Toxic Substance Control Act

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976 to help control the risk of substances not regulated as drugs, food additives, cosmetics, or pesticides. Under this law, the EPA can regulate the manufacture, use, and distribution of chemical substances. The TSCA mandates that the EPA be notified prior to the manufacture of any new chanical substance. The EPA ensures that all chemicals are tested to determine risks to humans. The TSCA also allows the EPA to regulate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) under 40 CFR 761. 

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), enacted in 1976, was designed to understand the use or development of chemicals and to provide controls, if 

As used in the act, the term chemical substance means any organic or inorganic substance of a particular molecular identity, including any combination of such substances occurring in whole or in part as a result of a chemical reaction or occurring in nature and any element or uncombined radical. Items not considered chemical substances are listed in the definition section of the act. The term mixture means any combination of two or more chemical substances if the combination does not occur in nature and is not, in whole or in part, the result of a chemical reaction except that such term does include any combination that occurs, in whole or in part, as a result of a chemical reaction if none of the chemical substances comprising the combination is a new chemical substance and if the combination could have been manufactured for commercial purposes without a chemical reaction at the time the chemical substances comprising the combination were combined. 

For many, familiarity with the TSCA generally stems from its specific reference to polychlorinated biphenyls, which raise a vivid, deadly characterization of the harm caused by them. But the TSCA is not a statute that deals with a single chemical or chemical mixture or product. In fact, under the TSCA, the EPA is authorized to institute testing programs for various chemical substances that may enter the enviromnent. Under the TSCA s broad authorization, data on the production and use of various chemical substances and mixtures may be obtained to protect public health and the environment from the effects of harmful chemicals. In actuality, the TSCA supplements the appropriate sections dealing with toxic substances in other federal stamtes, such as the Clean Water Act (Section 307) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Section 6). 

At the heart of the TSCA is a premanufacture notification (PMN) requirement under which a manufacturer must notify the EPA at least 90 days prior to the production of a new chemical. In this context, a new chemical is a chemical that is not listed in the TSCA-based Inventory of Chemical Substances or is an unlisted reaction product of two or more chemicals. Eor chemicals already on this list, a notification is required if there is a new use that could significantly increase human or enviromnental exposure. No notification is required for 

The TSCA chemical substances inventory is a comprehensive list of the names of all existing chemical substances, and currently contains over 70,000 existing chemicals. Information in the inventory is updated every four years. A facility must submit a premanufacture notice (PMN) prior to manufacturing or importation for any chemical substances not on the list and not excluded by the TSCA. Examples of regulated chemicals include lubricants, paints, inks, fuels, plastics, and solvents. 

Under Title I of TSCA (Section 4), manufacturers, importers, and processors of chemical substances and mixtures may be required by EPA to obtain health and environmental data on their health and environmental effects if  

TSCA (Section 5) also provides EPA with the authority to regulate and control the introduction of new chemicals either through manufacture or import, or the processing of an existing chemical for a significant new use. Such manufacturers and importers must file a Premanufacture Notification (PMN) 90 days before producing or importing the chemical. Once a PMN is filed, EPA assesses the information and determines if the chemical poses an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. An additional 90 days may be re- 

TSCA provides specific guidance and requirements for data gathering and reporting. This includes information such as production volume, plant size, amount lost to the environment during production or import, quantity of releases, and worker exposure information pertaining to controlled or uncontrolled releases. Companies are also required to maintain records of allegations of significant health or environmental effects (Section 8). 

Since 1979, EPA has maintained and published a list of chemical substances manufactured, imported, or processed for commercial purposes. This list, known as the TSCA Inventory, currently has almost 80,000 chemicals. 

The TSCA of 1976 was enacted by Congress to test, regulate, and screen all chemicals produced or imported into the United States. Many thousands of chemicals and their compounds are developed each year with unknown toxic or dangerous characteristics. To prevent tragic consequences, TSCA requires that any chemical that reaches the consumer market place be tested for possible toxic effects before commercial manufacture. 

Any existing chemical that poses health and environmental hazards is tracked and reported under TSCA. Procedures are also authorized for corrective action under TSCA in cases of cleanup of toxic materials contamination. TSCA supplements other federal statutes, including the CAA and the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) under EPCRA. 

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Table 5. Grignard Reagents Listed on the U.S. EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) List...

The latest government regulations set forth under the Toxic Substances Control Act and in PubHc Health Service pubHcations should be checked before formulating new lubricants. Users of lubricants should request Material Safety Data Sheets for each substance involved plus certification of compliance from vendors. Lubricant compounders should insist on similar information from their suppHers for any additive packages. Manufacturers of both additives and lubricants commonly make toxicity checks on commercial products. 

Toxic Substances Control Act, Public Law No. 469, 94th U.S. Congress Chemical Substance Inventory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Toxic Substances, Wasliiagton, D.C., 1975. 

Clean Air Act and its amendments ia 1970, 1977, and 1990 1967 Air Quahty Standards and National Air Pollution Acts and 1970 National Environmental PoHcy Act) (2) better waste disposal practices (1965 SoHd Waste Disposal Act 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) (see Wastes, industrial Waste treatment, hazardous wastes) (i) reduced noise levels (1972 Noise Control Act) (4) improved control of the manufacture and use of toxic materials (1976 Toxic Substances Control Act) and (5) assignment of responsibiUty to manufacturers for product safety (1972 Consumer Product Safety Act) (15,16). 

Information on health and safety considerations cited herein for Ryton PPS powders and pellets can be found in Reference 157. Ryton PPS [26125-40-6] is listed in the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Inventory of Chemicals. 

All the PMBs are Hsted on the U.S. EPA s Toxic Substances Control Act NonConfidential Chemical Substances Inventory (Table 8). In the early to mid-1980s, pseudocumene, mesitylene, hemimellitene, and trimethylbenzene were coveted by TSCA Section 8(a) Preliminary Assessment Information Rule (PAIR) reporting requirements (22) and by TSCA Section 8(d) for health and safety data (23). Mesitylene is the subject of a test rule subacute oral toxicity and subchtonic oral toxicity in tats were underway in 1994 (24). The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) allows monitoring for pseudocumene and mesitylene at the discretion of the State (25). Of the PMBs, only pseudocumene is subject to SARA Tide III section 313 annual release reporting (26). 

The two main federal agencies involved in the protection of human health and the environment are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). EPA s principal concern is the protection of the environment, in most cases, the area outside of an industrial faciUty. There are 10 regional offices that carry out the regulatory functions of the agency (Table 1). Primary laws covered by EPA are the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and LiabiUty Act (CERCLA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and Eederal Insecticide, Eungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 

Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA regulates the manufacture, use, and exposure to ha2ardous or toxic chemicals under a number of laws. Eor the chemical industry, the law of prime concern is the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) (10), which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1976. The two main goals of TSCA are acquisition of sufficient information to identify and evaluate potential ha2ards from chemical substances, and regulation of the production, use, distribution, and disposal of these substances. 

Toxic Substances Control Act, Chemical Substances Inventory further information can be obtained from Industry Assistance Office, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. 

Styrene is Hsted in the U.S. Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Inventory of Chemicals. It is not confirmed as a carcinogen but is considered a suspect carcinogen. The recommended exposure limits are OSHA PEL 50 ppm, ACGIH TLV 50 ppm. For higher concentrations,... 

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)... 

Vinyl chloride is Hsted as "ethene, chloro-" on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) inventory and on the Canadian Domestic Substances List (DSL). It is Hsted as "chloroethylene" on the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS), bearing the identification number 2008 310 (149). 

All four butanols are registered ia the United States on the Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory, a prerequisite for the manufacture or importation for commercial sale of any chemical substance or mixture ia quantities greater than a 1000 pounds (454 kg). Additionally, the manufacture and distribution of the butanols ia the United States are regulated under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), Section 313, which requires that anyone handling at least 10,000 pounds (4545 kg) a year of a chemical substance report to both the EPA and the state any release of that substance to the environment. 

The United States has the most laws regarding environmental safety and health. The National Environmental PoHcy Act (NEPA) of 1969 has resulted in the following acts Eederal Insecticides, Eungicide and Rodenticide (EIERA), Resource Conservation and Recovery (RCRA), Superfund (CERCLA), Superfund Amendments and Reauthori2ation Act (SARA) Plus Tide III, Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), Clean Water (CWA), Water Quahty, Safe Drinking Water (SDWA), and Waste Minimi2ation and Control. 

The two most important pieces of chemical control legislation enacted affecting the dye and pigment industries are the United States Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and EEC s Classification, Packaging, and Labeling of Dangerous Substances and its amendments. Table 2 is a comparison of TSCA and the 6th Amendment of the EEC classifications. 

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976 to identify and control toxic chemical ha2ards to human health and the environment. One of the main provisions of TSCA was to estabUsh and maintain an inventory of all chemicals in commerce in the United States for the purpose of regulating any of the chemicals that might pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. An initial inventory of chemicals was estabhshed by requiring companies to report to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) all substances that were imported, manufactured, processed, distributed, or disposed of in the United States. Over 50,000 chemical substances were reported. PoUowing this initial inventory, introduction of all new chemical substances requires a Premanufacturing Notification (PMN) process. To be included in the PMN are the identity of the new chemical, the estimated first year and maximum production volume, manufacture and process information, a description of proposed use, potential release to the environment, possible human exposure to the new substance, and any health or environmental test data available at the time of submission. In the 10 years that TSCA has been in effect, the USEPA has received over 10,000 PMNs and up to 10% of the submissions each year are for dyes (382)... 

J. Houk, M. J. Doa, M. Dezube, and J. M. Rovinski, "Evaluation of Dyes Submitted Under the Toxic Substance Control Act New Chemicals Programme," Colour Chemistry, Elsevier AppHed Science, London and New York, 1991. 

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Toxic Substances Control Act Nuclear Regulatory Commission Title 10... 

HRT Reactor hydraulic retention time TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act... 

Much of the current activity in the field of solid-waste management, especially with respect to hazardous wastes and resources recoveiy, is a direc t consequence of legislation. It is imperative to have a working knowledge of waste regulations, including RCRA (for EPA hazardous waste) TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) for PCBs and toxic waste Sohd Waste Disposal Act the Clean Air Ac t and PSD (prevention of... 

Another section of the EPA, the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPT), has recently updated and harmonized its testing guidelines for evaluating the developmental and reproductive effects of pesticides and industrial chemicals to include an assessment of endocrine disrupting properties. These guidelines will be used in future testing of pesticides under both the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 

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