EPA's Chemical Testing Program Has Made Little Progress

GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and the Interagency Testing Committee's (ITC) implementation of the chemical testing program for toxic substances. GAO found that: (1) EPA and ITC had identified for testing less than 1 percent of the more than 60,000 chemicals used; (2) neither EPA nor ITC had produced a list of chemicals that did not require testing; (3) by the end of fiscal year 1989, EPA had completed test data for only 6 chemicals, and had not determined whether those could be regulated; (4) ITC members' poor attendance contributed to its lack of crucial data for making recommendations to EPA; (5) even after publishing proposed test rules, EPA continues to delay issuance of final test rules; and (6) the EPA and ITC testing program lacked overall objectives and a strategy for achievement. GAO believes that: (1) the chemical testing program will continue to make little progress until these problems are addressed; and (2) the lack of internal controls to identify harmful chemicals increases risks to health and the environment.