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Pallone Comment on Chemicals to be Evaluated Under TSCA

November 30, 2016

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement today following the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s announcement of the first ten chemicals that will be evaluated for potential risks to human health and the environment as required under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act:

"I welcome this action by EPA, which keeps the Agency on pace in implementing the new law. These ten chemicals have known hazards and should be evaluated and regulated quickly. I will continue to hold EPA accountable under the Lautenberg Act to ensure that the next administration meets its obligations to protect human health and the environment."

Pallone led Democratic efforts to pass the long-awaited update to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) earlier this year. One of the key provisions Pallone worked to include in the new law was requiring EPA to evaluate the health and environmental risks of existing chemicals on an ongoing basis. The first ten chemicals that will be evaluated by EPA are:

• 1,4-Dioxane

• 1-Bromopropane

• Asbestos

• Carbon Tetrachloride

• Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster (HBCD)

• Methylene Chloride (MC)

• N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP)

• Pigment Violet 29

• Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene (perc)

• Trichloroethylene (TCE)

The evaluation of these chemicals will happen at the same time that EPA moves forward with risk management for the five Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) chemicals that the agency identified for expedited action last month.

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