EPA Announces First 5 Fast-Track Chemicals

When Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) became law in 1976, US EPA made a list of tens of thousands of “legacy chemicals”—chemicals already in use at the time which EPA would not restrict, generally speaking.

Now, under the recently passed Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21^st Century Act, EPA must test and review these “legacy chemicals” and evaluate them for potential safety risks. Earlier this month, EPA named the first five of these chemicals to receive expedited action:

Decabromodiphenyl ethers (DecaBDE), used as a flame retardant in textiles, plastics and polyurethane foam;
 

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), used in the manufacture of rubber compounds and lubricants and as a solvent;
 

Pentachlorothio-phenol (PCTP), used as an agent to make rubber more pliable in industrial uses;
 

Tris (4-isopropylphenyl) phosphate, used as a flame retardant in consumer products and other industrial uses; and
 

2,4,6-Tris(tert-butyl)phenol, used as a fuel, oil, gasoline or lubricant additive.

Under the revised Toxic Substances Control Act, EPA now has until June 22, 2019 to propose action to restrict the use of these chemicals.

For a breakdown of how US EPA identifies and assesses chemicals for risk, read Your New TSCA Rules Breakdown.

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Tags: EPA, new rules, TSCA