Published: Environmental Protection Agency Releases More TSCA Risks and New Chemicals Submissions, Promises Continued Near Real-Time Publication in the Future
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made significant strides in increasing public access to important chemical data, with its web application ChemView serving as a key platform for this initiative.
ChemView, maintained by the EPA, offers a wealth of information about chemicals regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This includes new chemical submissions, health and safety studies, and notices of substantial risk (Section 8(e) reports). The aim is to make regulatory, testing, and exposure data easily accessible to the public, industry, and regulators, supporting informed decision-making.
Under TSCA Section 8(e), companies are required to notify the EPA promptly if they obtain information indicating that a chemical they manufacture or import poses a substantial risk to health or the environment. These notices, which often contain health and safety studies, are then posted on ChemView for public viewing.
In addition to 8(e) reports, manufacturers must also submit health and safety data as part of pre-manufacture notifications (PMNs) for new chemicals under TSCA. These data, once reviewed, become part of the public record on ChemView. The EPA also collects data under other sections such as Section 8(d), enabling ongoing data collection and publication of emerging chemical safety information.
The EPA continues to enforce timely and separate submissions and posts these for public availability. In fact, the EPA began publishing non-CBI notices on an ongoing basis in 2019, and new records are now generally published within five days of receipt.
This year, the EPA has published over 3,900 notices of substantial risk records received under TSCA section 8(e) in ChemView, including over 3,300 non-CBI notices from January 1, 2019, to December 20, 2021, that were not previously published due to resource limitations. Additionally, the EPA has published more than 1,700 health and safety study records received since September 2021 under TSCA section 8(d) in ChemView.
The EPA also continues to identify and make public older, previously unpublished new chemicals notices. For instance, in 2022, the EPA made available in ChemView more than 25,000 new chemical notice records received under TSCA section 5, including notices received between 2014 and 2019 that had not been published previously.
These actions are part of the EPA's commitment to enhance the transparency of its evidence-based scientific and policymaking processes related to the evaluation of potential risks posed by certain chemicals. The EPA expects to publish additional 8(d) records in the future.
In conclusion, the EPA's ChemView remains the primary tool for publishing new chemical notices, substantial risk notices under TSCA 8(e), and health and safety data reports. These processes are ongoing, with the EPA ensuring submissions are timely, chemical-specific, and made accessible for public review and regulatory use.
[1] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). ChemView. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/chemview [2] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Rule. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory/tsca-inventory-notification-active-inactive-rule [4] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). TSCA Section 8(e). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/tsca-new-chemicals-program/tsca-section-8e
ChemView, a platform maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides data on chemicals regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and supports health-and-wellness, environmental-science, and science by making regulatory, testing, and exposure data easily accessible to the public, industry, and regulators, thus enabling informed decision-making. The EPA's publishing of over 3,900 notices of substantial risk records received under TSCA section 8(e) in ChemView demonstrates the agency's commitment to enhancing transparency and public access to chemical information for medical-conditions and health-and-wellness.
