EPA announced in June the creation of its new Chemical Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC), established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and is seeking nominations for members. The CSAC will render "expert scientific advice, information and recommendations to the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics on the scientific basis for risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution prevention measures or approaches." The primary risk assessment work of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) is its review under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 83 chemicals which it has prioritized for risk assessment for toxicity, persistence and consumer exposure. The creation of CSAC on the heels of EPA's April release of a draft scoping and screening document for 1,4-dioxane indicates that the Agency may be formalizing a process for expediting chemical reviews. The new approach is supported by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), which is "very supportive of EPA's recent establishment" of the CSAC.
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