The Environmental Protection Agency's Use of Occupational Exposure Databases for Screening Level Assessments under the Toxic Substances Control Act

Abstract

Abstract The Chemical Engineering Branch (CEB) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics is responsible for assessing the potential for occupational exposure and environmental release for both new and existing chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The CEB provides roughly 600 screening level assessments of occupational exposure for new and existing chemicals per year in support of TSCA. Screening level assessments are usually developed to identify and eliminate from further analysis (i.e., screen out) those substances of low concern, based on the identified potential hazards and exposures. Monitoring data for the worker activities under typical conditions of exposure are preferred for assessing occupational exposure. However, in our experience, monitoring data are often limited and not readily accessible, and data quality can be questionable. In the absence of monitoring data, other methods of predicting occupational exposure are used. These ...