EPA Extends Comment Period for One Chemical Being Prioritized for Risk Evaluation under TSCA
Released on March 5, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period on the Agency’s proposed prioritization of 4,4’-Methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) (CASRN 101-14-4) for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), giving stakeholders more time to submit information that may inform EPA’s prioritization screening review of this chemical substance.
The current comment period for MBOCA was set to close on March 18, 2024, and EPA is extending the comment period an additional 30 days. Comments can be submitted to docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0464 on www.regulations.gov until April 17, 2024.
In December 2023, EPA announced that it was beginning the process to prioritize five chemicals – acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, MBOCA, and vinyl chloride – for risk evaluation under TSCA. If, during the 12-month long statutory process, EPA designates MBOCA or any of the other chemicals undergoing prioritization as High Priority Substances, EPA will then begin risk evaluations for these chemicals.
In selecting MBOCA for prioritization, EPA will be considering numerous factors including how it is used; whether it affects overburdened communities or potentially-exposed susceptible sub-populations (like children and workers); its potential hazards and exposures; and the availability of information on MBOCA to allow for a fulsome risk evaluation to be completed.
EPA requests further information on all of these factors, as well as any other information relevant to the potential risks of MBOCA that will inform the Agency’s review of this chemical. EPA is particularly interested in information regarding uses of MBOCA and encourages companies that make and use MBOCA to submit comments.
This notice only extends the comment period for MBOCA, not the other four chemicals undergoing prioritization. EPA will accept comments on those four chemicals until March 18, 2024.