The U.S. Environmental Agency Thursday took the first step toward potentially restricting or banning the use of five toxic chemicals used to make plastics, adhesives and paints.
Among them is a key ingredient in PVC plastic – vinyl chloride – a common material for water and sewer pipes, medical equipment and toys. It’s also a known carcinogen, and exposure to the substance has been linked to numerous health effects. Fish Pool Liners
In February 2023, train cars carrying vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, sickening residents, who complained of headaches, sore throats, eye irritation and coughing.
“This is welcomed, and long overdue, news from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Judith Enck, a former regional EPA administrator and the president of Beyond Plastics, a nonprofit environmental group based at Bennington College in Vermont.
Beyond Plastics has called for the EPA to ban vinyl chloride and earlier this year released a report warning about the potential dangers of using PVC in drinking water pipes.
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“Vinyl chloride was classified as a human carcinogen in 1974,” Enck said in a written statement. “That same year, the federal government wisely banned the use of vinyl chloride in hair sprays, refrigerants, cosmetics, and drugs. Almost 50 years later, the EPA has announced that it has put this highly toxic chemical on a list to be evaluated for future restrictions or an outright ban.”
The EPA’s announcement on vinyl chloride and the other four chemicals – acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, and MBOCA – kicks off a yearlong process during which the agency plans to prioritize them for a risk evaluation under its Toxic Substances Control Act.
The risk evaluation itself would come only if the agency designates the chemicals as “high priority substances.” After that would come a years-long review process, which could lead to restrictions or outright bans of the chemicals.
“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA has made significant progress implementing the 2016 amendments to strengthen our nation’s chemical safety laws after years of mismanagement and delay. Today marks an important step forward,” Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff said in a news release. “Moving forward to comprehensively study the safety these five chemicals that have been in use for decades is key to better protecting people from toxic exposure.”
Plastics industry representatives said they are prepared to work with the EPA as the process unfolds and remain confident about the safety of their products.
“There is an extensive body of research and data about vinyl chloride that will support the prioritization and risk evaluation process,” said Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute, an industry trade group that represents manufacturers of vinyl and vinyl chloride.
“We believe this risk evaluation will further assure that the production of vinyl chloride and use of PVC products are safe,” Monroe said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Manufacturers of vinyl chloride adhere to some of the most stringent safety and environmental regulations in the chemical industry.
The American Chemistry Council, and trade association for the chemicals industry, said it hopes science prevails in the EPA review process.
Pvc Vinyl “We expect the agency to rely on the best available science and input from the diverse stakeholder community, including industry, as it moves forward with its final prioritization,” the American Chemistry Council said in a written statement, adding that it “stands ready to work with the EPA and other decision-makers to help inform the evaluations about the important uses and innovations these substances enable.”