ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the parts of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) new chemical review process in which ecotoxicity data are used to provide evaluations of environmental hazard and risk. In 1976 the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted into law and it established the Office of Toxic Substances. The number of TSCA section 5 new chemical notices received by OPPT since 1979 has increased rapidly. The average number of notices to be examined over the 9 yr from 1986 through 1994 was over 2200 per year. The premanufacture notice form requires submission of all available data on the structure and identity of the chemical, intended production volume and use(s), by-products, environmental release, disposal practices, and potential human exposure. The chemistry review ensures that the information submitted is consistent with itself and the principles of chemistry. The initial hazard assessment performed by experts in structure-activity relationships identifies the degree of potential effects to organisms in the environment.
