EPA is ready to release preliminary assessments of more than 80 chemicals produced in high or moderate volume and has identified some chemicals for which it may need rules to force manufacturers to conduct testing or collect data. EPA might need to issue a test rule for eight chemicals and a data-collection rule for another 10 chemicals.
EPA has previously indicated that it may need to issue rules for some chemicals that are now part of a voluntary program under which companies agree to do testing or submit existing data, but the assessments will be the first time EPA has identified specific substances it is targeting.
In a day or two EPA will release its preliminary decisions about the risks posed by more than 60 high-production volume chemicals and the hazards posed by more than 20 moderate-production chemicals. The agency welcomes a decision by companies to voluntarily supply information to EPA that is detailed in the prioritization decisions instead of waiting for the agency to propose test or data-collection rules.
Test rules, which are authorized by Section 4 of the Toxic Substances Control Act, direct chemical manufacturers to conduct specified tests on a chemical, whereas data-collection rules, which are authorized by Section 8 of TSCA, require companies to submit already existing data about a chemical.
Source: BNA; Pat Rizzuto
