Chemsteer Overview: Chemical Screening Tool For Exposures and Environmental Releases

ChemSTEER Overview
Chemical Screening Tool for Exposures and Environmental
Releases
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics Chemical Engineering Branch Washington, DC May 2004 Beta Version 1
ChemSTEER
Chemical Screening Tool for Exposures and Environmental Releases
What does this PC-based software do?

Estimates workplace exposures and releases to a chemical: in the absence of monitoring data estimates are screening-level uses EPA methods and models
ChemSTEER
How can it be used?

Currently used by EPA for:
Workplace release and exposure estimation for new chemicals submitted for PMN review under TSCA Section 5* Sustainable Futures Program submissions
Other potential uses:

Fill data gaps in HPV exposure assessments As an initial Green Engineering design tool * Note: Of the new chemicals regulated under Section 5, a significant fraction are regulated based on estimated workplace release and exposure
ChemSTEER
Exposure Information Flow in New Chemicals Risk Screening

Exposure X Hazard = RISK
Occupational
Environmental (Aquatic, Terrestrial, Avian)
Non-occupational (Consumer, General Population)

EXAMPLE INPUTS: * Physical / Chemical Properties * Stream Flows * Consumer Profiles
E-FAST ChemSTEER
Releases (Land, Water, Air)
EXAMPLE INPUTS: * Physical / Chemical Properties * Production volume, Batch Size * Industry Specific profiles, Generic models, etc.
ChemSTEER
How can it be used in the P2 Framework?

The MPBPVP Model may be used to estimate a chemicals vapor pressure and the WSKOW Model may be used to estimate a chemicals water solubility. Each of these parameters are used in some of the ChemSTEER models.
MPBPVP Vapor pressure Env. releases
ChemSTEER
WSKOW
E-FAST
Water solubility
The ChemSTEER environmental release estimates may be used as inputs to the E-FAST Model. 5
ChemSTEER
How does it work?

You build your assessment by entering some key inputs:
Data on the chemical to be assessed, including:
Production volume (or assessed volume) (kilograms per year) Physical/ chemical properties (known or estimated)
Select at least one operation (i.e., workplace); options include:

Pre-defined industry-specific / use-specific operation User-defined operation
ChemSTEER
How does it work? (continued)

You build your assessment by entering some key inputs:
Select at least one release source/ exposure activity within each operation
Each source/ activity is associated with default models for calculating releases and worker inhalation and dermal exposures
Enter mass balance and container-related data Review models and model input data
ChemSTEER
Entering General Information

This tab allows you to view and/or enter general information related to the ChemSTEER assessment:
Assessment name Date of completion Assessor information Contact information for the assessment Report(s) summarizing information received from a contact General comments related to the assessment
ChemSTEER
Entering Chemical Information

This tab allows you to view and/or enter information related to the chemical to be assessed.
The Production Volume (PV) (amount of chemical to be assessed) is an important input parameter it is used in many mass balance, container-related, release, and exposure calculations. The physical-chemical property parameters (e.g., vapor pressure, molecular weight) may be needed by some release and/ or exposure models.
ChemSTEER
Selecting Operations to be Assessed

An Operation is a workplace or set of homogeneous workplaces with essentially the same processes, equipment, chemical throughputs, procedures, and worker populations. Each of the workplaces within an operation are assumed to have the same releases of and worker exposures to the chemical being assessed.
One or more operations, in which the chemical is manufactured, processed, and/or used, are selected to be included in the chemical assessment.
Some examples of operations are:
Manufacture Formulation of paint (User-defined Processing) Formulation of adhesives Automobile spray coating
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ChemSTEER
Setting the Operation Relationships

The relationships between multiple operations may be defined in ChemSTEER. A straight-series lifecycle of more than one operation (shown below) is the default relationship configuration.
Manufacture Paint formulation Cleaner formulation Auto Spray Coating
100% PV
ChemSTEER allows you to re-define the operation relationships. For example, the above series can be rearranged into a more complex, branched lifecycle of operations as follows:
Manufacture
75% PV
Paint formulation Cleaner formulation
Auto Spray Coating
25% PV
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ChemSTEER
Selecting Sources/Activities
For each operation,
At least one release source/ exposure activity must be selected

This selection is critical, as it will determine which default release/exposure models are used for the calculations. A source/activity is a source of chemical release to the environment and/or an activity that results in a worker exposure to the chemical within an operation.
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ChemSTEER
Entering Operation Mass Balance Parameters

Mass balance parameters are the set of input values that define each operation and associated chemical throughputs. ChemSTEER allows you to input the information that is known and will calculate remaining unknown parameters based upon a mass balance of the chemical around the operation.
Consult the Help System to learn more about the logic by which ChemSTEER makes mass balance calculations.
13
ChemSTEER
Entering Operation Container Parameters

Container parameters are the set of input values that define the number of containers that are filled with the chemical, emptied, and/or cleaned during each operation.
As with the mass balance parameters, ChemSTEER allows you to enter information about the containers that is known and will calculate remaining unknown parameters based upon a mass balance.
Consult the Help System to learn more about the logic by which ChemSTEER makes containerrelated calculations.
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ChemSTEER
Release Calculations
At least one default release model is associated with each source/ activity within each operation. The release models are used for calculating the chemical releases to the environment that occur during the activity.
In the screen shown above, the default model for calculating releases from the Loading Liquid Product into Small Containers source within the Formulation of Paint operation is the EPA/OAQPS AP-42 Loading Model.
15
ChemSTEER
Release Calculations (continued)

Each release model contains the input parameter values that are necessary to perform the calculation by default. Some values are obtained via previous input or calculations (e.g., mass balance or container parameters) or are preprogrammed defaults.
You may modify any of the model input parameters (provided they are not determined through calculations performed in another input screen).
16
ChemSTEER
Release Calculation Results

Environmental release results include:
Media of release (i.e., air, water, incineration, and/or landfill) Characterization (e.g., typical, worst case, average, high end) Number of sites releasing the chemical Days of release (days per site-year) Daily release rate (kg chemical per site-day) Annual release rate (kg chemical per year, all sites combined)
17
ChemSTEER
Worker Exposure Calculations

The exposure models are used for calculating the worker inhalation and dermal exposures to the chemical during the activity.
As with the release sources, each activity resulting in a worker exposure will have associated default inhalation and/or dermal exposure model(s).
In the screen shown above, the default inhalation model for worker exposure to the chemical vapor during the Loading Liquid Product into Small Containers' activity within the Formulation of Paint operation is the EPA/OPPT Mass Balance Model.
18
ChemSTEER
Worker Exposure Calculations (continued)

Each exposure model contains the input parameter values that are necessary to perform the calculation by default. Some values are obtained via previous input or calculations (e.g., container parameters, associated release model calculations) or are pre-programmed defaults.
You may modify any of the model input parameters (provided they are not determined through calculations performed in another input screen).
19
ChemSTEER
Exposure Calculation Results

Worker exposure results include:
Route of exposure (i.e., inhalation or dermal) Characterization (e.g., typical worst case, average, high end) Total number of workers exposed Days per year of exposure Potential dose rate (mg per day) Lifetime average daily dose (mg per kg-day) Average daily dose (mg per kg-day) Acute potential dose (mg per kg-day)
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ChemSTEER
Features User-Friendly Design

ChemSTEER is designed such that new, as well as experienced users can use the software to perform screening-level estimates:
ChemSTEER steps you through the process of creating an assessment scenario Every screen contains instructions of what inputs you must enter to proceed All default models are designed to be transparent (i.e., all assumptions and values are documented) ChemSTEER contains an extensive Help System that documents the bases for every model and every default value. The Help System also contains a library of background documentation.
21
ChemSTEER
Features Creating Summary Reports; Saving Assessments

You may view and print an EPA-formatted summary report (shown at left). You may also save the report to a destination on your hard drive or external disk - as a text* (.txt) file or various other types of file formats (*only the text file format has been thoroughly tested).
Assessments may be saved as individual records in a database file containing multiple assessments. Maintaining a database of multiple assessments allows you greater flexibility in organizing collections of assessments.
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ChemSTEER
What is its status?

May 2004 Beta version
Contains primary broadly applicable models (e.g., drum loading release and exposure, equipment cleaning, dermal contact, etc.) and industry-specific models
17 release models 17 exposure models
Contains 4 industry-specific operations

two Automotive Spray Painting operations one Adhesives Formulation operation one Water-Cooling Tower Additive Use operation
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ChemSTEER
Summary of New Features

Since the last public release of ChemSTEER in July 2003, the following new functions have been implemented in this version:
Capability of opening/modifying older assessments with new versions of the software Automatic transfer of contact information to multiple Contact Reports Operation NAICS code search function New Recirculating Water-Cooling Tower Additive Use industry-specific operation Automatic transfer of site information from one operation to another
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ChemSTEER
Summary of New Features

Container unloading & cleaning sources/activities are automatically added to operations as a pair (one is automatically added when the other is added by the user) Model status messages on the Releases and Exposures tabs Ability to run two sets of inputs (or conditions) in a single model to calculate two release or exposure estimates Releases are no longer combined in ChemSTEER or in the IRER
Each of these new features is described in the ChemSTEER Self-Guided Tutorial, which can be viewed/downloaded from EPAs web site (see next slide).
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ChemSTEER
For More Information

Contact information and the most recent version of ChemSTEER are available from the following EPA Internet site: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/exposure/
This web site also contains links to the ChemSTEER Self-Guided Tutorial, as well as to other exposure-related information and models available from EPA.
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ChemSTEER Overview

Chemical Screening Tool for Exposures and Environmental

What does this PC-based software do?

How can it be used?

Other potential uses:

Exposure Information Flow in New Chemicals Risk Screening

Environmental (Aquatic, Terrestrial, Avian)

Non-occupational (Consumer, General Population)

Releases (Land, Water, Air)

How can it be used in the P2 Framework?

How does it work?

Select at least one operation (i.e., workplace); options include:

How does it work? (continued)

Entering General Information

Entering Chemical Information

Selecting Operations to be Assessed

Setting the Operation Relationships

Paint formulation Cleaner formulation

Auto Spray Coating

At least one release source/ exposure activity must be selected

Entering Operation Mass Balance Parameters

Entering Operation Container Parameters

Release Calculations (continued)

Release Calculation Results

Worker Exposure Calculations

Worker Exposure Calculations (continued)

Exposure Calculation Results

Features User-Friendly Design

Features Creating Summary Reports; Saving Assessments

What is its status?

Contains 4 industry-specific operations

Summary of New Features

Summary of New Features

For More Information

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