Chemicals of Concern

States’ Chemicals of Concern

Various IC2-member states have developed and published lists of priority chemicals to fulfill the requirements of their chemical policy legislation. To provide support and assistance to these efforts and those of states in the process of developing similar lists, the IC2 has developed an online, searchable database that allows users to:

Search for chemicals on one or more of the state lists

  • Identify source lists
  • Identify hazards and toxicity characteristics associated with the chemicals
  • Find useful information resources

Using the Database

There are two ways to access the chemicals information in the Database:

  • Browse state lists – Access the full listing of chemicals published by each state and the subset of chemicals each state has identified for further action.
  • Advanced search – Search by state, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CASRN), source lists on which the chemicals appear, listing reasons, or any combination of these search criteria. (Note, however, that some chemicals in the Database have no CASRN.)

Caveats

There are a number of important caveats to consider when viewing the information in the Database:

  • The Priority Chemicals Database documents information from source lists used by the IC2-member states when they generated their list of priority chemicals and may not reflect updates to lists that have been made since then. The information listed in the Database will only be updated when a state program revisits and updates their list of priority chemicals. The Database should not be used to track changes to the source lists used by the states.
  • Advanced searches of a source list will only identify chemicals selected for inclusion by the state programs in their list and may not show the full list of chemicals on that source list. Users should reference the original source list for the complete listing of chemicals. For more information, please see this list of sources, which includes descriptions and links to the organizations that developed them.
  • State programs listed chemicals without CAS numbers and chemical groupings in slightly different ways, leading to differences in how the information was imported into the Database. In some cases, there may be multiple listings of the same chemical or chemical group.
  • The health endpoints associated with Minnesota’s list are not necessarily the only toxic effects that the chemical may produce, or the most serious endpoints, depending on the type of exposure.
  • Minnesota included chemicals on its Chemicals of High Concern list that are not associated with the sources lists referenced in the Database. As a result, some search results that include Minnesota data may include chemicals without “lists referencing this chemical.”
  • The IC2 State Priority Chemicals Database includes chemicals with a wide variety of toxicity and exposure profiles. Some chemicals are very potent, while others appear to require large doses for any effect. Some chemicals are widely found in children’s products, while others have limited evidence of exposure potential.

This Database does not provide comprehensive reviews of the literature on the chemicals on the lists. The state agencies that developed them did not conduct full health risk assessments or eliminate chemicals with evidence of toxicity only at high doses. The state laws do not require them to rank the chemicals, consider dose-response information, or evaluate the amount of exposure likely to come from children’s products when prioritizing chemicals for their lists. As such, the agencies do not assume the chemicals on the lists to be hazards when present in children’s products. Some chemicals may not be particularly accessible or may be present in concentrations unlikely to cause harm.

Currently, state agencies entrusted with protecting children’s health lack adequate information about the use of chemicals in products, making it difficult to evaluate the potential for exposure and, consequently, the potential for harm. The information that is being collected under a few state laws will help agencies and the public gain a better understanding of what chemicals are in products and whether or not there is a risk, and, if so, what could be done to address it.