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major companies in the chemical industry established the Institute of Chemical Industry Engineering

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In 2004, the company celebrated the 70th anniversary of its Toxicology and Environmental Fate Laboratory. In the late 1970s, major companies in the chemical industry established the Institute of Chemical Industry Engineering (CIIT) to conduct basic toxicological research to improve detection methods and basic understanding of toxicity mechanisms. In 1999, this effort evolved into a global initiative called the Long-Range Research Initiative (LRI), which provides funding for CIIT and university research to provide independence for the interaction between chemicals, human health and the environment Research.

Other important environmental health and safety milestones in the chemical industry include the formalization of industrial hygiene in the 1930s, epidemiological studies that began in the 1960s, emission reductions that began in the 1980s, the product management code adopted in the early 1990s, and the 2002 Industrial indicators.

From the beginning, these companies emphasized publishing their research results in peer-reviewed literature. However, Bond said that despite these efforts, the company's environmental health and safety plans are far from complete. Throughout the industry, their quality is not uniform, and there have been some notable incidents in the industry that have led to some important and useful regulations.

Federal regulations to help ensure chemical safety
Bond said: "In the United States, more than a dozen federal laws have a set of strict and comprehensive regulations. Other developed countries also have similar laws, and developing countries around the world are rapidly enacting similar laws. "Toxic Substances and Control" The TSCA is the main legislation governing industrial chemistry. It gives the EPA extensive powers to screen and manage new and existing chemicals. Bond pointed out that if a substance is discovered, it will cause unreasonable risks. The Environmental Protection Agency has the right to prohibit its production and sales. The company must notify the EPA before launching any new chemicals on the market, and must provide the EPA with the identity, characteristics, available hazard data, expected output, by-products, use, and Environmental releases, disposal practices, and human exposure limits. EPA scientists then determine whether this chemical poses an unacceptable risk.

According to EPA data, the agency screened more than 30,000 new chemicals between 1979 and 2001 (EPA, 2004a). More than 1,200 of them are subject to legal restrictions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2004a). The EPA has banned certain uses of more than 900 additional substances and used important new use rules, consent orders, and other tools such as the Toxic Substances Control Act authority. In more than 300 cases, the company voluntarily agreed to perform additional tests on EPA’s informal requirements. For more than 1,500 chemicals, the company voluntarily withdrew the production requirements when faced with EPA’s concerns (EPA, 2004a).

The "Toxic Substances Control Law" stipulates that companies must report to the EPA the latest product quantities and details of other existing chemicals every four years. The newly promulgated regulations require companies to submit large amounts of information on the use and exposure of these chemicals to the EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency has the right to request more detailed information and has implemented this requirement for more than 1,500 chemicals.

The "Toxic Substances Control Regulations" require manufacturers and importers to submit any information that reasonably supports the conclusion that there is a risk to human health and the environment within 30 days. Offenders can be punished with criminal or civil fines and imprisonment ranging from RMB 25,000 to RMB 50,000 per day.

The Federal Insecticides, Fungicides, and Rodenticides Act (FIFRA) requires more than 120 scientific tests on any new product. Only after the information has been rigorously reviewed by the EPA can the product be approved to protect crops or public health. Bond pointed out that this process can take up to 8 to 10 years, and the cost of each product exceeds $30 million. Among the 20,000 chemical substances that have been screened and developed for potential uses, only about one can actually move from discovery to commercial use as pesticides. Biological fungicides are also regulated by FIFRA and must undergo rigorous evaluation before being approved for use.

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