Publication

Under section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviews remanufacture Notifications (PMNs) for new chemical substances and has authority to limit or ban those substances that may cause an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. Recently, EPA has begun assessing the pollution potential of the chemical manufacturing processes for certain high volume PMN substances. In parallel with routine PMN review, EPA evaluates feedstocks, solvents, byproducts and impurities to characterize the waste produced and determine whether the generation of toxic substances can be reduced or eliminated. EPA then investigates possible approaches to pollution prevention, including improved and alternative syntheses. If EPA identifies potential pollution prevention opportunities, it corresponds with the PMN submitter to suggest voluntary consideration of EPA's pollution prevention approach. This paper explains EPA's assessment methodology and results to date.