"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a rollback of certain Biden-era regulations that determine how the agency evaluates chemicals - a move it says will speed innovation. Critics argue the plan weakens safeguards to protect people from toxic exposures. The EPA on Monday released proposed changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that would remove amendments made in 2024 under the Biden administration."
"TSCA is a federal law under which the EPA evaluates chemicals to make sure human and environmental health will be protected before chemicals are put into the marketplace. The proposed changes include removing the 2024 amendment that required the agency to consider every use and exposure route of a chemical when evaluating risk. In its explanation, the EPA wrote that the 2024 amendment could "negatively impact EPA's ability to complete risk evaluations in a timely manner" and added that the agency should have discretion"
The EPA has proposed changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act that would reverse 2024 Biden-era amendments requiring consideration of every use and exposure route during chemical risk evaluations. The agency states that full-scope evaluations could delay completion and asserts discretion to select which conditions of use, exposure routes, and pathways to evaluate. The proposed policy would permit excluding certain uses of chemicals from EPA reviews, which critics warn would weaken protections against toxic exposures. The change aligns with industry recommendations to streamline regulation, and it raises concerns about overlooking cumulative and multi-source exposures when assessing chemical risks.
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