The following table shows major milestones and events since the passage of the Lautenberg Act amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
| Year | Month | Milestone | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | December | Initiating Process to Prioritize Five Chemicals for Risk Evaluation Under TSCA | EPA announced that it was beginning the process to prioritize five additional toxic chemicals for risk evaluation under the nation’s premier chemical safety law. If, during the 12-month long statutory process, EPA designates these five chemicals as High Priority Substances, EPA will then begin risk evaluations for these chemicals. More about prioritization. |
| 2023 | December | Issued Draft Risk Evaluation for Flame Retardant TCEP | EPA released its draft risk evaluation for the flame retardant Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) for public comment. EPA used the best available science to preliminarily determine that this chemical poses unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. This was the first draft risk evaluation EPA released for the 20 High-Priority Substances prioritized in 2019. |
| 2023 | October | Proposed Ban on Trichloroethylene to Protect Public from Toxic Chemical Known to Cause Serious Health Risks | EPA proposed to ban all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE), an extremely toxic chemical known to cause serious health risks including cancer, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. TCE is used in cleaning and furniture care products, degreasers, brake cleaners, and tire repair sealants, and a variety of safer alternatives are readily available for many uses. This action would protect people from these health risks by banning the manufacture, processing, and distribution of TCE for all uses. More on TCE. |
| 2023 | October | Proposal to Strengthen TSCA Risk Evaluation Process to Protect Workers and Communities | EPA proposed a rule to strengthen its process for conducting risk evaluations on chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). If finalized, the rule would ensure that EPA’s processes better align with the law, support robust evaluations that account for all risks associated with a chemical, and provides the foundation for protecting workers and communities from toxic chemicals. More on the risk evaluation rule. |
| 2023 | September | Requiring Reporting of PFAS Data to Better Protect Communities from Forever Chemicals | EPA finalized a rule under TSCA that will provide EPA, its partners, and the public with the largest-ever dataset of PFAS manufactured and used in the United States. This rule builds on over two years of progress on the Biden-Harris Administration’s action plan to combat PFAS pollution, safeguarding public health and advancing environmental justice, and is a key action in EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. More on the PFAS reporting rule. |
| 2023 | July | Proposed Workplace Safety Requirements for Carbon Tetrachloride to Protect Worker Health, Fenceline Communities | EPA announced a proposal that will better protect workers from exposure to carbon tetrachloride (CTC), a chemical known to cause serious health risks such as liver toxicity and cancer. This proposal would protect people from these risks by minimizing exposures to workers and communities, while banning uses that have already ceased. More on CTC. |
| 2023 | June | New Framework to Prevent Unsafe New PFAS from Entering the Market | EPA announced its framework for addressing new PFAS and new uses of PFAS. The framework outlines EPA’s planned approach when reviewing new PFAS and new uses of PFAS to ensure that, before these chemicals are allowed to enter into commerce, EPA will undertake an extensive evaluation to ensure they pose no harm to human health and the environment. More on the framework. |
| 2023 | June | Proposed Ban on All Consumer and Many Commercial Uses of Perchloroethylene to Protect Public Health | EPA proposed a ban on most uses of perchloroethylene, a chemical known to cause serious health risks such as neurotoxicity and cancer. The proposal would protect people from these risks by banning all consumer uses while allowing for many industrial/commercial uses to continue only where strict workplace controls could be implemented, including uses related to national security, aviation and other critical infrastructure, and the Agency’s efforts to combat the climate crisis. More about the proposal. |
| 2023 | April | Proposed Ban on All Consumer, Most Industrial and Commercial Uses of Methylene Chloride to Protect Public Health | EPA proposed a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause serious health risks and even death. The proposal would protect people from these risks while allowing for some uses to continue only where strict workplace controls could be implemented to minimize exposures to workers. Methylene chloride was the second chemical to undergo risk management under the reformed process created by the 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. More about the methylene chloride proposal. |
| 2023 | February | Proposed Approach for Considering Cumulative Risks under TSCA | EPA released for public comment and peer review a set of principles for evaluating cumulative risks under TSCA and an approach for applying those principles to the evaluation of the cumulative risk posed by certain phthalate chemicals undergoing TSCA section 6 risk evaluation. This was an important step in the process of EPA developing the capability under TSCA to examine risk to people from exposure to multiple chemicals with similar effects. More on the cumulative risk framework. |
| 2023 | January | EPA Finishes Finalizing Revised Risk Determinations | EPA finalized a revision to the TSCA risk determination for trichloroethylene (TCE), finding that TCE, as a whole chemical substance, presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health when evaluated under its conditions of use. This was the final revision to a risk determination planned as part of the path forward for TSCA risk evaluations announced in June 2021. More on the risk determination. |
| 2022 | November | Supplemental Proposed Fees Rule | EPA issued a supplemental proposed rule modifying and adjusting certain aspects of the fees rule established under TSCA. These changes ensure that collected fees provide the Agency with 25% of authorized TSCA costs consistent with direction in the FY 2022 appropriations bill to consider the “full” implementation costs of the law. Updating TSCA fees strengthens EPA’s ability to successfully implement TSCA in a way that’s both protective and sustainable and significantly improve on-time performance and quality. More about the proposed rule. |
| 2022 | June | First Final Whole Chemical Risk Determination | EPA finalized a revision to the risk determination for cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD), finding that HBCD, as a whole chemical substance, presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health and the environment when evaluated under its conditions of use. This was the first finalized whole chemical risk determination under the path forward for TSCA risk evaluations announced in June 2021. More about the risk determination. |
| 2022 | June | First PFAS Test Order | As part of the National PFAS Testing Strategy, EPA issued the first in a series of TSCA test orders to require companies to conduct and submit testing on PFAS. The chemical subject to the test order, 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide betaine, is a surfactant used to make commercial fire-fighting foams and may be found in certain floor finishes. More about the test order. |
| 2022 | May | Proposed Rule to Update Confidential Business Information Requirements | EPA issued a proposed rule relating to the assertion and maintenance of confidential business information (CBI) claims under TSCA. The proposed rule included new and amended requirements that would increase transparency, modernize reporting and review procedures, and ensure consistency with the 2016 amendments to TSCA. More on the proposed rule. |
| 2022 | May | Proposed Asbestos Reporting Rule | EPA announced a proposed rule to require comprehensive reporting on asbestos as the agency continues its work to address exposure to the known carcinogen and strengthen the science used to protect people from this dangerous chemical. The proposed rule under section 8(a) of TSCA would require asbestos manufacturers and processors to report certain use and exposure information, including information pertaining to asbestos-containing articles (including as an impurity). More about the proposed rule. |
| 2022 | April | Proposed Ban on Ongoing Uses of Asbestos | EPA took action to protect people from asbestos exposure by releasing a proposed rule to prohibit ongoing uses of the only known form of asbestos currently imported into the U.S. This proposed rule was the first-ever risk management rule issued under the new process for evaluating and addressing the safety of existing chemicals under TSCA that was enacted in 2016. More about the proposed rule. |
| 2022 | January | Fenceline Screening Methodology | EPA released for public comment and peer review version 1.0 of a proposed screening level methodology to evaluate potential chemical exposures and associated potential risks to fenceline communities in TSCA risk evaluations. The proposed methodology uses reasonably available data, information, and models to quantify environmental releases, evaluate exposures to fenceline communities and characterize risks associated with such releases and exposures for certain air and water pathways previously not evaluated in published risk evaluations. More about the methodology. |
| 2021 | December | First Draft Revised Risk Determination | EPA released a draft revision to the risk determination for cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD) to better align the risk determination with the objectives of protecting health and the environment under the amended TSCA. This was the first of EPA’s revised risk determinations under the path forward for TSCA risk evaluations announced in June 2021. More about the revised risk determination. |
| 2021 | December | Draft Systematic Review Protocol | EPA released a draft TSCA Systematic Review Protocol. The protocol will strengthen EPA’s approach to reviewing and selecting the scientific studies that are used to inform TSCA chemical risk evaluations and ensure that EPA has the best tools under TSCA to protect human health and the environment. More about the draft protocol. |
| 2021 | October | National PFAS Testing Strategy | To advance the agency’s understanding of the impacts of PFAS, EPA developed a national testing strategy that will require PFAS manufacturers to provide the agency with toxicity data and information on categories of PFAS chemicals to inform future regulatory efforts. EPA selected PFAS to be tested based on an approach that breaks the large number of PFAS into smaller categories based on similar features and considers what existing data are available for each category. More about the testing strategy. |
| 2021 | June | Path Forward for TSCA Chemical Risk Evaluations | EPA announced important policy changes concerning risk evaluations issued under TSCA by the previous administration and the path forward for the first 10 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation. These included expanding consideration of exposure pathways and fenceline screening, changes to consideration of personal protective equipment, and EPA’s intention to revise the risk determinations of the first 10 chemicals to ensure these risk evaluations follow science and the law. More about the path forward. |
| 2021 | June | Proposed Rule to Require Reporting on PFAS | EPA proposed a rule that would require all manufacturers (including importers) of PFAS in any year since 2011 to report information about their use of PFAS. Once finalized, this rule would be the first targeted effort TSCA to collect information on the manufacture of PFAS and would provide EPA with the most comprehensive dataset of PFAS manufactured in the United States. More about the proposed rule. |
| 2021 | March | Updates to New Chemicals Program | EPA announced that the agency would begin conducting an evaluation of the TSCA new chemicals program. The agency identified several instances where the approach for making determinations and managing risks associated with new chemicals can more closely align with the requirements of TSCA, including the use of significant new use rules (SNURs) and assumptions related to worker exposures. More about the New Chemicals Program. |
| 2021 | January | Test Orders for Nine Chemicals Undergoing Risk Evaluation | EPA issued Test Orders under section 4 of TSCA to obtain additional data on nine of the next 20 high-priority chemicals undergoing risk evaluation. After reviewing available data on these chemicals, EPA determined additional data are needed and used its TSCA test order authority to require companies to develop and submit information on environmental hazard and inhalation and dermal exposures for workers. More about Test Orders. |
| 2021 | January | Completion of First 10 Risk Evaluations | EPA met a major chemical safety milestone by releasing the final risk evaluation for C.I. Pigment Violet 29 (PV29) under TSCA. The final risk findings completed the risk evaluation process required by TSCA for PV29 and marked the completion of the risk evaluation process for all the first 10 chemicals. More about risk evaluation under TSCA. |
| 2020 | December | PBT Chemical Final Rules | EPA issued five final rules to reduce exposures to certain chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). EPA identified these five PBT chemicals for expedited action, following criteria outlined in TSCA. The final rules limit or prohibit the manufacture (including import), processing, and/or distribution in commerce for the five PBTs. More about PBTs under TSCA. |
| 2020 | September | Final Scope Documents for Next 20 High-Priority Chemicals Undergoing Risk Evaluation | EPA published the final scope documents for the next 20 substances designated as High-Priority for risk evaluation under TSCA. More about the 20 High-Priority chemical risk evaluations (pdf). |
| 2020 | June | Stopping Use of Certain PFAS in Products | EPA issued a final rule giving the agency the authority to review an expansive list of products containing PFAS before they could be manufactured, sold, or imported in the U.S. As part of the agency's review, EPA can also place restrictions on these products to protect public health. More about PFAS actions under TSCA. |
| 2020 | June | First Final Risk Evaluation Released | EPA released the final risk evaluation for methylene chloride, the first risk evaluation to be completed under amended TSCA. Releasing the agency's final risk findings on this chemical after reviewing input from the public and peer reviewers completes the risk evaluation process required by TSCA. More about chemicals undergoing risk evaluation. |
| 2020 | May | Updated Small Manufacturer Definition | EPA updated the definition of small manufacturers used to determine reporting and recordkeeping requirements under amended TSCA. The updated definition reduces reporting burdens on chemical manufacturers and small governments while maintaining the agency's ability to receive the information it needs to understand exposure to chemical substances manufactured in the U.S. More about the updated definition. |
| 2020 | April | Draft Scope Documents for Next 20 Chemicals | EPA released the draft scope documents for the next group of chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under amended TSCA. More about the draft scope documents. |
| 2020 | March | Chemical Data Reporting Rule Amendments | EPA finalized amendments to the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule that reduce the burden for certain CDR reporters, improve the quality of CDR data collected, and align reporting requirements with amended TSCA. More about CDR rule amendments. |
| 2020 | March | 2020 Mercury Inventory Report | EPA published the 2020 Mercury Inventory Report on the supply, use, and trade of mercury in the U.S. This report is the first inventory published after finalizing the mercury inventory reporting rule. Information in the report comes directly from the companies that are using, manufacturing, or importing mercury, providing EPA and the public with more reliable and complete information. More about the 2020 report. |
| 2020 | February | New Requirements for Making CBI Claims | EPA released the final process companies must follow to make certain CBI claims and the agency's plan for reviewing those claims. This final rule laying out these new requirements creates an efficient process for fulfilling the CBI requirements under amended TSCA and provides clarity for affected stakeholders. More about TSCA CBI. |
| 2020 | February | Final List of Low-Priority Chemicals | EPA published a list of 20 chemicals identified as low priority for risk evaluations under amended TSCA. A final designation as 'low-priority' means that risk evaluations are not warranted at this time. More about low-priority chemicals. |
| 2019 | December | First Two Manufacturer Requested Risk Evaluations Granted | EPA granted the first two manufacturer requests for risk evaluations for DIDP and DINP, two chemicals commonly used in the production of plastic and plastic coating to increase flexibility. More about manufacturer requested risk evaluations. |
| 2019 | December | Updated List of Alternative Test Methods | EPA updated its list of alternative test methods or strategies that do not require new vertebrate animal testing. This furthers the agency's work under amended TSCA to reduce and replace, to the extent practicable and scientifically justified, the use of vertebrate animals in the testing of chemicals. More about reducing animal testing under TSCA. |
| 2019 | December | Information on Completed CBI Reviews Available Online | EPA published a new webpage detailing cases with completed TSCA CBI determinations. The new CBI webpage includes a table of all the final CBI determinations under amended TSCA. More about TSCA CBI reviews. |
| 2019 | December | First Annual Conference on New Approach Methods | On December 17, 2019, EPA held the first annual conference to discuss alternative test methods and strategies to reduce animal testing. EPA's conference brought together some of the leading voices in environmental and health research to discuss efforts to reduce testing on mammals. More about December conference. |
| 2019 | December | Next 20 Chemicals for Risk Evaluation | EPA announced the next 20 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under amended TSCA. Finalizing this list of high-priority chemicals for risk evaluation was the final step in the prioritization process outlined in TSCA. More about chemicals undergoing risk evaluation. |
| 2019 | November | Additional Information on New Chemicals Available Online | EPA published new, easily searchable webpages containing information on new chemicals cases. These webpages increase transparency by providing information such as the date the notice was received by EPA, case number, and chemical substance identity. More about new chemicals notices received by EPA. |
| 2019 | November | Methylene Chloride Ban Goes into Effect | After November 22, 2019, all persons are prohibited from manufacturing (including importing), processing, and distributing in commerce, including distribution to and by retailers, methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal. More about the methylene chloride ban. |
| 2019 | September | TSCA Inventory Updated with Unique Identifiers | EPA posted the first public TSCA Inventory to include unique identifier (UID) information. The UID is a numerical identifier assigned to a chemical substance when EPA approves a CBI claim for specific chemical identity. More about the TSCA Inventory. |
| 2019 | August | New Chemicals Status Tracker | EPA released an updated version of its new chemicals status tracker, continuing the agency's commitment to transparency by making additional information about new chemical notices available to the public on the agency's website. Visitors to the updated tracker can view and search monthly updates for any active new chemicals case. More about the new chemicals status tracker. |
| 2019 | June | Proposed Rule on PBT Chemicals | EPA proposed a rule to reduce exposures to certain chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). These chemicals build up in the environment over time and can therefore have potential risks for exposed populations including the general population, consumer and commercial uses, and susceptible subpopulations (such as workers, subsistence fishers, tribes and children). More about PBT chemicals. |
| 2019 | June | First SACC Meeting | EPA held the first meeting of the SACC to peer review the draft risk evaluation for PV29. More about the SACC. |
| 2019 | Apirl | Strengthening Regulations on Asbestos | EPA issued a final rule that strengthens the agency's ability to rigorously review an expansive list of asbestos products that are no longer on the market before they could be sold again in the United States. More about EPA actions to protect the public from asbestos. |
| 2019 | March | Methylene Chloride Ban | EPA issued a final rule to prohibit the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution of methylene chloride in all paint removers for consumer use. EPA also required manufacturers, processors, and distributors to notify retailers and others in their supply chains of the prohibitions and to keep basic records. More about the methylene chloride ban. |
| 2019 | March | Prioritizing Chemicals for Risk Evaluation | EPA published a list of 40 chemicals to begin the prioritization process, which is the initial step in the process of reviewing chemicals currently in commerce under the amended TSCA. More about the TSCA prioritization process. |
| 2019 | February | First Major Update to TSCA Inventory in 40 Years | EPA released an update of the TSCA Inventory, including information on which chemicals are actively being manufactured, processed, and imported in the United States. More about the TSCA Inventory. |
| 2018 | November | First Draft Risk Evaluation Released | EPA released the draft risk evaluation for pigment violet 29 (PV29), one of the first ten chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under amended TSCA. More about chemicals undergoing risk evaluation. |
| 2018 | September | Final TSCA Fees Rule | EPA finalized a rule to collect fees from certain chemical manufacturers, including importers, to provide a sustainable source of funding to a portion of TSCA implementation costs. More about TSCA fees. |
| 2018 | June | Reducing Animal Testing | EPA finalized a strategy to promote the development and implementation of alternative test methods and strategies to reduce, refine or replace vertebrate animal testing. More about reducing animal testing under TSCA. |
| 2018 | June | Guidance on Accessing CBI | EPA finalized guidance outlining the circumstances under which amended TSCA allows the agency to disclose CBI and how state, tribal, and local governments; environmental, health, and medical professionals; and emergency responders can request disclosure. More about guidance on accessing CBI. |
| 2018 | June | Unique Identifiers for Chemicals | EPA issued a policy to better publicly track information on chemicals while protecting CBI. Assigning unique identifiers to chemicals allows the public to connect information related to the same substance, even while the specific identity is protected as confidential. More about unique identifiers. |
| 2018 | June | Generic Names Guidance | EPA issued guidance on developing structurally descriptive generic names for chemical identities being claimed as CBI. This guidance allows EPA to share more information with the public about the structure of substances while protecting the confidential elements of the substance's specific chemical identity. More about generic names. |
| 2018 | June | Problem Formulation Documents for First 10 Chemicals | EPA released problem formulation documents that refine the scope of the risk evaluations for the first 10 chemicals. More about chemicals undergoing risk evaluation. |
| 2018 | June | Systematic Review | EPA published a document setting out general principles to guide the agency's selection and review of studies for TSCA risk evaluations. The document also provides the public with continued transparency regarding how EPA plans to evaluate scientific information. More about systematic review. |
| 2018 | June | Final Mercury Reporting Rule | EPA finalized a rule to require reporting from persons who manufacture (including import) mercury or mercury-added products, or otherwise intentionally use mercury in a manufacturing process. The rule supports future, triennial publications of the mercury inventory. More about mercury reporting requirements. |
| 2017 | June | Final Prioritization Process Rule | EPA finalized a rule to establish the process and criteria for identifying high-priority chemicals for risk evaluation and low-priority chemicals for which risk evaluation is not warranted at this time. More about the TSCA prioritization process. |
| 2017 | June | Final Risk Evaluation Process Rule | EPA finalized a rule to establish the process for evaluating high-priority chemicals to determine whether or not they present an unreasonable risk to health or the environment. More about the TSCA risk evaluation process. |
| 2017 | June | Final Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Rule | EPA finalized a rule to require industry reporting of chemicals manufactured, imported, or processed in the U.S. over the past 10 years. This reporting is used to identify which chemical substances on the TSCA Inventory are active in U.S. commerce and helps inform the chemicals EPA prioritizes for risk evaluation. More about the active-inactive rule. |
| 2017 | June | Scope Documents for First 10 Chemicals | EPA released scope documents for the first 10 chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under amended TSCA. These documents identify which uses of the chemicals will be evaluated and how the evaluation will be conducted. More about chemicals undergoing risk evaluation. |
| 2017 | June | Risk Evaluation Guidance | EPA published guidance to assist interested persons in developing and submitting draft risk evaluations to EPA. The guidance describes the science standards, data quality considerations, and the steps of the risk evaluation process that external parties should follow when developing draft TSCA risk evaluations. More about the TSCA risk evaluation guidance. |
| 2017 | March | Initial Mercury Inventory | EPA issued an initial inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade in the United States. This inventory report was a compilation of publicly available data. Read the initial inventory report. |
| 2017 | January | Upfront Substantiation of CBI Claims | EPA began requiring that chemical manufacturers and other entities who submit information to EPA under amended TSCA provide support for non-exempt confidential business information (CBI) claims at the time the information claimed as CBI is submitted to EPA. More about TSCA CBI. |
| 2016 | November | First 10 Chemicals for Risk Evaluation | EPA selected the first 10 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under amended TSCA. View the first 10 chemicals. |
| 2016 | August | Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals | EPA established the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) to provide scientific advice and recommendations to EPA on the scientific basis for risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution prevention measures and approaches for chemicals regulated under amended TSCA. More about the SACC. |
| 2016 | August | Mercury Export Ban Additions | EPA issued additions to the Mercury Export Ban, which is intended to reduce the availability of elemental (metallic) mercury in domestic and international markets. Read the Federal Register Notice on Mercury Export Prohibitions. |
| 2016 | June | Lautenberg Act Amendments to TSCA | On June 22, 2016, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed into law. The Lautenberg Act amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), our nation's primary chemicals management law. More about TSCA. |