TSCAblog®

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking suggestions for experts to serve on the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST) or as co-chairs or members on the Chemical Sciences Roundtable (CSR). According to NASEM: BCST works in eight areas: Basic Research; Chemical and Energy Industries; Biochemistry; Environmental Chemistry; Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Electrochemistry; National and Homeland Security; and Education and Workforce Development. BCST...

On September 15, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published its Oversight Plan for Fiscal Year 2027. According to OIG, its Office of Special Review and Evaluation (OSRE) reviews, evaluates, and inspects EPA and U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) programs and operations to determine how effectively they operate and whether they comply with legal, regulatory, and agency requirements. In fiscal year (FY) 2027, OSRE...

On September 2, 2026, President Trump signed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (H.R. 6500) that provides continuing fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations for federal agencies and extends various expiring programs and authorities. Under the bill, appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to H.R. 6500 will be available until: The enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in H.R. 6500; The enactment into law of...

On August 27, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two scientific advancements designed to modernize safety reviews of new chemicals and pesticides while further eliminating the Agency’s reliance on animal testing. According to EPA, the new methods will help it assess the potential inhalation and oral risks of certain chemicals and pesticides faster and with greater human relevance, advancing the Agency's commitments to transparency, regulatory certainty, and the...

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) posted a blog item on August 27, 2026, entitled “American Chemical Safety Decisions Should Be Based on American Conditions of Use.” As we reported in our January 27, 2026, and March 6, 2026, memoranda, the House and Senate have each held hearings on discussion drafts of legislation that would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EDF’s blog item explores why the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) experience,...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced on August 4, 2026, that it will begin an evaluation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Priority Testing List. According to the OIG’s August 4, 2026, memorandum, the evaluation is the result of an OIG Hotline complaint. OIG’s objective is to determine the extent to which (1) the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) is updating the Priority Testing List every six months and (2) EPA is...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report entitled Key ingested per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their health effects: landscape review that presents an overview of a comprehensive landscape review of PFAS. The authors assembled a health effects database comprising approximately 57,000 observations covering 66 individual PFAS, drawn from 48 distinct data sources. In parallel, the authors assembled an occurrence database containing nearly 300,000 observations...

A catalyst used in small quantities in a well-controlled industrial application would seem to be the perfect candidate for a Low Volume Exemption (LVE) notification. In fact, in certain regions, such as the European Union (EU) and Canada, no premarket notification is required for substances manufactured or imported below certain tonnage limits (e.g., one metric tonne in the EU). But in the United States under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), there is no de minimis quantity and the U.S....

On July 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Trump Administration’s 2026 Unified Agenda. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Unified Agenda includes the following rulemakings under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster (HBCD); Regulation under TSCA: According to EPA, this rulemaking will address the unreasonable risk of injury to health presented by HBCD. EPA states that TSCA Section 6(a) requires that EPA, when it...

On July 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Trump Administration’s 2026 Unified Agenda. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Unified Agenda includes the following rulemakings regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Clean Water Act (CWA) Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for PFAS Manufacturers under the Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers Point Source Category: EPA is revising the existing Organic Chemicals,...