Enhancing EPA’s Chemical Management Program

Announcements

EPA held a webinar on September 7, 2011 and opened an online discussion forum for comment from August 18 through September 21, 2011 to get input on the prioritization factors and data sources the Agency plans to use to identify priority chemicals for review and possible risk management action under TSCA. Learn how to participate.

April 13, 2011 -- EPA released action plans to address potential health risks from the chemicals methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and related compounds and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and related compounds, which are widely used in sealants, adhesives and coatings. Read more about these and other action plans that are part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to enhance EPA’s chemical management program. Read the press release.

Download in PDF (3 pp, 39 kb) format.

At the direction of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, and in parallel with the announcement of principles to strengthen US chemical management laws, EPA is initiating a comprehensive approach to enhance the Agency’s current chemicals management program within the limits of existing authorities. This effort includes:

New Regulatory Risk Management Actions

Development of Chemical Action Plans which will target the Agency's risk management efforts on chemicals of concern

Requiring Information Needed to Understand Chemical Risks

Increasing Transparency, Public Access to Information About Chemicals

Identifying Priority Chemicals for Review and Assessment

Read Administrator Jackson's speech on principles for Congress to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

New Regulatory Risk Management Actions

The Agency is taking risk management actions on a number of chemicals, including lead, mercury, formaldehyde, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), glymes, and nanoscale materials. These actions include:

Lead

Strengthening the lead paint work practice standards for renovation and remodeling, issued in 2008, to:

Expand coverage and eliminate the "opt out" provisions.

Require clearance testing after renovation.

Address lead-safe work practices for public and commercial buildings.

Initiating rulemaking under section 6 of TSCA to ban the use of lead weights in tires.

Mercury

Initiating rulemaking under section 6 of TSCA to phase out or ban the use of mercury in a range of switches, relays, measuring devices, and other products.

Formaldehyde

Initiating rulemaking governing formaldehyde emissions from pressed wood products.

PCBs

Initiating rulemaking under section 6 of TSCA to re-evaluate the TSCA PCB use and distribution in commerce regulations.

Glymes

Initiating rulemaking under section 5(a)(2) of TSCA to require prior notification to the Agency of any new consumer use of monoglyme (CASRN 110-71-4), diglyme (CASRN 111-96-6), and ethylglyme (CASRN 629-14-1).

Nano Materials

Initiating a Significant New Use Rule; an information gathering rule; and a test rule on nanoscale materials.

Development of Chemical Action Plans

EPA is developing chemical action plans which will target the Agency's risk management efforts on chemicals of concern. These action plans are based on EPA's review of available hazard, exposure, and use information, and will outline the risks that each chemical may present and what specific steps the Agency will take to address those concerns.

EPA intends to utilize the full array of regulatory tools under TSCA to address risks, including authority to label, restrict, or ban chemicals under Section 6 of TSCA.

EPA has posted action plans on the following chemicals:

Phthalates

Requiring Information Needed to Understand Chemical Risks

EPA will move quickly to ensure that the Agency has the hazard, use, and exposure data critical to prioritizing chemicals for review and making risk management decisions. As part of this effort, EPA intends to:

Require that companies submit information to fill the remaining gaps in basic health and safety data on HPV chemicals.

Make the reporting of chemical use information more transparent, more current, more useful, and more useable by the public.

Require additional reporting on nanoscale chemical substances, and consider how to address new and existing nanoscale substances under TSCA.

These activities will include a number of new actions under sections 4, 5, and 8 of TSCA.

High Production Volume (HPV) Chemicals
The HPV Challenge Program challenged companies to submit basic screening level hazard data on HPV chemicals. Some HPV chemicals did not have sponsors for submitting health and safety data under the HPV Challenge program, and some of the sponsoring companies failed to submit all the data they had committed to provide on their chemicals. EPA plans to fill the current gaps in health and safety data on HPV chemicals by:

Publishing test rules under section 4 of TSCA on unsponsored chemicals and to fill current gaps in data on sponsored but unfulfilled chemicals.
Continuing to develop and post hazard characterizations.
Initiating action to require notification and possible follow-up testing that would be triggered under significant new use rules under section 5(a)(2) on additional HPV chemicals.

Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) and Chemical Data Reporting (CDR)
EPA collects manufacturing, processing, and use data from manufacturers and importers of certain chemical substances included on the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory.

In August 2011, EPA issued its Chemical Data Reporting Final Rule . The rule requires electronic reporting and expanded manufacturing, processing, and use information.

Nanoscale Chemical Substances

To ensure that nanoscale materials are manufactured and used in a manner that protects against unreasonable risks to human health and the environment, EPA is pursuing a comprehensive regulatory approach under TSCA. This four-pronged approach includes: Premanufacture notifications; a Significant New Use Rule; an information gathering rule; and a test rule. Read more about nanoscale materials.

Increasing Transparency, Public Access to Information About Chemicals

To fulfill Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's commitment to increase transparency and public access to information on chemicals, EPA has been taking a series of aggressive actions, including adopting a more stringent review of confidentiality claims by industry and making the public portion of the TSCA inventory available free of charge on the agency's Web site. EPA intends to continue to take additional actions to further increase chemical information available to the public.

Identifying Priority Chemicals for Review and Assessment

EPA is hosting a webinar on September 7, 2011 and opening an online discussion forum for comment from August 18 through September 14, 2011 to get input on the prioritization factors and data sources the Agency plans to use to identify priority chemicals for review and possible risk management action under TSCA. Learn how to participate.

Enhancing EPA’s Chemical Management Program

Announcements

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