Tag: TSCA

Paint remover

Understanding the Reg: Methylene Chloride in Commercial Stripping

In March 2019, the EPA used its authority under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to issue a final rule prohibiting the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal (stripping). The action carried out part of a proposal the Agency published in […]

TSCA Inventory Rule Case Raises Questions about Substantiation, Reverse Engineering

In September 2017, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to find five aspects of the EPA’s final rule, TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements (Aug. 11, 2017, Federal Register (FR)), unlawful. On April 26, 2019, a three-judge panel responded by denying four of the EDF’s challenges, therefore […]

asbestos

EPA to Review Any New Use of Asbestos

The EPA’s final Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) for asbestos is a partial step to limit potential human exposure to the toxic substance.

See EPA’s Proposed Review Plan for TSCA Confidential Business Information

In its latest action to implement the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the EPA has proposed regulations under which it will review claims by businesses that information about chemical substances on the confidential portion of the TSCA Inventory must be protected from disclosure to the public.

Mercury element, metal

First-Time Requirement: Mercury Inventory Reports Due July 1

If your business manufactured or imported mercury or mercury-added products, or intentionally used mercury in a manufacturing process for immediate or eventual commercial advantage during calendar year 2018, you may need to file a report with the EPA by July 1, 2019.

Building window

‘Imminent and Substantial Harm’ Under RCRA Clarified by Court

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit disagreed with a district court on how much harm two citizens had to have suffered from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on their property to prevail in a citizen suit brought against the party responsible for the contamination.

Chemicals

IRIS and TSCA: Chemical Assessments Face Budget and Time Challenges

Chemical assessments, a core activity at the EPA, are conducted under two separate but closely related programs—the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) and implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and its 2016 amendments. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on how these two programs are completing their mission to evaluate […]

Chemicals, laboratory

New TSCA Inventory Released by EPA Lists Active Chemicals

The EPA has released what it describes as the first update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory in 40 years. The update indicates that 47 percent of the 86,228 chemicals listed on the Inventory are “active,” which means they have been manufactured, processed, or imported for a nonexempt commercial purpose during the 10-year […]