Analysis of Risk of Waste Output to the Seneca-Babcock Community By Buffalo Color Corporation TRI Releases A collaboration between By Edward M. Murphy Dr. Joe Gardella, Advisor Walter Garrow, Buffalo Color Corporation

We want to determine the risk. What is risk? In our case, risk is the determination of whether or not materials released from Buffalo Color may harm the community.

What increases risk? R isk is determined by the answers to these three questions... How much is there of it? How bad is it for the community? How likely is it to get to the community?

How much of it is there? What is released… Where it is released… How much is released... Buffalo Color is required by law to issue a Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI tells us:

Where is it released? Buffalo Color releases toxic materials the following way Into the air Into the Buffalo River Into the sewer system Since Buffalo Color can only really impact Community by air, that is what we will look at...

How hazardous is the material? 0 - Non-hazardous 1 - Very minimal chance of hazard 2 - Slightly hazardous 3 - Moderately toxic 4 - Toxic Materials are rated by hazard from 0-4 based on the following scale:

But… We must be careful. The 0-4 scale can be misleading… A swimming pool of 0 hazard water can be dangerous… A can of cola has a significant amount of 3 hazard phosphoric acid, but we drink it...

The reason for this... The toxic scale from 0-4 accounts for many things… If exposed to it, will it suffocate you? Will it poison you? Will it corrode your skin? Could it increase risk for cancer?

However... The 0-4 scale is a simple and general way to make the analysis. But does not tell us: What is hazardous about it… How much makes it hazardous How we need to come in contact to make it hazardous

How likely am I to be exposed to a certain material? Picture our air like a bottle of good Italian dressing… Some stuff settles out quickly. Some sinks to the bottom. Some rises to the top.

Same thing with gases... Some will rise out of the Buffalo Color smokestack and miss Seneca Babcock. Some gases settle out quickly. Some sinks to the bottom. Some rises to the top.

The Relative Gas Scale How heavy or light the gas coming out of the smokestack is in comparison to the air. Air = 1.0 Something half as heavy as air = 0.5 Something twice as heavy as air = 2.0 The 2.0 will sink, the 0.5 will rise

Some examples... Air = 1.0 Helium = (Very Light) Sulfur Dioxide = 2.2 -(Over twice as heavy as air)

What we get from this... The lower the number, the less likely Seneca Babcock is going to be exposed, because the material will rise not sink… The higher the number, the more likely Seneca Babcock will be exposed to the material, as it will sink, not rise.

Overall Risk We have identified and discussed all the components of risk –Amount –Hazard –Chance

Combining Terms To identify total risk, we multiply the factors. Risk = Amount x Hazard x Chance Amount - In Pounds, Out of Smokestack Hazard - Scale from 0-4 Chance - How light gas is

What we’ve all been waiting for… The Results...

Hazard Rankings of Emissions from Buffalo Color (1996 TRI)

Where did we get our numbers… Emissions Data –Buffalo Color TRI Safety Data –Material Safety Data Sheets –Government Publications Air Density Data –Textbooks

However, we must note… This only ranks the risks. It does not tell us the risk. With this we can take our next step...

Air Analysis We can, and are, with your help, testing the air to see if any of the risky materials we are concerned about, are there.

Improving Emissions... Buffalo Color, since the last TRI, has installed a ‘flare’ on one of it’s emission points. –A flare is a devise that burns materials, with the intent of burning something hazardous to change it and make it less hazardous.

How much will it help? The shaded materials are no longer being released, thanks to flare.

We have shown... What materials pose the most risk Explained the concept of risk The relative nature of the assessment What Buffalo Color has done

What’s next? Determine what is in the air Answer the communities concerns Work to further the relationship between Buffalo Color, and Seneca Babcock Assist Buffalo Color, in making further environmental improvements, if needed Assess risk from other companies, in area