Reducing Toxics Threats

1
Reducing Toxics Threats

• The problem
• What we need to do
• What it is.. and isnt
• 5 point plan
• Connection to budget strategy
• Key challenges
• Next steps
• Some data

2
The Problem

• Our current system for dealing with toxics does
  not work.
• Taxpayers are hit in the pocketbook. They pay
  millions for government to oversee management and
  cleanup of toxic wastes.
• Taxpayers are hit again they pay millions in
  healthcare costs due to environmental
  contaminants.
• Growing impacts to humans and our environment.
• The federal system of regulating chemicals
  provides little protection.

3
What We Need to do

• Better identify risks to humans associated with
  toxic substances.
• Educate our citizens on how to avoid/minimize
  health risks.
• Continue an aggressive approach to manage toxic
  substances and clean up toxic waste as we look
  toward prevention.
• Reduce the use of hazardous substances in
  products and the need for managing/disposing of
  toxic waste.
• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
  cure Prevent the need for generating toxic
  substances in the first place.

4
Reducing Toxic Threats What is it?

• A multi-year effort led by Ecology and the
  Department of Health to progressively advance
  PREVENTION as the key factor in reducing threats
  to our environmental and public health from toxic
  substances.
• Long Term
  Goal
• Improved public health (fewer illnesses caused
  by
• toxic substances)
• Reduced costs of management and cleanup of
  toxics.
• Better educated citizens and support for
  prevention
• efforts.

5
Specifically, this effort

• Builds on existing regulatory program efforts and
  sharpens our focus on the next logical step
  Prevention.
• Continues our momentum on the progress we are
  making on cleanup.
• Connects us better to public health concerns
• Allows for partnering with business on
  non-traditional innovative approaches in reducing
  toxics.
• Ties economic vitality to environmental
  protection.
• Helps the taxpayer win on both fronts shrinking
  the dollars we are forced to spend on management
  and cleanup of toxics, and preventing health and
  environmental problems.
• Supports PSAT recover plan (Priorities 1 2)

6
What its not

• A brand new initiative
• All about new money (also using existing program
  resources).
• Just about Ecology (DOH, PSAT, GA, CTED).
• Just more regulations for business.
• A single focus (its a multi-program and
  multi-media effort).
• Focusing on pesticides... for now.

7
The Five Point Plan

• Get toxics out of the air we breath (diesel
  soot).
• Get toxics out of water and soil (contaminated
  sites, Puget Sound, Columbia River Toxics
  strategy, source control, toxic TMDLs,
  stormwater, school kids).
• Keep toxics out of our bodies (Mercury, PBDEs,
  data needs on products/uses, fish advisories,
  education).
• Get better data on environmental and health
  trends (annual assessment, monitoring, sampling
  products)
• Help business reduce the creation of toxic
  substances (tech assistance, initiatives, buying
  green, e-waste).

8
Connection to Toxics Budget Strategy

• Five Point Plan is a foundation plan for spending
  MTCA .
• Reflects the shared MTCA Funding Principles and
  creates support and opportunity for prevention.
• Supports a durable strategy for spending the
  money (helps preserve the tax and wards off
  raids).
• Ties to associated policy bills (PBDE ban,
  Mercury switches, e-waste).
• A way to start flipping the spending pyramid.

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Key Challenges

• Message is broad and multi-media difficult to
  grasp.
• What is the crisis we need to drive change?
• Limited data on cause and relationship (health
  impacts due to contaminants) and related costs.
• Limited data on environmental trends toxics in
  products
• Need to better understand current investment in
  CMP
• Prevention efforts more difficult to quantify
  results less tangible
• Stormwater.
• MTCA stakeholders not totally in alignment.
• Business anxious about Ecology playing in the
  marketplace.
• Need to be connected all the way with DOH.
• Enviros

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Next Steps

• Lock down supplemental budget.
• Develop goals, work plan, schedule, outcomes for
  each action plan item (programs)
• Stakeholder work (AWB, Ports, Enviros, PSAT)
• Communication Plan/Marketing.
• Packaging with policy bills.

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Impacts of Toxics in Washington State

• 17 Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisories due
  to high levels of dioxins, PCBs, mercury, DDT
  since 2000
• 244 Water Segments in Washington exceed surface
  water quality criteria for 9 PBTs and 20 of the
  list of polluted waters is for metals and other
  toxic chemicals
• Puget Sound pod of Orca whales, with high levels
  of PCBs, are considered to be the most
  contaminated marine mammals in the world.
• High rates of PBDEs (Toxic Flame Retardants) in
  breast milk.
• Highest rate of breast cancer in the country.
• Diesel soot contributes to Washingtons lung
  cancer, asthma attacks, lost workdays, and
  deaths.
• 47 million pounds of toxic chemicals legally
  released into Washingtons air, water, and soil
  each year.
  
  
  
  

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Total PBDEs and Total PCBs in Human Milk in Sweden
14
Total PBDE Levels US Studies Note Sweden
levels at bottom of slide