SBA criticizes EPA chemical assessments

Washington – Environmental Protection Agency draft exposure assessments on three chemicals and their use in small business settings did not rely on adequate data, according to a March 15 letter from the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy.

As part of a plan to enhance EPA’s chemical management program, the agency is conducting assessments of 83 chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act. It recently released draft assessments on three of those chemicals and their use in small businesses:

• Methylene chloride (.pdf file)
• N-methylpyrrolidone (.pdf file)
• Trichloroethylene (.pdf file)

In the letter to EPA, SBA suggested the agency lacked accurate data and made false assumptions that employee exposure at small shops was less controlled and monitored than that at larger shops.

Because the risk assessments will be used to direct activities within EPA’s Existing Chemicals Program (.pdf file) – which could include rulemakings – SBA stressed the importance of using an accurate model of small shop use and employee exposure and offered to put EPA in touch with small businesses that use the three chemicals.