Laws, Regulations, Guidance and Dockets

15 U.S.C. §2601 et seq. (1976)

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 -- otherwise known as TSCA (pronounced TAHS-ka) -- was enacted by Congress to give EPA the ability to track the 75,000 industrial chemicals currently produced or imported into the United States. EPA repeatedly screens these chemicals and can require reporting or testing of those that may pose an environmental or human-health hazard. EPA can ban the manufacture and import of those chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk.

Also, EPA has mechanisms in place to track the thousands of new chemicals that industry develops each year with either unknown or dangerous characteristics. EPA then can control these chemicals as necessary to protect human health and the environment. TSCA supplements other Federal statutes, including the Clean Air Act and the Toxic Release Inventory under EPCRA.

About TSCA8e - TSCA Section 8(e) is a self-implementing statutory provision that states:

"Any person who manufactures, [(includes imports)] processes or distributes in [U.S.] commerce a chemical substance or mixture, and who obtains information which reasonably supports the conclusion that such substance or mixture presents a substantial risk of injury to human health or the environment, shall immediately inform the [EPA] Administrator of such information unless such person has actual knowledge that the Administrator has been adequately informed of such information."

Read the full text of TSCA, or a PDF Version provided by the U.S. Senate (106 pp, 263K, About PDF).

Go to EPA's TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory Home Page.

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