Public Now Has Access to Chemical Health and Safety Studies
The database will grow as more companies submit information electronically and as older documents are scanned into the system.
A new Web-based Chemical Data Access Tool now allows users to conduct a chemical-specific search for health and safety studies that have been submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Information will be available from the following databases:
- eDoc, which includes a broad range of health and safety information reported by industry under TSCA Sections 4,5, 8(d), and 8(e).
- TSCATS (TSCA Test Submissions) is an online index to unpublished, nonconfidential studies covering chemical testing results and adverse effects of chemicals on health and ecological systems.
- HPVIS (High Production Volume Information System) provides access to health and environmental effects information obtained through the High Production Volume (HPV) Challeng.
According to EPA's website, in some instances the search tool makes this information accessible for the first time. It provides results based on data that currently is in a searchable format. The amount of searchable data will increase over time as additional information either is reported to the agency electronically or is scanned from historically submitted documents. The agency says that if a search does not gather results for a particular chemical, it does not mean EPA does not have information on that chemical; the results may not be in the repository yet. For questions or comments on this search tool, contact Diane Sheridan.
"The new tool will for the first time give the public the ability to electronically search EPA’s database of more than 10,000 health and safety documents on a wide range of chemicals that they may come into contact with every day," said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in a press release.
Companies are required to submit health and safety studies to the agency when they show there may be a substantial risk, when chemical testing is required, or to facilitate EPA's review of new chemicals. The public now will be able to have easy access to these studies simply by searching for the name of a chemical or for a particular word or phrase, such as a health or safety concern addressed in a study.