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The EPA has issued its final list of the first 20 high-priority chemical substances in commerce that will undergo Agency risk evaluations over the next 3 years. The risk evaluation process for existing chemicals is arguably the most consequential part of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
An assemblage of environmental, public health, and worker rights groups filed three challenges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit against the chemical Risk Evaluation Rule the EPA issued in July 2017 as required by the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Petitioners also challenged aspects of the Agency’s […]
The EPA is proposing to use its authority under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to prohibit several uses of trichloroethylene (TCE), a volatile organic compound, to eliminate exposures to workers, consumers, and the general population, which, the Agency says, result in significant cancer and noncancer health risks. The proposal would specifically […]
Asbestos—a known human carcinogen the EPA was virtually powerless to regulate under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—is the most noticeable member of the Agency’s list of the first 10 chemicals it will evaluate under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the 1976 law. Other well-known chemicals […]
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 […]
Eight environmental and public health groups have petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to order the EPA to update the federal dust-lead hazard standards and the definition of lead-based paint under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
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 […]
The recent signing of 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). But despite the buzz surrounding TSCA reform and how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will implement the new legislation going forward, chemical manufacturers and importers must […]