Chlorine Distributor Fined $19,000 by Epa

Oxarc, a welding supply and industrial gas distributor in Spokane, Washington has been fined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for violations of the Clean Air Act Risk Management Program (RMP).  Oxarc will pay EPA $19,472 to settle the case.
Under RMP rules a facility having more than 2,500 pounds of chlorine must conduct a hazard evaluation of a “worst case and more probable case” chemical release; provide and document operator training; review the hazards associated with using toxic or flammable substances; train workers in operating procedures and equipment maintenance, and develop an emergency response plan.
The settlement came after Oxarc failed to update worst-case releases for fatalities located in North Lewiston and Nampa, Idaho and Pasco and Spokane, Washington.  During a worst-case release at the Oxarc facility in North Lewiston, three nearby youth baseball fields could be engulfed in a green-cloud, and the Memorial Bridge on the Snake River might be closed to traffic for up to twelve hours.  In Nampa and Pasco a worst-case release could require sheltering in place for nearly the entire community.  A worst-case release in Spokane could extend up to 2.6 miles requiring evacuation or sheltering in place.
The “worst-case scenario” is defined by EPA as the maximum distance that would be impacted at the emergency response planning guideline level two (ERPG-2) if the total contents of a container were released within ten-minutes. The ERPG-2 for chlorine gas is about 3 parts per million (ppm).  During the worst-case release of a one-ton chlorine container the ERPG-2 distance could extend up to 2.6 miles from the point of release.  At the point of release, chlorine levels could be greater than 10,000 ppm.
Chlorine is listed as a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act.  Chlorine is “self-alarming” and can be detected by most people at levels as low as 0.3 to 1.0 ppm.  Persons using chlorine- based cleaning products such as Clorox are often exposed to these levels while cleaning their homes.  At 3.0 to 6.0 ppm, chlorine causes a burning feeling, eye irritation and coughing.
 Exposure to chlorine above 10 ppm may cause severe coughing and eye irritation and may limit a person’s ability to escape the area. The 10 ppm level has been designated as “immediate dangerous to life and health” (IDLH) by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Personnel protection equipment (PPE), such as a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), is required by OSHA at the IDLH level.
Exposure to levels of 100 to 150 ppm for more than ten minutes without the use of PPE may have severe medical consequences and be fatal.  At levels above 1,000 ppm, chlorine is instantaneously fatal.
More than 14,500 chemical facilities in the U.S. are required to prepare RMP plans and submit them to EPA, local fire department and their Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).  Information on how to contact the LEPC in your community can be obtained from EPA at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/oswer/lepcdb.nsf/HomePage.