Cleaning Up EPA Chemicals List Could Ease Corporate Risks

The EPA’s list of chemicals allowed in commerce is plagued by redundancies and errors, according to companies that face fines and increased regulatory costs.

An accurate inventory also would help the Environmental Protection Agency implement the nation’s amended chemicals law—the Toxic Substances Control Act—which requires the agency to evaluate the risks of the estimated 85,000 chemicals on the list.

Having an accurate inventory will be critical as the agency decides which chemicals warrant scrutiny, Karyn Schmidt, a senior director at the American Chemistry Council in Washington, told Bloomberg Environment. And that scrutiny can affect ...