EPA Releases Annual Report on Risk Evaluations

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released their 2017 annual report on risk evaluations. This report is required by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemicals Safety for the 21^st Century Act, which amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The new rule requires the agency to identify in a report the chemical substances that will undergo risk evaluations during the year, and requires the agency to clarify chemicals for which risk evaluations will be initiated and which chemicals will have their risk evaluations completed. The report must also identify the resources necessary to complete these tasks.  The report goes over the initial ten chemicals to be evaluated in 2017, which are:

• 1,4 Dioxane
• 1-Bromopropane
• Asbestos
• Carbon Tetrachloride
• Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster (HBCD)
• Methylene Chloride
• N-Methylpyrolidone
• Pigment Violet 29
• Trichloroethylene
• Tetrachloroethylene

The EPA expects to publish the scoping document for these ten chemicals by June 19, 2017. The agency has taken several steps to reach out to the public for feedback and information on this, including holding a meeting on February 14, 2017 to present information on these ten chemicals’ specific uses. Beyond these first ten chemicals, the EPA has proposed rules on the processes for prioritization and evaluating chemicals. These rules are scheduled to be finalized by June 22, 2017. Sign up to receive the most up-to-date regulatory and legislative information about specialty imaging.