News Release

T – 03 – 23
Meredith Williams, Director

Contact: Alysa Pakkidis
(916) 594-4598
Alysa.Pakkidis@dtsc.ca.gov

California considers regulating consumer products containing microplastics and PPD derivatives

Safer Consumer Products Program proposes adding two chemical families to the menu of chemicals it may regulate, initiating a public process

SACRAMENTO – State regulators announced plans today for two additions to the list of chemicals that may be regulated under the state’s Safer Consumer Products Program (SCP). The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) proposes adding two groups of chemicals, microplastics and para-Phenylenediamine (PPD) derivatives, to its Candidate Chemicals List (CCL), based on their reported impacts on human health and the environment. This announcement begins a public process that will help inform a potential regulatory proposal.

Scientific evidence is increasingly showing that tiny particles of plastics, known as microplastics, may harm people or the environment. Once they are released, either directly or from the breakdown of larger plastic items, microplastics persist and move in the environment. In its 2021-2023 Priority Product Work Plan, DTSC named products that release microplastics to the environment as one of five policy priorities. At a November 2021 meeting of DTSC’s Green Ribbon Science Panel, speakers affirmed that exposure to microplastics may result in broad and significant negative impacts to human health and the environment.

PPD derivatives are a family of chemicals used in a variety of industrial applications. 6PPD, a member of this family, is widely used in motor vehicle tires to prevent deterioration over time; it is the only PPD derivative currently included on the CCL. A 2020 study showed that exposure to 6PPD from tire and road wear particles kills certain species of salmon while they are attempting to spawn. DTSC is finalizing regulations that will add motor vehicle tires containing 6PPD to its Priority Product List, which will require tire manufacturers to identify and evaluate potential alternatives to 6PPD that ensure tire safety and performance while also preventing harm to salmon and other fish. Adding this chemical class to the CCL will ensure that manufacturers fully evaluate the tradeoffs before switching from 6PPD to another PPD derivative.

This announcement, and public workshops planned for June and July, are part of a public process to help inform a potential regulatory proposal. Regulations that add chemicals to the CCL do not directly create any new requirements. They allow DTSC’s SCP Program to select consumer products containing one or more of these chemicals for later evaluation and possible regulation under SCP regulations as a Chemical of Concern in a Priority Product. Manufacturers of a consumer product regulated by SCP must thoroughly evaluate the impacts of a Candidate Chemical before choosing it as a replacement for a Chemical of Concern.

SCP’s public process for potentially adding microplastics and PPD derivatives to the CCL is underway, with workshops scheduled for June and July. Anyone wishing to participate and stay up-to-date on program activities should join the SCP e-list or visit the program’s webpage.

Links to technical background documents and information on the public workshops can be found here. The microplastics Public Workshop will be held on July 27, 2023; the PPD Derivatives Public Workshop will be held in July 2023 (date to be announced).

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FOR GENERAL INQUIRIES: Contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control to report illegal handling, discharge, or disposal of hazardous waste or other environmental concerns at Calepa.my.salesforce-sites.com/complaints/Complaint.