Measured BCF data exist for 3,100 "new" chemicals and 800 "existing" chemicals, with approximately 300 new chemicals being tested every year.
The existing chemicals checks are "inefficient and slow," Ms. Wallstrom said.
Approximately 58,000 existing chemicals were grandfathered in, no questions asked, including PBDE's.
Access to information on existing chemicals, new industrial chemicals, pesticides and biocides is provided.
One option is to use existing chemicals, but at greater dilutions.
The proposed rules give union countries greater flexibility by ending the distinction between new and existing chemicals, thus allowing for greater scrutiny of tens of thousands of existing chemicals that effectively evade scrutiny.
However, there are no automatic checks for the more than 100,000 existing chemicals now in use.
Polysaccharide sulfates are naturally existing chemicals that show important biological activities in living organisms.
Existing chemicals should also be tested, rather than be exempted, as they are under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Since the Toxic Substances Control Act was passed forty years ago, the E.P.A. has issued regulations to control only five existing chemicals determined to present an unreasonable risk.
This program, which reviews new chemicals and enforces quality controls on existing chemicals, is "woefully underfunded," says Greenwood, especially over the last several years.
