1
FACT
SHEET
FINAL
AMENDMENTS
TO
AIR
TOXICS
STANDARDS
FOR
MAGNETIC
TAPE
MANUFACTURING
OPERATIONS
ACTION
 
On
March
31,
2006,
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
announced
its
final
decision
to
maintain,
without
changes,
the
December
1994
national
emission
standards
to
control
toxics
air
pollutants,
also
called
air
toxics,
from
facilities
that
manufacture
magnetic
tape.

 
EPA
analyzed
emissions
from
these
facilities
after
implementation
of
the
1994
air
toxics
rule
and
determined
that
the
risks
to
human
health
and
to
the
environments
are
low.
Therefore,
EPA
need
not
require
further
emissions
reductions.

 
The
magnetic
tape
manufacturing
industry
uses
a
primary
coating
process
in
which
a
mixture
of
magnetic
particles,
resins,
and
solvents
is
applied
to
either
a
plastic
film
(
tape)
or
paper.
Emissions
include
solvents
(
e.
g.,
toluene)
and
particulate
air
toxics
emissions
(
e.
g.,
cobalt).
There
are
six
magnetic
tape
manufacturing
facilities
in
the
United
States.

 
EPA
issued
a
national
rule
to
limit
emissions
of
toxic
air
pollutants
from
these
facilities
in
1994.
That
rule
is
one
of
96
rules
called
maximum
achievable
control
technology
(
MACT)
standards
that
require
174
industry
sectors
to
eliminate
1.7
million
tons
per
year
of
187
toxic
air
pollutants.
Congress
listed
these
toxic
air
pollutants
in
the
Clean
Air
Act.

 
The
1994
MACT
standards
for
magnetic
tape
manufacturing
operations
reduce
emissions
of
toxic
pollutants
by
approximately
2,300
tons
each
year.

 
The
Clean
Air
Act
requires
EPA
to
assess
the
risk
remaining
after
the
application
of
the
1994
MACT.
These
are
called
residual
risk
assessments.

 
The
Clean
Air
Act
also
requires
EPA
to
review
and
revise,
as
necessary,
the
1994
standards
by
taking
into
account
developments
in
practices,
processes,
and
control
technologies.

 
EPA
considered
the
public
comments
received
on
the
proposal
and
we
are
finalizing
the
decision,
as
proposed.

 
EPA
is
making
a
final
decision
that
no
further
action
is
necessary
to
revise
the
standards,
because:

 
EPA's
residual
risk
analyses
show
that
there
is
not
a
significant
health
risk
associated
with
any
of
the
facilities
currently
manufacturing
magnetic
tape
in
the
United
States.
 
EPA's
investigation
of
emission
control
technologies
available
to
the
magnetic
tape
2
manufacturing
industry
did
not
identify
any
significant
developments
in
practices,
processes,
or
control
technologies
since
promulgation
of
the
original
standards
in
1994.
In
fact,
two
new
technologies
(
optical
recording
media
and
solid
state
recording
media)
may
eventually
supplant
magnetic
tape.

 
The
final
action
responds
to
public
comments
on
the
residual
risk
assessment
and
technology
review
and
announces
EPA's
final
decision
to
take
no
further
action
to
revise
the
standards.

BACKGROUND
 
The
Clean
Air
Act
requires
EPA
to
regulate
air
toxics
from
large
industrial
facilities
in
two
phases.

 
The
first
phase
is
"
technology­
based,"
where
EPA
develops
standards
for
controlling
the
emissions
of
air
toxics
from
sources
in
an
industry
group
(
or
"
source
category").
These
MACT
standards
are
based
on
emissions
levels
that
are
already
being
achieved
by
the
bettercontrolled
and
lower­
emitting
sources
in
an
industry.
EPA
finalized
the
MACT
standard
for
magnetic
tape
manufacturing
facilities
in
December
1994.

 
Within
8
years
of
setting
the
MACT
standards,
EPA
is
required
to
assess
the
remaining
health
risks
from
each
source
category
to
determine
whether
the
MACT
standards
appropriately
protect
public
health.
Applying
this
"
risk­
based"
approach,
called
residual
risk,
EPA
must
determine
whether
more
health­
protective
standards
are
necessary.

 
Also,
every
8
years
after
setting
the
MACT
standards,
the
Clean
Air
Act
requires
that
EPA
review
and
revise
the
standards,
if
necessary,
to
account
for
improvements
in
air
pollution
controls
and/
or
prevention.

FOR
MORE
INFORMATION
 
Interested
parties
can
download
the
notice
from
EPA's
web
site
on
the
Internet
under
recently
signed
rules
at
the
following
address:
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
ttn/
oarpg/
ramain.
html.

 
For
additional
information,
visit
the
EPA's
website
at:
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
ttn/
atw/
eo/
eopg.
html
or
contact
Mr.
H.
Lynn
Dail
of
EPA
=

s
Office
of
Air
Quality
Planning
and
Standards
at
(
919)
541­
0837
or
by
e­
mail
at
dail.
lynn@
epa.
gov.
