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Reviewing New Chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

Policy Statement on a New Chemicals Category for Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Chemicals

On November 4, 1999, EPA issued its final policy statement (64 FR 60194) on a category for Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) new chemicals. The policy statement is important in our new chemical assessment and TSCA regulatory programs, and represents the first formal statement of national policy regarding new chemical "persistent organic pollutants" ("POPs").

The policy statement provides guidance criteria for persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity for new chemicals and advises the industry about our regulatory approach for chemicals meeting the criteria.