For Release: December 18, 2019

EPA is extending the public comment period for the draft risk evaluation of more than 30 uses of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) to give stakeholders more time to review and comment on the draft document. Comments must be received through www.regulations.gov in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0236 on or before January 21, 2020.

EPA will use feedback received from the public comment process, along with input from the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals, to inform the final risk evaluation for NMP. If EPA’s final risk evaluation for NMP finds there are unreasonable risks associated with this chemical under any of the specific conditions of use, the agency will propose actions to address those risks within the timeframe required by TSCA. This could include proposed regulations to prohibit or limit the manufacture, processing, distribution in the marketplace, use, or disposal of this chemical, as applicable.

A Federal Register Notice announcing the comment period extension will publish shortly in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0236.

For more information, visit: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/draft-risk-evaluation-n-methylpyrrolidone-nmp.

Background

In the Federal Register of November 7, 2019, EPA requested comment on the draft risk evaluation for NMP. NMP is the sixth of the first ten chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under the amended TSCA. In the draft risk evaluation, EPA has made a preliminary determination that NMP does not present risks to the environment, bystanders, or occupational non-users. Additionally, the draft risk evaluation discusses how workers and consumers could be adversely affected by NMP under certain conditions of use. As with any chemical product, EPA strongly recommends that users carefully follow all instructions on the product’s label.

NMP, also called N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, or 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, is a chemical that is widely used during the manufacture and production of polymers, pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals and petroleum products. Information from the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting for NMP indicates the reported production volume is more than 160 million lbs/year (manufacture and import).