EPA announced an update to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory February 19. The update, which EPA was required to do under the amended TSCA – The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21 Century Act, assessed which chemicals are actively being manufactured – processed and/or imported in United States. This evaluation determined that less than half of the chemicals currently listed on the inventory (47 percent or 40,655 of the 86,228 chemicals) are in commerce.
According to Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, “[i]t’s important for us to know which chemicals are actually in use today. This will help us with our work prioritizing chemicals, evaluating and addressing risks. This information also increases transparency to the public.”