EPA Takes Next Step Toward Banning Vinyl Chloride

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed designating one of the toxic substances spilled by a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a high-priority chemical under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the next step to a full ban.

Vinyl chloride, a hazardous substance used in the production of plastics, is one of five chemicals for which the EPA announced it will explore a designation.

The other substances include acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine and 4,4’-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA). They were selected from a longer list of chemicals the agency had previously identified for additional assessment.

“Studying the safety of these harmful chemicals – all five of which have been linked to cancer and are used to make plastic – would help lead to critical public health and environmental protections in communities across the country and would ensure that the public has access to more data on these chemicals sooner,” Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff said in a statement."

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill July 24, 2024.

SEE ALSO:

"The E.P.A. Moves Toward Regulating a Widely Used, Dangerous Chemical" (New York Times)

 

Source: The Hill, 07/25/2024