TSCA Inventory Update Indicates Which Chemicals Are Active in U.S. Commerce

EPA’s February 2019 update to the Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory indicates whether a chemical is being actively manufactured, processed, or imported in the U.S. According to EPA, less than half of the total number of chemicals on the current TSCA Inventory—47 percent, or 40,655 of the 86,228 chemicals on the list—are currently in commerce. The “commercial activity status” field in the updated chemicals list designates which substances are active in U.S. commerce based on information provided to EPA by chemical manufacturers, processors, and importers from August 2017 through October 2018. These stakeholders provided information on which chemicals were manufactured, imported, or processed in the U.S. during the ten years leading up to June 21, 2016. The agency states that this updated information will help EPA focus its risk evaluation efforts on chemicals that are still on the market.

“As recently as 2018, the TSCA Inventory showed over 86,000 chemicals available for commercial production and use in the U.S.,” EPA’s press release reads. “Until this update, it was not known which of these chemicals on the TSCA Inventory were actually in commerce.”

EPA was required to update the TSCA Inventory list and designate which chemicals are active or inactive in U.S. commerce under the Toxic Substances Control Act as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which was signed into law in June 2016.

Less than 20 percent of the chemicals in commerce have confidential identities. EPA says it is developing a rule describing how it will review and substantiate all claims of Confidential Business Information. Companies use CBI claims to protect the chemical identities of substances on the confidential portion of the TSCA Inventory.

Instructions for accessing the TSCA Inventory are available on EPA’s website​.