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Toxic Substances: EPA Should Focus Its Chemical Use Inventory on Suspected Harmful Substances

RCED-95-165 Published: Jul 07, 1995. Publicly Released: Jul 18, 1995.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to develop a Chemical Use Inventory, focusing on the: (1) extent to which agreement exists on the chemicals and data to be included in the inventory; and (2) status of EPA efforts to develop the inventory.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Environmental Protection Agency To ensure that the Chemical Use Inventory provides the data on chemical use and exposure that EPA and other interested organizations need while at the same time minimizing the data management burden on both the agency and the chemical industry, the Administrator, EPA, should begin with a limited number of those chemicals, perhaps as many as several thousand, that are suspected of presenting the greatest risk to human health and the environment. As information is obtained through the inventory, EPA may need to expand the number of chemicals included and/or substitute other chemicals as appropriate.
Closed – Not Implemented
In August 1999, EPA proposed in the Federal Register an amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory Update Rule which would establish a Chemical Use Inventory. According to an official within EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, no further action has been taken, or is currently planned, with regard to publishing a final rule.

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Topics

Natural Resources and Environment
Chemical exposureChemical industryChemical researchConfidential communicationsConsumer protectionData collectionEnvironmental monitoringHealth hazardsManufacturing industryPrioritizingToxic substancesChemicals