EPA to industry: Submit data up front

The US Environmental Protection Agency is urging chemical manufacturers to include all safety information, including environmental release and worker exposure data, when they seek approval to market a new chemical. Data that trickle in later in the process lead to delays in the EPA’s review of that chemical and other new chemicals waiting for review, the agency says. In a recent analysis, the EPA found that revising risk assessments to incorporate data that were not included in an initial submission is one of the biggest reasons for its delays in reviewing new chemicals. Delays in getting new chemicals onto the US market has long been an industry concern, and the EPA has made addressing bottlenecks and increasing the efficiency of its new chemicals reviews a top priority. As part of an outreach effort announced June 24, the agency plans to host a series of webinars starting in July to better inform stakeholders how it evaluates safety information for new chemicals and what information should be included in an initial submission. The agency is also seeking additional resources from Congress, noting that under the previous administration, 15% of its staff for new chemicals was permanently transferred to work on risk evaluations for existing chemicals.