TURA in Massachusetts: Leading the Chemical Industry Towards a Greener Future

TURA stands for the Toxics Use Reduction Act, which was passed into law by Massachusetts State Legislature in 1989. Negotiated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the law was enacted to promote the reduction of both the amount of toxics used and the toxic byproducts generated by businesses. We will outline the goals and consequences of this act for businesses while upcoming articles will address replacement options for the hazardous substances being affected.

Goals of the Toxics Use Reduction Act’s Program

The TUR Act was established with the objective of promoting safer and cleaner production while also enhancing the economic viability of Massachusetts businesses. Toxics use reduction focuses on the use of toxic chemicals and the generation of wastes in the manufacturing process, but not on the management or treatment of wastes after production.

TURA is intended to be an efficient process that would produce less waste. Massachusetts companies are required to form a plan to reduce, avoid, or eliminate the use of toxic chemicals. Each yearly cycle this plan must be recertified and noted with new efforts to improve toxics use reduction. Additionally, businesses must limit the generation of hazardous waste, emissions, and by-products to the land or air per unit of product manufactured.
Want to know more? Click here for a complete list of TURA chemicals or visit the MassDEP website.

Upcoming TURA Deadlines

The MassDEP is exercising an amnesty period for late applications and will accept overdue TURA annual chemical use reports until July 1, 2016. Those companies utilizing this amnesty program will receive a warning letter and will be required to pay one year of past due chemical use and the $1,000 administrative late fee. Businesses are required to submit Form S’s for as many years as they owe a report on the chemical, up to a maximum of three.

Each Massachusetts facility subject to TURA will need to update their TUR Plans for the 2016 calendar year and submit them by July 1st. Below are updates to the list of high hazard substances (HHS) to be reported on TURA Form S in 2017.

Added the following HHS with a reporting threshold of 1,000 pounds:

• 1-bromopropane (n-propyl bromide, nPB)
• Hydrogen fluoride
• Cyanide compounds
• Dimethylformamide (DMF)

Lowered the reporting threshold of these HHS to 1,000 pounds:

• Trichloroethylene (TCE)
• Cadmium and cadmium compounds
• Perchloroethylene (PCE)
• Hexavalent chromium compounds
• Formaldehyde
• Methylene chloride

Need Help Cutting Back on Toxic Output? Contact Our Knowledgeable Team for Advice

Ecolink offers many innovative products that comply with TURA standards by containing fewer harmful substances. We strive to provide clean chemical solutions for a greener future, which is why we offer chemical management services to our clients to help them comply with ever-changing environmental health and safety standards. If you would like to know more about chemical management, click here. You can visit our Product List to see what we offer or contact us at (800) 563-1305 and Tura@ecolink.com to speak with our trusted advisors.