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The new section 6(h) of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which greatly expanded the reach of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), requires that within 3 years of the June 22, 2016, date of enactment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must propose rules to reduce risks (by reducing […]
In a final rule, the EPA has extended the deadline for submitting information required by the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule (July 22, 2015, FR) from September 30, 2016, to October 31, 2016. The Agency states that this is a onetime extension, applying only to the 2016 submission requirement. The amended deadline results from a […]
There is growing interest in which chemicals the EPA will select for its initial risk evaluations under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) signed by President Obama June 22, 2016. Under the law, one of the Agency’s first tasks is to designate 10 chemicals for evaluation no more than 180 days after enactment. The […]
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act has brought about a long overdue reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Act was passed to address many of TSCA’s shortcomings and to allow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more authority to evaluate and mitigate the risks associated with chemicals […]
“For the first time in 20 years, we are updating a national environmental statute,” said President Obama before signing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act on Wednesday. The president noted that the updated law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which took effect in 1976 “didn’t quite work the way […]
There are many chemicals in use in modern workplaces—and there are a lot of ways workers can be exposed to them. Three employers that were cited within a 1-month period earlier this year provide instructive examples of the kinds of mistakes that lead to overexposures.
Q. An EHS chemical, Sulfuric Acid, exceeds 500 pounds. Therefore aggregation of Sulfuric Acid containing compounds is required in TRI reporting. In that aggregation, are lab chemicals included or exempted?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published permissible exposure limits (PELs) for about 500 chemicals—and most of those PELs have not been updated since 1971. In the intervening four 4 decades, the number of chemicals used in the United States has exploded and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substances Control […]
With just a few exceptions, OSHA’s permissible exposure limits (PELs) have not been updated since they were adopted in 1971. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) attempt at a mass update in 1989 was overturned by the 11th Circuit Court, and attempts to establish PELs for newly-recognized chemical hazards have largely been hamstrung in […]
While the U.S. Congress does its annual dance about reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) took a look at some chemical programs alive and well in other countries. Was this an attempt to nudge Congress into action? Might a reformed TSCA look like any of these programs? Let’s take […]