2014 TSCA Work Plan Assessment Update—The Chemicals
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As noted yesterday, Action Plan chemicals are the most important identified by the TSCA Work Plan for Chemical Assessments, and in 2014, the following chemicals and chemical groups were added:
- Bisphenol A (BPA)—Ranked high for hazard and exposure;
- Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE)—Ranked high for hazard, exposure, and persistence/bioaccumulation;
- Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)—Ranked high for hazard, exposure, and persistence/bioaccumulation;
- Nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP/NPE)—Ranked high for hazard and exposure; and
- A group of seven phthalates, including dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP)—Ranked high for hazard and exposure. (An eighth phthalate, di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP), was not added because it is no longer in commerce.)
An additional five possible Action Plan chemicals were assessed and not added for reasons such as receiving moderate and low rankings for different parameters, effectively being managed through other programs, and/or they are no longer produced or imported into the United States. In some cases, however, the EPA plans to continue monitoring the chemicals through regulatory channels (like the Significant New Use Rule (SNUR)) and by gathering additional data.
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The EPA also added 10 chemicals that in 2012 were “considered of moderate priority,” but have been given higher scores based on more recent data from the 2012 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule and 2011 data reported to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The EPA found these chemicals are “being domestically produced or imported in greater quantities and are being used in a larger variety of consumer and children’s products, leading to an increase in their exposure score and a subsequent increase in their final score to ‘high’ under Step 2 of the screening process….” These chemicals and their readjusted scores are:
|
Chemical |
Hazard Score |
Environmental Persistence and Bioaccumulation Score |
Exposure Score |
| Barium carbonate | 3—Acutely toxic | 1—Low persistence and bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| 1,3-Butadiene | 3—Known human carcinogen | 1—Moderate persistence and low bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| 3,3’-Dichlorobenzidine | 3—Probable human carcinogen | 2—Moderate persistence and low bioaccumulation potential | 2—Consumer product narrow use, lower likelihood of exposure |
| Dicyclohexyl phthalate | 3*—Acute and chronic aquatic toxicity | 1—Low persistence and bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| 2-Dimethylaminoethanol | 3—Acute toxicity | 1—Low persistence and bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| 2,5-Furandione | 3*—Acute and chronic aquatic toxicity | 1—Low persistence and bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| 2-Hydroxy-4-(octyloxy)benzophenone | 3*—Acute and chronic aquatic toxicity | 1—Low persistence and bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| 4,4′-(1-Methylethylidene) bis[2,6-dibromophenol] (TBBPA) | 3*—Acute aquatic toxicity | 2—High persistence and low bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| Molybdenum and Molybdenum Compounds | 1—Chronic toxicity | 3—High persistence and moderate bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
| Pentachlorothiophenol | 3—Acute and chronic aquatic toxicity | 3—High persistence and bioaccumulation potential | 3—Consumer product widely used, high likelihood of exposure |
An * indicates the score is based solely on environmental toxicity
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In addition, two chemicals that were not screened in 2012, triphenyl phosphate (TPP) and isopropylated phenol, phosphate (iPTPP), which are flame retardant chemicals, were added. Of the original 83 Work Plan chemicals, 13 were removed in 2014 because data show they are not currently in commerce; however, the EPA will continue to review data on them for future assessment.
Three additional “special cases” were removed, including:
- Mercury, for which the EPA already has hazard data and risk reduction efforts in place;
- Quartz, which is managed by the health and safety regulations; and
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which will be assessed as a group under the creosote assessment.