TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory
Basic Information
Background
Section 8 (b) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires EPA to compile, keep current, and publish a list of each chemical substance that is manufactured or processed in the United States.
Under TSCA, the term 'chemical substance' means any organic or inorganic substance of a particular molecular identity, including any combination of these substances occurring in whole or in part as a result of a chemical reaction or occurring in nature, and any element or uncombined radical. Chemicals substances on the Inventory include: organics, inorganics, polymers, and UVCBs (chemical substances of unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products, and biological materials). The Inventory, nor TSCA, covers chemical substances subject to other U.S. statutes, such as foods and food additives, pesticides, drugs, cosmetics, tobacco, nuclear material, or munitions.
As new chemicals enter commerce, the number of chemicals on the Inventory changes. Today more than 84,000 chemical substances are on the Inventory. The initial reporting period was January to May of 1978, for chemical substances that had been in commerce since January of 1975. The initial TSCA Inventory, published in 1979, was followed by a second version in 1982, which included approximately 62,000 chemical substances.
As part of EPA’s commitment to strengthen chemical management and increase information on chemicals, for the first time, in 2010, EPA provided free Web access to the inventory and made it available on Data.gov, a government-wide Website developed to provide public access to important government federal information.
What Does It Mean for a Chemical To Be on the TSCA Inventory?
Substances on the TSCA Inventory are considered "existing" chemicals in U.S. commerce, and substances not on the TSCA Inventory are considered "new" chemicals. If a substance is determined to be a "new" chemical substance for TSCA purposes, it is subject to TSCA section 5 Premanufacture Notice (PMN) requirements, unless the substance meets a TSCA reporting exclusion (e.g., is a naturally-occurring material) or is exempt from PMN reporting (e.g., is an exempted polymer). (The TSCA Inventory must be consulted to determine if a specific substance is "new" or "existing.") For substances that are "existing" chemical substances in U.S. commerce, the TSCA Inventory can be used to determine if there are restrictions on manufacture or use.
How Are Chemicals Added to the TSCA Inventory?
After PMN review has been completed, the company that submitted the PMN must provide a Notice of Commencement of Manufacture or Import (NOC) (EPA Form 7710-56) to EPA within 30 calendar days of the date the substance is first manufactured or imported for nonexempt commercial purposes. A chemical substance is considered to be on the TSCA Inventory and becomes an existing chemical as soon as a complete NOC is received by EPA. The Agency receives between 500 and 1,000 NOCs each year, thus the TSCA Inventory changes daily.
Non-PMN submissions (Low Volume Exemptions - LVEs, Low Release/Low Exposure Exemptions - LoREXs, Test Market Exemptions - TMEs) and exempt uses not subject to submission (R&D) do not require an NOC and are not listed on the TSCA Inventory.
