US EPA Latest Developments and Round-up

To prohibit the ongoing uses of asbestos at a greater level, the US EPA has agreed to extend by a month the public comment period for consultation on its April 12 proposed TSCA section 6(a) rule. The new deadline is July 13, 2022.

Several groups that have requested time extension include the American Chemistry Council, the Chlorine Institute, and the US Chamber of Commerce. This extra consultation time that lasts until July 13, 2022, allows businesses to respond more comprehensively to the issues for which EPA requests more detailed information, which in turn also aids EPA in creating a more robust and systematic final risk assessment rule.

Under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme, the proposal to list three hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) blends as acceptable substitutes for Ozone-depleting Substances (ODSs) in the foam blowing sector was withdrawn. It was believed that some lower-risk alternatives are technically available and feasible according to a May 20 Federal Register Notice that addresses the October 2021 supplemental proposal.

It is the companies’ duty to submit to the EPA an 8(e) notice when identifying information that reasonably supports the conclusion that a substance handled by the concerned individuals could present a substantial risk of injury to human health or the environment, and the agency has supplemented more than a thousand additional TSCA section 8(e) “Substantial Risk” reports to its public-facing database.

Meanwhile, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the EPA has planned to begin a review of the agency’s response to reported incidents of unintended effects from pet collar pesticides. This watchdog’s evaluation assesses if the agency adheres to pesticide registration requirements in its approval of Seresto pet collars, where the collars have to be used without posing unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment.