136 



Second, empowering the public with information is a powerful tool for environ- 

 mental progress. The creation of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), established in 

 Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA), 

 led the way to a new era of public disclosure and a more constructive dialogue be- 

 tween citizens and industry on emissions reduction and pollution prevention. As we 

 look to the future, it is likely that this "right to know" approach will expand and 

 become a part of environmental policy in severEil areas. For a toxic chemicals pro- 

 gram, it is almost inevitable that the "right to know" ethic will expand to other 

 chemical information. 



At EPA, we are actively attempting to incorporate these two policies into our pro- 

 grams in an intelligent and responsible manner, recognizing that pollution preven- 

 tion may not always be possible, and recognizing that empowerment of the public 

 carries with it the responsibility to provide the information and education that the 

 public needs to make sound decisions. For example, we need to develop effective 

 strategies for communicating what we know about the real risks posed by various 

 chemicals in commerce. We believe that the principles of pollution prevention and 

 right to know should be the foundation of oxir toxics program now and in the future. 



I am very encouraged by the Committee's interest in focusing on existing chemi- 

 cals. Existing chemicals, being those materials in commerce, appear to present the 

 greatest potential for risk to the public. On the positive side, we also believe the 

 TSCA existing chemicals program offers the best opportunity for linking our chemi- 

 cal management, right to know, and pollution prevention efforts. 



Today, I will discuss the current state of the TSCA existing chemical program, 

 highlighting some of the future opportunities and obstacles for the program. 



Existing Chemicals Priorities 



Our existing chemicals activities can be considered in two parts: chemical testing 

 initiatives and risk management efforts. We are finding and using new and innova- 

 tive approaches to improve productivity and effectiveness at preventing pollution 

 and reducing risks from existing chemicals. 



Chemical Testing Program 



Even at the accelerated level of testing we see today, we still are addressing only 

 a small portion of the TSCA existing chemical universe of 70,000 chemicals. To de- 

 termine what testing information is most critical, we are setting an agenda based 

 on several elements. As a direct result of years of chemical screening efforts, OPPT 

 has determined that its efforts to identify candidates for testing or risk assessment 

 should focus primarily on the approximately 14,000 non-polymeric TSCA Inventory 

 chemicals that eire produced at levels of over 10,000 pounds per year, that is, high 

 production voliune chemicals. EPA employs hazard-based and exposure-based 

 screening techniques to identify priority testing candidates fix)m among this 14,000 

 chemical subset. In the last several years we have put together a Master Testing 

 List that identifies the testing needs for existing chemicals. The list reflects the 

 needs of both EPA and other Federal agencies, and represents a sound agenda for 

 a Federal program to characterize the universe of existing chemicals. 



Traditionally the TSCA testing agenda consisted of chemicals brought to EPA's 

 attention through TSCA statutory mechanisms such as Section 8(e) or the Inter- 

 agency Testing Committee. More recently we have developed testing strategies to 

 meet specific policy needs. With the EPA Air Office, we are working on testing strat- 

 egies for the Hazardous Air Pollutants that are part of the Clean Air Act air toxics 

 strategy. We are working on a dermal absorption testing initiative for about 60 

 chemicals of concern to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

 As another example, we are working with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Dis- 

 ease Registry (ATSDR) on needed testing data for approximately 10 chemicals fi-e- 

 quently identified at Superfiind sites. 



Our new agenda also reflects priorities identified by the international Organiza- 

 tion for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Screening Information 

 Data Set (SIDS) program. This is an international effort to obtain "screening level" 

 testing of the high-production chemicals in commerce. OECD countries have agreed 

 to share the burden of testing in order to allow countries to develop appropriate fol- 



