On March 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register its list of 40 candidate chemicals for high and low priority under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The list designates 20 high priority and 20 low priority candidates. Several of the high priority chemicals are used in the manufacture of paints, coatings, sealants or adhesives.
EPA must complete the 9-month prioritization process and begin risk evaluations by December 22, 2019.
Under the amended TSCA and related implementing regulations, EPA is required to prioritize 20 chemical substances as candidates for designation as High Priority Substances for risk evaluation and 20 chemical substances as candidates for designation as Low Priority Substances for risk evaluation.
EPA is accepting comments and information germane to the chemical substances through June 19, 2019. EPA is seeking information about the following:
- The chemical substance's hazard and exposure potential;
- The chemical substance's persistence and bioaccumulation;
- Potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations which the submitter believes are relevant to the prioritization;
- Whether there is any storage of the chemical substance near significant sources of drinking water, including the storage facility location and the nearby drinking water source(s);
- The chemical substance's conditions of use or significant changes in conditions of use, including information regarding trade names;
- The chemical substance's production volume or significant changes in production volume; and
- Any other information relevant to the potential risks of the chemical substance that might be relevant to the designation of the chemical substance's priority for risk evaluation.
