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Collecting and Assessing Information on Chemicals
EPA collects and assesses hazard and exposure information on chemical substances to determine whether regulatory actions under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) or the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) or voluntary measures may be appropriate.
Upcoming Webinars on EPA Electronic Tools for Reporting TSCA Information
EPA is presenting two webinars on the use of the TSCA electronic reporting tools:
- Rescheduled to September 18, 2012, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Join a walk through on the CDX registration process and the 8(a) and For-Your-Information reporting tools. Time will be allotted for questions related to the reporting tool. Questions related to specific reporting requirements will not be covered during this webinar. Access the webinar.
- On September 20, 2012, from 1:00 - 3:00 PM EDT, join a refresher presentation on the CDX registration process and the 8(d) and 8(e) reporting tools. Time will be allotted for questions related to the reporting tool. Questions related to specific reporting requirements will not be covered during this Webinar. Access the webinar.
Programs and Actions
Chemical Data Reporting (formerly called Inventory Update Reporting collects screening-level, exposure-related information on chemical substances and makes it available to EPA and to the public.
Toxics Release Inventory contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries as well as federal facilities.
Test Rules Under TSCA Section 4 are used to require the collection of information on chemical substances, in certain circumstances, for which insufficient information exists to make a risk determination.
Enforceable Consent Agreements are negotiated agreements among EPA, industry, and interested parties that require certain signing parties to generate data and submit those data to EPA on a specified schedule.
Interagency Testing Committee consists of representatives from multiple federal agencies tasked with identifying their specific testing and data needs. EPA uses authority under both TSCA Section 4 and TSCA Section 8 to collect information identified by the ITC.
EPA develops Chemical Hazard Characterizations on high production volume (HPV) chemicals as an initial step to use data collected as part of the HPV Challenge Program in the Agency’s efforts to protect human health and the environment from potential harm posed by existing chemicals.
High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program began in April 1998 and “challenged” companies to provide basic screening-level hazard data on the chemicals they manufactured or imported in quantities of 1 million pounds or more a year.
Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation Program pursues information on certain specific chemicals to which children are likely to be exposed.
Relevant Sections of TSCA
Specific sections of TSCA grant authority for EPA to collect certain types of information and to require others to generate and submit information.
TSCA Section 4 provides that EPA can issue rules to require companies to generate hazard and exposure information through specific tests or measurements on chemicals in certain circumstances.
TSCA Section 8(a) Information Gathering authority provides for the collection of production volume and other information.
TSCA Section 8(c) provides that companies must report allegations of significant adverse reactions to chemicals.
TSCA Section 8(d) authority can be used to require the submission to EPA of unpublished health and safety studies.
TSCA Section 8(e) requires that companies submit to EPA any substantial risk information they obtain on their chemicals.
TSCA Section 11(c) gives EPA the authority to use subpoenas to require witnesses to testify and people to produce documents and answers to questions.
TSCA Section 12(b) requires companies to submit export notifications on certain chemicals they ship outside the United States.
TSCA Section 13 requires companies to certify that chemicals they import are not in violation of TSCA.
