NOTIFICATION
Addendum
The following communication, dated 10 January 2023, is being circulated at the
request of the delegation of the United States of America.
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Title: Trichloroethylene (TCE); Draft Revision to Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA) Risk Determination; Notice of Availability and Request for
Comment
Description: TITLE:
Trichloroethylene (TCE); Revision to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Risk Determination; Notice of Availability
AGENCY:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
ACTION:
Notice
SUMMARY:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of the
final revision to the risk determination for the trichloroethylene (TCE) risk
evaluation issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA). The revision to the TCE risk
determination reflects the announced policy changes to ensure the public is
protected from unreasonable risks from chemicals in a way that is supported by
science and the law. EPA determined that TCE, as a whole chemical substance,
presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health when evaluated under its
conditions of use. In addition, this revised risk determination does not
reflect an assumption that workers always appropriately wear personal
protective equipment (PPE). EPA understands that there could be adequate
occupational safety protections in place at certain workplace locations;
however, not assuming use of PPE reflects EPA's recognition that unreasonable
risk may exist for subpopulations of workers that may be highly exposed because
they are not covered by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
standards, or their employers are out of compliance with OSHA standards, or
because many of OSHA's chemical- specific permissible exposure limits largely
adopted in the 1970's are described by OSHA as being "outdated and
inadequate for ensuring protection of worker health," or because EPA finds
unreasonable risk for purposes of TSCA notwithstanding OSHA requirements. This
revision supersedes the condition of use-specific no unreasonable risk
determinations in the November 2020 TCE Risk Evaluation and withdraws the
associated TSCA order included in the November 2020 TCE Risk Evaluation.
This
notice and the notice notified as G/TBT/N/USA/1892 are identified by Docket Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0737. The
Docket Folder is available from Regulations.gov at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0737/document and provides access to primary and supporting documents as
well as comments received. Documents are also accessible from Regulations.gov by searching the Docket Number.
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[1] This information can be provided by including a website address, a
pdf attachment, or other information on where the text of the final/modified
measure and/or interpretive guidance can be obtained.