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Assessing and Managing Chemicals under TSCA

Risk Management for Existing Chemicals under TSCA

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) gives EPA the authority to take action to address unreasonable risks to public health or the environment from chemicals currently on the market. If at the end of the risk evaluation process EPA determines that a chemical presents an unreasonable risk to health or the environment, the agency must immediately start the risk management process to reduce or eliminate these risks.

Input from all stakeholders is critical to the risk management process. EPA is committed to developing risk management actions for chemicals in a way that is transparent and includes proactive, meaningful outreach and education with the public and other stakeholders.

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Current Risk Management Activities

Click on the links below to learn more about recent EPA actions to reduce or eliminate unreasonable risks from the following chemicals. You can also view the list of upcoming meetings and webinars on risk management to learn more about EPA's current risk management activities.

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Meetings, Webinars, and Other Engagement Opportunities

Upcoming Dates

Date/Time Meeting Title Additional Information
February 2, 2021 Public Webinar: 1,4-Dioxane Risk Evaluation and Risk Management

Register for the webinar.Exit (Deadline to provide oral comments: January 28, 2021 at 5 PM EST)

Risk management for 1,4-dioxane

February 2, 2021 Environmental justice consultations on  HBCD and carbon tetrachloride (Meeting #1) 

Register to attend.Exit

Two identical consultation sessions will be conducted, and both will cover both chemicals.

February 3, 2021 Public Webinar: Asbestos Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos Risk Evaluation and Risk Management

Register for the webinar.Exit (Deadline to provide oral comments: January 29, 2021 at 5 PM EST)

Risk Management for Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos

February 18, 2021 Environmental justice consultations on  HBCD and carbon tetrachloride (Meeting #2) 

Register to attend.Exit

Two identical consultation sessions will be conducted, and both will cover both chemicals.

Past Dates

Date/Time Meeting Title Additional Information

September 16, 2020

10 am - 5 pm EST

Public Webinar: Methylene Chloride Risk Evaluation and Risk Management

Meeting materials

Risk management for methylene chloride

September 30, 2020

10 am - 5 pm EST

Public Webinar: 1-Bromopropane Risk Evaluation and Risk Management

Meeting materials

Risk management for 1-bromopropane

September 30, 2020 Deadline for self-nominations for Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panels

SBAR panel for methylene chloride

SBAR panel for 1-bromopropane

November 12, 2020

2 pm – 4:30 pm EDT
Tribal consultation: Technical briefing and comment period on methylene chloride and 1-bromopropane (Meeting #1)

Please contact Amanda Hauff (hauff.amanda@epa.gov) for more information.

November 16, 2020

2 pm - 4:30 pm EDT

Environmental justice consultation on methylene chloride and 1-bromopropane (Meeting #1) 

View the agenda and slides for the consultation.

Two identical consultation sessions will be conducted, and both will cover both chemicals.

November 17, 2020

1 pm – 3:30 pm EDT
Tribal consultation: Technical briefing and comment period on methylene chloride and 1-bromopropane (Meeting #2 – repeat of prior meeting)  Please contact Amanda Hauff (hauff.amanda@epa.gov) for more information.

November 19, 2020

1 pm – 3:30 pm EDT
Environmental justice consultation on methylene chloride and 1-bromopropane (Meeting #2) 

View the agenda and slides for the consultation.

Two identical consultation sessions will be conducted, and both will cover both chemicals.

November 20, 2020

1 pm – 3:00 pm EDT
Public Webinar: HBCD Risk Evaluation and Risk Management

Meeting Materials

Risk management for HBCD

November 23, 2020 Deadline for self-nominations for Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for HBCD SBAR Panel for HBCD

December 10, 2020

1 pm - 3 pm EST
Public Webinar: Carbon Tetrachloride Risk Evaluation and Risk Management Risk management for carbon tetrachloride
December 14, 2020 Deadline for self-nominations for Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for Carbon Tetrachloride SBAR Panel for Carbon Tetrachloride 
December 14, 2020 Deadline for self-nominations for Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for TCE SBAR Panel for TCE 

December 15, 2020

1 pm-3 pm EST

Public Webinar: TCE Risk Evaluation and Risk Management

Meeting Materials

Risk management for TCE

January 14, 2021

1:00 pm - 3:30 pm EST

Public Webinar: Perchloroethylene Risk Evaluation and Management Risk Management for PCE
January 18, 2021 Deadline for submitting written comments for environmental justice consultations for methylene chloride and 1-bromopropane  
January 19, 2021 Deadline for self-nominations for Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panels

SBAR panel for NMP

SBAR panel for perchloroethylene

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Overview of Public and Stakeholder Engagement Opportunities

There are several opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement throughout the risk management process. This includes public comment periods, required consultations with certain groups, public meetings/webinars, and one-on-one meetings with stakeholders.

Public Comment Periods

As part of the rulemaking process, EPA will solicit and obtain comments on proposed rules and other documents. To do this, the agency will open public comment periods. These public comment periods relevant to TSCA implementation are announced by the agency through press releases/listservs and by publication in the Federal Register. Comment periods are generally open for 60 or 90 days, with the option for extensions as appropriate. All materials, both agency rulemaking documents and supporting information and public comments will be in a publicly available rulemaking docket, listed on each chemical’s risk management page.

Required Consultations

EPA will be carrying out additional engagement opportunities, typically invitation-only, in compliance with Executive Order 13132 (Federalism); Executive Order 13175 and EPA Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes (Tribal consultation); E. O. 12898 (Environmental Justice); and RFA/SBREFA (Small businesses). Some consultations will be open to the public, and in an interest of promoting transparency and encouraging participation from these groups, the dates and point of contacts for all consultation meetings will be listed in the "Upcoming Meetings and Webinars" section of this page.

Public Meetings and Webinars

In support of EPA's commitment to implementing TSCA in an open and transparent manner, the agency will organize webinars or public meetings on current risk management activities. The purpose of these stakeholder engagement events are to educate stakeholders on various proposals, announcements, or policy decisions, as well as to provide a forum for the public to provide feedback or input during the risk management process.     

One-on-One Meetings

EPA also holds meetings with stakeholders to educate them about TSCA implementation, listen to feedback, and obtain information that will benefit EPA’s work. If you are interested in speaking with EPA officials regarding an existing chemical under TSCA, please contact the chemical lead listed here

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Overview of Risk Management Process

Under TSCA, EPA is required to take action to address chemicals that pose unreasonable risks to human health or the environment. The figure below provides an overview of the steps in EPA’s risk evaluation process for existing chemicals. Generally, risk management is the last step in the process and starts after publication of a chemical’s final risk evaluation showing unreasonable risks.

Chart: Steps for Evaluating Risks

TSCA requires EPA to issue a proposed risk management rule under TSCA section 6(a) for the chemical substance no later than one year after the date on which the final risk evaluation regarding the chemical substance is published, and publish a final rule no later than two years after the publication date of the final risk evaluation.

There are several actions EPA can take to address unreasonable risks. These actions, alone or in combination, may include:

  • Prohibit or otherwise restrict, or limit the manufacture, processing or distribution in commerce of the substance or mixture.
  • Prohibit or otherwise restrict, or limit the manufacture, processing, or distribution in commerce of the substance or mixture for a particular use or above a set concentration for a particular use.
  • Require adequate minimum warnings and instructions with respect to its use, distribution in commerce, or disposal.
  • Require recordkeeping, monitoring, or testing by manufacturers and processors.
  • Prohibit or regulate manner or method of commercial use.
  • Prohibit or regulate manner or method of disposal.
  • Direct manufacturers/processors to give notice of the determination of risk to distributors and users and replace or repurchase.

Any risk management actions would apply only to the condition(s) of use that EPA found to present an unreasonable risk in the final risk evaluation. Those that EPA found do not present an unreasonable risk will not be subject to risk management. 

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