EPA says release of final risk evaluation for Pigment Violet 29 a TSCA ‘milestone’

Washington — The chemical substance Pigment Violet 29 poses unreasonable risk to workers under certain conditions, states a final risk evaluation recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency, which now is compelled to propose within one year regulatory action to mitigate the chemical’s hazards.

Primarily used as a colorant in consumer products such as paints, coatings, plastics and rubber products, Pigment Violet 29 is the last of the first 10 chemicals that were evaluated for potential health and environmental risks under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act for which a final risk evaluation has been released.

In a press release, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler calls the development “a major milestone” under the Toxic Substances Control Act “that will enhance chemical safety and protect public health and the environment.”

Added Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention: “Our final risk evaluations represent an invaluable contribution to chemical safety, serving as the guide for the actions EPA will take over the next few years to protect Americans from the risks found.”

Agency efforts related to Pigment Violet 29 required additional exertion. In a reversal of preliminary findings in the initial draft risk evaluation published in November 2018, EPA in the Oct. 30 Federal Register published a revision stating that several occupational use scenarios present unreasonable risk, including:

• Domestic manufacture and import
• Paint and coating processing
• Plastic and rubber product processing
• Recycling
• Industrial and commercial use of plastic and rubber products in automobile plastics

The turnabout stemmed from requisite analysis after the release of the initial draft risk evaluation. The Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals raised concerns over “large data gaps that preclude coming to confident conclusions regarding certain subpopulations.” SACC further concluded that “the greatest exposures to PV29 will likely occur in manufacturing and occupational workers via inhalation and dermal exposures.”

Responding to the findings, EPA in February ordered a manufacturer and an importer of PV29 to provide additional information that required testing on the solubility of the chemical substance as well as worker respirable dust monitoring.

Comments on the revised draft risk evaluation initially were due Nov. 30, but the agency later extended the deadline to Dec. 19 to provide additional time for stakeholders.

EPA released the final evaluation Jan. 14 and published it in the Jan. 21 Federal Register. As required under the TSCA, which the Lautenberg Act amended, EPA must address risks by proposing within one year regulatory actions such as training, certification, restricted access and/or ban of commercial use, and then accept public comment on any proposals.