EPA’s science advisors are deepening their concerns over the narrow scope of the agency’s draft evaluation of asbestos raising questions during a June 8 meeting on why EPA excluded consumer uses and all but chrysotile fiber types from its evaluation, as well as over EPA’s decision to evaluate legacy uses separately.
September 17, 2026
EPA science advisors are unable to agree on whether the agency appropriately chose to base its analysis of the risks of the common solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) on the chemical’s adverse immune system effects rather than its historical -- and more conservative -- focus on fetal heart defects.
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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says a just-released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that calls for strengthening cybersecurity protocols in a federal chemical facility safety program underscore what he says is a need to reauthorize an enhanced versions of the program.
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A senior EPA toxics official says the agency is preparing to issue in the next month a series of unilateral orders against some submitters of new chemical use notifications, though the official says the moves will be done carefully to target unresponsive companies in a way that is being supported by industry.
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As EPA prepares to revise its rule governing fee requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the agency is also considering proposals from industry and other stakeholders for additional waivers and flexibilities that go beyond the three categorical exemptions that the agency has made the primary focus of the rulemaking.
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EPA is clarifying that its plan to exempt “byproducts” from its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fee rule extends to formaldehyde that is produced as a byproduct, an action that could significantly narrow the universe of firms that the agency had preliminarily identified as having to contribute fees to cover the cost of its formaldehyde evaluation.
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The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has had to pause “several” open investigations into industrial incidents due to concerns over potential COVID-19 exposures and a lack of investigators, though top officials say they are seeking to hire new investigators.
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EPA is moving ahead with a planned peer review of its just-released draft evaluation of the common solvent perclorothylene (perc or PCE), which finds multiple uses that present unreasonable risk to workers, consumers and the environment, though it is unclear if advisors will have a quorum to be available to review it.
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EPA’s first-time decision earlier this year to identify 20 chemicals as low priority for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) faces a looming litigation test as the 60-day deadline for environmentalists or other entities to sue approaches on April 26.
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EPA has postponed the upcoming meeting of science advisors scheduled to peer review its draft evaluation of asbestos because some of the advisors are no longer available, a change in course just weeks after officials denied requests from environmentalists and its advisors to delay the meeting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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