. His research interests include inherent safety and dust explosion prevention and mitigation. The long-term goal of his research program is to provide engineering methodologies for the enhancement of industrial safety.

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Canadian Chemical News 15

Environment Canada’s

New Environmental Emergency Regulations John Shrives, MCIC The events of September 11, 2001 drive the increased action to prevent and prepare for potential threats to our national security.

Canadians are becoming more aware of hazards in their community and are demanding that appropriate emergency management programs be adopted. In response to this need, Environment Canada has implemented new environmental emergency (E2) regulations under s200 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), effective November 18, 2003.

CEPA Section 200 Section 200 is the regulation-making authority of Part 8, which allows the federal government to establish a list of substances.

If substances from this list enter the environment as a result of an environmental emergency, they: a) Have or may have an immediate or longterm harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity; b)Constitute or may constitute a danger to the environment on which human life depends; Or c)Constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health (Government of Canada, 1999).

Under the terms of these new regulations, an environmental emergency plan will be required of all facilities that store or use any of these substances at or above specified threshold quantities, in containers also exceeding the specified quantities (see the pull-out for the complete list). The primary objective for requiring environmental emergency planning is to ensure that appropriate risk management measures are adopted and implemented for hazards associated with the manufacture, storage and use of hazardous substances in Canada.

Section 200 of the Act existed prior to September 11, 2001 as an enabling authority, with the intent of preventing environmental

emergencies and minimizing the risk to human health and the environment. The primary focus of Section 200 is to reduce the risk of uncontrolled, unplanned or accidental events involving hazardous substances.

Hazardous substances list Through multi-stakeholder consultations which began in late 2001, there was general agreement to use the list of hazardous chemicals developed by the Conseil pour la réduction des accidents industriels majeurs (CRAIM) as the basis for the drafting of the E2 regulations. CRAIM, the Montréal chapter of the now-defunct Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC), prepared a list of toxic and hazardous substances based on different sources, such as MIACC’s Lists 1 and 2 as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program list.

The Chemical Abstracts Service Registry (CAS) numbers, the United Nations (U.N.) identification numbers, and the classification of substances as hazardous or flammable have all been adopted for the purpose of greater public understanding and clear communication of the regulated substances.

Ninety-eight hazardous substances have been included on the list based on their toxicity, physical state, vapour pressure and accident history. The minimum vapour pressure for hazardous chemicals to be included on the list is 10 millimetres of mercury (mmHg). Hazardous liquids with a vapour pressure of 10 millimetres Hg or higher under ambient conditions will vaporize, presenting a significant risk to human life and health and to the environment.

Seventy-six flammable gases and volatile flammable liquids have also been included on the list based on the flash point and boiling point criteria used by the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Clear Language Regulations. (For example, a flash point below 23

degrees Celsius and a boiling point below 35 degrees Celsius.) Flammable substances fulfilling the Transportation of Dangerous Goods criteria will rapidly or completely vaporize at atmospheric pressure and normal ambient temperature, or are easily dispersed in air and will burn readily. Only those substances in commercial production have been listed.

Environmental emergency plan Unless specifically exempted, an environmental emergency plan is required of facilities that store or use any of the regulated substances at or above the specified threshold quantities and that have a single largest container with a capacity equal to or exceeding the listed amount. If either the maximum expected quantity on site or the largest storage container exceeds the specified threshold quantity (but not both), the facility will only be required to file the first notice—that of identification of substance and place. But the requirement to prepare and implement an environmental emergency plan will not apply.

Specific exemptions from the requirements of the regulations are listed in Section 3(2) of the regulations.

Persons required to prepare an environmental emergency plan must submit three types of notices to the Minister, as shown below. Submission deadlines are shown in parentheses.

• Notice of Identification of Substance and Place within 90 days of the regulations coming into force (February 16, 2004) • Notice of Plan Preparation (May 18, 2004) • Notice of Plan Testing and Implementation (November 18, 2004) All notices must be sent to Environment Canada, but environmental emergency plans prepared under Section 200 are not submitted to Environment Canada unless requested.

However, a copy of the environmental emergency plan must be held at the place for

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

#

Substance 1089 1001 1442 1114 2419 1010 1011 no number 1055 1055 1012 1055 1125 1012 2204 no number 2356 no number 2456 1026 1145 1027 2189 1030

75-64-9 25167-67-3 463-58-1 7791-21-1 75-29-6 590-21-6 557-98-2 460-19-5 110-82-7 75-19-4 4109-96-0 75-37-6

UN number

75-07-0 74-86-2 7790-98-9 71-43-2 598-73-2 106-99-0 106-97-8 689-97-4 590-18-1 624-64-6 106-98-9 107-01-7

CAS number

1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 150.00 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 550.00 4.50 4.50 4.50

4.50 4.50 3.40 10.00 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50

Threshold quantity Concentration (tonnes)

Flammable Substances (Schedule 1 – Part 1)

acetaldehyde acetylene ammonium perchlorate benzene bromotrifluoroethylene 1,3-butadiene butane 1-buten-3-yne (vinyl acetylene) cis-2-butene (2-butene-cis) trans-2-butene (2-butene-trans) 1-butene 2-butene tert-butylamine (2-amino-2-methylpropane) butylene (butene) carbonyl sulphide (carbon oxysulfide) chlorine monoxide (dichlorine oxide) 2-chloropropane (isopropyl chloride) 1-chloropropene (1-chloropropylene) 2-chloropropene (2-chloropropylene) cyanogen cyclohexane cyclopropane dichlorosilane difluoroethane (1,1-difluoroethane)

Table 1

List of Hazardous Substances

CEPA Section 200 Environmental Emergency Regulations

acrolein acrylonitrile acryloyl chloride (acrylyl chloride) allyl alcohol allyl chloride allylamine ammonia, anhydrous ammonia solution arsenic trichloride (arsenous trichloride) arsine bis(chloromethyl) ether [dichlorodimethyl ether] boron trichloride boron trifluoride boron trifluoride dimethyl etherate bromine carbon disulphide carbon monoxide chlorine chlorine dioxide chloroform (trichloromethane) chloromethyl methyl ether (methyl chloromethyl ether) chloropicrin (trichloronitromethane) chlorosulphonic acid crotonaldehyde cyanogen bromide cyanogen chloride cyclohexylamine diborane 1,2-dichloroethane (ethylene dichloride) dimethyldichlorosilane (dichlorodimethylsilane) 1,1-dimethylhydrazine epichlorohydrin ethylene chlorohydrin (2-chloroethanol) ethylene oxide ethylenediamine ethyleneimine fluorine formaldehyde, solution furan hydrazine hydrochloric acid hydrofluoric acid hydrogen bromide (hydrobromic acid) hydrogen chloride, anhydrous hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid) hydrogen fluoride, anhydrous

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Substance

1162 1163 2023 1135 1040 1604 1185 1045 1198 & 2209 2389 2029 1789 1790 1048 & 1788 2186 & 1050 1051 & 1613 & 1614 1052

75-78-5 57-14-7 106-89-8 107-07-3 75-21-8 107-15-3 151-56-4 7782-41-4 50-00-0 110-00-9 302-01-2 7647-01-0 7664-39-3 10035-10-6 7647-01-0 74-90-8 7664-39-3

1239 1580 1754 1143 1889 1589 2357 1911 1184

2249 1741 1008 2965 1744 1131 1016 1017 no number 1888

542-88-1 10294-34-5 7637-07-2 353-42-4 7726-95-6 75-15-0 630-08-0 7782-50-5 10049-04-4 67-66-3 107-30-2 76-06-2 7790-94-5 4170-30-3 506-68-3 506-77-4 108-91-8 19287-45-7 107-06-2

1092 1093 no number 1098 1100 2334 1005 2073 & 2672 1560 2188

UN number

107-02-8 107-13-1 814-68-6 107-18-6 107-05-1 107-11-9 7664-41-7 7664-41-7 7784-34-1 7784-42-1

CAS number

1%

10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 1% 10% 10% 10% 30% 50% 10% 10% 10%

10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

1% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 1% 10%

10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 20% 10% 1%

Concentration

Other Hazardous Substances (Schedule 1 - Part 2)

#

Table 2

0.45

2.27 6.80 9.10 4.50 4.50 9.10 4.50 0.45 6.80 2.27 6.80 6.80 0.45 1.13 2.27 1.13

2.27 2.27 2.27 9.10 4.50 4.50 6.80 1.13 6.80

0.45 2.27 2.27 6.80 4.50 9.10 6.80 1.13 0.45 9.10

2.27 9.10 2.27 6.80 9.10 4.50 4.50 9.10 6.80 0.45

Threshold quantity (tonnes)

70 71 72 73 74 75 76

42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

1,1-difluoroethylene (vinylidene fluoride) dimethyl ether (methyl ether) dimethyl sulphide dimethylamine 2,2-dimethylpropane ethane ethyl chloride ethyl ether (diethyl ether) ethyl mercaptan ethyl nitrite ethylacetylene ethylamine ethylbenzene ethylene gasoline (motor fuel) hydrogen hydrogen peroxide (concentration 52% or greater) isobutane isobutylene (2-methylpropene) isopentane (2-methylbutane) isoprene isopropylamine liquefied natural gas methane methyl formate 2-methyl-1-butene 3-methyl-1-butene methylacetylene (propyne) methylamine naphtha 1,3-pentadiene n-pentane (pentane) cis-2-pentene (beta-cis-amylene) trans-2-pentene (trans-beta-amylene) 1-pentene propadiene propane propylene silane sodium chlorate tetrafluoroethylene tetramethylsilane toluene trichlorosilane trifluorochloroethylene (chlorotrifluoroethylene) trimethylamine vinyl chloride vinyl ethyl ether (ethyl vinyl ether) vinyl fluoride vinyl methyl ether vinylidene chloride xylenes

1959 1033 1164 1032 & 1160 2044 1035 & 1961 1037 1155 2363 1194 2452 1036 & 2270 1175 1038 & 1962 1203 1049 2015 1969 1055 1265 1218 1221 1972 1971 & 1972 1243 2459 2561 1060 1061 1268 no number 1265 no number no number 1108 2200 1978 1077 2203 1495 1081 2749 1294 1295 1082 1083 & 1297 1086 1302 1860 1087 1303 1307

75-38-7 115-10-6 75-18-3 124-40-3 463-82-1 74-84-0 75-00-3 60-29-7 75-08-1 109-95-5 107-00-6 75-04-7 100-41-4 74-85-1 86290-81-5 1333-74-0 7722-84-1 75-28-5 115-11-7 78-78-4 78-79-5 75-31-0 8006-14-2 74-82-8 107-31-3 563-46-2 563-45-1 74-99-7 74-89-5 8030-30-6 504-60-9 109-66-0 627-20-3 646-04-8 109-67-1 463-49-0 74-98-6 115-07-1 7803-62-5 7775-09-9 116-14-3 75-76-3 108-88-3 10025-78-2 79-38-9 75-50-3 75-01-4 109-92-2 75-02-5 107-25-5 75-35-4 1330-20-7

1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

52% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 10% 1% 1% 1% 1%

1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 8000.00

3.40 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 50.00 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 10.00 4.50 4.50 2500.00 4.50

4.50 4.50 150.00 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 7000.00 4.50 150.00 4.50

phosgene phosphine phosphorus oxychloride phosphorus trichloride phosphorus, white piperidine propionitrile n-propyl chloroformate (propyl chloroformate) propylene oxide propyleneimine stibine sulphur dioxide sulphur tetrafluoride sulphur trioxide sulphuric acid, fuming (oleum) tetraethyl lead tetramethyl lead tetranitromethane thionyl chloride titanium tetrachloride toluene diisocyanate toluene-2,4-diisocyanate toluene-2,6-diisocyanate trans-crotonaldehyde trimethylchlorosilane (chlorotrimethylsilane) vinyl acetate

73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

98

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97

hydrogen selenide hydrogen sulphide iron pentacarbonyl isobutyronitrile isopropyl chloroformate ketene mercury methyl bromide methyl chloride methyl chloroformate methyl iodide methyl isocyanate methyl mercaptan methyl thiocyanate methylacrylonitrile methylhydrazine (monomethyl hydrazine) methyltrichlorosilane nickel carbonyl nitric acid nitric oxide nitrogen dioxide osmium tetroxide perchloromethyl mercaptan perchloryl fluoride (trioxychlorofluoride) peroxyacetic acid (peracetic acid) phenol

47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

2202 1053 1994 2284 2407 no number 2809 1062 1063 1238 2644 2480 1064 no number 3079 1244 1250 1259 2031 & 2032 1660 1067 2471 1670 3083 3107 1671 & 2312 & 2821 1076 2199 1810 1809 2447 2401 2404 2740 1280 1921 2676 1079 2418 1829 1831 1649 no number 1510 1836 1838 2078 2078 2078 1143 1298 1301

75-44-5 7803-51-2 10025-87-3 7719-12-2 7723-14-0 110-89-4 107-12-0 109-61-5 75-56-9 75-55-8 7803-52-3 7446-09-5 7783-60-0 7446-11-9 8014-95-7 78-00-2 75-74-1 509-14-8 7719-09-7 7550-45-0 26471-62-5 584-84-9 91-08-7 123-73-9 75-77-4 108-05-4

7783-07-5 7783-06-4 13463-40-6 78-82-0 108-23-6 463-51-4 7439-97-6 74-83-9 74-87-3 79-22-1 74-88-4 624-83-9 74-93-1 556-64-9 126-98-7 60-34-4 75-79-6 13463-39-3 7697-37-2 10102-43-9 10102-44-0 20816-12-0 594-42-3 7616-94-6 79-21-0 108-95-2

10% 10%

10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% NA 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

1% 10% 10% 10% NA 10% 10%

1% 10% 10% 10% 10% 1% NA 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 1% 80% 10% 10% 1% 10% 10% 10% 10%

4.50 6.80

6.80 4.50 4.50 2.27 2.27 1.13 4.50 4.50 2.27 4.50 4.50 6.80 1.13 4.50 4.50 4.50 9.10

0.22 2.27 2.27 6.80 1.00 6.80 4.50

0.22 4.50 1.13 9.10 6.80 0.22 1.00 2.27 4.50 2.27 4.50 4.50 4.50 9.10 4.50 6.80 2.27 0.45 6.80 4.50 1.13 0.22 4.50 6.80 4.50 9.10

which it has been prepared, for inspection and, in case of an environmental emergency, for implementation. For unmanned facilities that are subject to the regulations, the plan must be readily available for those individuals who are to carry out the plan in the event of an environmental emergency and for the inspectors, when requested. Other detailed documentation may also be held separately at various locations rather than being duplicated at all locations.

Environment Canada has developed an online database for electronic submission of these notices, which is available for the required submissions at www.cepae2.ec.gc.ca. Affected facilities will have the option of submitting the required information electronically or in hard copy.

Unfortunately, electronic signatures are not available at this time; therefore, a copy of the notice must be accompanied by a signed certification by an authorized official designated by the organization concerned and sent to the appropriate Environment Canada Regional Office.

In the event that certain information submitted in the notice of identification of substance and place becomes false or misleading, an amended notice must be submitted to Environment Canada within 60 days of the change. This requirement would apply, for example, to any changes regarding the identification of the place, ownership, responsible manager or storage quantity information.

For organizations with several facilities or places where hazardous substances are located, an environmental emergency plan specific to each location will generally be required. These plans must address the prevention of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from an uncontrolled, unplanned or accidental release of any regulated substance at that location. For each place (typically site or property), notices of identification of substance and place, preparation and implementation should be submitted. A site-specific environmental emergency plan must be prepared, implemented, and kept at that location. A single environmental emergency plan may deal with one or more substances but must address the full range of hazards present on the site.

In considering the prevention component of an E2 plan, the likelihood of E2 events can be reduced by identifying in advance their frequency, potential consequences and impacts. The prevention of such emergencies includes several components, the most important being the knowledge gained from

20 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

evaluating the risks associated with the substance(s) of concern. As most incidents leading to an emergency are caused by deviations from normal conditions within a facility, the evaluation of past emergency events occurring at the site and at other similar places in Canada and the range of potential scenarios, including worst probable case, is critical to understanding a facility’s capabilities and resources in the event of a crisis. This does not imply planning for every imaginable worst case scenario, as this is not practical, however, the plan should address those worst probable cases and other scenarios that may be credible.

Preparedness Effective preparedness for environmental emergencies is a shared responsibility built on trust and cooperation among industry, all levels of government, and the community.

Under the obligations of the Section 200 regulations, the facility operator must accomplish the following: • Identify potential risks; • Document alternative scenarios and potential consequences; • Develop environmental emergency plans to deal with the risks; • Train personnel to apply the environmental emergency plans; and • Review and practice these strategies.

Effective risk management The most effective risk management actions combine prevention activities with appropriate preparedness and response. To implement an appropriate risk management program is more cost-effective than to repair any resulting damage done to the place or to the environment after the fact. With preventive action, problems can be anticipated, corrective actions can be taken and risks can be managed to avoid environmental damage. Prevention refers here not only to mitigation measures such as maintenance and spill containment, but also to the management systems for design and operation and to ensuring that the facility operates as intended.

Prevention For process industries in Canada, the application of management principles and systems to the identification, understanding and control of process hazards to prevent process-related injuries and accidents is referred to as process safety management (PSM). Further information on these programs may be obtained from the CSChE’s PSM division’s Web site at www.cheminst.ca/division/psm/.

Typically, issues such as process risk management, management of change and management of human factors, among others, are documented and complement traditional health and safety programs and applicable federal/provincial legislation. A complete framework of process safety management elements is recommended, even though some elements may be less applicable than others, depending on the nature and degree of potential hazards involved. Each element should be considered before assuming it is not applicable.

février 2004

Response Response to an environmental emergency includes many facets, such as maintaining communication systems between stakeholders, alerting and warning affected parties, and evacuating and accounting for personnel and the public if necessary. These needs can vary greatly in scope, depending on the nature and magnitude of the emergency. Effective emergency response includes, but is not limited to, quick activation of the emergency plan, proper notification of the emergency to first responders and affected parties, rapid assessment of the probable path and impacts of an emergency, adequate resource mobilisation and reporting activities. Response is intended to include all aspects of managing an emergency situation, until the emergency phase of the event is considered over.

Recovery Recovery refers to the restoration of any part of the environment damaged by or during the emergency. Recovery affects both the operating entity itself and the surrounding community. The general objective of the recovery portion of an E2 plan should be to provide sufficient direction to reduce the impact on the environment and to minimize the recovery time from a particular incident.

The issue of recovery is best managed through discussions between all involved parties to assess the damage and to agree on a restoration plan. The level of environmental restoration is determined by many factors, such as size, persistence, and toxicity of a spill. Recovery of an area to its natural state is not always possible. Thus, restoration plans are situation-specific and need to be defined in terms of acceptability to affected stakeholders. The responsible party would, in accordance with the

“polluter pays” principle, be given the opportunity to execute a restoration plan.

Failure to do so could trigger action by other stakeholders and subsequent recovery of the costs from the responsible party through legal avenues.

Section 201 of CEPA 1999 requires that, when an environmental emergency occurs for any of the substances on the list established on Schedule 1 under the Section 200 regulations, any person who owns or has the charge, management or control of the substance immediately before the emergency must, as soon as possible, notify an enforcement officer or any other person designated pursuant to the regulations. In addition, this person must abide by a number of other requirements, such as taking all reasonable measures consistent with protection of the environment and public safety and providing a written report.

It should be noted however, that the requirement to notify and report will be based on the application criteria outlined in Section 194 of the Act. Specific notification and reporting points of contact as well as verbal and written report information requirements are outlined in the regulatory text as well as the Implementation Guidelines.

Spill reporting While the Environmental Emergency Regulations will not, at least initially, be specifying any spill reporting thresholds, the department considers that existing provincial reporting thresholds, if any, or alternatively those specified under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act are acceptable for the purposes of meeting obligations under the general provisions of Section 201 of CEPA 1999. This will eliminate confusion and also contribute to federal/provincial harmonization in this area.

As per the authorities under Section 313 of CEPA 1999, most of the information collected through the Environmental Emergency Regulations will be publicly available on the E2 Notice Registry. This is consistent with the government’s commitment under CEPA 1999 to provide Canadians with increased access to information and more opportunities for input before decisions are made. However, in order to comply with existing federal legislation related to confidential business information and national security considerations, some detailed information about chemical substances, such as the exact quantities and location of the chemicals, may not necessarily be released to the public.

National security sensitivity Arrangements are being put in place to ensure that even sensitive information that is classified for either confidential business information or national security reasons will be accessible, to the extent legally permissible, by first responders on a need-to-know basis. Facilities that are subject to the Section 200 regulations will be encouraged to work with local emergency response personnel and community groups in preparing their environmental emergency plans.

Required testing of the plan, both initially and annually, must reflect a credible type of event for the place in question. When designing an exercise, the planners should ensure that it reinforces any previous training, is simple enough that available resources are adequate but difficult enough to be challenging, provides maximum lessons learned, includes post-exercise evaluation and corrective action and is cost effective. Highprofile sites such as refineries and petrochemical plants, and sites with real potential for serious and irreversible harm to human health or the environment should have to develop and execute a full-blown emergency response exercise. Depending on the nature of the hazard and situation, sites with lower hazards or single substances could use generic plans and exercises developed by their associations, adapted and implemented locally.

CEPA monitoring process As part of an ongoing monitoring process, Environment Canada may be requesting copies of some environmental emergency The Process Safety Management (PSM) Division was formally approved by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) at their Board of Directors meeting in Montréal on October 14, 2000. Although new to CSChE, the Division is a continuation of work started in 1990 under the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC).

Executive Committee Doug McCutcheon, MCIC (Chair) University of Alberta

Graham Creedy, MCIC (Secretary/Treasurer) Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association

Rick Thorburn (PSMC Chair) DuPont Chemicals

John Shrives, MCIC, is currently manager of Prevention Programs with the Environmental Emergencies Branch of Environment Canada in Hull, QC. His interests include risk assessment, process safety management and environmental auditing. He most recently participated in the creation of environmental emergency planning regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Ertugrul Alp, MCIC Alp & Associates Paul Amyotte, FCIC Dalhousie University Diana Del Bel Belluz, MCIC RiskWise David Guss, MCIC Nexen Brian Kohler, MCIC Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada

Tom Boughner, MCIC (Vice-Chair) Pope & Talbot Ltd

Brian Kelly, MCIC (Past Chair) Syncrude Canada

plans be submitted to the department for review, in both a random and targeted manner, to help determine whether departmental guidance on environmental emergency planning is adequate and being properly interpreted.

Since the Section 200 regulations have been promulgated under CEPA 1999, enforcement will be carried out through application of CEPA’s Compliance Promotion and Enforcement Policy when verifying compliance. This policy sets out a graduated range of possible responses to violations such as warnings, directions, ticketing, environmental protection compliance orders, ministerial orders, injunctions, and prosecution.

It is anticipated that the creativity and innovation of those affected and concerned by these regulations will promote the rapid improvement of overall environmental performance and hazardous chemicals management in Canada.

Further information on these regulations may be obtained from the CEPA Registry at www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry and Environmental Emergencies program at www.ec.gc.ca/ee_ue.

Jean-Paul Lacoursière J.P. Lacoursière & Associates Gerry Phillips, MCIC NOVA Chemicals John Shrives, MCIC Environment Canada

February 2004

Canadian Chemical News 21

Feature Careers Aticle Article Carrières de fond

Local Feature Section Aticle News Nouvelles Article des sections de fond locales

For the Love of Chocolate "Passion, the Beta-3 Polymorph, and the Chemistry of Chocolate" A public lecture presented by the CIC Edmonton Section of the King's University College, Monday, February 9 2004.

Is eating chocolate healthy?

Who made the first chocolate bar?

What is this white blotchy stuff on my chocolate bar?

Is chocolate really addictive and an aphrodisiac?

Presenters (a.k.a. The Chocolate Chemistry Cartel): Ken Schmidt, MCIC (Alberta Synchrotron Institute) Peter Mahaffy, FCIC (King's University College) Dietmar Kennepohl, MCIC (Athabasca University) These are some of the questions answered as we learned about one of the world’s favourite foods, from its history and origin through to modern chocolate-making processes. The presentation touched on topics including the effect of chocolate on brain chemistry and the science behind getting those delicious morsels to melt in the mouth and feel just right on the tongue. This humorous presentation detailed how the simple cacao bean has become so well loved. Since chemistry is an experimental science, the audience was invited to participate in a chocolate tasting following the presentation.

End of an Era—INFOCHEM Goes Electronic 2004 marks marks the dawn of an era for INFOCHEM and for the Edmonton CIC Local Section. INFOCHEM has entered the world of electronic communication! The short news format we have all come to love is now distributed exclusively by e-mail. It will continue to provide the readership with a summary and Web links to stories of interest.

If you would like to be added to the INFOCHEM email distribution list, please contact Lucio Gelmini, MCIC, at GelminiL@macewan.ca.

Submitted by Jonathan Veinot, MCIC, editor, INFOCHEM

22 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

février 2004

Feature StudentArticle News Nouvelles Articledes de étudiants fond

Choose Your Valentine!

They’ve done it again!

The Chemistry Students’ Association of the University of Winnipeg has wowed us again with the 2nd Annual “Men of Chemistry Calendar—2004: Chemists Gone Wild.”

Featuring 12 student pin-ups (of sorts), cheeky anecdotes, chemistry-related dates in history, quotes from the likes of Aristotle and Isaac Asimov, and important reminders such as: Name Your Car Day, Blame Someone Else Day, and Create a Vacuum Day, this calendar is bound to please.

To order your copies of “Chemists Gone Wild!”, contact the Chemistry Students’ Association at uwchemistry@yahoo.ca or 204-786-9859.

Make your cheque or money order for $10.00 to: The University of Winnipeg Chemistry Students’ Association.

University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 As a special bonus: receive a FREE copy of the “Women of Chemistry Periodic Table” will supplies last!

Order Yours Today!

February 2004

Canadian Chemical News 23

Student Feature Aticle News Nouvelles Articledes de étudiants fond

Top Teams Compete for SNC-Lavalin Award A team from the Université de Sherbrooke and two teams from McGill University competed at the 2003 Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference for the SNCLavalin Plant Design Competition Award.

First prize went to Sherbrooke students Heidi Brochu, André LeBlanc and Pierre Belleau for their project “Étude préliminaire usine H2O2.” McGill’s team of Nusrat Choudhury, Laura DeSimini and David Shaddick placed second for “El-Outaya Salt Purification Plant,” and Erin Egan, Sailaja Potaraju, Mohammed Sabha and Jonathan Stoltzfus, also of McGill, placed third for “Lube Oil Re-Refining Plant.”

Other awards presented to undergraduate students include: The Robert G. Auld Student Paper Award for a paper on work experience and educational or social issues affecting the profession, as well as design, research and engineering practices. Gilbert Lahdou of McGill University received first prize for his presentation on “Possible Mechanisms for Observed Fluctuations in Chloride Ion Levels During the Biodegradation of Commercial Chlorinated Alkanes.” Second place was awarded to Justin Walker of the University of Alberta for “Effect of Natural Surfactants on Interfacial Tension in Bitumen/Water Emulsions Studied Using the

Micropipette Method.” Third place went to Cynthia Grégoire a second-year student from the Université de Sherbrooke for her paper “Potatoes to Bioethanol.”

The Reg Friesen Student Oral Paper Award, presented to a student who presents a paper concerning critical evaluation of their educational experiences, innovative learning/teaching strategies and materials or other topics relating to chemistry or chemical engineering education. Reihane Marzoughi of McMaster University took top prize for her paper, which focused on problem-based learning and self-directed learning for students. University of Alberta’s Caroline Wilson’s paper entitled, “Solutions to the Problems in Science Education” placed second.

Students, Fellows, and Chemists from Far and Wide Meet in Banff The First Banff Symposium on Organic Chemistry (BSOC) was held at the Banff , AB Park Lodge in picturesque Banff from November 7–9, 2003. The symposium was originally organized to highlight the research efforts of graduate students across western Canada; however, the scope of the BSOC came to include post-doctoral fellows and senior undergraduates from far and wide.

More than 120 chemists attended, including researchers from Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

Group photo from the first Banff Symposium on Organic Chemistry

24 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

février 2004

The three-day symposium began with an opening mixer and a plenary lecture by professor John L. Wood (Yale University) who used his experiences in the preparation of bridged polycyclic natural products to discuss the trials and tribulations of performing total syntheses. two plenary lectures were given: the first by Paul O’Shea (Merck Frosst) who described the practical, large scale synthesis of pharmaceuticals, and the second by Richard Schrock (M.I.T.) who described the development and application of new catalysts for olefin metathesis. On the closing day of the symposium, Kevan Shokat (University of California at Berkeley and University of California at San Francisco) lectured on the development of new chemical tools for studying biological systems. Graduate research from across Canada was highlighted by 26 oral presentations and a poster session showcasing 56 research projects.

David Schwass, MCIC, treasurer for the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) concluded the symposium with a few closing remarks and the award presentations.

Matthew Hopkins, MCIC, (University of Calgary) and Wesley Zandberg (Simon Fraser University) received the Chemical Education Division Award for the best poster presentations. Louis Morency, MCIC, (University of Ottawa) was awarded the E. Gordon Young award for the best oral presentation, while Jian Wang, MCIC,

Professional Feature Article Directory RĂŠpertoire Articleprofessionnel de fond

(University of Alberta) was awarded an honourable mention.

The Chemical Education Trust Fund, the Chemical Education Division of the CSC and Merck Frosst are gratefully acknowledged for providing funding for the prizes awarded. The Symposium organizers extend their gratitude for the generous support by all the symposium sponsors.

David Schwass, MCIC, presents the E. Gordon Young award to Louis Morency, MCIC.

The variety of topics covered both by student presentations and keynote lecturers illustrated the diversity of organic chemistry and the gathering of up-and-coming researchers created an atmosphere of innovation. The symposium was an excellent opportunity for students from many universities to discuss mutual interests and opportunities for collaboration.

Submitted by Andrew Scholte, ACIC, Edmonton Local Chapter

In view of the tremendous enthusiasm generated by the inaugural BSOC, the organizing committee invites you to attend the next Banff Symposium on Organic Chemistry from November 11–13, 2005. For more information about future symposia, please visit www.chem.ualberta.ca/~bsoc or e-mail the organizing committee at bsoc@chem.ualberta.ca.

Chemical Group

C. Lloyd Sarginson B.Sc. (Chem. Eng.), LL.B. Philip C. Mendes da Costa B.Sc. (Chem. Eng.), LL.B. Michael E. Charles B.Eng.Sci. (Chem. Eng.), LL.B. Micheline Gravelle B.Sc., M.Sc. (Immunology) Andrew I. McIntosh B.Sc. (Chem.), J.D., LL.B. Anita Nador B.A. (Molec. Biophys./Biochem.), LL.B. Noel Courage B.Sc. (Biochem.), LL.B. Patricia Power B.Sc., Ph.D. (Chem.)

Meredith Brill B.Sc., (Chem. Eng.), LL.B.

Practice Restricted to Intellectual Property Law Scotia Plaza, 40 King Street West, 40th Floor Toronto, Ontario Canada M5H 3Y2 416 364 7311 fax: 416 361 1398

February 2004

2000 Argentia Road, Plaza 4, Suite 430 Mississauga, Ontario Canada L5N 1W1 905 812 3600 fax: 905 814 0031 www.bereskinparr.com

Canadian Chemical News 25

Section Studenthead News E Nouvelles Section des head étudiants F Section head

Is Your Faculty Advisor Amazing?

Reward your advisor’s efforts by nominating him or her for the Student Chapter Faculty Advisor Award. Each Constituent Society offers an Award (i.e. three awards are given annually, judging is carried out by each Society).

You can find the Terms of Reference below.

Nominations are due by March 31, 2004.

Student Chapter Faculty Advisor Award Guidelines 1. The awards shall be presented on an annual basis to one faculty advisor from each Society who has demonstrated exceptional performance working with students to plan and implement Student Chapter activities.

2. The criteria for the awards shall include the following: • evidence of outstanding leadership by the faculty advisor in creating enthusiasm among Student Chapter members; • evidence of creating sustained interest in professional societies; • evidence of continuing involvement in Student Chapter affairs.

3. The awards will be presented at the annual CSC or CSChE conference or at a CSCT symposium.

4. The awards shall be commemorative plaques.

5. The award winners shall be selected from the teaching faculty at any Canadian university or college that has a Student Chapter in chemistry, chemical engineering, or chemical technology, which is registered in good standing with its Society.

6. Nominations for these awards shall be made by the Student Chapter at the university or college at which the faculty advisor teaches.

7. The nominations shall be made in writing and shall be signed by the president and one other member of the Student Chapter and by the head or chair of the department. The nomination forms shall be sent to the manager of outreach at the CIC. 8. Nominations shall be accompanied by supporting documentation, including: • a biographical sketch, curriculum vitae and other pertinent information about the nominee; • a summary of Student Chapter activities over the past three years, especially those attributable in whole or in part to the efforts of the faculty advisor;

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• a list of Student Chapter involvement in public or off-campus activities.

9. Previous winners of the Awards shall not be eligible to receive the Awards.

10. Faculty advisors currently serving as directors or officers of the CIC or any of its Constituent Societies shall not be eligible until they have completed their terms.

11. The nominations shall be submitted by March 15 of the year the award is presented. Each nomination shall remain in force for three years and will be considered annually by the Selection Committee.

12. There shall be a Selection Committee consisting of the student affairs Society director, who will chair the Committee, plus two additional Board members from the Society.

Votre conseiller ou conseillère d’étudiants est extraordinaire?

Récompensez ses efforts en soumettant sa candidature pour le Prix du conseiller de l’année décerné par la section étudiante. Chaque société constituante offre un prix (c’est-à-dire que trois prix sont octroyés chaque année, chacune des sociétés jugeant ses propres candidats).

Vous trouverez ci-dessous les conditions de mise en candidature. Les candidatures doivent nous être parvenues le 31 mars 2004.

Directives concernant le Prix du conseiller ou de la conseillère de l’année décerné par la section étudiante 1. Les prix sont présentés annuellement à un conseiller ou une conseillère d’étudiants membre de chaque Société qui a fait preuve d’un rendement exceptionnel auprès des étudiants dans la planification et la mise en oeuvre d’activités conçues pour la section étudiante.

2. Les critères de remise des prix sont les suivants : • preuves que le leadership du conseiller ou de la conseillère a suscité l’enthousiasme chez les membres de la section étudiante; • preuve de la création d’un intérêt soutenu à l’égard des sociétés professionnelles; • preuve d’une participation continue aux affaires de la section étudiante.

3. Les prix sont présentés au congrès annuel de la SCC, la SCGCh ou au symposium de la SCTC. 4. Les prix ont la forme de plaques commémoratives.

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5.

Les gagnants et les gagnantes des prix sont sélectionnés parmi les membres du corps enseignant de n’importe quel université, collège ou cégep canadien ayant une section étudiante en chimie, génie chimique ou chimie technologue dûment inscrite auprès de sa société respective.

6. Les candidates et les candidats à ces prix doivent être choisis par la section étudiante de l’université, du collège ou du cégep où le conseiller ou la conseillère travaille.

7. Les mises en candidatures doivent être faites par écrit, en utilisant le formulaire approprié, signé par le président ou la présidente ou un autre membre de la section étudiante, ainsi que par le chef/directeur ou la chef/directrice du département. Les formulaires de mise en candidature doivent être envoyés à la directrice du rayonnement à l’ICC. 8. Les formulaires de mise en candidature doivent être accompagnés d’une documentation appropriée comprenant : • une brève biographie, un curriculum vitae et d’autres renseignements pertinents concernant le candidat ou la candidate; • un résumé des activités des trois dernières années de la section étudiante, particulièrement de celles qui sont attribuables en tout ou en partie aux efforts du conseiller ou de la conseillère d’étudiants; • une liste des activités publiques ou hors-campus auxquelles la section étudiante a participé.

9. Les personnes qui ont déjà remporté les prix ne sont pas admissibles à d’autres mises en candidatures.

10. Les conseillers ou les conseillères d’étudiants assumant des fonctions d’administrateur ou d’administratrice ou d’autres fonctions officielles au sein de l’ICC ou de ses sociétés constituantes ne seront admissibles qu’à la fin de leur mandat.

11. Les candidatures doivent être soumises avant le 15 mars de l’année précédant la remise du prix. Chaque candidature reste en vigueur pendant trois ans et est réexaminée chaque année par le comité de sélection.

12. Le comité de sélection est présidé par l’administrateur de la société chargé des affaires étudiantes et comprend deux autres membres du conseil d’administration de la société.

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Section Careers head E Section Carrières head Section headF

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If you are an unemployed member of the CIC, you are entitled to three consecutive free advertisements in the Employment Wanted section of ACCN. Contact Gale Thirlwall-Wilbee, manager of employment services and student affairs. Tel.: 613-232-6252, ext. 223; Fax: 613-232-5862; E-mail: gwilbee@cheminst.ca.

February 2004

Canadian Chemical News 27

Section Careers head E Section Carrières head Section headF

28 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

février 2004

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February 2004

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Canadian Chemical News 29

Events Événements Section head

Canada

U.S. and Overseas

Seminars and courses February 24, 2004. Environmental Emergency Regulations Workshop, Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, Toronto, ON. Tel.: 888-542-2242; Web site: www.cheminst.ca/prof/dev.

March 2, 2004. Environmental Emergency Regulations Workshop, Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, Toronto, ON. Tel.: 888-542-2242; Web site: www.cheminst.ca/prof/dev.

April 5 and 6, 2004. Chemical Health and Safety Workshop and Symposium, Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA), Canmore, AB. Web site: www.pchem.ca.

May 20-21, 2004. U.S.-Canada Joint Workshop on Innovative Chemistry in Cleaner Media, Montréal, QC. Tel.: 504-398-8457; E-mail: cj.li@mcgill.ca.

October 4-5, 2004. ICPES—Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy, Canadian Society for Chemical Technology, Calgary, AB. Tel.: 888-542-2242; Web site: www.cheminst.ca/prof/dev.

October 4-5, 2004, Laboratory Safety, Canadian Society for Chemical Technology, Calgary, AB. Tel.: 888-542-2242; Web site: www.cheminst.ca/prof/dev.

November 5-7, 2004. The 15th Quebec-Ontario Minisymposium in Synthesis and Bio-Organic Chemistry (QOMSBOC), Ottawa, ON. Contact: Louis Barriault or William Ogilvie; Tel.: 613-562-5800.

March 28–April 1, 2004. ACS Spring Meeting (227th), Anaheim, CA; Tel.: 800-227-5558; E-mail: natlmtgs@acs.org; Web site: www.acs.org.

April 18–24, 2004. 9th World Filtration Congress, New Orleans, LA, American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS). Contact: Wallace Leung; Tel.: 703-538-1000; Fax: 703-538-6305; E-mail: Wallace.Leung@bakerhughes.com; Web site: www.wfc9.org.

April 25–29, 2004. AIChE Spring National Meeting, New Orleans, LA; Tel.: 212-591-7330; Web site: www.aiche.org.

May 11–14, 2004. The Global Analysis Fair – Analytica 2004, Munich, Germany. Web site: www.canada-unlimited.com.

August 22–26, 2004. ACS Fall Meeting (2287th), Philadelphia, PA; Tel.: 800-227-5558; E-mail: natlmtgs@acs.org; Web site: www.acs.org.

November 7–12, 2004. AIChE Annual Meeting, Austin, TX; Tel.: 212-591-7330; Web site: www.aiche.org.

July 10–15, 2005. 7th World Congress on Chemical Engineering (WCCE7), IchemE and the European Federation, Glasgow, Scotland. Contact: Sarah Fitzpatrick; E-mail: sarah.fitzpatrick@concorde-uk.com.

August 13–21, 2005. IUPAC 43rd General Assembly, Beijing, China. Contact: IUPAC Secretariat; Tel.: +1 919-485-8700; Fax: +1 919-485-8706; E-mail: secretariat@iupac.org.

Conferences May 16–19, 2004. 18th Canadian Symposium on Catalysis, Montréal. QC. Contact: Jitka Kirchnerova; Tel.: 514-340-4711; E-mail: jitka.kirchnerova@polymtl.ca; Web site: www.polymtl.ca/18CSC2004.

May 29–June 2, 2004. Strong Roots/New Branches—87th Canadian Society for Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, London, ON. Web site: www.csc2004.ca.

June 9–11, 2004. CACD 17th Annual Meeting and NACD Region IV Meeting, Québec, QC. Contact: Cathy Campbell; Tel.: 905-844-9140; Web site: www.cacd.ca.

July 10–14, 2004. 15th Canadian Symposium on Theoretical Chemistry (CSTC 2004), Sainte-Adele, QC. Web site: www.chem.queensu.ca/cstc2004.

October 3–6, 2004. Energy for the Future—54th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Calgary, AB, Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE); Tel.: 613-232-6252; Web site: www.csche2004.ca.

30 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

février 2004

Available at no charge: Bound copies of Analytical Chemistry, 1937–1984 E-mail cgilmore@dawsoncollege. qc.ca for further information

Careers Carrières

www.chemistry.mcmaster.ca NEW FACILITIES FOR TEACHING AND GRADUATE RESEARCH

Analytical & Environmental Chemistry Biological Chemistry Inorganic Chemistry Materials Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physical & Theoretical Chemistry

February 2004

Canadian Chemical News 33