Comment Period Extended for Proposed TSCA PBT Rule

For Release: September 20, 2019

The public comment period for the proposed rule under TSCA section 6(h) on certain persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals will be extended in response to a stakeholder request for more time to comment on the proposals. Comments must be received through regulations.gov in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0080 on or before October 28, 2019. EPA is required to finalize this proposed rule by December 2020. 

In the Federal Register of July 29, 2019, EPA proposed a rule concerning certain persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals identified pursuant to section 6(h) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These five chemicals are:

• decabromodiphenyl ether;
• phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) [also known as tris(4-isopropylphenyl) phosphate];
• 2,4,6-tris(tert-butyl)phenol;
• pentachlorothiophenol; and
• hexachlorobutadiene.

This proposed rule would restrict or prohibit manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce for many uses of four of these five chemical substances. For these four, the proposed rule included recordkeeping requirements. Additional downstream notification requirements are proposed for phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1). EPA evaluated the uses of hexachlorobutadiene and proposed no regulatory action.

Learn more about persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals under TSCA section 6(h). A Federal Register Notice announcing the comment period extension will publish shortly in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0080.