A bill that began as an effort to meet the state’s commitment to reduce the production of toxic waste unfortunately is threatening to evolve into broad legislation that attempts to deal with the use of specific chemicals in industry and with employee exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

The initial goal of the legislation, to diminish the production of toxics, hasn’t changed. It is a necessary objective, supported by the governor and a majority of legislators. It reflects the state’s commitment to hold its generation of hazardous materials to 1987 levels. It is desirable environmentally. It only makes sense to keep poison out of the state’s land and water.

The legislation, as conceived originally, demanded that Maine companies over the next seven years slash by 30 percent the production of hazardous and toxic substances. It was left to industry to decide how this could be accomplished.

Like other good ideas, this one has been undermined by excessive tinkering. Successive bills and amendments have attempted to get into regulating the specifics of use and release of chemicals, actions that not only go well beyond demanding collective attainment of discharge goals, but which also greatly exceed:

The state’s knowledge of workplace chemicals.

Its competence to dabble in an area where it lacks basic definitions and standards.

The capabilities of state investigatory and regulatory manpower.

Industry, under pressure from government and also out of enlightened self-interest, already is making impressive progress to minimize the environmental consequences of manufacturing and production processes that rely on chemicals. Industry needs the flexibility to voluntarily attack the problem at both ends of the pipe.

What weakens this law further is its related effort to attack the use of specific chemicals used in the workplace that are assumed to be hazardous to employees or dangerous to the environment, but for which there is very little hard medical and scientific data on which to base use and exposure standards. In fact, many of the chemicals listed in this Maine legislation are not even on the federal list of regulated, hazardous chemicals.

It is responsible and potentially very productive for the state to address the general issue of attacking both the use and the discharge of chemical agents, toxics and hazardous waste. It is unfortunate, however, that some legislators chose to burden a sensible bill with a vague charge that will only confuse and frustrate both industry and its regulators.