EPA settles with Transchem Inc. over violations of Toxic Substances Control Act in Carlsbad, California
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement agreement with chemical import and distribution company Transchem Inc. for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The company has agreed to pay a $147,617 civil penalty.
EPA found that Transchem failed to accurately report the total annual volume of six chemical substances that it imported in 2015 at its Carlsbad, California facility. EPA also found that the company failed to submit a notice to EPA 90 days before it imported and distributed a chemical substance subject to a “significant new use” rule.
“It is essential that companies accurately report the quantity of chemicals that they import into the U.S., as well as provide notice about these substances when they are subject to significant new use rules, so that EPA can evaluate the potential risks to communities and the environment,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Companies that do not comply can face significant penalties.”
Under TSCA, chemical importers and manufacturers are required to submit Chemical Data Reporting information to EPA every four years. EPA uses this data to track the chemicals being imported into the country and assess the potential human health and environmental effects of these chemicals. EPA makes the non-confidential business chemical information it receives available to the public. In addition, EPA can determine that the use of an existing chemical substance in a new way that might create concern for human health and the environment is a "significant new use." If EPA makes such a determination, TSCA requires a notification to EPA before the chemical substance can be used in the new way.
Learn more about the Chemical Data Reporting Rule under TSCA.
To find out if a specific chemical is regulated under TSCA, please visit Substance Registry Services.
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