Oregon Toxics Reduction & Green Chemistry
PPRC Roundtable – October 24, 2012
Kevin Masterson, Oregon DEQ
Agency Toxics Coordinator
masterson.kevin@deq.state.or.us
Why Develop an Agency-Wide Toxics
Reduction Strategy?
• Toxics don’t respect program boxes:
– Pollutants released to air  deposit to land 
run off to water
• Gets us beyond chemical-by-chemical approach
• Increases efficient use of resources by taking a
more integrated and strategic approach
• Complements existing DEQ toxics programs
– E.g., “alternative implementation strategies” for WQ
Human Health Toxics Standards
Recent History of Key Oregon ore
Regional Initiatives
• 2009-10
 DEQ develops “Focus List” of priority chemicals
 Columbia Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan released
• 2011
 DEQ Toxics Reduction Strategy drafted & presented
 Portland State University’s chem policy white paper
• 2012
 Oregon Governor signs executive order promoting green
chemistry and toxics reduction
DEQ Toxics Reduction Strategy:
Identifying High-Priority Toxics
• DEQ developed “Focus List” of 51
chemicals or groups of chemicals
– Based on existing agency priority lists
– Diverse range of chemicals
– Overlaps with priorities of other organizations
•
•
EPA Chemical Action Plans
Large national retailers
– List is not static – expect changes over time
OREGON DEQ TOXICS FOCUS LIST (2012)
CHEMICAL CATEGORY
Combustion &
Petroleum ByProducts:
Consumer Product
Constituents:
Current Use
Pesticides:
Flame Retardants and
Industrial
Intermediates:
Legacy Pesticides:
Metals:
CHEMICAL S
Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Dioxins and Furans
Napthalenes
Phthalates
Triclosan
Bisphenol A
DEET
Diazinon
Malathion
Chlorpyrifos
Permethrin
4-Nonyphenol (and
Nonyphenol
Ethoxylates)
Atrazine
Carbaryl
Trifluralin
Pentachlorophenol
Chlorothalonil
Diuron
Glyphosate
Hexachlorocyclohexa
ne (HCH), gamma(Lindane)
Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs)
2,4-D
Propoxur (Baygon)
Pendamethalin
Aldrin
Methoxychlor
Polybrominated
Diphenyl Ethers
(PBDEs)
Dieldrin
Heptachlor (&
Heptachlor epoxide)
Mercury (and
methylmercury)
Lead
Tetrachloroethylene
DDT (and
metabolites)
Hexachlorocyclohexa
ne, beta(beta-BHC)
Copper
Chlordane (and
metabolites)
Hexachlorobenzene
Cadmium
Chromium
Nickel
Benzene
Manganese
Ethylbenzene
Silver
Trichloroethylene
Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs):
Toluene
Ammonia
Formaldehyde
Hexachlorocyclohexa
ne, alpha- (alphaBHC)
Arsenic
Dichlorobenzene, 1,4(Dichlorobenzene-p)
What Types of Actions are Included
in the Toxics Reduction Strategy?
• 25 Actions Included in Strategy
– Improving integration and prioritization of
toxics reduction activities
– Enhancing effective existing reduction efforts
– Addressing identified toxics reduction needs
– Assessing and characterizing toxics in Oregon
• Overarching theme  collaboration and
partnerships
DEQ Identified 5 Priority Short-term
Actions in 2012
• Short-term priority actions complement
and support:
– Columbia River Toxics Reduction Priorities
– Green Chemistry Executive Order
• Other Toxics Strategy actions remain
relevant
– Work will occur as resources allow
– Strategy will be regularly assessed and refined
Short-Term Priority Actions:
Integrating Technical Assistance
• Combining efforts of multiple DEQ programs
and agencies to achieve common goals for 2
industry sectors (Action #1)
– Identify viable safer alternatives through
assessment tools & resources
– Identify needs for green chemistry research and
incentives
Short-Term Priority Actions:
Leveraging Market Forces
• Increase state government purchasing of safer
chemical alternatives using guidelines (Action #2)
• Work with retailers and 3rd party certifiers to
increase availability and visibility of low toxic
consumer products (Action #3)
Short-Term Priority Actions:
Pesticide Stewardship Partnerships
• Build on program that
uses environmental
monitoring data to
focus collaborative
voluntary actions
(Action #4)
– Existing stewardship
tools and expertise
– Watershed-level data
provide measures of
success
What Outcomes Are We Looking For?
Hood River Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Results
Early Spring Chlorpyrifos - Lower Neal Creek
Average
Chronic WQS
Acute WQS
Average (ug/l)
0.400
0.350
0.300
0.250
0.200
0.150
0.100
0.050
0.000
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Year
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Short-Term Priority Actions
Collecting Unwanted Pesticides
• Establish Statewide
Pesticide Collection
Program (Action # 5)
– Unlike WA, no
dedicated funding
source in Oregon
– Periodic events show
increasing quantities
– Assembled partners to
identify funding sources
and coordinated plan
2012 Oregon Executive Order:
Promoting Green Chemistry
• Executive Order No. 12-05: “Fostering
Environmentally-Friendly Purchasing and
Product Design”
• Signed April 27, 2012
• Lead agencies identified:
– Department of Environmental Quality
– Department of Administrative Services
– Business Oregon (economic development)
Oregon Executive Order 12-05:
• 4 Key Elements of Order
 Develop outreach strategy for businesses to apply
green chemistry (select 2 sectors)
 Develop proposals to incentivize green chemistry
through new or existing programs
 Strengthen demand for low toxicity products
through state purchasing practices and guidelines
 Develop inter-agency toxics reduction strategy to
ensure efficiencies and address gaps
Next Steps & Milestones
• Present Columbia Basin priority actions to
governmental executives on Nov. 1, 2012
• Present update on DEQ toxics strategy and priority
actions to Environmental Quality Commission in
December, 2012
• Executive order implementation  start pilot
purchasing initiative for cleaning products by end
of 2012
• 2013  Full implementation of 5 short-term
priority actions in OR toxics reduction strategy