US Chemicals Legislation Reforms Breakthrough

Recently, representatives of the United States legislature, the US Environmental Protection Agency, industrial groups, and other stakeholders agreed to amend the "Toxic Substances Control Act" (TSCA). The new bill is expected to be passed within two years.

Previously, the industry represented by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) strongly urged the federal legislature to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act and requested that the US Environmental Protection Agency give priority to the safety assessment of existing chemical substances.

Representatives from all walks of life offered suggestions for revisions: BASF stressed that safety risks must be assessed for chemicals; the University of Washington believes that EPA needs to evaluate the toxicity of new compounds based on the relationship between the chemical structure of chemicals and their efficacy; It will be stated that since the chemicals laws and regulations of the US states are not completely consistent, a scientific assessment system for chemicals needs to be established to automatically evaluate potential substitutes; the US Environmental Protection Agency points out that the existing international chemicals management system should be included in TSCA.