EPA Seeks Health Data On Four Chemicals

To comply with the Toxic Substances Control Act, manufacturers of chloroethane, hydrogen cyanide, sodium cyanide, and methylene chloride would have to conduct toxicological tests on these chemicals, according to an Oct. 20 proposal from EPA. The four compounds are among the hazardous substances most commonly found at Superfund sites and are also categorized as hazardous air pollutants. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry wants the testing data for its health assessments of people living near Superfund sites, and EPA would use the information when setting standards for hazardous waste cleanups. In addition, EPA would consider the data when deciding whether facilities that have installed equipment to limit emissions of these four chemicals need to add more air pollution controls to protect public health. EPA estimates the combined cost of testing the four chemicals to be $8.6 million. More information can be found in the Oct. 20 Federal Register, page 61926.