EPA Releases Draft Risk Assessments Under Existing Chemicals Work Plan

From the USEPA Press Release:


"EPA today 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 and the environment. Following public comment, the agency will seek an independent, scientific peer review of the assessments before beginning to finalize them in the fall of 2013." 

The chemicals and specific use for which risk assessments were released are:

• methylene chloride or dichloromethane (DCM) and n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in paint stripper products; 
• trichloroethylene (TCE) as a degreaser and a spray-on protective coating; 
• antimony trioxide (ATO) as a synergist in halogenated flame retardants; and 
• 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8,-hexamethylcyclopenta-[γ]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) as a fragrance ingredient in commercial and consumer products.

A brief summary of the risk assessments can be downloaded in PDF format.

More information can be read on the EPA website.

More on EPA's Work Plan Chemicals for 2013 and 2014

As noted previously, EPA has 18 additional chemicals that it will review and assess in 2013 and 2014. The list builds on the March 2012 release of the Agency’s work plan of 83 chemicals.  All are being assessed under the authority of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Each of the chemicals met a combination of various selection criteria as defined by EPA, including "specific hazards such as potential carcinogenicity or reproductive or developmental toxicity; chemicals presenting persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic potential; and chemicals found in biomonitoring or reported in consumer products." Other listed chemicals, "such as the five chlorinated hydrocarbons, the three flame retardants, and the four fragrance chemicals, may present an effective opportunity to assess groups of related chemicals together."

Those 18 chemicals are:

•     1-Bromopropane
•     Five Chlorinated Hydrocarbons:
•         1,1-Dichloroethane
•         1,2-Dichloropropane
•         1,2-Dichloroethane
•         1,2-Dichloropropane
•         trans-1-2-Dichloroethylene
•         1,1,2-Trichloroethane
•     4-tert-Octylphenol
•     Three Flame Retardants:
•         Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH)
•         2-Ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB)
•         Tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP)
•     Four Fragrance Chemicals:
•         Ethanone, 1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro- 2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-4-sec-Butyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol
•         Ethanone, 1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro- 2,3,5,5-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-
•         Ethanone, 1-(1,2,3,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro- 2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-
•         Ethanone, 1-(1,2,3,4,6,7,8,8a-octahydro- 2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-
•     4-sec-Butyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol
•     2,4,6-Tri-tert-butylphenol
•     P,p'-Oxybis(benzenesulfonyl hydrazide)
•     Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4)

While EPA will compile data based on the sources listed in their Work Plan methodology, they would also "welcome the submission of additional relevant information on these chemicals, such as unpublished studies not already available through the existing literature, or information on uses and potential exposures."

Companies are asked to submit any relevant information to the Agency on or before August 31, 2012.

More information can be found on EPA's web site.

EPA Identifies Work Plan Chemicals for 2013 and 2014

From the USEPA:

As part of EPA’s comprehensive approach to enhance the Agency’s chemicals management program, EPA has identified 18 chemicals for review and assessment in 2013 and 2014.  This follows the March release of the Agency’s work plan of 83 chemicals for review and assessment under the Toxic Substances Control Act.  The work plan identified seven chemicals on which the Agency will conduct risk assessments in 2012 and indicated that EPA would identify the 2013 and 2014 chemicals this spring. These draft risk assessments will be posted for public review and comment as they are completed.  

I'll have more analysis on this shortly.

Additional information on this effort, including a list of the 18 chemicals, can be found at on EPA's web site.

EPA Proposes New Rules to Limit New Uses of Potentially Harmful Chemicals

Yesterday the USEPA "proposed that companies be required to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic or imported products, of five groups of potentially harmful chemicals." These Significant New Use Rules - SNURS - were identified in action plans for five chemicals issued over the last two years. The chemicals include uses "in a range of consumer products and industrial applications, including paints, printing inks, pigments and dyes in textiles, flame retardants in flexible foams, and plasticizers.".

The five chemicals EPA targets, as noted in their press release, are "polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), benzidine dyes, a short chain chlorinated paraffin, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and phthalate di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP). The agency is also proposing additional testing on the health and environmental effects of PBDEs."

“Although a number of these chemicals are no longer manufactured or used in the U.S. they can still be imported in consumer goods or for use in products. Today’s proposed actions will ensure that EPA has an opportunity to review new uses of the chemicals, whether they are domestically produced or imported, and if warranted, take action to prohibit or limit the activity before human health or environmental effects can occur,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “These actions also signal EPA’s ongoing commitment to the American people that the agency is taking significant steps to make sure that the chemicals manufactured and used in this country are safe.”

More information on the SNURS can be found at the EPA web site.

Just a few weeks ago EPA also released a set of documents in their Chemical Work Plan for prioritizing and conducting risk assessments. 

EPA Releases Chemical Work Plan - Names Chemicals for Risk Assessment

EPA has "developed a work plan that identifies existing chemicals for risk assessment over the next several years."  Today they "posted the methodology for developing this work plan, the work plan chemicals identified using the methodology, and seven chemicals for risk assessment development in 2012." EPA also posted an "existing chemicals program strategy," that "includes risk assessment and risk reduction, data collection and screening, and public access to chemical data and information."

We'll examine the strategy and work plans in more detail over the coming days, but here's a quick synopsis. Last September EPA announced that it would seek to identify existing chemicals for risk assessment under TSCA since the TSCA reform legislation was likely not to be seriously discussed in Congress for some time.  In a two-step process, EPA identified criteria for prioritizing chemicals based on their hazards, likelihood for exposure, and persistence/bioaccumulation. Scores for each segment are compiled from a variety of sources (to be discussed in future posts), categorized into high, moderate or low ranks, and given an overall score ranging from 1 (low) to 3 (high).  Chemicals receiving high scores in all or most of the segments get higher priority for assessment.

Since EPA resources are limited, and likely to get even more limited due to pending budget cuts, they have designated only seven chemicals for the 2012 work plan.  Another 76 chemicals have been designated for future year work plans.  

More details will come in future posts.  The seven chemicals listed for 2012 will be subject to EPA risk assessments.  They are:

• Antimony & Antimony Compounds
• 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexahydro-3,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopentag]-2-benzopyran (HHCB)
• Long-chain chlorinated paraffins (C18-20)
• Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (C14-17)
• Methylene chloride
• N-Methylpyrrolidone
• Trichloroethylene (TCE)