Chemical Testing and Assessment
Because of the government's limited ability to mandate testing under existing regulatory authority, Environmental Defense impelled the chemical industry to agree voluntarily to develop basic hazard information on so-called high production volume (HPV) chemicals — those produced in amounts exceeding one million pounds annually.
Through our groundbreaking 1997 report "Toxic Ignorance," we raised public awareness of how few HPV chemicals had been tested and how little data were available to the public. In response, the voluntary HPV Challenge was launched in 1998 to close the data gaps and give the public access to basic hazard information on 2,200 chemicals produced and used in the largest amounts.
We have closely monitored the Challenge every step of the way, tracking its progress in a series of reports and via our online HPV Tracker, and documenting what it has — and has not — accomplished. Our final assessment, "High Hopes, Low Marks: A final report card on the HPV Challenge" reveals some accomplishments but also serious limitations to this voluntary approach.
We are closely monitoring EPA's next steps to assess the HPV chemical data and address chemicals in commerce. In March 2008, EPA announced ChAMP (Chemical Assessment and Management Program) as the U.S. answer to the European Union's REACH Regulation, as well as other global efforts to advance knowledge about chemicals and manage their risks.
While Environmental Defense Fund considers ChAMP to be a modest step forward, it is far less ambitious than REACH and has some serious shortcomings. See the comments and analysis we provided to EPA. See our news release "ChAMP just doesn't have the REACH" (May 2008).
Posted: 09-Jan-2006; Updated: 19-May-2008
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Details About the Initiative
- Orphan Chemicals in the HPV Challenge: A Status Report: Our June 2004 report on the status of so-called orphan chemicals left unsponsored under the HPV Challenge.
- HPV Chemical Tracker: Our online database that tracks overall program progress and the status of individual chemicals and the performance of participating companies.
- Facing the Challenge: Our March 2003 status report on progress on implementing this HPV chemical assessment program (we will update this report later this year).
- High Production Volume (HPV) Chemical Challenge Initiative: Statement of Environmental Defense Senior Attorney Karen Florini before the House Committee on Science Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, including an overview of the Initiative. (6/17/99)
- Joint Announcement of Cooperative Program for High Production Volume U.S. Industrial Chemicals: Announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Chemical Manufacturers Association and Environmental Defense of a framework for the Initiative. (10/9/98)
- Questions and Answers about the Initiative: Background on the need for toxicity information, the program's scope and similar issues.
- Additional Details on the Voluntary Testing Program Describes the chemicals covered by the program, the information to be generated, and other important details.
Information on Animal Testing in the Initiative
- The HPV Initiative and Animal Welfare -- Questions and Answers: This document provides responses to 16 frequently asked questions about use of animal testing in the initiative.
- Letter to EPA from Environmental and Health Groups: Nine major environmental and health advocacy organizations wrote to EPA in support of the Initiative, and asked EPA to take a leadership role in developing non-animal testing methods for the initiative. (8/17/99)
- Letter to the Environmental Protection Agency Regarding HPV: Environmental Defense and the Humane Society of the United States sent a letter to the Administrator of the EPA urging the agency to take additional steps to minimize animal testing in the HPV initiative. (5/10/99)
- Testsmart Project to Promote Faster, Cheaper, More Humane Lab Tests: We announced the Testsmart project, which is designed to find more efficient and humane methods of conducting preliminary toxicity screening tests on chemicals. The project is being conducted jointly with Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University. (2/24/99)
- Letter to Concerned Citizens: A letter regarding the use of animals in the High Production Volume Chemicals initiative.
