EPA releases first of chemical hazard characterizations

Sept. 12, 2007
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the first set of hazard characterizations on 101 high production volume (HPV) chemicals

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the first set of hazard characterizations on 101 high production volume (HPV) chemicals.

EPA said the characterizations are based on its scientific review of the screening-level hazard, or toxicity, data that was submitted by the US chemical industry through the agency's HPV Challenge Program, or other information previously collected by the agency.

The hazard characterizations include a summary of the data submitted, EPA’s evaluation of the quality and completeness of the data, and an assessment of the potential hazards that a chemical or chemical category may pose. EPA will combine this information with human and environmental exposure information collected from EPA’s Inventory Update Reporting to develop a risk characterization and, based on that review, determine if additional action is needed to ensure the safety of the HPV chemicals’ manufacture and use.

The agency intends to use this approach to assess risks and identify and take needed action on 3,000 HPV chemicals by 2012. This was one of the elements of the North American chemical cooperation commitment announced by the United States, Canada, and Mexico at the Security and Prosperity Partnership North American Leaders’ Summit in Canada in August.

EPA will continue to prepare and periodically post additional HPV chemical hazard characterizations as they are developed. The agency also intends to post risk characterizations on chemicals when they are developed and completed, beginning later this year.

See the chemical list online on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.

See other related coverage on chemicals in Bulk Transporter online.