- New PFAS and PBT chemicals face stricter screening before manufacturing.
- Trichloroethylene (TCE) will be phased out, protecting workers and consumers.
- Perchloroethylene (PCE) use is cut back, with safer standards for critical workplaces.
- Stronger rules advance cancer prevention goals and national security priorities.
December 10, 2024 – In a sweeping move aimed at safeguarding public health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced new rules to better regulate harmful chemicals, from emerging substances like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) to long-standing cancer-causing solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS has become an important issue in water matters.
Last week, NewsNation
reported on a horrific story out of Texas, where a rancher watching his livestock die characterized PFAS as “my Chernobyl.” The family ranch lost 39 head of cattle since 2023. The source of PFAS allegedly came from fertilizer used across the street. NewsNation reports that the soil and water on the rancher’s properties are contaminated. The animals are contaminated and even the ranchers themselves are suffering, with their own blood now testing high for PFAS.
EPA’s changes, announced first on December 4 and then on December 9, represent a major stride toward ensuring that chemicals entering the American marketplace do not pose unreasonable risks to people or the environment. By tightening safety reviews and phasing out some chemical uses altogether, the EPA hopes to protect communities, workers, and children from dangerous exposures, while encouraging safer, more sustainable innovation in chemical manufacturing.
Strengthening Reviews for New Chemicals.
On December 4, the EPA finalized amendments to the regulations that guide how new chemicals are reviewed under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These updates focus on ensuring that PFAS and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals undergo a full safety review before entering U.S. commerce. In the past, certain low-volume exemptions allowed some chemicals—even potentially hazardous PFAS—to bypass the most rigorous scrutiny. The new rule ends that shortcut.
As Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff put it: “Today, we’ve modernized our chemical reviews and continued to protect people from unsafe new PFAS.” The EPA will now thoroughly evaluate each new PFAS chemical to ensure safety from the start, aligning federal regulations with TSCA’s strengthened 2016 mandates.
These changes also clarify what information manufacturers must provide and how incomplete submissions will be handled. If a company’s initial data is lacking, the EPA can now declare the submission incomplete, rather than allowing a lengthy back-and-forth process. By doing so, the Agency will free up time to focus on complete, high-quality applications and speed the approval process for genuinely safe and innovative chemistries.
Battling “Forever Chemicals” and Chronic Hazards.
This overhaul is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader effort to confront PFAS—often dubbed “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and their links to serious health problems, including cancer and reproductive harms. The EPA aims to protect every community and worker by thoroughly reviewing chemicals before manufacture, prioritizing health outcomes over industry shortcuts.
This streamlined approach to new chemicals helps foster an environment where safer alternatives can flourish. Chemical developers who play by the rules and bring forward data upfront can gain quicker approval, helping them get safe products to market faster.
Cutting Out TCE and Restricting PCE.
On December 9, the EPA took additional bold steps by finalizing strict risk management rules for TCE and PCE—two widely used solvents strongly linked to cancer and other severe health impacts. According to the EPA, TCE causes liver cancer, kidney cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, along with damage to the nervous system, reproductive harm, and birth defects at even small concentrations.
Under the new rules, all uses of TCE will be banned over time, with most risky uses eliminated within a year. The Agency stresses that safer alternatives are readily available, making this prohibition a clear win for public health. Certain industrial uses will be allowed for longer periods if they adhere to stringent workplace protections, including strict exposure limits.
PCE, another nonflammable solvent associated with cancers and organ damage, faces a similar fate. All consumer uses and many commercial applications will be phased out or banned, protecting people who would otherwise be exposed in everyday products like adhesives or brake cleaners. Some workplace uses of PCE will be allowed to continue, provided robust safety measures are in place, recognizing the need for certain critical operations, national security, and climate protection efforts.
Cancer Moonshot and Environmental Justice.
The EPA’s actions align with President Biden’s “Cancer Moonshot” mission—a comprehensive, government-wide initiative to prevent and ultimately end cancer. By cracking down on known carcinogens like TCE and PCE, the EPA is placing the health of Americans front and center. These changes also acknowledge decades of struggle faced by communities like Woburn, Massachusetts, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where groundwater contamination with TCE and PCE caused heartbreak and galvanized activists to demand stronger protections.
Their voices have not gone unheard. “Over 40 years ago, a mother named Anne Anderson…started a crusade,” said Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Her battle and those of countless others helped bring about these rules, ensuring that future generations face fewer risks from preventable chemical exposure.
Additional Information.
As a follow-up to consultations with small businesses, EPA plans to release compliance guidance for the use of PCE in dry cleaning and energized electrical cleaning in the coming months, as well as for the TCE rule. President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget requested funding to support small business efforts to transition to TSCA-compliant practices and mitigate economic impacts. If implemented, these grants could be used to support small businesses like dry cleaners in their transition away from PCE.
EPA will host a public webinar to explain what is in the PCE final rule and how it will be implemented on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. EST. Registration is available on the Final Regulation of Perchloroethylene under TSCA webinar page.
Leave a Reply