New EPA Program to Assess Inorganic HPV...

What will it accomplish?

Alas, that's the particular $64,000 question (or maybe along with inflation it has become
the $64,000,000 question). EPA clearly considers the voluntary organic HPV program has
been a success, despite the extremely fact that much associated with it remains uncompleted a lot
more than 36 months after it had been scheduled in order to end (which previously included the two
12 months extension). The Actual non-profit group, Environmental Protection Fund, whose
report "Toxic Ignorance" was your impetus pertaining to beginning the actual original HPV plan
inside 1998, provides because involving the program mixed reviews. The Actual objective is
usually to compile health insurance and safety information upon almost all with the highest
production chemicals inside use, with the ultimate objective associated with eliminating these that
are excessively risky.
Will this do it? Is Actually the particular EPA and industry credible in convincing the particular
public which they are usually ensuring safety of most chemicals around the market? Precisely
what do you think?
http://politics.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977552090
. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced its "Proposed Approach for the Inorganic
Higher Production Volume (IHPV) Challenge Program." This particular new IHPV plan picks up
around the theme with the voluntary HPV Challenge program, however could end up being surprise
surprise with regard to inorganic chemical companies and also importers whom in order to date
have not been necessary to provide extensive data sets pertaining to widespread chemicals already
around the Toxic Substances Manage Act (TSCA) Inventory. The idea can be EPA's approach to
approach chemical management, as opposed to adopt the particular REACH approach now ongoing
throughout Europe.

The IHPV plan is just one of a pair of enhancements EPA is proposing to the ongoing Chemical
Assessment as well as Management (ChAMP) program. Another is a TSCA inventory
Reset. The EPA proposals are available at http://www.epa.gov/champ/.

EPA's proposed plan relies on the kind of the particular HPV Challenge program, which began within
1998 along with ended up being centered on organic higher volume chemicals. Inorganic
chemicals had been specifically exempted in the original US HPV program (though some had been
included inside the ICCA HPV program inside Europe). In Your course Of the HPV Challenge,
market compiled and summarized the available physical, chemical, as well as health insurance and
safety information regarding about 2200 organic chemicals. EPA considers this program the
success, plus it served since the basis for your ChAMP program, where EPA is utilizing the
particular compiled HPV data for you to develop hazard and also risk characterizations and also
priorities for more in-depth analysis. Simply By proposing to include the IHPV program as part
of ChAMP, EPA is actually signaling in which it believes time features arrived at assess inorganic
HPV chemicals in the identical method that it looked over organic chemicals.

The Proposed IHPV Approach

There are generally 3 phases towards the proposed program:

Phase I: IHPV Challenge: Develop, launch and sign-up (now by means of December 2009)

In this phase, IHPV chemicals will be identified by EPA and affected producers and also importers
will probably be inspired to "volunteer" for you to sponsor chemicals. Although technically
voluntary, EPA offers indicated that it plans to initiate Section 4 and eight rulemaking under TSCA
to obtain facts about unsponsored chemicals. EPA offers issued a pair of Section 4 final
guidelines for unsponsored organic HPV chemicals, also as Section 8 rules to request facts about
extra unsponsored chemicals, with more guidelines throughout development. Consequently
companies is going to be in the situation associated with coercive voluntarianism.

Phase II: Receive/Review Data: (~2010-2013)

Following closely around the organic HPV program, companies will compile as well as submit
information about the physical/chemical properties, environmental fate, ecotoxicity and also toxicity
with regard to each chemical. Modifications towards the normal OECD screening level data
needs is likely to be required most of the time since inorganic chemicals, particularly elemental and
also alloy substances, is most likely not amendable to become able to regular test
methodologies. Because with almost all the original HPV program, companies will realize that
forming consortia for related inorganic chemical substances provides one in the most beneficial
method of collecting, compiling, and evaluating the actual data.

Phase III: Assessing and reducing Risks (~2103-2015)

This third cycle falls mainly inside the responsibility associated with EPA because they use the
compiled data to develop risk Based Prioritizations (RBPs). Since the particular OECD screening
information set focuses on provision of hazard data, EPA plans to rely around the 2011 IUR coverage
data for inorganic chemicals so as in order to develop its RBPs. Based on the RBPs, EPA would
initiate any kind of action they deemed necessary, which in turn could include rulemaking,
restrictions, or even requests regarding additional data. Finally, this third stage can also be
expected in order to are the development of Hazard Based Prioritizations (HBPs) regarding
moderate Production Volume (MPV) inorganic chemicals (i.e., those higher as compared to 25,000
lbs yet under a million lbs for each year).
Who is actually affected?

EPA defines inorganic chemicals according for the TSCA Stock Update Rule (IUR) as substances that
won't contain carbon, as well as include carbon just inside the form of carbonato [=CO3], cyano [-
CN], cyanato [-OCN], isocyano [-NC], or perhaps isocyanato [-NCO] groups, or the chalcogen
analogues associated with such groups. Thus, chemical substances next below the program
would include metals, ammonia, minerals, and inorganic salts. Suppliers or even importers of
those substances inside the US within volumes greater compared to 1 million kilos would be
motivated to participate in the program. Throughout addition, downstream users of those
chemicals may also want to indicator up to assure that will their materials involving feedstock
remain uninterrupted.
by
David K.
Member since:
April 29, 2007
January 03, 2009 07:20 AM EST
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comments: 128
On November 25, 2008 the actual U.S