Have you ever driven by a pulp and paper mill and smelled the foul air? Have you seen polluted wastewater being dumped into a nearby stream? As bad as these noticeable signs of pollution are, there are unseen chemicals being released that are even more threatening to humans and wildlife, including dioxin. The pulp and paper industry is the second largest known source of dioxin because chlorine used to bleach paper creates dioxin and other related chemicals. Under current law these highly toxic chemicals are legally discharged into streams. The EPA will soon decide whether to reduce the release of dioxin and other pollutants from pulp and paper mills into our air and water.
The EPA's draft reassessment of the health risks from dioxin and related chemicals links dioxin and related toxics to increased rates of breast, testicular and prostate cancers. Infertility, weakened immune systems, and nervous system disorders have also been associated with these toxics. Because of this threat, many states advise people not to eat fish or shellfish caught downstream from paper mills that use chlorine to bleach paper.
To eliminate this threat to our families and environment, paper mills must install totally chlorine free (TCF) technology. TCF paper is being made in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. and meets all consumer demands for strength and brightness. NWF wants the EPA to require TCF technology for all U.S. paper mills.
To make paper, chemical agents are used to break down the lignin (the sticky resin in trees) as well as to bleach or whiten the paper. When chlorine, chlorine dioxide, or other chlorine-based chemicals are used, they inevitably produce dioxin and related chemicals. However, chlorine bleaching agents can be eliminated by using a two step process. First, mills must convert to a technology called oxygen delignification (OD) which lowers the lignin content of the pulp to the point where waste materials can be recycled. Then safer oxygen-based bleaching agents, such as hydrogen peroxide or ozone can be used to whiten the paper. Dioxin is eliminated and overall water quality is improved because most of the waste can be recycled, thus reducing the discharge of pollutants that kill fish and other aquatic life.
The EPA is set to issue new air emission and water discharge standards for the pulp and paper industry. This rule, known as the "cluster rule," if done properly, can reduce the amount of dioxin and other pollutants released into our environment dramatically. The EPA is currently considering one of two options:
OPTION A: Require companies to substitute the use of pure chlorine with chlorine dioxide which would reduce the amount of dioxin generated, but still discharges chemical laden wastewater into our water; or,
OPTION B: Require oxygen delignification (OD) plus chlorine dioxide substitution. This option significantly reduces toxic discharges and is a critical first step toward TCF.
Neither of these options will eliminate chlorine bleaching agents completely.
However, of the two options the EPA is considering, clearly Option B
is preferable since it moves the industry one step closer to TCF. About
a third of U.S. pulp and paper mills have installed OD. While TCF is the
preferred option, the EPA, at the very least, should not penalize those
mills that have upgraded their plants. Option A does not move the industry
any closer to TCF and should be rejected.
Option B should be the minimal standard for the industry.
The EPA is expected to make a decision by the middle of April. The National Wildlife Federation believes that totally chlorine free technologies should be adopted as the goal for the entire industry. Pulp and paper plants should be required to install TCF technology on a reasonable schedule. At the very least, the EPA must require all mills to adopt oxygen delignification technology, and establish a strong U.S. government policy for buying TCF paper.
Please contact President Clinton today urging him to ensure that paper is produced in a way that protects humans and wildlife. Tell him the Clinton Administration ought to require the industry to adopt TCF production processes, but the President certainly should have the EPA choose option B.
Please contact the President by letter, phone or e-mail today:
The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
(202) 456-1111
president@whitehouse.gov
Children are the most vulnerable to the dangers of dioxin and other related chemicals. President Clinton has heard from industry. Now he needs to hear from you. Please write or call him today! Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Mark Van Putten, President
P.S. Adopting totally chlorine free paper can eliminate one major source of dioxin. We should not expose people to these toxic chemicals needlessly. Please contact the President today, and urge him to ensure that paper mills take a first step toward protecting our families and our environment.