The Established Threshold for Hazardous Material - Assignment Example

Several reports are required for manufacturing organizations directly handling hazardous materials. These reports include chemical inventories, releases of these chemicals in the environment, and emergency notification and response plans, among others. The EPA identified 360 extremely hazardous substances and more than 700 hazardous substances (Alaska State Emergency Response Commission 2009, par. 14). The threshold is a value or the point at which the maximum concentration of hazardous materials begins to affect an exposed person.

(International Association of Fire Chiefs 2004, 844) According to the EPA, “the current thresholds for Sections 311 and 312 are stipulated: for extremely hazardous substances: 500 pounds or the threshold planning quantity, whichever is lower; and for all other hazardous chemicals: 10,000 pounds.” This means that a person would be affected when exposed to 500 pounds of extremely hazardous materials and the manufacturing organization has the responsibility to notify both the Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) and the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC).

Below the threshold, the manufacturing facility has no obligation to report.