The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Washington, D.C.; www.epa.gov) has added 23 chemicals, including bisphenol A (BPA), seven phthalates and two flame retardants, to a key list of chemicals it will scrutinise for possible regulatory action in certain applications. The agency said it will pay particular attention to products that are recommended for children, are suspected of being carcinogenic, persistent in the environment or harmful to development, reproduction or the neurological system.

Chemicals and chemical groups added include decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), used in flame retardants, as well as nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates and seven phthalates. EPA said it added the chemicals because the US toxics release inventory database showed elevated releases into the environment, they were shown to be present in children’s products or had been newly identified as significant health or environmental hazards.

The agency already has completed four assessments during this campaign and has initiated risk management actions for trichloroethylene (TCE) and methylene chloride, based on data gathered earlier. Assessments for the newly added chemicals are planned to begin after 2017. Depending on the findings, the environmental watchdog could decide to regulate one or more uses of the chemicals, work with industry to reduce exposures or conclude that its analysis raised no concerns.

At the same time, EPA has removed 15 chemicals and groups of chemicals from the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) work plan list, narrowing it to 90 chemicals and chemical groups.

Among interest groups commenting on the EPA plans, the American Chemistry Council (ACC, Washington, D.C. / USA; www.americanchemistry.org) said it was unclear why certain chemicals such as BPA had been added to the list, as they had already been reviewed – and in some cases risks addressed – by other parts of the agency or by other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Silver Spring, Maryland / USA; www.fda.gov) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The chemical manufacturers grouping pointed out that FDA has primary jurisdiction over bisphenol A, while CPSC has reviewed various flame retardants.

Richard Denison, lead senior scientist with the environmental pressure group Environmental Defense Fund, questioned the agency's decision to remove 13 of the 15 chemicals because manufacturers did not report producing them in 2011, the most recent year for which the agency obtained data. EPA should explain how it determined the chemicals are no longer being produced in or imported into the US, Denison said.