Toxic Substances Control Act:

EPA's Limited Progress in Regulating Toxic Chemicals

T-RCED-94-212: Published: May 17, 1994. Publicly Released: May 17, 1994.

Additional Materials:

Contact:

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), focusing on EPA efforts to: (1) assess the risks of chemicals before and after they enter commerce; (2) control those chemicals found to be harmful; and (3) make information on chemicals publicly available. GAO noted that: (1) because of high legal standards, EPA has issued regulations to control only nine chemicals since the enactment of TSCA; (2) extensive use of TSCA is not likely as long as EPA gives preference to other environmental laws that provide limits on emissions rather than restrictions on production; (3) TSCA chemical information-gathering and control authorities are difficult to use and ineffective; (4) EPA has assessed the risks of only about 2 percent of the chemicals in use; (5) EPA review processes do not ensure that the potential risks of new chemicals are fully assessed before they enter commerce; (6) EPA may not be able to improve its chemical review and control procedures without shifting more of the burden to the chemical industry; (7) much of the information on chemicals cannot be disseminated by EPA because it is confidential; and (8) although EPA has successfully challenged the validity of some confidentiality claims, it does not have the resources to challenge a significant portion of claims.

Sep 26, 2018

Sep 21, 2018

Sep 14, 2018

Sep 5, 2018

Aug 24, 2018

Aug 16, 2018

Jul 19, 2018

Jul 17, 2018

Jul 12, 2018

Jun 19, 2018

Looking for more? Browse all our products here