BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 324
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          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 324 (Bloom)
          As Amended  August 14, 2013
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |76-0 |(April 25, 2013 |SENATE: |37-0 |(August 19,    |
          |           |     |)               |        |     |2013)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    E.S. & T.M.

          SUMMARY  :  Extends the sunset date from January 1, 2015, to  
          January 1, 2020, on the prohibition on the manufacture or sale  
          of glass beads containing hazardous heavy metals if the beads  
          will be used with blasting equipment and makes technical changes  
          to make this program consistent with other enforcement programs.

           The Senate amendments  :  

           1)Specify the testing methodology for arsenic and lead in glass  
            beads. 

          2)Authorize Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), upon  
            receiving a warrant or consent, to conduct enforcement  
            activities.

          3)Require the DTSC, no later than January 1, 2019, to prepare an  
            evaluation of existing research and data to determine if the  
            standard of 75 parts per million (ppm) or more of arsenic or  
            100 ppm or more of lead is an appropriate standard for the use  
            of those substances with regard to the prohibitions specified  
            above, and to submit its findings to the Legislature.

           EXISITNG LAW  :  
           
          1)Prohibits a person from manufacturing, selling, offering for  
            sale, or offering for promotional purposes glass beads that  
            contain 75 ppm or more of arsenic or 100 ppm or more of lead  
            by weight, if those glass beads will be used with pressure,  
            suction, or wet- or dry-type blasting equipment.  

          2)Requires that the weight percentage of arsenic and lead be  
            determined in accordance with the Environmental Protection  
            Agency (EPA) Method 3052, which may be modified, and with EPA  








                                                                  AB 324
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            Method 6010C, as those methods were in effect on January 1,  
            2010, or with a generally accepted instrumental method with  
            traceable standards, including X-ray fluorescence.  

          3)Sunsets the bill's provisions on lead and arsenic-containing  
            beads on January 1, 2015.  

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill extended the sunset date  
          from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2020, on the prohibition on  
          the manufacture or sale of glass beads containing hazardous  
          heavy metals if the beads will be used with blasting equipment

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.  




           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, "By extending the sunset on  
          AB 1930 [De La Torre, 2010], the Department of Toxic Substances  
          Control will continue to prohibit glass beads containing high  
          levels of hazardous heavy metals from being imported into and  
          used in California.  This will ensure the safety of the  
          California environment, nearby residents, and industrial  
          employees otherwise at risk of exposure to these heavy metals."  

           Related uses of glass beads:  Glass beads are used for a variety  
          of purposes, including as a reflective material for street  
          striping.  However, this bill relates to standards only for  
          beads that will be used with pressure or suction blasting  
          equipment or wet-type or dry-type blasting equipment.  According  
          to the sponsor, these types of applications include surface  
          preparation for cleaning, peening, finishing and deburring of  
          aluminum and stainless steel products.  Glass beads are also  
          used to finish eye glass frames and for deburring and preparing  
          the surfaces of medical instruments, such as needles used on  
          syringes.  Finally, glass beads are used to remove residues on  
          automotive parts and to remove calcium buildup at the water line  
          of swimming pools.  

          Recognized hazards of lead and arsenic:  Lead is listed under  
          California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of  
          1986, commonly known as Proposition 65, as a substance that can  
          cause reproductive damage, birth defects and cancer.   
          Occupational overexposure to lead can cause subclinical and  








                                                                  AB 324
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          clinical peripheral neuropathy (muscle weakness, pain, and  
          paralysis of extremities), disruption of hemesynthesis and  
          anemia, loss of kidney function, increased blood pressure,  
          nephropathy, reduced sperm count and male sterility, and  
          increase the risk of cancer.

          Arsenic in glass beads:  According to DTSC, glass beads  
          containing lead and arsenic are a concern because the beads are  
          typically pulverized during use, which generates dust.  Lead- or  
          arsenic-containing dust can be inhaled or ingested, thereby  
          exposing those performing the sandblasting, as well as other  
          people in the vicinity, to the toxic chemicals.  In addition,  
          the dust can easily be disbursed onto land or into air and  
          water, potentially contaminating the surrounding environment and  
          ultimately harming people and wildlife.

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Bob Fredenburg / E.S. & T.M. / (916)  
          319-3965


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