Tag: chemical

Hazardous Waste Barrels, HSMs

1-Bromopropane being added to HAP list

On June 11, 2021, the EPA published advance notice of proposed rulemaking to add 1-bromopropane (1-BP) to the Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) list. This addition is historical as it will mark the first time an air toxin has been added to the HAP list through a petition and it “is the first time that a […]

Methylene Chloride Barrel

EPA Issues Final Evaluation for Methylene Chloride

The EPA issued its final risk evaluation for methylene chloride under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on June 24, 2020. The EPA findings indicate that methylene chloride (also known as dichloromethane and methylene dichloride) poses threats to human health and safety in 47 out of the 53 types of uses reviewed, including threats to […]

Cleaning products, chemicals

What’s the Best Way to Figure Out Whether a Chemical Is Classified as ‘Hazardous’?

Experts at Enviro.BLR.com® were recently asked the best way to determine what chemicals are considered “hazardous” when creating a hazard communication plan. Would you know which chemicals would be classified as such, specifically when it comes to cleaning supplies? Read on to learn more about the question and how it was answered by the experts.

Hazardous chemicals

Hazardous Chemicals and the General Duty Clause

The applicability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP) is reasonably clear, but facilities with chemicals in amounts less than the RMP thresholds are finding themselves in trouble with the EPA because they are overlooking EPA’s General Duty Clause (42 U.S. Code 7412(r)(1)). Several times over the last 6 months the […]

Paint remover

Understanding the Reg: Methylene Chloride in Commercial Stripping

In March 2019, the EPA used its authority under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to issue a final rule prohibiting the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal (stripping). The action carried out part of a proposal the Agency published in […]

Food processing, coffee roasting and packaging

SDS Fail Exposes Food Processing Workers to Hazardous Chemicals

Safety data sheets (SDSs) for several bulk flavorings failed to list hazardous substances, according to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) findings. Out of 26 bulk liquid flavorings obtained from two U.S. coffee roasting and packaging facilities, 21 contained diacetyl, and 15 contained 2,3-pentanedione.

Mercury element, metal

First-Time Requirement: Mercury Inventory Reports Due July 1

If your business manufactured or imported mercury or mercury-added products, or intentionally used mercury in a manufacturing process for immediate or eventual commercial advantage during calendar year 2018, you may need to file a report with the EPA by July 1, 2019.

Chemicals

IRIS and TSCA: Chemical Assessments Face Budget and Time Challenges

Chemical assessments, a core activity at the EPA, are conducted under two separate but closely related programs—the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) and implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and its 2016 amendments. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on how these two programs are completing their mission to evaluate […]

Drinking water

Bipartisan Support for Faster CERCLA Designation for PFAS

In its Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan, released in February 2019, the EPA noted that in 2018, it initiated the regulatory development process for listing the two most problematic PFAS—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund).