The federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has published a list of the 100 toxic chemicals presenting the most significant threats to human health at superfund sites; in the next 6 months, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (within the federal Department of Health and Human Services) will write 25 reports on the hazards of the worst 25 of the 100 chemicals. The other 75 will be covered in reports later. Included in each report will be a section describing which industries make and use the chemical. If the agency does a good job on these reports, citizens will be able to learn where all these superfund chemicals came from to begin with. Citizens could then focus attention on those industries, to force reduction in the use of toxics.

The agency drew up the list because it was required by section 110 of SARA, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. According to EPA, the 25 worst chemicals, in arbitrary order, are: benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo(a)(h)anthracene, cyanide, the pesticides dieldrin/aldrin, chloroform, benzene, vinyl chloride, methylene chloride, the pesticides heptachlor/heptachlor epoxide, trichloroethylene, N- nitrosodiphenylamine, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, tetrachloroethylene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, chrysene, p-dioxin, lead, nickel, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, and certain PCBs (1260, 54, 48, 42, 32, 21, 1016).

The list appeared in the FEDERAL REGISTER April 17, 1987, pgs. 12866-12874. [Note that in printing the list, EPA or the FEDERAL REGISTER misspelled trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, omitting the "yl" from each name; however, they printed the Chemical Abstract Services number for each chemical, so we could confirm that the names were misspelled. We have corrected the misspellings in our list above.]

Why not drop the agency a line, telling them you'd appreciate it if they do a thorough job on these reports, and asking to be placed on the mailing list to receive draft copies as they appear? Write to: Ms. Georgi Jones, Director, Office of External Affairs, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Chamblee 28 South, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333; phone: (404) 488-4620.
--Peter Montague, Ph.D.

Descriptor terms: epa; superfund studies; hazardous waste; sara; studies; benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo(a)(h)anthracene, cyanide, the pesticides dieldrin/aldrin, chloroform, benzene, vinyl chloride, methylene chloride, the pesticides heptachlor/heptachlor epoxide, trichloroethylene, N- nitrosodiphenylamine, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, tetrachloroethylene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, chrysene, p-dioxin, lead, nickel, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, PCBs;