On April 21, 2016, the Environmental Quality Commission adopted temporary rules regulating air toxics emissions from colored art glass manufacturers. These rules will expire in 180 days.
Summary
Elevated and possibly unsafe levels of metals have been found in the air around two glass manufacturing facilities in Portland. In May 2015, DEQ received the initial results of a study the U.S. Forest Service conducted looking at moss samples as an indicator or screening tool for contaminants in the air. The study’s results showed that the moss samples in the areas near two colored art glass manufacturers contained high levels of the heavy metals cadmium and arsenic in Southeast Portland and cadmium in North Portland.
Air toxics emissions from certain types of industrial businesses like colored art glass manufacturers are not fully regulated under federal requirements. Based on sampling DEQ undertook last October, and in recent weeks, DEQ has concluded that uncontrolled furnaces used in such colored art glass manufacturing are more likely than not to emit potentially unsafe levels of certain metals, including arsenic, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and nickel. The temporary rules that EQC adopted are intended to immediately protect the public health and the environment by ensuring the air emissions from colored art glass facilities do not cause unsafe levels of metals in the air nearby.
Additional Information
You can view documents concerning this rulemaking at the links below. The EQC staff report for these rules contains two versions of the adopted rules; one with changes marked by colored text and one in the final version without any markup. You can view the staff report at this link: Colored Art Glass Manufacturer Emissions Temporary Rules Staff Report. You can also find additional information about these rules on the rulemaking web page: Colored Art Glass Manufacturer Emissions Temporary Rulemaking.
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You can also obtain more information about this rulemaking by contacting:
Jill Inahara
503-229-5001
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