EPA to update toxic materials list

Sept. 29, 2008
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Assessment and Management Program (ChAMP) intends to update the current Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory of industrial chemicals by "resetting" it to more accurately reflect the chemicals in commerce, according to EPA information

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Assessment and Management Program (ChAMP) intends to update the current Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory of industrial chemicals by "resetting" it to more accurately reflect the chemicals in commerce, according to EPA information.

EPA also plans to develop a program to challenge the US chemical industry to provide health and safety information on inorganic high-production volume (HPV) chemicals. These efforts will enhance the agency's efforts to assess and manage the chemicals presently in commerce and are based on feedback from a broad group of stakeholders.

EPA will seek additional stakeholder and public input on specific plans for resetting the TSCA Inventory and for developing a phased, multi-year approach for challenging the chemical industry to provide EPA with health and safety information on high-production volume (HPV) inorganic chemicals.

Of the more than 83,000 chemicals on the TSCA Inventory, many are no longer manufactured or imported. EPA has already collected information on 2,200 organic chemical HPV chemicals. HPV chemicals account for more than 90 percent of the production volume on the TSCA Inventory.

These new efforts are in addition to EPA's ongoing work to assess and manage 6,750 high and moderate volume chemicals. To date, EPA has posted assessments on more than 100 high production volume chemicals, which are manufactured or imported above one million pounds a year. The agency has posted assessments on an initial set of moderate volume chemicals – those manufactured or imported between 25,000 and one million pounds a year.

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