EPA targets four chemical classes for increased regulatory action

Just weeks after three U.S. companies agreed to phase out decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), a widely used fire retardant chemical implicated in cancer and impaired brain function, EPA last week singled out polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), phthalates, perfluorinated chemicals like PFOA, and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) as agents that raise "serious health or environmental concerns" that will receive intensified regulatory oversight under TSCA.