State Misses Connection On Toxic-chemical Plan

December 17, 1985|By Casey Bukro, Environment writer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has listed 402 deadly chemicals whose release or spill into a community could prove catastrophic.

The list includes acids, cyanides, gases, solvents and other chemicals widely used in American industry that could produce a cloud of poison gas similar to that struck Bhopal, India, a year ago, killing more than 1,700 people.

Federal officials said copies of the list were sent to Gov. Thompson and two Illinois state agencies on Dec. 12., but Illinois officials said they have not seen them.

``Today`s actions are designed to start a communication process among citizens, their local and state government and local industries,`` said Lee Thomas, EPA administrator.

Under the EPA program, industries that discover any of the 402 chemicals in their stockpiles are expected to notify local government. Local communities then are expected to develop emergency response plans to cope with a chemical disaster, if such plans don`t already exist. On Nov. 18, the agency sent documents to communities advising them how to prepare for a disaster.

EPA also is offering technical training to state and local officials to help them identify potential chemical hazards.

State officials and chemical company executives said they are awaiting official federal pronouncements before taking action.

James O`Brien, emergency response manager for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said the state intends to compare the federal list with chemicals involved in mishaps in the state between 1983 and 1985.

Of the 10 chemicals most frequently involved in chemical spills in Illinois, eight are on the federal list.

All but propane, a fuel, and styrene monomer, a chemical used in making plastics, are on the federal list.

Illinois has had 50 releases of anhydrous ammonia between 1983 and 1985, said O`Brien. Ammonia is used extensively in fertilizer, he said.

Although the EPA program is described as an exercise in communication, some officials say communication appears to be breaking down. O`Brien said Illinois has not received chemical profile documents from the EPA which outline the health hazards of the 402 chemicals.