Barbara Cunningham, Deputy Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and Chair of the SMOC Working Group of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation speaks at the Chemicals Management Forum in San Antonio, Texas, on May 15, 2012. More information at http://www.cec.org/chemicals2012

1. Barbara Cunningham
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics
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• Primary laws administered: Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA) & Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)
• Includes new & existing chemicals programs; risk
management for specific chemicals; and
prevention-oriented initiatives
• Other EPA offices have responsibility for
monitoring & research; the Toxics Release
Inventory; and enforcement & compliance
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• EPA has the authority to collect & review chemicals
information and assess & manage potential risks
• EPA maintains the U.S. TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory,
which contains more than 83,000 chemicals
• In an average year, between 500-1,000 chemicals are added
to the TSCA Inventory
• EPA requires those importing or exporting chemicals to
comply with certification reporting and/or other
requirements
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• Existing Chemicals Program Strategy
– Three-Pronged Approach
– Will ensure a workable, consistent, comprehensive
approach for existing chemicals
• Other Existing Chemical Program Activities
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• Routine data collection, now every four years
• Current submission period: February 1 and June 30, 2012
– Full manufacturing data for calendar year 2011 (includes importers)
– Production volume only for calendar year 2010 when 2011 site-specific
production volume equals or exceeds 25,000 lb
– Processing and use data for calendar year 2011 when 2011 site-specific
production volume equals or exceeds 100,000 lb
• 2012 submissions to include additional consumer and
commercial use data:
– Separately identify consumer or commercial application
– Provide number of commercial workers reasonably likely to be exposed to
the chemical
• This spring, EPA intends to engage stakeholders & the public on
how the agency can best analyze and present CDR information in
a way that is most useful to them.
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• HPV Chemicals: produced or imported in the United States
in quantities of 1 million pounds or more per year
• Basic data needed to understand and characterize the
potential hazards associated with these chemicals
• Types of data obtained through voluntary HPV Challenge
Program and test rules issued by EPA:
– physical-chemical properties
– health and environmental effects information
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• Focus on accessibility and usability of data
• Since 2009, EPA has taken a range of significant steps to
increase the public’s access to information:
– Launch of Chemical Access Data Tool (CDAT) to assist the public in
accessing TSCA information
– Linkage with EPA’s other information tools:
• Envirofacts: EPA’s one-stop source for environmental information
• Facility Registry System: information about facilities or sites
• ACToR: warehouse of publicly available chemical toxicity data
– Steps to eliminate unwarranted Confidential Business Information
(CBI) claims
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• In 2012, continue to carry out risk management
activities:
– Test rules, new use restrictions, other information
gathering efforts
– Final Alternatives Assessments for BPA, DecaBDE, HBCD
and NP/NPE; phthalates in 2013
– Risk management for PBDEs, HBCD, Alkanes, DnPP, and
Benzidine Dyes, MDI/TDI
– Developing implementing regulations for formaldehyde
in pressed wood products
– Implementing U.S. Mercury Export Ban Act
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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• Information sharing & trilateral projects can help
advance national programs
• Opportunity to combine efforts to address issues
of trilateral interest by:
– Comparing chemical data from the three countries, as
well as improving public access to data
– Collaborating on risk reduction strategies for chemicals of
interest, and sharing best practices
– Building capacity for compatible approaches to
environmental monitoring and assessment
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics

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To learn more about TSCA and EPA’s Chemicals
Management Program: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/
Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics