EPA is proposing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 37 chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). Seventeen of these chemical substances are also subject to TSCA section 5(e) consent orders issued by EPA. This action would require persons who intend to manufacture, import, or process any of these 37 chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by the proposed rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. Comments must be received on or before April 26, 2013.
The proposed rule includes 14 PMN substances whose reported chemical names include the term “carbon nanotube” or “carbon nanofibers.” Because of a lack of established nomenclature for carbon nanotubes, the TSCA Inventory names for carbon nanotubes are currently in generic form, e.g., carbon nanotube (CNT), multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT), or single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). EPA uses the specific structural characteristics provided by the PMN submitter to more specifically characterize the TSCA Inventory listing for an individual CNT. EPA is using the specific structural characteristics for all CNTs submitted as new chemical substances under TSCA to help develop standard nomenclature for placing these chemical substances on the TSCA Inventory. EPA has compiled a generic list of those structural characteristics entitled “Material Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes for Molecular Identity (MI) Determination & Nomenclature.” If EPA develops a more specific generic chemical name for these materials, that name will be made publicly available.