Regulations of existing chemicals

Although the CPs are very much understudied in terms of environmental measurements compared to other organohalogen compounds, they have nevertheless been reviewed and assessed numerous times as a result of interest from regulators of Existing Chemicals in commerce. Risk assessment reports on CPs are available from the US EPA [2], the European Commission [3-5], and Environment Canada... 

The results of the Erst and the second survey have contributed to the regulation of existing chemicals as useful information for the prevention of environmental pollution. 

The EU Existing Chemicals Regulation (ECR) (390) applied to all EU manufacturers or importers of existing chemical substances listed in EINECS. Each manufacturer or importer had to report the administrative and technical information and the available data on hazardous properties for substances supplied at above 1000 tonnes per annum dining the period 23 March 1990 to 23 March 1994. Only administrative and technical information had to be reported for substances supplied at 10 to 1,000 tonnes per annum The information has been collated into a EU database, and anon-confidential version is available called the International Uniform Chemicals Information Database (a.4). 

Section 5 of TSCA regulates the manufacture or import a new chemical substance for commercial purposes. Under this section, EPA requires notice before manufacture or importation of nonexempt substances. They then evaluate whether the chemical substance poses a threat to human health or the environment. This notice is called a PMN and must be submitted at least 90 days prior to the activity.34 Manufacturers must also submit information on significant new uses of existing chemicals to EPA for its review. After its review of the PMN or Significant New Use information, EPA may limit, restrict, or prohibit the manufacture, use, distribution, or disposal of the chemical substance. 

While the level of data on existing substances and the application of substitution provide contentious topics for public debate, a major failure of existing chemicals regulation is the poor use and communication of existing hazard information. Surprisingly, this gains relatively little attention from politicians, media, research or the public. 

EUCLID is operated by the European Chemicals Bureau which, in turn is part of the EC Joint Research Centre s Environmental Institute. This newly-established database will receive, process and store all the data submitted by industry in accordance with existing Chemicals Regulations. The Bureau will use data in EUCLID to harmonise procedures for priority setting and risk assessment of existing chemicals. From 1994 the Bureau will also... 

A second issue, which has been controversial, involves registration of certain multi-constituent substances. Directive 67/548/EEC regulated the placing of substances on the market, which meant that a multi-constituent substance was covered by the European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (EINECS) if all the individual constituents were listed. Therefore, if A reacts with B to... 

Technical Guidance on Risk Assessment of Existing Chemicals in Accordance with the Requirements of Council Regulation 93/793/ EEC (July 1994 Draft), German UBA. 

Kobayashi, K. (1981) Safety examination of existing chemicals - selection, testing, evaluation and regulation in Japan, in Proceedings of the Workshop on the Control of Existing Chemicals under the Patronage of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, June 10-12, 1981, Umweltbundesamt, Berlin. 

The program was codified under the EU Existing Chemicals Regulation, which covered all European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (ElNECS)-listed existing substances manufactured or imported at >10 t/annum. The available test data have been reported for 1408 substances supplied at >1000 t/annum. Of these, only 110 have been selected so far for complete testing and risk assessment. 

The Existing Substances Regulation passed in 1993 initiated the assessment of existing chemicals. This effort compiled existing information on nearly 3,000 high production volume chemicals and almost 8,000 low production volume chemicals. There were 141 substances identified for risk assessment. Some of these substances were regulated under the Limitations Directive. 

The "Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China" is a technical supjportive document for laws and regulations on the prevention and control of pollution caused by chemical substances. 

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments Hst 189 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that the EPA must regulate to enforce maximum achievable control technology (MACT) to standards which are to be set by the year 2000. The 33/50 project calls for reduction of emissions of 17 specified solvents to predetermined levels by 1995. The SARA statute provides a mechanism by which the community can be informed of the existence, quantities, and releases of toxic chemicals, and requires that anyone releasing specific toxic chemicals above a threshold level to annually submit a toxic chemical release form to the EPA. The status of various ketones under these regulations is shown in Table 4. 

The LD q for sodium bromide taken orally by rats is 3.5 g/kg body weight, and the TD q orally in rats is 720 mg/kg (8). RTECS Hsts data on reproductive effects in male and female rats. Sodium bromide is Hsted in the TSCA Inventory, the Canadian Domestic Substances Hst (DSL), the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS), the Japanese Existing and New Chemical Substances (ENCS), and the Korean Existing Chemicals Hst (ECL). It is not regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

In the European Union, coal-derived complex chemical substances, ie, those contained in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances, have been classified for carcinogenicity in the twenty-first adaptation to technical progress of the European Commission (EC) Dangerous Substances Directive 1994 67/548/EEC (57). The EC Regulation 793/93 requires data sets to be submitted by producers or importers to the... 

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