The EPA on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010, released its action plans to address the potential health risks of benzidine dyes, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and nonylphenol (NP)/nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) under TSCA. The chemicals are widely used in both consumer and industrial applications, including dyes, flame retardants and industrial laundry detergents.

The agency has added HBCD and NP/NPE to its new Chemicals of Concern list, issuing significant new use rules for all three chemicals, and, for HBCD and benzidine dyes, imposing new reporting requirements on for Toxic Release Inventory reports, and potentially banning or limiting the manufacture or use of the chemicals.

The Textile Rental Services Association, which represents 98 percent of the industrial laundry facilities in the U.S., has committed to voluntarily phase out the use of NPEs in industrial liquid detergents by Dec. 31, 2013 and industrial powder detergents by the end of 2014.

Additional information on the agency's chemical management plan is available at www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/enhanchems.html.

PE's November 2006 issue focused on endocrine disruptors and possible control actions that POTWs could take. Read that article here.

SOURCE: EPA press release