Chemical Industry Pollution
The chemical industry is highly regulated by the EPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They are responsible for enforcing laws pertaining to pollution of land, air, and sea. The Toxic Substances Control Act, TSCA, is a plan of action committed to identifying the risk level of a chemical and how to safely interact with it. Chemical manufacturing byproducts and waste must be minimized and properly disposed of.
Chemical companies spend over 12 billion dollars annually on environmental safety and health programs. Over the last 40 years, this has led to a 70% reduction of chemical pollution. Energy consumption related to CO2 emissions resulting in climate change are of major concern. Gasses emitted in U.S. chemical processing plants must be “scrubbed”. This process uses liquid or dry reagents to absorb any toxic chemicals from the gas before it can be released. The waste product is then properly disposed of or sent on to further synthesize. Even with chemical manufacturing being a leading cause of environmental pollution, they strive to set new industry standards. They are leaders in development of environmentally friendly manufacturing methods. The industry funnels billions of dollars into environmental protection and rehabilitation programs. They are focused on creating modern processing that allows for a healthy environment and safe future for everyone using their products.