TSCA News: Latest 2 Draft Risk Evaluations

Recently, US EPA has released draft risk evaluations for two more of its first ten chemicals under review.
TSCA draft risk evaluations are now available for Carbon Tetrachloride and Trichloroethylene (TCE).

These two substances are numbers seven and eight on EPA’s list of the first ten chemicals scheduled for risk review, respectively.
 

Carbon Tetrachloride Risk Evaluation

EPA released its draft risk evaluation for carbon tetrachloride on January 27, 2020. Carbon tetrachloride is a solvent. Its most common use is as a feedstock in the production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and other chlorinated compounds, petrochemical, and agricultural products.

In its risk evaluation, EPA found no unreasonable risk to the environmental or to workers when proper personal protective equipment is used. EPA did find an unreasonable risk associated with chronic inhalation by “occupational non-users.” Occupational non-users are workers who may be exposed to a chemical substance but who do not work directly with that chemical.   

EPA will accept comments on its carbon tetrachloride draft risk evaluation until March 27.
View the carbon tetrachloride draft risk evaluation.
 

Trichloroethylene (TCE) Risk Evaluation

This month (February 2020), EPA released its draft risk evaluation for trichloroethylene or TCE.

TCE is a volatile organic compound. About 84% of annual production is for intermediate uses in HFC manufacturing. It is also used as a degreasing solvent. Other uses include a cleaning and furniture refinishing.
Between 2012 and 2015, TCE production volume decreased about 25% (from 220.5 million pounds to 171.9 million pounds).  

The TCE risk evaluation found no risk to the environment. However, EPA did find an unreasonable risk associated with dermal and inhalation exposure for workers, occupational non-users, consumers, and bystanders in nearly all use-cases. The one evaluated use of TCE that did not present an unreasonable risk is consumer use in pepper spray.

Once the TCE draft risk evaluation appears in the Federal Register, EPA will accept public comments on the document for 60 days. Stay tuned to Lion News for an update and a link to submit comments. 

View the trichloroethylene draft risk evaluation.

What is a TSCA Risk Evaluation?

According to the Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21^st Century Act (LCSA) amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA must evaluate the safety of existing chemicals, prioritize existing chemicals for evaluation, and create risk-based chemical assessments.

The final risk evaluation is designed to thoroughly evaluate the available science before taking action to manage the risk associated with the use of a chemical.

If EPA’s final risk evaluation finds there are adverse health risks associated with MC under any of the specific conditions of use, the agency can propose Actions to address those risks within the timeframe required by TSCA. EPA’s actions could include proposed regulations to prohibit or limit the manufacture, processing, distribution in the marketplace, use, or disposal of the chemical, as applicable.

TSCA Online Training

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) underwent major changes recently. Be confident you know how the Lautenberg Law impacts your responsibilities for chemical management, inventory reporting, and recordkeeping.

The TSCA Regulations Online Course is updated to cover the latest EPA requirements that professionals in the chemical manufacturing, import/export, storage, and processing fields must know.
 

Tags: chemicals, draft risk evaluation, environmental compliance, TSCA, TSCA risk evaluation