Wood preservation facilities, copper azole : chapter H-10
10. Environmental and Workplace Monitoring
10.1 Baseline Environmental Evaluation
Copper is found naturally in the environment. Typical background levels of naturally occurring copper are listed in Table 24. As with all metals, there is a wide range of naturally occurring concentrations of copper found in soil, and it is recommended that baseline levels be determined prior to operating a facility that uses copper azole in order to enable meaningful future assessments of pollution control at the facility. Older mills may not have this information available. A comparative site from a nearby property can be used as a reference. The facility may use the template provided in Table 24 from Chapter A.
Ethanolamine and tebuconazole are synthetically produced and are not naturally occurring; therefore, all ethanolamine (MEA) and tebuconazole that may be found in the environment is expected to be from human-made sources.
10.2 Environmental Monitoring
Environmental monitoring requirements for a CA-B facility would normally be developed for soil, groundwater and surface water. CA-B facilities have the potential to contaminate groundwater in the immediate vicinity of the facilities to levels that can pose a risk to aquatic organisms. Stormwater runoff may contain at least one of the elements copper or tebuconazole at levels in excess of existing water quality limits. Additional monitoring studies (such as surface water discharges, groundwater and contaminated soil) are recommended to properly assess the degree of such releases.
10.3 Workplace Exposure Monitoring
A monitoring program must be designed to ensure that there are adequate monitoring sites and that the frequency of monitoring and the detection limits of the preservative constituents are defined. Worker health programs should be developed with provincial and/or local regulatory agencies in consultation with a provincial workers’ compensation board and/or department of labour and/or industrial physician/industrial hygienist.
The appropriate components of a site and worker exposure monitoring program are contained in Section 10.2 of Part I, Chapter A - General Recommendations for All Wood Preservatives: Table 25 - Recommended Routine Environmental Monitoring and Table 26 - Recommended Routine Workplace Monitoring.
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