INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
In November of 1994, the U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued national regulations
to control air emissions of chromium from chromium electroplating
and anodizing tanks. The regulation appeared in the January 25,
1995 edition of the Federal Register [volume 60, beginning
on page 4948].
Why is EPA regulating chromium
electroplating and anodizing tanks?
The Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA) directs EPA to regulate
emissions of a number of toxic chemicals, including chromium,
from a wide range of industrial sources. The EPA is regulating
emissions of chromium from electroplating and anodizing tanks
to meet the requirements of the CAA.
The hexavalent form of chromium
is highly toxic and a known human carcinogen, causing lung cancer;
less is known about the cancer risk of the trivalent form of chromium,
but it can accumulate in the lungs and may result in decreased
lung function after continuous exposure. The regulatory requirements
differ for tanks that use a trivalent chromium bath rather than
a chromic acid (hexavalent chromium) bath.
Chromium electroplating and anodizing
tanks are one of the largest sources of chromium emissions in
the United States. Over 5,000 facilities perform chromium electroplating
and/or anodizing in the United States. Many facilities are small
job shops that are located near residential areas. The EPA estimates
that full compliance with its new regulation will result in a
reduction of about 173 tons of chromium emitted into the
air annually, or about a 99percent reduction from today's
levels.
PURPOSE OF GUIDEBOOK
The purpose of this guidebook
is to provide a straightforward overview of this regulation and
to equip businesses with the basic information they need to comply
with the regulation. This guidebook is not a complete and full
statement of the legal and technical requirements of the regulation.
See the Federal Register notice (included as Appendix A
to this guidebook) for the complete text of the regulation.
ORGANIZATION
Chapter 2 presents an overview of the requirements of the regulation, and Chapters 3 through 6 explain these requirements in more detail. Chapter 7 discusses some pollution prevention opportunities associated with the regulation. Chapter 8 provides an explanation of how this regulation relates to other Federal and State or local requirements, including permitting. Estimated costs for businesses to comply with the regulation are provided in Chapter 9. Sources of more information on the regulation are provided in Chapter 10. A copy of the regulation is included as Appendix A. Appendix B contains a glossary of terms. A list of known facilities affected by this regulation are included as Appendix C. Appendix D provides a detailed "table of contents" of the regulation. Example forms for monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting are provided in Appendix E.