What The 'New TSCA' Has Accomplished—and What Comes Next

This article reviews the successes achieved in the regulation of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601–2697, since Congress amended the Act in 2016. Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, Pub. L. No. 114-182, 130 Stat. 448 (2016). Despite the fact that further improvements may be necessary—particularly to expedite chemical reviews, encourage timely collection of chemical use and exposure data, and secure more resources—the amended TSCA provides a solid foundation for protecting human health and the environment, and a strong federal program for chemical management across the nation is taking shape. The EPA’s implementation of the 2016 amendments has advanced public health protection through nationwide bans on many uses of chemicals—including hazardous solvents, chrysotile asbestos, and a group of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals—and through regulations for the majority of new chemicals. Compared to the