New York, NY – February 11, 2004
U.S. EPA, Region 2 has proposed a $333,300 penalty against the Albanil Dyestuff Corporation in Jersey City, New Jersey for violating rules regarding the importation of new chemical substances. EPA filed a complaint under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) alleging that the company imported nine new chemical substances without providing EPA with prior notification or certification of the chemicals at the time of import.
?These requirements allow EPA to ensure that a new chemical does not pose an undue risk to people?s health or the environment,? said Jane M. Kenny, EPA Regional Administrator. EPA discovered that Albanil Dyestuff imported these new chemicals without providing the proper notification.?
The Toxic Substances Control Act requires chemical importers to determine whether or not any chemical imported in bulk or as a part of a mixture is a ?new chemical substance.? If the substance is new, EPA will assess the risks of importing it. The importer must provide a Premanufacture Notification (PMN) to EPA at least 90 days prior to importation of any such substance, so that it can be placed on the TSCA Inventory of Chemical Substances. In addition, under the TSCA Import Certification Rule, the importer or authorized agent, is required to certify that the importation complies with all applicable rules under TSCA.
There are currently more than 75,000 industrial chemicals produced or imported into the United States. The New Chemical Program?s Premanufacture Notification procedures require EPA to evaluate the potential risk to human health and the environment of new chemicals developed by industry for potential commercial use. EPA is given broad authority to identify and control substances that may pose a threat to human health or the environment. EPA can identify conditions, up to and including a ban on production or importation, to be placed on the use of a new chemical before it enters commerce in the United States.
