On Thursday, July 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice proposing the next five chemicals it will designate as High-Priority Substances, for which it must conduct a risk evaluation and potentially regulate under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). These chemicals are:
- Vinyl Chloride
- Acetaldehyde
- Acrylonitrile
- Benzenamine
- 4,4’-Methylenebis(2-chloroaniline), or MBOCA
EPA initiated the prioritization of these five chemicals in December 2023. Prioritization is the first step under the EPA’s authority to regulate existing chemicals currently on the market and in use. The proposed designations are based on the preliminary conclusion that each chemical substance satisfies the definition of a High-Priority Substance under TSCA and are not a finding of risk. If EPA finalizes these designations, the agency will initiate risk evaluations for these chemicals to determine whether they present an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment under the TSCA conditions of use.
EPA is providing a 90-day comment period during which interested persons may submit comments on the proposed designations of these chemicals as High-Priority Substances for risk evaluation. Comments will be due October 23, 2024.
- Read the Federal Register notice published on govinfo.gov. There are specific instructions to submit information for each chemical. Carefully follow the instructions to protect any confidential business information you wish to submit.
Advocacy contact: Send an email to Emily Jones at Emily.Jones@sba.gov