Priority Chemicals
In order to reduce Federal agencies' usage of harmful chemicals, section
503(b) of Executive Order 13138, "Greening the Government Through
Leadership in Environmental Management," directed EPA to develop a list
of priority chemicals "used by the Federal Government that may result in
significant harm to human health or the environment and that have
known, readily available, less harmful substitutes for identified
applications and purposes." The E.O. directs Federal agencies to develop
and support goals to reduce the usage of these chemicals by 50 percent
by December 31, 2006.
EPA recommends that Federal agencies begin their efforts by focusing on
cadmium, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, and
naphthalene. This step will allow the Federal community to move begin
reducing its usage of these chemicals. In coordination with the E.O.
13148 Workgroup and Agency Environmental Executives, the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive will review the schedules and related
provisions set forth in the E.O. to determine the need for necessary
changes to facilitate implementation.
There are known alternatives to the five priority chemicals or products
containing them. For example, electronic thermostats can be used in
place of mercury-bearing switches. Solders containing copper or silver
can substitute for solder containing lead. And integrated pest
management can be used in place of naphthalene. The E.O. 13148
Workgroup prepared a table of alternatives to these chemicals.
In addition to the efforts under Executive Order 13148 to reduce
chemicals usage, EPA's National Partnership for Environmental Priorities
(NPEP) focuses efforts on reducing 31 Priority Chemicals found in our
nation's products and wastes by finding solutions that eliminate or
substantially reduce the use of Priority Chemicals in production or on
recovering or recycling these chemicals where they cannot easily be
eliminated or reduced at the source.
EPA's waste minimization program web site provides information on each
of these 31 Priority Chemicals. A fact sheet including a summary of the
potential health effects of each chemical can be accessed by clicking on
the chemical name. Next to each chemical name is its Chemical Abstract
Services Registry Number (CASRN).