This past June the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act which overhauled the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted. The bipartisan bill modernized the decades-old system for regulating chemicals in the United States by greatly expanding the EPA’s authority to regulate the import, manufacture and processing of industrial chemicals which go into the making of finished goods. It is hoped that this law, which received the support of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), will improve overall public safety and confidence in chemical safety, something which was found lacking under the TSCA legislation.
This new law leaves many businesses wondering how it will impact their operations. The new law will make it the responsibility of chemical manufacturers and the manufacturers of goods which contain chemicals to demonstrate their safety, instead of relying on the EPA to demonstrate the opposite. This will likely require more chemical testing on the part of manufacturers, even companies who were not doing so before. Another key provision in the law limits the ability for companies to claim chemical ingredients as confidential information and thus prevent disclosure, which may impact some businesses.
Want to learn more about the specifics of how the new law will impact your operations? Read the full law here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2576/text