EPA To Revise Toxics Inventory

EPA announced plans last week to get a more accurate count of the number of commercial chemicals made in the U.S. The agency said it will revise its official list of chemicals in U.S. commerce, which was established under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The TSCA Inventory currently lists some 83,000 substances in commerce, although EPA, chemical manufacturers, and environmental activists agree that this number includes many compounds no longer made or imported in the U.S. TSCA requires a company that plans to make a substance that is not on the inventory to submit a new chemical notice to EPA for review. In a program similar to a decade-old one for organic substances made in volumes of at least 1 million lb per year, EPA said it will also ask manufacturers of mass-produced inorganic compounds to volunteer toxicity data about their products. The agency will use the toxicity information along with use and exposure information to assess health and environmental risks from these chemicals.