EPA Allows Electronic Submission of TSCA Chemical Risk Notifications
Notifications of newly-discovered risks of injury from chemical substances may now be submitted electronically to the Environmental Protection Agency, said EPA. Submissions of “notifications of substantial risk” under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(e) can now be filed using EPA’s electronic Central Data Exchange (CDX), it said. So can “For Your Information” (FYI) submissions of potential risks, it said.
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Under TSCA Section 8(e), manufacturers, processors or distributors of chemical substances, including importers, who find information “which reasonably supports the conclusion” that a chemical substance or mixture of substances “presents a substantial risk of injury to health or the environment” have to immediately notify EPA by filing a notification of substantial risk. People and organizations that aren’t subject to TSCA Section 8(e) but nonetheless want to inform EPA of a possible risk may file FYI submissions.
In order to “streamline and reduce the administrative costs and burdens of submitting paper-based notifications of substantial risks and FYI submissions,” EPA is now allowing the option of electronic reporting using CDX. Filers must be registered to use CDX in order to file electronically (here). Once registered, filers will use the web-based Chemical Information Submission System to submit notifications and FYI submissions (here).
EPA says the new electronic reporting option for Section 8(e) and FYI submissions will reduce the reporting burden for filers by cutting down on the cost and time to review, edit, and transmit data. The agency said it prefers the electronic format because it also reduces the amount of time EPA spends reviewing and processing the submissions. EPA recently required electronic reporting of certain other TSCA submissions in a final rule that took effect March 4 (see 13120323).
(Federal Register 03/19/14)