Abstract:It was an epic year for chemical regulation in the U.S. For the first time in nearly 40 years, both chambers of Congress agreed to update the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the law that governs ...It was an epic year for chemical regulation in the U.S. For the first time in nearly 40 years, both chambers of Congress agreed to update the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the law that governs chemicals used in household items and industrial products. The revised TSCA was enacted in June, setting the wheels in motion for EPA to evaluate throughout the next several years the safety of chemicals that are currently in the U.S. marketplace. As required under the new law, the agency chose the first 10 of these chemicals to assess in late November. The new law gives EPA the authority to collect fees from industry to conduct safety evaluations. It also allows the agency to request safety data for new chemicals. Under the outdated 1976 TSCA, the agency had to first show that a chemical may pose a risk before asking industry to provide such data. TheRead More