First 10 TSCA Risk Evaluations Move Foward, EPA Proposes Historic Asbestos SNUR

US EPA on June 1 released problem formulations for each of the first ten chemicals up for risk evaluation under the revised TSCA requirements. These documents “clarify the chemical uses that EPA expects to evaluate and describe how EPA expects to conduct the evaluations.”

As amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety in the 21^st Century Act, or LCSA, US EPA is required to evaluate the environmental and human health risks posed by all chemicals on the TSCA Inventory. Under the law, EPA must begin a new risk evaluation each time it completes one. By 2019, EPA will be working on 20 chemical risk evaluations at any one time.

See the announcement in the June 11 Federal Register. 

All ten problem formulations for the first "batch" of TSCA chemical evaluations are available at the links below: 
 

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

New TSCA SNUR for Asbestos

For one of the first ten chemicals chosen, asbestos, EPA on June 11 proposed a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR). To create the SNUR, EPA identified uses of asbestos it believes are no longer ongoing. Once the rule becomes Final, anyone who wishes to manufacture or import asbestos for any of the purposes identified in the SNUR must notify EPA before starting work.

This is the first such action for asbestos in US history, according to EPA.

The list of uses subject to the new asbestos SNUR includes: adhesives, sealants, coatings, reinforced plastics, roofing felt, pipeline wrap, missile liner, separators in fuel cells or batteries, vinyl-asbestos floor tile, building materials (except cement), among others. See the full list in the proposed rule here.

Online Now: Stay Up-to-date on TSCA

Be confident you know your responsibilities under the revised TSCA chemical reporting and inventory management rules. The TSCA Regulations Online Course will help you identify the chemicals at your site that are subject to TSCA reporting; navigate the complex management rules for handling, storing, and processing chemicals (including PCBs); and understand your responsibilities and deadlines for submitting reports to EPA.
 

Tags: asbestos, chemical risk evaluations, new rules, SNUR, TSCA