California to prioritize chemicals of concern

On Oct. 1, the controversial Safer Consumer Products (SCP) regulation went into effect in the state of California, according to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). As AAIA has previously reported, the SCP seeks to identify chemicals that have negative impacts on public health and the environment, and weed them out of consumer goods through costly assessments that could result in drastic changes to manufacturing or bans on certain products for sale in California.

The SCP regulation requires the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) to take the following steps: 1) Create comprehensive list of chemicals in consumer products that have been identified through domestic and international sources as needing to be investigated; 2) Identify “Chemicals of Concern” that are to be placed at the top of the list for assessments; and 3) Identify “Priority Products” containing the top chemicals. Subsequently, DTSC will designate “responsible entities” that are determined to be responsible for undertaking costly and time consuming alternatives analyses of their products to determine if the chemicals of concern can be removed.

California has already taken the first step by releasing the lists of chemicals that may eventually be listed as “Chemicals of Concern.” It is highly recommended that all businesses in the aftermarket review the list and determine what, if any, chemicals can be found in any of their products. The structure of the SCP is such that anyone from manufacturers to retailers and installers could be identified as the responsible entity for a particular product. Within 180 days, the DTSC must produce an initial list of “Priority Products” to undergo assessments by those entities. That list will be finalized within a year after a public input process.

To view the list of chemicals, other details, and initial timelines for implementation of the regulation, visit http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/scp/index.cfm.