General Information Gathering Authority

TSCA Section 8(a) gives EPA the broad authority to require, by rulemaking, manufacturers (includes importers) and processors of chemical substances to maintain records and/or report such data as EPA may reasonably require to carry out the TSCA mandates. Further information available under 40 CFR Parts 704, 710 and 712.

Examples of information that can be required to be reported include:

chemical or mixture identity
categories of use
quantity manufactured or processed
by-product description
health and environmental effects information
number of individuals exposed
method(s) of disposal

Section 8(a) regulations can be tailored to meet unique information needs (e.g., via chemical-specific rules) or information can be obtained via use of "model" or standardized reporting rules. One example of a model TSCA Section 8(a) reporting rule is the "Preliminary Assessment Information Rule" (or PAIR).

Under PAIR, producers and importers of a listed chemical are required to report the following site-specific information on a two page form:

Quantity of chemical produced and/or imported
Amount of chemical lost to the environment during production or importation
Quantity of enclosed, controlled and open releases of the chemical
Per release, the number of workers exposed and the number of hours exposed

Exemptions for such reporting are as follows:

Production or importation for the sole purpose of research and development (R&D)
Production or importation of less than 500 kilograms during the reporting period at single plant site

Companies whose total annual sales from all sites owned by the domestic or foreign parent company are below $30 million for the reporting period and who produced or imported less than 45,400 kilograms of the chemical

Production or importation of the listed chemical solely as an impurity, a non-isolated intermediate, and under certain circumstances as a by-product

General Information Gathering Authority

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