Oregon regulators plan to enact new rules in November that tie air emission permits to the potential health risks of toxic pollutants contained in those emissions.
Nearly 2,500 companies that need the permits will have to report on the presence in their emissions of about 600 chemicals, from acetaldehyde to zinc under the draft rules released June 25. They then will have to calculate the health risk of their emissions for the approximately 250 chemicals for which sufficient toxicity data exists for state regulators to set a health-based standard. Companies can be required to take steps to ...