Policy Concentrates
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CHEMICAL REGULATION
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EPA expedites action on five chemicals Agency moves to reduce exposure to persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic substances under new law EPA is taking quick action to reduce exposure to five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals. Rather than conducting a full risk evaluation for the chemicals, the agency will immediately work to identify where they are used and how to limit the public’s exposure. The move marks the agency’s first major step to control such chemicals as required under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The new TSCA, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, was signed into law in June. It gave EPA sweeping new authority to control chemicals that people are exposed to every day. PBT chemicals are known to be some of the worst for the environment and public health. The following five chemicals will get swift action: ▸ decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), a flame retardant
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Tris(4-isopropylphenyl) phosphate
OH ▸ hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), Br Br found in rubber and lubricants and O Br Br used as a solvent ▸ pentachlorothio-phenol (PCTP), Br Br Br Br a chemical that softens rubber Br Br ▸ tris(4-isopropylphenyl) phosphate, a flame retardant 2,4,6-Tris(tert-butyl)phenol DecaBDE ▸ 2,4,6-tris(tert-butyl)phenol, a fuel or lubricant additive dustry pushback. Chemical manufacturers Under the new law, EPA is required to asked EPA last month to instead conduct take expedited action to reduce exposure full evaluations for the two substances. to all PBT chemicals that are part of the Environmental groups are welcoming agency’s 2014 work plan of chemicals for EPA’s move, but they are urging the agency further assessment under TSCA. Alterto increase the number of PBT chemicals natively, the agency can conduct full risk subject to such action. “We fought to have evaluations for those chemicals. this provision applied to a broader group Two PBT chemicals used in fragrancof chemicals, but the chemical industry es—ethanone 1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahyresisted,” says Andy Igrejas, director of dro-2,3,5,5-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl) Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a coand ethanone 1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahyalition of health, environmental, labor, dro-2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthaleand business organizations.—BRITT nyl)—were not expedited because of inERICKSON
POLICY
Russia withdraws from nuclear pacts Russian President Vladimir Putin announced earlier this month that he is scrapping a treaty with the U.S. for the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium. Two days later, Moscow suspended a nuclear
Obama and Putin at September’s G20 Summit in China.
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C&EN | CEN.ACS.ORG | OCTOBER 17, 2016
research agreement with Washington. The decisions come amid a deterioration of bilateral talks over the conflict in Syria. The U.S. State Department announced the suspension of discussions aimed at assuring a ceasefire in Syria just hours after Putin’s announcement. The 2010 agreement on plutonium, signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and then-U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, was part of a “reset” of improved relations between the two countries. It required each party to dispose of 34 metric tons of the radioactive element by burning it in nuclear reactors. At that time, Clinton said there was enough material to produce almost 17,000 nuclear arms. The nuclear research and development agreement, signed in September 2013,
called for wide range cooperation in areas including nuclear fusion, nuclear nonproliferation, and environmental remediation of radioactive sites. Within months of the agreement, scientists from both countries began identifying cooperation projects and working on technical considerations. By 2014, Russia had already warned that it would reduce cooperation in a joint effort to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists or rogue states. The Kremlin’s recent abrogation of the plutonium agreement makes it unlikely that cooperation will resume anytime soon. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the Obama Administration is disappointed with Russia’s decision to withdraw from the plutonium pact.—PAULA
DUPRAZ-DOBIAS, special to C&EN
CREDIT: ALEXEI DRUZHININ/TASS/NEWSCOM
Deteriorating talks with U.S. over Syria prompt Moscow’s move
