12/06/2026 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is advancing its review of the widely used flame retardant TBBPA, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by releasing its draft risk evaluation. TBBPA is found in electrical and electronic products, batteries, fabric, textile and leather products, laboratory chemicals, and building and construction materials for commercial and consumer uses: meaning decisions here can directly affect the air Americans breathe at work and at home.
Using gold standard science — including real-world monitoring data and modeling — the draft identifies unreasonable risk to workers from inhalation exposure (three conditions of use) and unreasonable risk to the environment from releases to surface water during certain processing and disposal activities (two conditions of use). The draft did not find unreasonable risk to consumers or the general population.
In the draft, EPA used real-world monitoring data and modeling to assess exposure for workers (breathing in dust or vapor and skin contact), consumers (breathing, skin contact, and ingestion), and the general population (drinking water, fish, and soil). EPA also evaluated risks to fish, amphibians, and other aquatic and land organisms, and has strong confidence in many of the aquatic risk estimates.
All current protections for TBBPA remain in place while EPA completes this review; releasing a draft does not alter any existing safeguards. After peer review and public comment, EPA will move promptly to finalize the evaluation.