For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is opening a 60-day comment period for the public to provide input on five final rules for persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals issued on January 6, 2021 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These rules address exposure to toxic chemicals that remain in the environment for long periods of time and build up in the body. There are 16 PBT chemicals subject to Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting, including dioxin, lead, mercury, and PCBs.
“In another major shift, the Biden EPA is moving forward to regulate chemicals that bioaccumulate in us. They are seeking public comments to regulate these PBT chemicals, which will help protect public health and the environment. These are toxic chemicals that include dioxins, PCBs, lead, and mercury. They can cause cancer, kidney problems, learning disabilities, and many more series health problems. This is a major reversal from the industry-friendly Trump EPA. It is important that the Biden administration is going to develop regulations that are as protective as possible,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “After four years of a polluter-friendly EPA that looked the other way, we finally have an administration that will actually work to protect public health and the environment.”
The EPA is seeking public input on whether the rules sufficiently reduce exposure to these chemicals, including exposures to potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations, and the environment; Newly-raised compliance issues associated with the final rule on phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)) including the compliance dates for certain regulated articles; And whether to consider additional or alternative measures or approaches.
“The Trump administration sided with polluters and did nothing to develop protective standards. Now Biden is taking action against these chemicals. This is important because PBT chemicals bioaccumulate in a person’s body. They can cause significant health problems like cancer and a weakened immune system. They also can contaminate the environment and bioaccumulate in wildlife, like birds,” said Jeff Tittel. “While Trump tried to delay investigations and gag scientists, the Biden administration is enacting health-based standards and rules for dangerous PBT chemicals. They are going to be looking at updating and strengthening these rules that the previous administration put out.”
EPA will use the feedback received during this public comment period to determine the best path forward, which could include amending the current rules to include additional or alternative exposure reduction measures or extending compliance dates for certain regulated products and articles. Upon publication of the Federal Register notice, EPA will accept public comments in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0202 on www.regulations.gov for 60 days.
“This is a major step forward to help protect public health and the environment from dangerous chemicals that bioaccumulate in our bodies and the environment. This is especially important in New Jersey because we have major issues with many of these chemicals, including lead, PCBs, and dioxins. We really need to be banning these chemicals because they are extremely toxic and dangerous. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to developmental defects in children and pregnant women, liver and kidney problems, and even tumors,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This shows that President Biden is working not only to overturn Donald Trump’s horrible anti-environmental legacy but to move this country forward when it comes to clean water, clean air, cleaning up toxic sites, and Environmental Justice.”