Optimizing Chemicals Management in the United States and Canada through the Essential-Use Approach
Simona A Bǎlan1,2, David Q Andrews3, Arlene Blum2,4
1California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California 95814, United States.
Environmental Science & Technology
|January 19, 2023
Summary
A new essential-use approach is proposed to manage hazardous chemicals, ensuring their use only when necessary for health, safety, or societal function, and when alternatives are unavailable.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Regulatory Science
Background:
- Chemicals enhance products but pose risks to human and ecological health.
- Current regulations are insufficient for managing numerous chemicals in commerce.
- A novel approach is needed to reduce hazardous chemical production, use, and exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an optimized essential-use approach for chemical management in the US and Canada.
- To ensure chemicals are used only when essential for health, safety, or societal functions.
- To encourage the transition to safer chemical alternatives.
Main Methods:
- Identifying chemicals for essentiality assessment based on diverse hazard traits beyond toxicity.
- Streamlining decision-making through strategic questioning to determine essentiality.
- Applying the essential-use approach early in chemical development and assessment.
- Engaging diverse experts for use identification, alternatives assessment, and essentiality determinations.
Main Results:
- The essential-use approach can improve chemical management by focusing on necessity and availability of alternatives.
- Implementation can drive market shifts towards safer chemistries.
- Broader engagement and information sharing enhance the effectiveness of essentiality assessments.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing and expanding the essential-use approach in regulatory systems and businesses is crucial.
- This approach offers a pathway to better protect human and ecological health.
- It promotes innovation in developing and adopting safer chemical alternatives.
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