Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Chemicals Rules
Quick Links
EPA has published two final rules that lowered the TRI reporting thresholds for certain persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemicals and added certain other PBT chemicals to the TRI list of toxic chemicals. These PBT chemicals are of particular concern not only because they are toxic but also because they remain in the environment for long periods of time, are not readily destroyed, and build up or accumulate in body tissue.
PBT Chemicals Final Rule
- PBT Final Rule Fact Sheet (PDF) (November 1999) (1 pp, 4KB, About PDF)
- PBT Final Rule Summary (PDF) (November 1999) (2 pp, 9KB, About PDF)
- PBT Final Rule (Effective for Reporting Year 2000). (64 Federal Register 58666; October 29, 1999)
- Economic Analysis of the Final Rule to Modify Reporting of Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals Under EPCRA Section 313 (PDF) (November 1999) (386 pp, 1.6MB, About PDF)
PBT Chemical Guidance Documents
- Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds Category (December 2000) (78 pp, 180K, About PDF) The default emission factors in the dioxin and dioxin-like compounds category guidance document were developed from three primary references:
- EPA's Database of Sources of Environmental Releases of Dioxin-Like Compounds in the United States, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC 20460, EPA/600/P-98/002B, September, 2000.
- The Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC 20460, EPA/600/P-98/002Aa.
- Estimating Exposure to Dioxin-Like Compounds; Volume 2: Sources of Dioxin-Like Compounds in the United States (PDF) EPA/600/-00/001, Draft Final, September, 2000 (23 pp, 172K, About PDF)
- Mercury and Mercury Compounds (PDF) (August 2001) (49 pp, 97K, About PDF)
- Pesticides and Other Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals (PDF) (August 2001) (33 pp, 174K, About PDF)
- Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) (PDF) (August 2001) (40 pp, 74K, About PDF)
Additional Federal Register Notices Related to the PBT Rule
- Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals; Amendments to Proposed Addition of a Dioxin and Dioxin-Like Compounds Category; Community Right-to-Know Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Extension of Comment Period (64 Federal Register 9957; March 1, 1999).
- Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals; Amendments to Proposed Addition of a Dioxin and Dioxin-Like Compounds Category; Community Right-to-Know Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Notice of Availability and Clarification of Proposed Rule (64 Federal Register 8766; February 23, 1999)
- Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals; Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know; Multimedia Strategy for Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Pollutants; Notice of Public Meetings (64 Federal Register 3941; January 26, 1999)
- Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals; Lowering of Reporting Thresholds for Certain PBT Chemicals; Addition of Certain PBT Chemicals; Amendments to Proposed Addition of a Dioxin and Dioxin-Like Compounds Category; Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Community Right- to-Know (64 Federal Register 687; January 5, 1999)
Other EPA PBT Links
- EPA's Persistent, Bioaccumulative Toxic Pollutants Project
- Virtual Elimination Project
- Great Lakes Binational Strategy
- Waste Minimization National Plan
- TSCA New Chemicals PBT policy
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.