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TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC)
TSCA Training
In 1976 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. Congress
created the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) as an independent
advisory committee to the Administrator of the U.S. EPA. The ITC includes
16 U.S. Government Member organizations (see sidebar). The ITC was created
to identify chemicals regulated by TSCA for which there are suspicions
of toxicity or exposure and for which there are few, if any, ecological
effects, environmental fate or health effects testing data. As mandated
under section 4(e) of TSCA, the ITC must add these chemicals to the Priority
Testing List and recommend them for testing or information reporting
in May and November Reports to the Administrator (see sidebar). Chemicals
are recommended for testing to meet the data needs of the ITC's 16 U.S.
Government Member organizations. The ITC encourages producers and importers
of recommended chemicals to voluntarily submit studies to meet these U.S.
Government data needs. Since it's first meeting on February 5, 1977, the
ITC has reviewed thousands of chemicals (see sidebar).
In response to the ITC's recommendations, the U.S. EPA must promulgate
TSCA section 8(a) Preliminary Assessment Information Reporting rules and
TSCA section 8(d) Health and Safety Data Reporting rules, unless otherwise
requested by the ITC (see side bars). In addition when the ITC designates
chemicals for testing, the U.S. EPA Administrator is required under TSCA
section 4(e)(1)(B) to publish Federal Register notices either to initiate
proceeding under TSCA section 4(a) or to provide reasons for not doing
so.