Deploying safer chemicals in both products and manufacturing processes continues to be a priority for the U.S. EPA, and has been the focus of R&D efforts as well as voluntary partnership programs with private sector partners. One way the EPA has addressed this safer chemical and chemistry priority is through computational tools and screening level assay development, to help identify correlations between rapid screening methods and test data for human health and ecological toxicity endpoints. The EPA has also engaged private and public sector organizations through chemical alternative assessment partnerships convened by the EPA’s Design for the Environment program. As part of the effort to expand the community of practice around chemical alternatives assessment, the EPA has taken a leading role in international efforts to align methodologies (through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; OECD) and is increasingly looking to external entities in the U.S. to serve as leaders in this area. In order to expand the practice and use of safer chemicals and safer chemistry, the EPA has established the Safer Chemical Ingredient List (SCIL), to share information on chemicals that have successfully met the stringent hazard criteria of the EPA’s Safer Choice product labeling program. The EPA has great interest in expanding the SCIL to additional functional classes of chemicals for a broader range of formulated products, and is seeking opportunities to work with industry partners to facilitate such an expansion of safer ingredients and products. One such area (and there are several) includes personal care products. It is the hope and expectation of the EPA that such successful partnerships will provide consumers, procurement officials, formulators, and manufacturers expanded choices for safer products and provide economic opportunities for companies that are active in these product and ingredient spaces.

Role of the EPA in deploying safer chemicals in both products and manufacturing processes

251st National Meeting (2016)

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