Recommended Changes in Chemical Regulation
Report to Congress by the Government Accountability Office
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) provides the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the authority, upon making certain determinations, to collect information about the hazards posed by chemical substances and to take action to control unreasonable risks by either preventing dangerous chemicals from making their way into use or placing restrictions on those already in commerce. Of the more than 83,000 chemicals currently in the TSCA inventory, about 62,000 were already in commerce when EPA began reviewing chemicals in 1979. Since then, over 21,000 new chemicals — about 700 each year, on average — have been added to the inventory…
