By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 20, 2020, the availability of a supplemental analysis to the draft risk evaluation of 1,4-dioxane under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  85 Fed. Reg. 74341.  EPA states that it developed the supplemental analysis in response to public and peer review comments on the draft risk evaluation.  The supplemental analysis includes eight consumer uses, including surface cleaners, laundry/dishwashing detergents, and paint/floor lacquer, where 1,4-dioxane is present as a byproduct.  The supplemental analysis also assesses exposure to the general population from 1,4-dioxane in surface water.  In the supplemental analysis, EPA preliminarily found no unreasonable risk to consumers from the eight conditions of use assessed.  EPA also preliminarily found no unreasonable risks under any of the conditions of use to the general population from exposure to 1,4-dioxane.  Comments are due December 10, 2020.  More information on the draft risk evaluation of 1,4-dioxane is available in our July 2, 2019, memorandum.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson, Carla N. Hutton, Charles M. Auer, Oscar Hernandez, Ph.D., and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

On June 26, 2017, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®) issued a summary and analysis of the three final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework rules released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 22, 2017, EPA Issues Final TSCA Framework Rules.  The final rules include the prioritization process rule, which establishes EPA’s process and criteria for identifying High-Priority chemicals for risk evaluation and Low-Priority chemicals for which risk evaluation is not warranted at this time; the risk evaluation process rule, which establishes EPA’s process for evaluating High-Priority chemicals to determine whether or not they present an unreasonable risk to health or the environment; and the TSCA Inventory active-inactive rule, which requires industry to report chemicals manufactured, imported, or processed in the U.S. over the past ten years.  EPA also published pre-publication notices concerning the scopes of the risk evaluations to be conducted for the first ten chemical substances under new TSCA and a guidance document to assist interested persons in developing and submitting draft risk evaluations.

B&C states that on the whole, the final rules improve upon the proposed rules, adding clarity and specificity where needed, and eliminating provisions and or preamble text that, in our view, enhance the clarity of the rules.  Not everyone will be happy, however, as the rules reconsider, revise, and in some instances retreat from positions taken in the proposed rules issued under the Obama Administration. Our analysis identifies these changes.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Margaret R. Graham

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published three Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) proposed framework rules:  TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements (Jan. 13, 2017); Procedures for Prioritization of Chemicals for Risk Evaluation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (Jan. 17, 2017); and Procedures for Chemical Risk Evaluation Under the Amended Toxic Substances Control Act (Jan. 19, 2017).  Summaries, insights, and commentary from B&C’s TSCA experts on these rules are available in memoranda on the B&C website.  Below please find links to the memoranda:

• EPA Proposes Requirements for TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive);
• EPA Proposes Procedures to Prioritize Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA; and
• EPA Releases Proposed Chemical Risk Evaluation Process Under New TSCA.

B&C’s experts have also recently written up summaries and analysis related to the following other TSCA-related rulemakings:

• EPA Proposes Regulation of TCE Use in Vapor Degreasing under TSCA Section 6(a); and
• EPA Promulgates Final TSCA Reporting and Recordkeeping Rule for Nanoscale Materials.

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An in-depth memorandum of the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), TSCA Reform:  An Analysis of Key Provisions and Fundamental Shifts in the Amended TSCA, includes an initial overview, a summary of information on the timing of various activities under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) as related to enactment and other important milestones, and a more detailed discussion of the changes in Lautenberg relative to TSCA as they relate to these and other provisions.  This and other Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®) memoranda regarding TSCA reform are available on the B&C website.

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