Toxic Substances: EPA's Chemical Testing Program Has Not Resolved Safety Concerns
RCED-91-136
Published: Jun 19, 1991. Publicly Released: Aug 05, 1991.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) progress in implementing the Toxic Substances Control Act's (TSCA) requirement that it monitor the chemical industry's testing of potentially harmful chemicals, focusing on: (1) actions EPA took after receiving test data; (2) EPA management controls over test data; and (3) EPA dissemination of chemical test results.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency | To ensure that EPA meets its responsibilities under TSCA to identify chemicals that present a significant risk of harm from cancer, gene mutation, or birth defects or unreasonable risk to human health or the environment, the Administrator, EPA, should establish criteria and methodology for determining when chemicals present risks that would trigger implementation of TSCA regulatory provisions. The criteria and methodology should include definitions of significant and unreasonable risk and quantitative and qualitative measures to determine when such risks are present. |
Closed – Not Implemented
While GAO recognizes that risk determinations ultimately will be based on professional judgments, GAO believes such judgments should be guided by quantitative and qualitative criteria that can be consistently applied for each potentially harmful chemical. EPA believes the development of criteria to determine unreasonable risk is extremely difficult, if not impossible, and has refused to move toward such a criteria. GAO has suggested TCSA changes that could result in an improved method for regulating chemicals by removing from EPA the burden of having to demonstrate that they pose unreasonable risks. A two-step process could be established in TCSA for EPA to (1) determine whether a significant risk exists on the basis of several factors, such as a chemical's toxicity and production levels and (2) for those chemicals found to pose a significant risk, determine the most cost-effective actions to reduce the risks. EPA and TSCA's authorization committees are supportive of such a change.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | The Administrator, EPA, should provide for improved accountability and control over the chemical review process by implementing an information system to monitor the status of the chemicals being tested. Such a system should provide information on: (1) the current status and milestones for each chemical tested in the program; (2) the types of tests performed; (3) time frames for future actions required, and the test results; (4) summaries of EPA reviews of test results; and (5) the final disposition of the chemical. |
Closed – Implemented
EPA has established a management information system to monitor the status of chemicals being tested.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | The Administrator, EPA, should identify and implement additional ways to make TSCA test results readily available to federal and state regulatory agencies, research organizations, and other interested parties. Establishing peer reviews of chemical test results so that they can be included in major scientific databases is an option that should be explored. |
Closed – Implemented
Test results are publicly available on several commerical information systems, including TOXLINE at the National Library of Medicine.
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Topics
Chemical researchData collectionEvaluation criteriaGovernment information disseminationHealth hazardsResearch program managementSafety regulationTestingToxic substancesChemicals