The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that as of April 30, 2025, it is seeking public input on candidate peer reviewers for the draft risk assessment of three phthalates—di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-cyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP)—under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This initiative aims to select independent reviewers for the EPA's Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) to evaluate relevant data, models, and health risk assessment methodologies.
In December 2024, the EPA initiated the nominee procedure. Now, all candidate experts' resume information has been made public through the regulatory docket and the SACC website. The public can access the docket to submit written comments, with the deadline being May 15, 2025. The EPA emphasizes that submissions must not include trade secrets or legally restricted information, and personal information may be disclosed.
The peer review meeting is expected to take the form of an online public conference in August 2025, with the specific date to be announced later. The review outcomes will directly influence the development of risk management policies for phthalates.
The EPA is also conducting assessments of two other phthalates—benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP). Given the consistent scientific methods with the first three substances, the risk assessments of BBP and DIBP are expected to directly apply the results of this review without additional peer review.
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