FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The report by Senior Health Program Scientist Richard A. Denison, Ph.D., gives overall grades of C-minus to EPA and D to the chemical industry for their performance in the High Production Volume (HPV) Chemical Challenge (see report cards below). Under the program, manufacturers were asked to volunteer to develop and make publicly available a “base set” of screening-level hazard information on HPV chemicals, those produced in or imported into the
“The Challenge has failed to produce much of the data it had promised to deliver well before now,” said
· Two-and-a-half years after final data sets were due, fewer than half (47%) have been submitted.
· 10% of eligible HPV chemicals were not volunteered for the Challenge by the companies that produce them; EPA has issued rules to compel testing for only 6% of these chemicals.
· The grade point average for initial industry submissions has declined from a solid B-plus in 2001 to a C-minus in 2006.
High Hopes, Low Marks also discusses the status of two essential next steps: EPA’s assessment of the Challenge data, where it is making good progress, but is also finding that data gaps remain even in final submissions; and a failure by industry to commit to develop data for most of the nearly 600 chemicals that have reached HPV levels since the Challenge was launched. Important “lessons learned” for the design and execution of voluntary environmental initiatives are provided.
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY, OVERALL GRADE D
Extent of sponsorship of HPV chemicals B+
Extent of initial submissions B-
Extent of final submissions F
Quality of initial submissions C+
Providing public access to information F
USEPA, OVERALL GRADE C-
Extent of test rule development for orphans D
Extent of EPA review of initial submissions B-
Providing public access to information C-
The report is available online at www.environmentaldefense.org/hpvreportcard.