The five chemicals designated as high-priority substances for risk evaluation by the EPA are also used in paints and coatings.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently proposed to designate five chemicals as High-Priority Substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). If these designations are finalized, the EPA will promptly begin the risk evaluation process.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to make significant progress in protecting workers and communities from exposure to harmful chemicals as we implement the 2016 TSCA amendments that strengthened EPA’s authority on chemical safety. Studying the safety of these harmful chemicals – all five of which have been linked to cancer and are used to make plastic – would help lead to critical public health and environmental protections in communities across the country and would ensure that the public has access to more data on these chemicals sooner,” has stated Michal Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
The five chemical substances to designate as High-Priority Substances are:
- Vinyl Chloride
(CASRN 75-01-4): used for plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), plastic resins and other chemicals. Many of these materials are used for pipes and insulating materials.
- Acetaldehyde
(CASRN 75-07-0): used for adhesives, petrochemicals, plastic and other chemicals, as well as intermediates for products such as packaging and construction materials.
- Acrylonitrile
(CASRN 107-13-1): used for paints, coatings and other chemicals.
- Benzenamine
(CASRN 62-53-3): used for pigments and resins.
- 4,4’-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) (CASRN 101-14-4): used for plastics, resins and other chemicals.