EPA Clears New Chemical — With Conditions

The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a new chemical that, for the first time under new federal standards, included stipulations on how the substance could be manufactured.

Bloomberg reports that the agency approved the additive in question — called 2–alkenoic acid, 2–alkyl–, alkyl ester, polymer with 2–alkyl 2–propenoate and a-(2–alkyl-1-oxo-2-alken-1-yl-[iquest]-alkoxypoly(oxy-1,2-alkanediyl), ester with a–2–alken–1–yl–[iquest]–hydroxypoly(oxy–1,2–alkanediyl) — provided that the manufacturer produced it as a polymer that would be too large to enter the human body and cause health issues.

The applying company — whose name remained confidential — indicated that the intended polymer would generally be considered "low-risk" by the EPA.

The sweeping chemical oversight law passed last year required the EPA to make affirmative safety decisions on new chemicals introduced into commerce. The recent approval was the first under that law to include conditions, but Bloomberg noted it offered few clues about how regulators would proceed with future applications.

The new chemical was just the 45th to be cleared by the EPA after the law went into effect in June 2016; the agency previously authorized hundreds of substances each year and manufacturers worry that the current backlog of applications could stifle innovation in the domestic chemical industry.