EPA Launches Green Products Web Portal for Pollution Prevention Week

Sustainable Products/Green Marketing:

This week is Pollution Prevention Week.  And to help celebrate the Week, EPA has announced the launch of a new portal to help consumers find so-called “Greener Products.”   The tool is intended to provide consumers information about everyday products, enabling them to identify those that require less energy or water, or use safer chemicals.  The Agency’s announcement is embedded below.  The portal is accessible here.

______________

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is observing Pollution Prevention (P2) Week (September 19-25, 2011) by launching a new tool designed to provide Americans easy access to information about everyday products like home appliances, electronics and cleaning products that can save money, prevent pollution and protect people’s health. The new green products web portal is available at www.epa.gov/greenerproducts

This week serves to recognize significant pollution prevention work around the country and help  consumers get involved in pollution prevention. EPA’s new green products web portal is an easy way for all Americans to learn about products that prevent pollution and protect our environment.

Using the new tool, consumers can find electronics and appliances that have earned EPA’s Energy Star label and can browse WaterSense products that help save energy and water. Additionally, consumers can find information about cleaning products that are safer for the environment and people’s health. These products bear the EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) label. The website will also help manufacturers and institutional purchasers with information on  standards and criteria for designing  greener products.

“By purchasing greener products, consumers can help reduce air pollution, conserve water and energy, minimize waste and protect their children and families from exposure to toxic chemicals, while also creating green jobs,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, “Pollution Prevention is good for our health, our environment and our economy.”

Join the EPA in marking P2 Week this week, and help prevent pollution every day. More information on pollution prevention, P2 Week, and EPA’s P2 programs: http://epa.gov/p2/

EPA to Identify Priority Chemicals for Review

Readers interested in EPA chemical risk management efforts may be interested in the Agency’s new initiative to identify priority chemicals for review and possible risk management action under TSCA. This initiative is part Agency efforts to enhance its chemical management program.  The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics notes that strengthening EPA’s chemicals management and risk assessment program is an Agency priority. Goals for the chemical prioritization initiative include identification of highest priority chemicals, determination of whether risk is significant, and whether risk management or other action under TSCA is warranted. The Agency plans to release an initial list of priority chemicals by late fall.

To identify candidate chemicals for review, EPA will consider risk-based prioritization factors similar to those used for selecting chemicals on which EPA has recently prepared Chemical Action Plans. Children’s health issues, PBT chemicals, and carcinogens are among the Agency’s highest hazard-based priorities.

The Agency has specifically solicited public input on which prioritization factors should receive greatest consideration. Following this data collection, EPA will refine the list of priority chemicals for review using a broader range of data sources. It has also requested comments on which data sources the Agency should consider to help identify priority chemicals. Potential data sources for both exposure and use-related information and hazard data sources are listed in the Discussion Guide for Identifying Priority Chemicals for Review and Assessment (available here). A web-based discussion forum is available for submitting suggestions. Submissions will be accepted only until 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on September 14, 2011. At a later date this information will also be available in docket, EPA-HQ-OPPT-2011-0516, at http://www.regulations.gov.

EPA stresses that decisions about whether or not a chemical presents a risk to human health or the environment will be made only after review and assessment efforts are completed. That is, identification of a chemical as a priority chemical for review is not an Agency “finding” under TSCA.

The Agency anticipates that the chemicals identified as priority chemicals for review will likely be well-characterized for hazard and have information indicating exposure potential. The discussion guide notes that EPA will continue to use its TSCA information collection, testing, and subpoena authorities, including sections 4, 8, and 11(c) of TSCA, to develop needed information on additional chemicals that currently have less robust hazard or exposure databases.

A webinar describing this effort was conducted September 7, 2001. The slides presented during that program are available here.

More Information on EPA’s efforts to Identify Priority Chemicals for Review available here.

General information on EPA’s Enhancing EPA’s Chemical Management Program available here.

Information on EPA Development of Chemical Action Plans available here.