Colorado TCE policy

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

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Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 2, 2004 

State Health Director Proposes Interim TCE Screening Levels

DENVER - Douglas H. Benevento, the executive director of the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment, Friday proposed an interim
statewide policy to address screening and remediation levels for
trichloroethylene (TCE) that may be present in indoor air.

Benevento explained that the state needs to move forward with an interim
TCE risk management policy because there is no definitive policy set at
the national level. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
continues to review the results of the new scientific studies on the
effects of TCE and, as a result, has not adopted a permanent toxicity
value for TCE.

TCE is a non-flammable, colorless, man-made liquid that is heavier than
water, and is used primarily as an industrial cleaner in the automotive
and metals industries. It has been found in groundwater at old
industrial sites, and it also can be found in many common household
products, such as cleaning fluids for rugs, paint removers and cleaning solvents.

The state health director explained that the proposed policy, on which
interested citizens and groups can submit written comments until 5 p.m.
on Friday, July 23, is the outgrowth of meetings held by the department
since August 2003 with representatives of industry, environmental groups
and interested citizens.

"The results of those meetings and of months of study by department
environmental experts is this proposed interim policy for managing the
risks associated with TCE," Benevento said. "The department's goal is to
establish a risk management process that is both protective of public
health and that establishes guidance for remediation that is responsible
and measurable." 

The state is proposing that TCE be screened in Colorado at a level of
.016 micrograms per cubic meter of air, the most stringent screening
level in use. Screening is the first test of whether cleanup should be
required. The proposed level at which a clean up would be required is
1.6 micrograms of TCE per cubic meter of air.

If TCE levels range from .8-1.6 micrograms per cubic meter of air, the
department would conduct further study to determine whether remedial
action would be required. This investigation could include such things
as testing for background levels of TCE in indoor air that can result
from products or building materials residents may bring into their homes
and determining whether the elevated levels are a result of a
contaminated groundwater plume in the area.

The Department of Public Health and Environment's Hazardous Materials
and Waste Management Division has conducted some of the most extensive
work on TCE in the nation. Results from investigations in the Denver
metropolitan area have shown that typical TCE background levels in
tested homes range from .2-.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Those
background levels result from some common household products as well as
from adhesives and paint removers. 

According to the state health director, he will finalize the interim TCE
policy for Colorado after receiving and considering the public comments.
He said he expects to make the final decision by August 1.

Comments on the proposed Colorado TCE action levels can be submitted via
the Department of Public Health and Environment Web site or in writing.

To submit comments via the Web site, go to www.cdphe.state.co.us. Under
public notices and announcements on the front page of the department's
Web site, click on Comments on Proposed TCE Action Levels. That will
take interested persons to a location on the Web site where they can
enter their comments.

Or, comments can be mailed to Douglas H. Benevento, Executive Director,
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek
Drive South, Denver, CO 80246.

for the Interim policy, go to
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ProposedEnvironmentalPolicies.html


-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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