March 21, 2000

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

NPE Environmental Management Program

A program of the Alkylphenols & Ethoxylates Research Council

The Program

The Alkylphenols & Ethoxylates (APE) Research Council's NPE Environmental Management Program, initiated in early 2000, will help companies meet forthcoming water quality guidelines on nonylphenol in the US and potential future regulations in Canada. The Program is designed to support the continued use of nonylphenol-based products by promoting widely accepted product stewardship and wastewater treatment practices.

As part of the Program, the APE Research Council will work with regulators to develop voluntary water quality levels for commercial nonylphenol ethoxylates and their degradation intermediates that will be protective of the environment.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates are commodity surfactants used in many cleaning products and industrial processes, such as the production of pulp and paper, textiles, leather, paints and coatings and metals. Nonylphenol is the basic building block of nonylphenol ethoxylates and can be a minor degradation product.

Program Components

The NPE Environmental Management Program is structured around the following components:

• Promote the forthcoming US water quality guidelines for nonylphenol through a major outreach program to end-users of nonylphenol ethoxylates and related products. The APE Research Council will work in partnership with formulators and end-users to identify or develop practical means of complying with the guidelines, including widely accepted product stewardship practices and up-to-date methods for controlling releases. Outreach efforts will include workshops with formulators and end-user industry associations, technical guidance materials, a new web site and additional resources for end-users.

• Develop voluntary, risk-based water quality levels for commercial nonylphenol ethoxylates and related compounds: low mole nonylphenol ethoxylates and nonylphenol ether carboxylates (see below for details). These related compounds are the transitory degradation intermediates of nonylphenol ethoxylates.

• Monitor targeted waterways in conjunction with government agencies to help assure that water quality guidelines are being met.

• Work with facilities to apply appropriate product stewardship and treatment methods to assure compliance with the guidelines. The APE Research Council and its member companies will make available technical experts to work directly with end-users to determine appropriate control methods.

US Water Quality Guidelines

The US EPA has developed risk-based guidelines for numerous substances that identify maximum levels in bodies of water to be protective of the environment. Based on these guidelines, states develop water quality standards for these substances and enforce them through their water quality programs and facility permitting processes.

The APE Research Council supports the draft EPA water quality guidelines for nonylphenol. Studies indicate that the draft EPA guidelines on nonylphenol are conservative - that is, the guidelines provide a significant margin of safety to protect aquatic organisms.¹ Most companies likely are already meeting the guidelines through existing, widely accepted pollution control and management systems.

Canada PSL2

The Canadian government currently is reviewing the environmental and health characteristics of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates under its "PSL2" program. The APE Research Council anticipates that its NPE Environmental Management Program will address any concerns raised under the PSL2 review.

Voluntary Levels for Related Substances

In addition to nonylphenol, regulators have expressed concern over low mole nonylphenol ethoxylates (containing few ethylene oxide units) and nonylphenol ether carboxylates, which are the transitory degradation intermediates of nonylphenol ethoxylates.

To address these concerns, the APE Research Council will work with regulators to develop voluntary water quality levels for commercial and low mole nonylphenol ethoxylates and nonylphenol ether carboxylates, based on the methods used to calculate the water quality guidelines on nonylphenol. These voluntary water quality levels will make end-users more confident that they are taking appropriate steps to protect the environment and to ensure the continued use of these products.

Analytical Methods

Poster Presentation and Abstract by Todd Wheeler entitled, "Determination of Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates in Environmental Water" from PittCon 2003 — March 2003 (.pdf)

Additional information

Presentation by James B. (Jim-Bob) Williams entitled, "NPEs and the Industrial Laundry Industry" to the Uniform & Textile Service Association (UTSA) – May 2, 2002 (.ppt)

The APE Research Council is developing materials for the NPE Environmental Management Program. For additional information, please contact the APE Research Council at 202-637-9071 or info@aperc.org.

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¹ The draft EPA water quality guidelines for nonylphenol are: freshwater - 6.6 parts per billion (ppb) water (four-day average) and 25 ppb (one-hour average); saltwater - 1.6 ppb (four-day average) and 6.2 ppb (one-hour average).                                                                                                                              

 

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