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Creating healthy urban environments for all Michael Mann, Acting Director
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Chemical Use Reduction

A key element of the City’s Environmental Management Program

City operations include a wide range of industrial processes including equipment and fleet maintenance, carpentry, machine, and paint shops, road repair and maintenance, construction and landscape and facility maintenance.

These operations employ many different chemicals such as solvents, paints, cleaners, lubricants, and pesticides.  The use of chemicals poses potential risks to human health and the environment as well as the need to comply with complex record keeping, storage and use regulations.  The City adopted a chemical use policy to establish our intent to use the least hazardous products in our operations and to set out general criteria for product selection.

Some of the criteria we consider when evaluating chemicals include carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, mobility and persistence in the environment, and toxicity to fish and wildlife.

What are we doing to reduce use of potentially hazardous chemicals in City operations?

Thanks to the work of custodial and purchasing staff from across City departments, there are six new contracts for over 30 environmentally-friendly cleaning products.  These products are not only better for the environment, but also improve the health and safety of our buildings, are cost effective and they work!  

Additionally, City grounds staff have phased out the use of a wide range of pesticides as well as reduced overall pesticide use.  The City is now turning its attention to the different uses of products containing or resulting in the production of persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic chemicals or Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics (PBTs).  Resolution 30487 calls for an inventory of products used by the City to determine whether the products contain PBTs and also calls for a PBT reduction strategy.  We are using the State of Washington’s list of priority PBTs. 

A few facts

  • Seventy-four water bodies in Washington are contaminated with persistent chemicals at levels considered harmful by the state. (Washington Toxics Coalition)
  • Scientists testing the snowcaps from the coastal mountains to the Rockies have found large concentrations of toxic chemicals -- including PCBs, linked to birth defects and reproductive problems. (Daily Journal of Commerce 10/5/99)
  • In the last 50 years more than 75,000 chemicals have been developed and introduced into the environment. There is very little effective national or international control of the manmade chemicals in current use. (World Wildlife Fund)

Links

PBTs

City of Seattle PBT Resolution 30487

City of Seattle PBT Reduction Strategy PDF (305 KB)

Northwest guide to PBTs

Department of Ecology PBT Rule

Dept of Ecology PBT Chemical Action Plans

EPA PBT strategy

EPA PBT action plans

Treated Wood

What you need to know about treated wood with CCA - EPA

Other links of interest

Scorecard: Learn more about air, water and chemicals in your region

EPA Pollution Prevention

Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Center

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable

World Wildlife Fund - Basic toxic chemical information


Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE)
Mailing Address: PO Box 94729 Seattle, WA 98124-4729
Phone: (206) 615-0817, Fax: (206) 684-3013, Email: ose@seattle.gov
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