Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

Congress created this Act in 1976 so that the EPA could track the 75,000 industrial chemicals currently produced or imported into the United States. Whereas the EPA can screen these chemicals, require reporting or testing of those that may pose a danger to environmental or human health, and ban the manufacture and import of those chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk, it nonetheless grandfathered most existing chemicals. This is significant, and stands in direct contrast to the European Union’s newly enacted Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), which we cover in the next section. The primary subjects of TSCA regulation are polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) products, including PCB disposal and limits for PCB contamination of the environment. The TSCA is found in United States law at 15 USC (C. 53) 2601-2692.

The TSCA has several subchapters, the second of which authorizes the EPA to impose laws for asbestos abatement in schools and requires accreditation of persons who inspect for asbestos-containing materials (the first subchapter treats the regulation of the aforementioned PCB products). The other subchapters require the EPA to publish a guide to radon health risks, perform studies of radon levels in schools and federal buildings, identify sources of lead contamination in the environment, regulate amounts of lead allowed in products, including paint and toys, and establish state programs to monitor and reduce lead exposures.

The TSCA supplements other Federal statutes, too, including the Clean Air Act and the Toxic Release Inventory under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). As a result of the TSCA, the EPA has been negotiating with firms such as General Electric for the remediation of areas such as the upper Hudson River, which is contaminated with PCBs.

source: SAP GRC for dummies