Tag: TSCA

Should You Be Involved in EPA’s Small Business Outreach Efforts

Two upcoming rulemakings for which the EPA is looking for small business involvement and plans to conduct Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) panels follow: NSPS for oil and natural gas. The development of a rule that proposes to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including methane, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under its New Source […]

Why Is There So Much Confusion About TSCA 8(e) Reporting?

EAB Throws Out Huge TSCA Penalty Earlier this year, EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) reversed a $2.5 million penalty against Elementis Chromium, Inc. for the company’s failure to report under TSCA Section 8(e) information contained in an occupational epidemiology study on hexavalent chromium. The study showed that occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium is associated with […]

Nanomaterials and TSCA—It’s the Little Things

What are nanoscale materials? Nanomaterials are chemical substances that have structures with dimensions at the nanoscale—approximately 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). To get an idea of their size, a human hair is approximately 80,000 to 100,000 nm wide. The thinking is that nanomaterials may have properties different from the same chemical substances with structures at […]

2014 TSCA Work Plan Assessment Update

2014 TSCA Work Plan Assessment Update—How It Works In the beginning, back in 2012, the EPA first used several sources to identify chemicals meeting prioritization factor criteria as potential candidates for review, a process that initially identified 1,235 chemicals. Next, the chemicals were screened to determine if any chemicals should be excluded due to other […]

2014 TSCA Work Plan Assessment Update—Chemicals

2014 TSCA Work Plan Assessment Update—The Chemicals 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 […]

Conclusions from the TSCA Assessment of Dichloromethane

Conclusions from the TSCA Assessment of Dichloromethane According to the EPA, the use of products containing DCM for paint stripping poses some of the highest exposure risks compared to all uses of DCM. The chemical is a volatile organic compound (VOC) and is also considered to have “likely carcinogenic properties.” In 2012, 261.5 million pounds […]

Conclusions from the TSCA Trichloroethylene Assessment

Conclusions from the TSCA Trichloroethylene Assessment Each year, the United States uses 225 million pounds of TCE, a volatile organic compound (VOC) and human carcinogen. TCE is used widely, primarily in industrial and commercial processes as a solvent, degreaser, and fixative. EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (EPA/OPPT) focused the TCE assessment on characterizing […]

EPA’s Audit Policy—Nine Things to Remember

EPA’s Audit Policy—Nine Things to Remember The EPA promulgated the first Audit Policy in 1995 and revised it in 2000, expanding availability, clarifying language, and conforming to Agency practices. Today, it remains a valuable option for regulated facilities to take advantage of benefits such as elimination or reductions in civil “gravity-based” penalties, no recommendations for […]