Day 010 - 11 Jul 94 - Page 18
1 manufacture of polystyrene and you note that it places
polystyrene as 5 on that list, you also need to take into
2 consideration that Benzyne waste is also related to the
manufacture of polystyrene foam packaging.
3
Q. So the problem is that, whatever Benzyne will be used for
4 to make, whether it is in a car, you know, Benzyne is part
of petrol for cars, but the point is in the manufacturing,
5 whatever Benzyne is used for, if there was Benzyne waste,
it leads to some problems with its nature of being linked
6 to leukaemia?
A. It also presents problems with disposal since Benzyne
7 is a type of chemical which is not at this time buried in
landfills. It needs to be handled differently because of
8 its hazardous nature.
9 Q. Right.
A. So it presents a problem for waste disposal as a waste
10 component in the hazardous waste stream.
11 Q. While we are on waste disposal from the manufacturing
process of polystyrene, are there any inadequacies in
12 waste disposal, in general, that have been identified from
manufacturing plants?
13 A. Well -----
14 Q. Is there any monitoring of this, is what I am trying to
say?
15 A. In the United States the Federal Government and the
State Government regulate the disposal of different sorts
16 of waste. In this case they identify certain types of
waste as hazardous waste and require rather stringent
17 disposal measures be taken to protect the environment.
18 These regulations, for example, include the Resource
Conservation Recovery Act of 1976 and the 1979 piece of
19 legislation, the Comprehensive Emergency Response and
Clean Up And liability Act, otherwise referred to as the
20 super fund law, that these laws regulate the disposal of
hazardous waste.
21
Now, within my capacity as a research analyst for the
22 Citizens Clearing House for Hazardous Waste, we had
contact with a great number of people who were dealing
23 with disposal facilities which were in violation of the
law which were identified in various ways, either because
24 the people in the community felt this was so, but also as
a finding of fact in various proceedings these disposal
25 facilities were emitting waste or otherwise engaging in
practices which were either violations of their permit
26 conditions or, in fact, violations of Federal or State
law.
27
Q. Is there not some kind of inspection system?
28 A. During the 1980s, the executive branch of the Federal
Government cut funding to the regulatory agencies, the
29 Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration, particularly in the area of
30 inspection. It became increasingly difficult for the
inspectors to cover the number of facilities they needed
