EPA Releases 100s of Chemical Health Studies Claimed As Trade Secrets

As part of an ongoing campaign for greater openness about toxic chemical threats, EPA on November 17, 2011, newly released hundreds of studies on the health effects of chemicals that had previously been withheld because of industry trade-secret claims.

The studies are submitted by companies who use the chemicals in commerce, under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Companies can ask EPA to keep their chemicals' health effects secret if they claim it to be confidential business information.

EPA has an online searchable database to help the public find information about such health studies.

• EPA Chemical Data Access Tool (CDAT).
• "EPA Releases 'Hundreds' of Confidential Studies," E&E News (subscription only), November 28, 2011, by Jeremy P. Jacobs.