What: On December 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule requiring manufacturers, including importers, of 16 chemical substances to submit copies and lists of certain unpublished health and safety studies to EPA. EPA will use this information to determine its responsibilities pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), including prioritization, risk evaluation, and risk management for those chemicals.
Why: EPA is requiring submission of health and safety studies from companies manufacturing the identified chemicals, including when a company is importing the chemical as a pure substance, or within a mixture, formulated product, or article that contains the subject chemical. Earlier this year, the EPA proposed to designate five of the chemicals included in this final rule as High-Priority Substances for risk evaluation in July 2024. Additionally, eleven of the chemicals are candidates for the next round of prioritization, which will begin in December 2024.
The chemicals covered by the final rule include:
· 4,4-Methylene bis(2-chloraniline);
· 4-tert-octylphenol(4-(1,1,3,3-Tetramethylbutyl)-phenol);
· Acetaldehyde;
· Acrylonitrile;
· Benzenamine;
· Benzene;
· Bisphenol A;
· Ethylbenzene;
· Naphthalene;
· Vinyl Chloride;
· Styrene;
· Tribomomethane (Bromoform);
· Triglycidyl isocyanurate;
· Hydrogen fluoride;
· N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N?-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD); and
· 2-anilino-5-[(4-methylpentan-2-yl) amino]cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione (6PPD-quinone).
Action: The final rule will be effective January 13, 2025.
Read the Federal Register notice.
Advocacy contact: Emily Jones, Emily.Jones@sba.gov