The United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) recently made a massive chemical safety step when it released its final report on risk evaluation concerning C.I. pigment violet 29 under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

It is the EPA’s role to evaluate any risks associated with existing chemicals in commerce using the best that science and technology can offer and subsequently act appropriately to address the risks.

The recently released report was the final one to complete the process that TSCA required for PV29, and thus, it means that the risk evaluation for the first chemicals has been concluded.  The announcement was a crucial milestone under TSCA as there will be improved chemical safety and better public and environmental health.

EPA was committed to delivering a detailed review of possible risks of chemicals in the market as it is a requirement under one of the United States’ most significant chemical management guidelines.

Completing the first 10 TSCA evaluations resulted from determination and limitless effort from all the stakeholders; a lot of time was taken conducting reviews. There were several hours of peer reviews and numberless scientific reviews.

This was just the beginning; it is just creating a path that EPA will take as it embarks on its mandate to protect all the Americans for the next generations.

The EPA also used public outputs and feedback and a scientific peer-review process conducted by the Science Advisory Committee on chemicals to come up with the final report on the risk of PV29. 

In the evaluation, the EPA found some unreasonable risks to our environment, consumers, and the public. Now the next role of EPA is to come up with adequate plans to solve the unreasonable risk factors that were clear in the final risk evaluation.

EPA is moving swiftly to address risk management for this chemical and will work as fast as possible to make a proposal and finalize the actions that will protect the environment and the general public against the unreasonable risks.

Probably, EPA will take the following step to address the risks involved;

  • By limiting how the public uses the chemical. Probably not everyone should be allowed to use the chemical, and usage should be limited to when it is indispensable.
  • Limiting and prohibiting industries from manufacturing the chemical, maybe it can license just a few manufactures. EPA can go a step forward and control or restrict supply to markets.
  • Controlling the disposal of this chemical will be very beneficial. The EPA should develop guidelines that will ensure that the chemical is disposed of properly and don’t expose it to people. If possible, the EPA should establish ways to deactivate the components that may harm a human being or those with long-term effects when incorporated into the food chain.
  • As it is a norm for any chemical, users of products that contain PV29 must read and follow all instructions inscribed on the safety data sheet.

For those who don’t know what PV29 is, it is an intermediate used to come up with color or alter the color of phenylene pigments and automobile paints and plastics.