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- National fuel standards
- Water quality guidelines
- Further actions identified
- Public health risk management
Waste managementAtmospheric discharges from industrial facilities are regulated by the state/territory environment authority under license agreements. For large companies, the license requires measurement and assessment of air quality. Companies manufacturing formaldehyde are required to calculate and report emissions to the state/territory environment authority and NPI. Formaldehyde contaminated effluent is released to sewer under licensed trade waste agreements. A trade waste agreement is a commercial contract between the discharging company and the government authority, stating the terms and conditions to be observed to discharge waste into the sewerage system. Trade waste agreements generally allow concentrations of formaldehyde between 50 to 200 mg/L to be disposed of via the municipal treatment plant, depending on the jurisdiction and the capacity of the treatment system. National fuel standardsThe Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 (the Act) and the Fuel Quality Standards Regulations 2001 establish national standards for fuels and a framework for enforcing them. The legislation, which was fully enforceable from 1 January 2002, helps Australia to reach international fuel quality benchmarks. The new standards enable the more effective operation of petrol and diesel vehicle engines. Standards for other fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and biodiesel, are also being developed. The standards regulate the supply of fuel to consumers, reduce toxic vehicle emissions and ensure that, by using clean fuels, modern vehicles fitted with advanced emissions control technologies operate at peak performance. It is anticipated that the standards will have a major impact on the amount of toxic pollutants in vehicle emissions. Reduction of overall emissions and of the pollutants, which are involved in secondary formation of formaldehyde, should also reduce formaldehyde release into the atmosphere. Water quality guidelinesThe Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC & ARMCANZ, 2000) provide threshold values for a range of chemical toxicants in water used for specific purposes. The guidelines target water intended for human consumption (i.e. drinking water), aquatic ecosystems, primary industry, and recreational and aesthetics uses. There are two guidelines for threshold levels of formaldehyde: drinking water and water for use in primary industry. Drinking water quality guidelines set formaldehyde concentrations at 10 mg/L. Water used in primary industry (i.e. aquaculture) must not exceed formaldehyde concentrations of 95 mg/L, to prevent tainting of fish flesh or the flesh of other aquatic organisms intended for human consumption.
It is considered that there are sufficient risk management guidelines in place in existing codes, standards and regulations to address aspects of environmental protection from exposure to formaldehyde. Enforcement of the new national standards for fuels should help to reduce formaldehyde emissions from motor vehicles over the longer term. The data and findings of this report should be taken into consideration by the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) when setting an ambient air standard for formaldehyde. Based on the available human health data, a value of 80 ppb (short sampling duration) would be appropriate.
Policy initiatives There have been several policy initiatives and major reviews addressing indoor air quality in recent years. These include:
All the above strategies and reviews recommend the establishment of a single government body with responsibility for indoor air quality. Other recommendations included establishing indoor air standards for the most common and serious pollutants, reduction of emissions of indoor air pollutants, harmonisation of occupational, environmental and public health standards, provision of ‘green’ labelling, increased ventilation rates and vehicle exhaust reduction strategies. Current activities to address indoor air issues There are no national standards for indoor air quality in the non-occupational environment and the responsibility for indoor air quality is not centralised in one authority. Indoor air quality is being addressed through a range of diverse activities, including guidelines, standards and building codes, state and territory government activities, and community education. At a national level, guidelines, such as the national health guidelines prepared by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), standards, such as those developed by Standards Australia, and certain codes, such as the Building Code of Australia (available at www.abcb.gov.au), apply to indoor air quality in general. The NHMRC recommended an indoor air quality guideline for formaldehyde in 1982. Formaldehyde became of interest to the NHMRC at that time due to concerns about urea-formaldehyde foam insulation products. Based on a review of the literature and available scientific evidence on potential health effects, including eye and respiratory tract irritation and reported carcinogenic effects in animals, an indoor air quality goal (ceiling limit) of 120 ug/m3 (100 ppb) for formaldehyde was recommended (NHMRC, 1982, 1983). However, this standard has not been implemented. The Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) considers air quality issues at a national level, however, indoor air is not currently designated as a priority project (EPHC, 2003). Standards Australia has published a standard methodology for measuring formaldehyde levels in indoor air, AS 2365.6-1995 Methods for the Sampling and Analysis of Indoor air – Determination of Formaldehyde –Impinger Sampling - Chromotropic Acid Method (Standards Australia, 1995). Details are discussed in Section 6. Standards Australia has also published standards for formaldehyde emission requirements for particleboard and MDF. Details are discussed later in this section. Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), a joint body of all levels of government, is responsible for overseeing the Building Code of Australia (BCA) to ensure that community expectations for health, safety and amenity in the design, construction and use of buildings through building codes, standards and regulations are met. BCA specifies the Australian Standards (or equivalent) that must be met for construction of buildings, for example, structural requirements. State/territory legislations then call up the BCA. The Standards that are referenced by BCA in relation to pressed wood products are AS 1860 1998 - Installation of particleboard flooring and AS/NZS 2269 1994 - Plywood – structural. The standards for formaldehyde emission limits are not referenced in BCA because they are product standards. In addition, state/territory legislations that call up the BCA generally do not include mobile homes and relocatable buildings in their definition of a “building”. The Australian Government Department of Transport and Regional Services (DTRS) is responsible for setting Australian Design Rules for vehicles including caravans. They generally adopt international standards that are based on performance in regards to road safety, such as the performance of tyres, towing bars and electrical equipment. Caravans in caravan parks are not covered by these design rules. Other government organisations, such as the Department of Treasury and the Department of Health and Ageing, also have a role in indoor air quality issues in regards to policy making for consumer product safety, including labelling and consumer awareness. States and territories do not have specific legislation regulating indoor air quality, although various performance-based regulations impact on indoor air quality. Examples are building regulations that cite the Building Code of Australia, which references Australian Standards on openable windows and mechanical ventilation (AS 1668.2–1991 The Use of Mechanical Ventilation and Air-Conditioning in Buildings – Mechanical Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (Standards Australia, 1991)). This standard sets minimum requirements for preventing an excess accumulation of airborne contaminants, or objectionable odours based on needs to control body odour, food odour, air contaminants, or carbon dioxide concentrations. Another example, Education and Facility Research Group in NSW Department of Commerce, sets up standards for school facilities for new and upgraded classrooms including relocatable classrooms. One of the requirements is that MDF is not permitted for wall lining or backing to pin boards in classrooms. Directory: data -> assets -> word doc -> 0006 word doc -> Commonwealth of Australia 2002 word doc -> Commonwealth of Australia 2000 word doc -> Priority Existing Chemical word doc -> Rail safety news issue 6 – October 2011 word doc -> Review of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying 0006 -> Board Endorsed October 2009 amended 13-09-11 with extra units 0006 -> Rt Hon Andrew Lansley cbe mp secretary of State for Health 0006 -> Environmental Approvals Application Form Use this form Download 5.77 Mb. Share with your friends:
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