EPA Proposes Significant New Use Rules for 37 Chemicals and Nanomaterials
TSCA/SNUR/Nanotechnology: Background Continuing its robust exercise of its expansive TSCA authority, EPA last week released proposed Significant New Use Rules (“SNURs”) under TSCA for 37 chemicals, including 14 nanoengineered carbon compounds. The SNURs cover a wide range of uses, including the manufacture, processing, and import of adhesives, coatings, colorants, lubricants, chemical intermediates, etc., and result […]
EPA Announces FIFRA/TSCA Settlements with Finland-Based Kemira Group
TSCA/FIFRA Enforcement: EPA continues to steadily increase its enforcement of U.S. chemical control laws. Last Thursday, the EPA announced settlements with two subsidiaries of the Finland-based Kemira Group to resolve alleged violations of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). Kemira Chemicals agreed to pay a civil penalty of […]
EPA Removes 16 Chemicals from HPV 'Orphan' List
TSCA: On December 19, 2012, the Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) recommended to EPA that 16 High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program orphan chemicals be removed from the TSCA Section 4(e) Priority Testing List. (Federal Register notice available here.) The chemicals are listed below. The ITC determined that appropriate actions have been taken to evaluate the hazardous potential […]
EPA Releases First Set of Draft Risk Assessments Under Existing Chemicals Work Plan Effort
On January 4, EPA released for public comment draft risk assessments, for particular uses, on five chemicals found in common household products. The draft risk assessments were developed as part of the agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan, which identified common chemicals for review over the coming years to assess any impacts on people’s health […]
EPA finalizes withdrawal of TSCA § 8(d) reporting rule for cadmium
TSCA: As we previously reported, EPA announced that it would withdraw its TSCA § 8(d) final rule requiring manufacturers of cadmium or cadmium compounds to report certain unpublished health and safety studies. Today, EPA released the pre-publication version of the final rule withdrawing the December 3, 2012 reporting rule. The reporting rule for cadmium was […]
EPA Withdraws Immediate Final TSCA 8(d) Rule for Cadmium
TSCA: On Friday, December 14, Wendy Cleland-Hamnett, Director of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to withdraw the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 8(d) immediate final rule published on December 3, 2012. In its announcment the agency said: “Based on several letters asking questions and […]
EPA Publishes the Peer Review Plans for the Risk Assessments on the Seven 2012 Work Plan Chemicals
TSCA: Today, August 17, 2012, EPA published the Peer Review Plans for the risk assessments on the seven 2012 work plan chemicals. The plans, which form part of the Agency’s Peer Review Agenda, describe the focus of the risk assessment being conducted on each chemical, indicate how peer reviewers will be selected and how the […]
EPA to Post List of Chemicals Acceptable for DfE-labeled Products
Design for the Environment (DfE) / Green Chemistry: EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) team announced today that, in September, it will post on the agency’s website a list of chemicals that are acceptable for use in DfE-labeled products. Questions or comments about the proposal should be submitted to EPA by August 24, 2012. The contact at […]
EPA Proposes TSCA SNUR for Certain Perfluorinated Chemicals
TSCA: On August 8, 2012, EPA signed a proposed Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to: Require companies to report 90 days in advance of all new uses of long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic (LCPFAC) chemicals as part of carpets or to treat carpets, including the import of new carpet containing […]
TSCA Fines Announced
EPA issued a News Release Monday July 23 announcing fines for violations of TSCA’s recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The announcement details the following settlements: Haldor Topsoe, Inc., paid $202,779 to settle a complaint that it had violated the 2006 IUR rule for 13 chemical substances. Chemtura Corporation paid $55,901 to settle a complaint that its […]