WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Test Order to five manufacturers requiring them to test on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under its National PFAS Testing Strategy, the latest action taken under EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap to confront contamination from 'forever chemicals' nationwide.
EPA has ordered Innovative Chemical Technologies, The Chemours Company, Daikin America, Inc., Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, and E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company to conduct testing on 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-tridecafluorooctyl prop-2-enoate, and submit its report.
Also known as 6:2 fluorotelomer acrylate or 6:2 FTAc, the chemical is used to manufacture plastics, resins, textiles, apparel, leather and other chemicals. Between one million and 20 million pounds are produced per year.
'PFAS in our air, water, and in our bodies cause serious health effects like cancer and heart and liver problems,' said Michal Freedhoff, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. 'That's why it's so important for us to collect as much information as we can on these chemicals - to learn more about the potential environmental and human health impacts of PFAS and take any necessary steps to address them.'
Summaries of studies of 6:2 FTAc exposures to rodents suggest it causes changes in blood cell counts, liver and kidney size, and animal behavior. Also, the chemical structure of 6:2 FTAc suggests that it may cause cancer.
PFAS such as 6:2 FTAc can build up in human bodies and the environment over time. Even small amounts can significantly contribute to people's long-term exposure and health risk for cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children.
EPA finds that 6:2 FTAc may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. The agency said that the information it receives under this order will improve its understanding not only of human health effects of 6:2 FTAc, but also of the potential effects of more than a hundred PFAS that are structurally similar to 6:2 FTAc.
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