Toxic Substances Regulations

EPA has established that hydrogen sulfide is a regulated toxic substance and is a hazardous substance as defined under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. OSH A has established an acceptable ceiling concentration of 20 parts per million (ppm) for hydrogen sulfide in the workplace, with a maximum level of 50 ppm allowed for 10 minutes maximum duration if no other measurable exposure occurs. NIOSH has set a maximum Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) ceiling value (10 minutes) of 10 ppm. A complete listing of federal and state regulations and recommendations are found in Chapter 7. 

EPA. 1998e. List of substances. Table 1. List of regulated toxic substances and threshold quantities for accidental release prevention. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR 68.130. 

I shall assume that there is agreement on the basic premise of the act and proceed to explore some ways in which it might be improved. I will try to do this by proposing some generalizations about the way TSCA has worked which I hope will further illustrate some of the costs and benefits but which will also point the way toward future approaches to regulating toxic substances. 

Regulated toxic substance for accidental release prevention " Threshold quantity 1,000 pounds ERA 2002a 40CFR68.130, Table 1... 

Cranor, C. F. (1993) Regulating Toxic Substances A Philosophy of Science and the Law, Oxford University Press, New York... 

Laws regulating toxic substances in various countries are designed to assess and control risk of chemicals to man and his environment. Science can contribute in two areas to this assessment firstly in the area of toxicology and secondly in the area of chemical exposure. The available concentration ( environmental exposure concentration ) depends on the fate of chemical compounds in the environment and thus their distribution and reaction behaviour in the environment. One very important contribution of Environmental Chemistry to... 

The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) was passed in 1976 and is contained in 15 USC 2601 et seq. It regulates toxic substances, other than wastes, that are not adequately covered by other statutes. Promulgation of TSCA gave the EPA the authority to manage chemicals from production to final disposal. In fact, if a compound (e.g., carbon tetrachloride) is found to pose unreasonable risk to human health or the environment, the EPA can immediately remove it from commerce. The TSCA s requiring a premanufacture notification (PMN) 90 days prior to manufacture has minimized the occurrence of immediate emergency removal of toxic chemicals. The PMN contains information on the physical/chemical properties, health... 

Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions-Regulated Toxic Substances and Threshold Quantities for Accidental Release Prevention-Formaldehyde Solution 15,000 pounds 40 CFR 68.130 EPA1994b... 

Delaware Regulated toxic substance— sufficient quantity Selenium hexafluoride 900 pounds/hour BNA 2001... 

Regulated toxic substance for accidental release prevention under Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act threshold quantity Ammonia (anhydrous)... 

U.S. FEDERAL REGULATIONS Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). CAS 503-38-8 is listed on the TSCA inventory. 

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