Oct. 3 US: New Tool Proposed for Assessing Chemical Risks

From: Occupational Health & Safety

The American Chemistry Council proposed a comprehensive, scientifically based system that could be used by EPA to decide which chemicals require additional review and assessment, possibly offering a solution to the agency’s quest to update the Toxic Substances Control Act.

“As outlined in ACC’s principles for modernizing the Toxic Substances Control Act, establishing a clear and scientifically sound prioritization process is key to creating a world-class chemical management system,” ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley said Sept. 6. “We believe the prioritization tool we’re proposing today will help EPA evaluate chemicals more efficiently and effectively and improve public confidence in the agency’s regulation of chemicals.”

The system would evaluate chemicals against consistent scientific criteria that take into account both hazard and exposure, giving each chemical a score based on the criteria and then ranking it based on the scores and EPA’s best professional scientific judgment. The rankings would be used to determine which chemicals are referred to EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention for further assessment.

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