CFPA TODAY - Summer 1998

CFPA's Design Contest Draws Big Winners Stone Container Settles Pollution Lawsuits-Company to Reassess Its Paper Bleaching Process Common Contaminant in Drinking Water Linked to Miscarriages Dioxins Created in Manufacturing Process Directly Linked to Cancers Bromitron Purifies Water Without Chlorine Manistique Celebrates First North American Use of PCF Mark Vermont Poised to Solicit Bids for PCF-Certified Copier Paper CFPA's Top Ten List Millwatch News Excerpt

The Chlorine Free Products Association, Moore Business Forms, and the Environmental Media Association joined the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin to announce the winners of "Designing for a Chlorine-Free Future," a design contest that highlighted the benefits of chlorine-free products and processes.

James Treleaven, senior vice president of GEAC and CFPA Board Chairman, presented first prize to Cynthia Perkin of Chicago, a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Todd Land and Jared Tekiele were awarded second and third places, respectively. The award presentation was held at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where all contest entries were on display. Winners were judged on the merits of the artwork and on how the art demonstrated various aspects of chlorine-free issues. The theme of the contest was educating children (ages 10 to 15) on the toxicity concerns surrounding the use of chlorine chemistry in papermaking.

"I was impressed with the conceptual creativity expressed by the students in the development of their posters," said Terrance O'Hara, vice president, marketing for Moore Document Solutions. "The ideas expressed will build a foundation of education for the next generation."

"Organochlorines, dioxins, and furans are tough technical terms for adults, let alone children, to understand, but they affect the very chemistry of our lives and future," said CFPA executive director Archie Beaton. "This contest helps find ways to explain these complex but important terms and issues to school-age children."

Contestants developed artwork that will be incorporated into an educational kit, including a poster, video, and teacher's guide. The kit, which will highlight safe and economical alternatives to chlorine, will be distributed to junior and senior high school science and environment classes throughout the United States.

"This contest yielded so many clever ways to address the chlorine issue - I was amazed and impressed," said Andy Goodman, president of the Environmental Media Association.

"I salute CFPA for developing this innovative program, as well as the students who produced such outstanding work."

"It was a pleasure to participate in a project to increase the awareness of chlorine issues to children," said Leta Winston, environmental specialist at Nike Corporation. "It is this type of involvement and interaction that promotes education and change. It is always a wise choice when we invest in our future leaders."

Contest winners received cash prizes, and winning artwork will be printed as covers for future issues of CFPA Today magazine. In addition, CFPA will reproduce selected art pieces as high-quality posters that will be used to help educate the public on the benefits of chlorine free.

CFPA plans to hold a public art exhibit in December 1998 to display the winning artwork and to help highlight the potential health and environmental dangers of chlorine and chlorine-containing compounds.

For more information, call CFPA at 847-658-6104.

Photo(left to right):Cynthia Perkin, Archie Beaton, James Treleaven and Todd Land

Stone Container has agreed to two comprehensive out-of-court settlements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several Montana citizens groups over violations of environmental laws at the company's pulp mill near Frenchtown, Montana. As part of one settlement, Stone is required to analyze its bleaching process and to consider a totally chlorine-free process to eliminate dioxin pollution.

The threat from Stone Container's use of chlorine was highlighted by an accident that occurred outside of Missoula last year. A train hauling nearly 800,000 pounds of deadly chlorine gas headed for a Montana manufacturing facility derailed, spilling 170,000 pounds of the material. One man died and at least 37 people were treated for chlorine inhalation, including three who were critically injured. The town of Alberton, about 25 miles west of Missoula (pop. 80,000), had to be evacuated. As many as 600 other residents in the path of the resulting chlorine gas plume, as far as ten miles from the derailment, were also evacuated. Only ideal weather conditions kept the disaster from becoming much worse.

The citizens' settlement requires Stone Container to implement an innovative new pollution prevention program for five years to address air, water and solid waste pollution at its mill. Additionally, Stone Container must spend $150,000 to develop alternatives to the burning of chlorinated plastics generated by the mill's recycling plant, pay $50,000 in civil penalties, and spend $450,000 for local environmental cleanup projects. Stone must also explore using renewable agricultural residues and increasing the use of recycled fibers in its linerboard production. Stone has already decided to increase recycled fiber use from 400 to 525 tons a day.

In a second out-of-court settlement with U.S. EPA over Clear Air Act violations, Stone agreed to pay fines of $312,500 and commit tens of thousands of dollars to insure accurate testing and reporting of the mill's recovery boilers for particulate pollution. The company will hire an independent expert to certify its pollution prevention activities and, for the first time, involve citizens in the mill's environmental performance and pollution prevention activities.

The two settlements will cost the company over $1 million.

Drinking water containing high levels of trihalomethane (TTHM), a common contaminant formed when chlorine reacts with decomposing plant material, has been linked to high rates of miscarriage, according to a study conducted by the California Department of Health Services with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Trihalomethanes (chloroform, bromoform, bromodichlorodibromomethane) are found primarily in drinking water that originates from surface sources, such as rivers and lakes. The amount of trihalomethanes in drinking water can vary from day to day, depending on temperature, amount of plant material in the water, amount of chlorine added, and a variety of other factors.

According to study results published in The Journal of Epidemiology (March 1998), women with high personal exposure to total TTHM during their first trimester of pregnancy had a miscarriage rate of 15.7 percent, compared to a miscarriage rate of 9.5 percent among women with low TTHM exposure. The highest risk was seen in the 121 women who drank at least five glasses per day of cold tap water containing high levels of TTHM. The study looked at 5,144 pregnant women living in three areas of California.

The study highlights how important it is that consumers know their water supplies and that drinking water, which is often chlorinated to kill bacteria and viruses that can cause serious illnesses, be clean and free of all contaminants, including those formed in reaction to chlorine."Many companies provide bottled drinking water in glass containers that is safe, clean, and delicious - without the use of chlorine," said Archie Beaton, CFPA executive director. "It's time to explore chlorine-free possibilities."

A new Danish study of paper mill workers and a recently settled court case in Northern California have confirmed the hazards of dioxin exposure to mill workers.

The study of nearly 15,000 Danish paper workers, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (January 1998), shows a link between exposure to dioxins and higher cancer rates. The study turned up higher incidences of Hodgkin's disease, pharyngeal cancer, and soft-tissue sarcomas.

Mill workers in the study were employed by a large Danish paper company between 1943 and 1990. Although the overall cancer risk was close to what was expected, researchers discovered that men who worked in the mills had more than double the expected risk of Hodgkin's disease and four times the risk of pharyngeal cancer. Female workers experienced higher rates for cancer of the pharynx, esophagus and mouth, and of soft-tissue sarcomas. The workers had been exposed to dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans and a variety of chlorinated organic compounds.

A similar link between dioxin exposure and increased cancer risk was highlighted in a recently settled court case brought against Champion International by the family of Tim Skaggs, a former employee of Simpson Lumber Company.

Skaggs died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 1991 after having been exposed to Woodlife, a product contaminated with dioxins and furans, during 1971 to 1972 while employed at Simpson Lumber Company in Arcata, California. Woodlife, a wood preservative with the principal ingredient pentachloro-phenol (which contained dioxins and furans), was manufactured and sold to Simpson by Champion International. Skaggs had applied Woodlife to lumber and worked with Woodlife treated wood 20 years ago when employed as a paint line operator at Simpson. His dioxin exposure was proved by examining a fat sample taken from his body; the sample also showed an 80 percent correlation between dioxin found in a twenty-year old can of pentachlorophenol located and tested at Champion. Skaggs' diagnosis of leukemia some 17 years after being exposed to this known carcinogen is consistent with the latency period for this type of chemically induced cancer.

The California State Department of Health documented three cases of leukemia and one non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the Simpson mill. The appearance of four blood/ lymph cancers at the sawmill is sixteen times the expected rate of leukemia, given the size of the workforce.

"Studies have proven that chlorine compounds have a very harmful impact on human health and the environment," said Archie Beaton, CFPA executive director. "Chlorine-free technology not only saves companies money and hassle, but it saves lives. It completely eliminates these cancer concerns."

…People Who Swim in Chlorine Pools.

Bromitron Purifies Water Without Chlorine

- Orlando, FL -

Bromitron Water Systems of Orlando, Florida, has developed an environmentally friendly and highly economical water purification system that safely cleans swimming pools, spas, fountains, and cooling towers without the use of chlorine. Chlorine and chlorine products are a main source of allergies associated with swimming pools.

The Bromitron Bromine Generator produces 100 percent chlorine-free water, reducing chemical and maintenance costs for swimming pools by over 60 percent. In addition, the system removes dissolved metals, such as iron silver, phosphates, and manganese, to help eliminate staining and to prolong the life of pool surfaces, pumps, filters, and heaters. The system is an all-around money saver.

"Since installing the bromine generator, we've been spending $560 per year in sodium bromide and nothing for algaecides. We were previously spending $300 per month for pool chemicals," said Bob Crombie of the Seasons Resort in Orlando, Florida. "Our maintenance time has been cut in half. We used to empty our spa twice per week before, and now we empty it twice per year."

Bromine is generally regarded as the best substitute for chlorine, since it is an excellent bactericide, algaecide, and viricide. It is effective in a much broader pH range than chlorine. It causes significantly less eye and skin irritation, is much less corrosive, and is more friendly to the environment than chlorine.

Until recently, the only methods to produce bromine was to add chlorine to sodium bromide. But in the 1980s, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wanted to create pure bromine with no chlorine additive, so he used electrolysis. Through electrolytic conversion, sodium bromide could be oxidized into 100 percent pure bromine. Some engineers took this knowledge and applied it to pool and spa sanitation, thus the creation of the Bromine Generator.

The system can treat any volume of water and can be used in swimming pools, spas, fountains, cooling vats, and chiller plants. The process is patented in 20 countries worldwide and is approved by Underwriters Laboratory and the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services of Florida. It complies with the applicable requirements of the National Sanitation Foundation Standard for Swimming Pools.

The Bromitron Bromine Generator is the only 100 percent chlorine-free bromine generator in the world. Bromitron's generator units are currently in place at Walt Disney World, Sea World, Park Lake Towers, and properties throughout the United States.

"It is heartening to see the use of chlorine-free water purification systems increasing around the country," said Archie Beaton, CFPA executive director. "The technology is in place to provide clean, safe water without harmful chlorine compounds, and the marketplace is responding. It is good news for our families and the environment."

Local, state, and federal officials, including Michigan Governor John Engler, gathered in Michigan in March to congratulate Manistique Papers on becoming the first paper mill in North America to gain processed chlorine-free (PCF) certification. The designation, awarded by the Chlorine Free Products Association after an extensive audit of the paper company's manufacturing processes to make certain that no chlorine is used, allows Manistique to use the PCF certification mark on all its products.

Leif Christensen, president and general manager of Manistique, said his company was pleased to gain the recognition. "We are delighted to participate in CFPA's certification program. It's very important to our environmentally sensitive customers," he said. "It's always great to have an opportunity to explain to the press and to the public the environmentally correct stance that Manistique Papers takes."

The certification shows the company uses no chlorine containing compounds to make its paper. It also certifies that Manistique Papers uses at least 40 percent postconsumer fiber in its product and that it uses no virgin pulp for papermaking. The mill will be inspected and re-certified annually.

"Going chlorine-free is just one more demonstration of Manistique's environmentally aware approach to business," said U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham.

Chlorine compounds have been associated with adverse effects on human and animal health. The Chlorine Free Products Association initiated the certification program for pulp and paper manufacturers to decrease these health risks. Earning CFPA certification allows Manistique Papers to use the PCF mark on all its products, providing a clear choice for consumers who wish to support a company committed to environmental protection.

"Removing chlorine from the production process is a step beyond recycling, making Manistique's recycling efforts even more beneficial to the environment," said Senator Walter North.

He noted that CFPA's certification program bumps up industry-wide standards and brings greater accountability to the paper industry. "That is why we can be proud that a northern Michigan company was the first in the nation to achieve the chlorine-free designation," he said.

Manistique Papers has been recycling recovered paper since 1959 and has been producing recycled paper from coated paper fibers since 1984. The company uses old magazines and catalogs as feedstock, recycling them through a 13-stage deinking and chlorine-free purification process. Manistique manufactures paper that is used in newsprint, magazine insert paper, tablet paper, envelope stock, label stock, computer forms paper, and a wide variety of colored paper for advertising flyers, ad jackets, copy paper, instruction sheets, and other groundwood specialty grades on a machine that is one of the fastest in the world. The company's products are sold primarily in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

The state of Vermont will issue a bid solicitation this fall for paper that bears the PCF certification mark. The state intends to purchase on a six-month basis three different sizes of 20 lb. Xerographic paper that is processed chlorine free.

"Our bid solicitation will include language that will require either mill certification that the product is PCF or certification by an organization such as the Chlorine Free Products Association," said Ken Feld, purchasing agent for the state. "We believe this will formalize our commitment to PCF copy paper."

Government agencies in Vermont are now required to purchase and use PCF papers. CFPA worked closely with procurement officials in the state to get the PCF requirement established and implemented. "Effective May 15, 1998 to all State Agencies. It has been made mandatory to purchase PCF paper through the Supply Center. Finance will not process payment from any other vendor." This statement is from The Informal Informer-May/June Issue - Supply Center News.

The requirement is part of Vermont's plan to encourage state agencies to purchase products that promote resource conservation and pollution prevention. The plan, which includes establishing a 40 percent recycling rate in all state agencies by 2000, calls for procurement of recycled paper with the highest postconsumer content feasible that has not been re-bleached with chlorine compounds. In addition, the plan calls for state government officials to increase their knowledge about the availability, quality, and price of other non-chlorine paper products.

The state intends to conduct in-house seminars on chlorine-free issues and to educate agency employees on the importance of buying and using chlorine free.

"Vermont is moving beyond recycled content in its purchasing policies. The state is pushing the environmental bar higher," said Archie Beaton, CFPA executive director. "This is a growing trend. Concerned consumers are adding issues like chlorine-free bleaching and harvesting practices to the list of what defines a true environmental paper."

Consumers have power in the marketplace to help clean up America's water bodies. You can vote with your dollars for clean water by buying chlorine-free products. Here are ten simple but effective ways that you can encourage manufacturers and others to choose chlorine free.

1. Request that the products you buy carry the TCF/PCF certification mark.

2. Contact your local government and ask that it buy TCF/PCF certified products.

3. Ask your grocer to stock chlorine-free paper products that carry the TCF/PCF certification mark.

4. Call manufacturers and request that they produce products that meet and can carry the TCF/ PCF certification mark.

5. Distribute information about this issue to people in your neighborhood, in your work-place or at your school. Make sure they understand the importance of requesting the TCF/PCF certification mark.

6. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, discussing the problems with using chlorine in paper bleaching and in water purification.

7. Encourage your students to do their school research papers or science fair projects on chlorine-free issues.

8. Ask your school to buy products that have qualified for the TCF/PCF certification mark.

9. Call or write your elected federal, state, and local elected officials, asking them to support legislation that encourages manufacturers and purchasers to specify products that bear the TCF/PCF certification mark.

10. Purchase and use products that carry the TCF/PCF certification mark.

For more about chlorine-free products and TCF/PCF certification, order CFPA's 1998 Guide to TCF & PCF Papers. Contact CFPA for information at 847-658-6104.

MillWatch is sponsored by Reach For Unbleached! Canada to connect people and resources working on pulp and paper issues. Write to us!

Ontario Keeps Zero AOX As Goal For 2002

The Ontario provincial government has unexpectedly decided to retain the goal of AOX reduction as a legal requirement for the pulp and paper industry.

In 1993, Ontario's Pulp and Paper Regulation required mills to reduce AOX to .8 kg/Adt by 1999, and to submit reports to the ministry on how they intend to reduce AOX levels to zero by 2002.

Last year the Harris government announced that it planned to remove the regulatory reference to the Zero AOX goal and eliminate the reporting requirement. However, after a public comment period, the Ministry of Environment decided to maintain the goal of zero AOX and advance the AOX limit of .8 kg/Adt to December 1997. "The ministry will schedule a review and assessment in the year 2000 of the science on AOX in relation to the ministry's goal of eliminating the generation of AOX. The review will be based, in part, on the research obtained from the University of Toronto's consortium characterizing pulp and paper effluents." Pending the results of the scientific study, mills will not be required to submit reports on eliminating AOX.

From "Better, Stronger, Cleaner Environmental Regulations for Ontario," Ontario Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, No vember 1997, Pibs 3610e, ISBN 0-7778-6936-5