The need to adopt a Zero Discharge Policy

The need to adopt a zero discharge policy Dr David Santillo Greenpeace Research Laboratories University of Exeter, UK

What do we mean by a zero discharge policy?
“ The cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of all hazardous substances, (including heavy metals and organohalogen compounds), within a given deadline, achieved through progressive and substantial reductions to meet appropriate interim targets”

“ The cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of all hazardous substances , (including heavy metals and organohalogen compounds), within a given deadline, achieved through progressive and substantial reductions to meet appropriate interim targets”

“ The cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of all hazardous substances, (including heavy metals and organohalogen compounds), within a given deadline , achieved through progressive and substantial reductions to meet appropriate interim targets”

“ The cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of all hazardous substances, (including heavy metals and organohalogen compounds), within a given deadline, achieved through progressive and substantial reductions to meet appropriate interim targets”

Why zero? Dilute & disperse The solution to pollution is dilution

Why zero? Dilute & disperse Assimilative capacity The solution to pollution is dilution The environment can deal with our pollution... ...up to a limit

Assimilative Capacity “ The ability of a body of water to cleanse itself” “ Its capacity to receive waste waters or toxic materials without deleterious effects and without damage to aquatic life or humans who consume the water”

Assimilative capacity approaches...
set limits for discharge of substances (e.g. mg/l, g/tonne), including for hazardous substances
therefore can provide for the legalisation of ongoing pollution , even for persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals
commonly focus on a small sub-set of the pollutants discharged

Assimilative capacity? Pb Hg Cd Cr N P BOD TOC

Assimilative capacity? Pb Hg Cd Cr N P BOD TOC X

Bioaccumulation of mercury

Bioaccumulation of PBDEs

Why zero? Dilute & disperse Assimilative capacity The solution to pollution is dilution The environment can deal with our pollution... ...up to a limit

Why zero? Dilute & disperse Assimilative capacity Zero discharge The solution to pollution is dilution The environment can deal with our pollution... ...up to a limit Many pollutants are not readily broken down or detoxified in the environment

Evolution of the zero discharge concept
UN Conference on the Human Environment (1972)…
Principle 7 - States shall take all possible steps to prevent pollution of the seas by substances that are liable to create hazards to human health, to harm living resources and marine life, to damage amenities or to interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea.

Ministerial Declaration of the 4th North Sea Conference (Esbjerg Declaration), 1995…
“ The Ministers AGREE that the objective is to ensure a sustainable, sound and healthy ecosystem”
“ The guiding principle for achieving this objective is the precautionary principle”

Ministerial Declaration of the 4th North Sea Conference (Esbjerg Declaration), 1995…
“ This implies the prevention of pollution of the North Sea by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances, thereby moving towards the target of their cessation within one generation (25 years)...”

OSPAR (North East Atlantic) Convention - 1998 Ministerial Statement
“… Ministers AGREE to prevent pollution of the maritime area by continuously reducing discharges,emissions and losses of hazardous substances (that is, substances which are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate [PBT] or which give rise to an equivalent level of concern), with the ultimate aim of achieving concentrations in the environment near background values for naturally occurring substances and close to zero for man-made synthetic substances”.

OSPAR (North East Atlantic) Convention - 1998 Ministerial Statement
“… Ministers AGREE to make every endeavour to move towards the target of cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances by the year 2020”.

EU Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment, 2003
“ PBT assessment…seeks to protect ecosystems where the risks are more difficult to estimate”.
Addresses concern that hazardous substances may accumulate in the marine environment and that effects may be difficult to detect in the short term, unpredictable in the long-term and difficult to reverse

EU Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment, 2003
“ For PBT [and vPvB] substances a “safe” concentration in the environment cannot be established with sufficient reliability.”
PBT assessment - two steps:
identification of hazardous substances using specific criteria for the inherent properties; and
evaluation of sources and pathways to determine the most effective measures to reduce and ultimately prevent releases

OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action Most recent update (2007) contains over 40 individual substances or groups OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action 1998 Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Short-chained chlorinated paraffins Mercury and organic mercury compounds Organic tin compounds Nonylphenol/ethoxylates and related substances Musk xylene Brominated flame retardants Certain phthalates - DBP and DEH Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) Pentachlorophenol (PCP) Hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCH) Cadmium Lead and organic lead compounds

Other recent developments in Europe
Water Framework Directive - including adoption of list of priority substances and priority hazardous substances (subject to cessation target)
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of CHemicals) - including identification of substances of very high concern (PBT, vPvB, CMR, equivalent)

Can better wastewater treatment plants deliver zero discharge?
For some pollutants, especially pathogens, nutrients and degradable organic matter, POSSIBLY…(where water-based waste systems are unavoidable)
For many hazardous substances, NO… conventional treatment technologies are poorly suited to complex mixtures of persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals

Industrial effluents can be complex: Riachuelo 2009 28 organic compounds resolved 12 identified (43%) 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester Benzene, 1,3-dichloro- Benzene, 1,4-dichloro- Benzothiazole, 2-(methylthio)- Chloroform Ethene, trichloro- Ethene, tetrachloro- Nonadecane Phenol, 2,4,5-trimethyl- Phenol, 2,4,6-trimethyl- Phenol, 2,6-dimethyl- Toluene, p-amino-

Industrial effluents can be complex: Riachuelo 2009 101 organic compounds resolved 25 identified (25%) [1,1'-Biphenyl]-2-ol 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, diethyl ester 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester Benzene, 1,2-dichloro- Benzene, 1,3-dichloro- Benzene, 1,4-dichloro- Benzene, 1,2,4-trimethyl- Benzene, 1,3,5-trimethyl- Benzopyran, 6-acetyl-7-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl- Benzothiazole Benzothiazole, 2-(methylthio)- Chloroform Cholest-5-en-3-ol (3.beta.)- Citric acid, tributyl ester, acetate Ethene, 1,2-dichloro-, cis- Ethene, trichloro- Ethene, tetrachloro- Galaxolide Hexadecanoic acid Methane, bromodichloro- Methane, dichloro- Phenol, 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4 methyl- (BHT) Phenol, nonyl-, mixture of isomers Sulfur, mol. (S8) Xylenes, o-, p-, & m-isomers

WWTPs can be overloaded: China, 2009 67 organic compounds resolved 31 identified (46%) 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, dibutyl ester 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, dimethyl ester 1,2,3,5,6-Pentathiepane 1,2,4,5-Tetrathiane 1,2,4-Trithiolane 1-Octadecanethiol 1-Octadecene 3,5-Dibromosalicylaldehyde Acetophenone Benzaldehyde, 3,5-dimethyl- Benzaldehyde, 3-bromo- Benzaldehyde, 4-bromo- Benzaldehyde, 4-chloro- Benzaldehyde, 3-chloro- Benzene, hexachloro- Decanoic acid Dodecanoic acid Ethane, 1,2-bis(2-chloroethoxy)- Methanone, diphenyl- Naphthalene Nonanoic acid Phenol, 2,4,6-trichloro- Phenol, 2,4-di-t-butyl-6-nitro- Phenol, 2,4,6-tribromo- Phenol, 2,4-dibromo- Phenol, 2,4-dichloro-6-nitro- Sulfur, mol. (S8) Tetradecanoic acid Undecanoic acid Undecane

WWTPs can be overloaded: Russia, 2007

Zero discharge policies...
already exist in some regions
are scientifically defensible
encourage waste minimisation & avoidance over waste treatment & disposal
and therefore contribute to smarter, more efficient industrial development
stimulate dialogue and co-operation between government, industry and society

Zero discharge cannot be achieved overnight…

Zero discharge cannot be achieved overnight… …but the decision to start working towards it can be.

The need to adopt a Zero Discharge Policy

by Greenpeace Argentina on Oct 05, 2009

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