EPA advances risk evaluation for five chemicals under TSCA, including vinyl chloride

EPA advances risk evaluation for five chemicals under TSCA, including vinyl chloride, the organization said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will formally designate five known or probable carcinogens as High-Priority Substances (HPS) that will undergo a risk evaluation under the nation’s chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, 4,4’-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) and vinyl chloride. EPA also announced the beginning of the 9- to 12-month statutory process to prioritize the next five chemicals under TSCA to determine whether to initiate risk evaluations on them: benzene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene, styrene and 4-tert-octylphenol.

“Today we begin another five chemical risk evaluations under our nation’s strengthened chemical safety law and start the yearlong process to initiate five more,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “These risk evaluations will be used to determine how to protect people from harmful chemical exposures.”

EPA began the prioritization process for acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, 4,4’-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) and vinyl chloride in the December 2023 announcement. Today’s final designation of each chemical for risk evaluation is the last step in the 9- to 12-monthlong statutory prioritization process.

Over the past year, EPA has continued to improve the prioritization process by investing in cutting-edge software to review more information earlier in prioritization. EPA has also implemented improvements to its systematic review approaches as recommended by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) by incorporating additional data sources such as assessments published by other government agencies to identify potential hazards and exposures, clarifying terminology to increase transparency in the systematic review process, and presenting interactive literature inventory trees and evidence maps to better depict data sources containing potentially relevant information.

In a July 2024 announcement, EPA proposed to designate the five chemicals for risk evaluation. At that time, the agency made considerably more information about those chemicals publicly available a full year earlier in the process as compared to the first 30 chemicals to undergo risk evaluations under TSCA, giving the agency a head start on its work and giving the public earlier and better opportunities to provide input.

The agency will now begin risk evaluations for these chemical substances to determine whether they present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, without consideration of costs or other non-risk factors, under the conditions of use. If at the end of the risk evaluation process EPA determines that a chemical presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, the agency must immediately start the risk management process to address the unreasonable risk.

mrchub.com

Russia's GDP growth is expected to reach 3.9%-4% in 2024, and the government and the Central Bank are planning a soft landing with 2%-2.5% growth in 2025, as per Interfax.

As reported, the Federal State Statistics Service estimated the GDP growth at 4.2% in 9M 2024, including 5.4% year-on-year in Q1 2024, 4.1% in Q2 2024, and 3.1% in Q3 2024.

The Central Bank forecasts a GDP growth of 3.5%-4% this year, while the Economic Development Ministry's forecast is 3.9%.

Forecasts of the Central Bank and the Economic Development Ministry for 2025 differ quite significantly.

The Central Bank raised the key rate from 19% to 21% in October, and confirmed its outlook for Russia's GDP growth in 2025 at only 0.5%-1.5%. Most analysts, polled by Interfax in December, are confident that, against the backdrop of high inflation, the Central Bank will keep raising the key rate to 23% at the Board of Directors meeting on December 20, and some experts do not even rule out its immediate increase to 25%.

The official forecast given by the Economic Development Ministry in September, which was included in the 2025 budget (the ministry based its forecast on expectations of a softer monetary policy at the end of 2024 and 2025), says the GDP will grow 2.5% in 2025. The current stringent monetary policy makes this forecast look quite optimistic.

A consensus forecast of analysts polled by Interfax in early December is a 1.5% GDP growth in Russia in 2025.

mrchub.com

Major northeast Asian oil exporters have mostly finalized their 2025 sales for 10-ppm sulfur diesel exports at lower levels from 2024, trade sources said, underscoring a bearish market outlook for a second straight year, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) cargoes from Taiwanese refiners CPC Corp. and Formosa Petrochemical Corp. were sold at premiums of between 20 cents and 40 cents a barrel to Singapore quotes to Western traders such as Vitol and TotalEnergies, while supply from South Korea's GS Caltex and SK Energy was sold at discounts between 10 cents and 20 cents a barrel, multiple sources told Reuters.

Japan's ENEOS sold 2025 cargoes at discounts of up to 30 cents per barrel, they added. This compares with premiums of between 50 cents and $1 per barrel for this year's term supplies, marking a second straight year of decline in term prices.

These companies typically do not comment on commercial deals. South Korean refiners have also slightly reduced 2025 ULSD term sales from 2024 due to lower prices, two of the traders said, although the volume could not be confirmed.

With lower term requirements, these refiners could end up offering more spot cargoes next year or cutting runs depending on the situation, one of them said.

South Korean diesel exports averaged 13.9 MMbbl per month between January and October this year, down from a monthly average of 16 MMbbl in the same period a year ago, government data showed.

Traders are not interested in paying up for term supply amid persistent worries about weak regional demand, with supplies likely to remain sufficient given capacity growth in China and India next year, one northeast Asian refinery source said.

Refineries in Asia are not even running at full steam yet and supplies are already more than enough for some regions in northeast Asia, another one of the sources said.

The lower term prices may lead to Asia's supply becoming the cheapest globally, allowing swing supplies from the Middle East and India to pivot more cargoes west and possibly opening up arbitrage opportunities for Asia-Pacific cargoes to Europe, two trade sources said.

Stricter sanctions on Russia that target more shipping vessels from Moscow's so-called shadow fleet could end up hindering the movement of some oil products and buyers may have to seek alternative sources.

Meanwhile, analysts are expecting some demand improvement in the West, which in turn may help buoy Asian refining margins.

Despite the year-on-year declines, 2025 term prices are still an improvement from this year's spot deal levels - which average at discounts of around $1 a barrel, Reuters records showed.

mrchub.com

Russia plans to take 1.48 MM tonnes (t) of refining capacity offline in December, up by 35% from a previous estimate but still below the 2.4 MMt in November, according to calculations based on data from industry sources, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

A decline in idle capacity means refineries use more crude oil to produce fuel, making fewer volumes available for export.

Technological stoppages and maintenance of some units at the Ufaneftekhim, Komsomolsk, Volgograd, Novoshakhtinsk oil refineries will contribute to the upwards revision for December.

Expected cumulative offline primary oil refining capacity in Russia reached 40.7 MMt in 2024, up 13% from 2023.

mrchub.com

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection and certification, is partnering with Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (SHI), a leading global shipbuilding and offshore engineering company, to develop floating carbon dioxide (CO2) storage units (FCSUs) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the Republic of Korea, with the aim to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The collaboration will center on validating and certifying cutting-edge CCS technologies that are cost-effective and sustainable. By blending BV's renowned certification expertise with SHI's innovative, market-leading technology, this partnership aims to set new industry standards and accelerate the deployment of CCS solutions that can drive a greener, more efficient future.

BV and SHI will also collaborate on pilot projects to test the commercial potential of CCS technologies. BV will use its certification expertise to handle technical reviews and independent risk assessments. Additionally, they will conduct environmental studies and develop risk management plans to ensure the safety and sustainability of CCS projects.

Alex Gregg-Smith, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific (APA) at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: "Our partnership with SHI is an important step in our efforts to support the deployment of innovative carbon capture and storage technologies. By combining our expertise, we aim to advance the commercialization of FCSU and CCS solutions, which are critical for achieving global climate goals."

Haeki Jang, Chief Technology Officer, Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., said: “This collaboration marks a significant step towards realizing our vision of a sustainable future. By leveraging the strengths of both SHI and BV, we are committed to accelerating the deployment of carbon capture and storage solutions that meet the evolving demands of the global maritime and offshore industries. Together, we aim to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable world through the development of advanced CCS technologies.”

We remind, Indonesia's plan to expand its biodiesel mandate from Jan. 1, which has fueled concerns it could curb global palm oil supplies, looks increasingly likely to be implemented gradually, analysts said, as industry participants seek a phase-in period. Indonesia, the world's biggest producer and exporter of palm oil, plans to raise the mandatory mix of palm oil in biodiesel to 40% - called B40 - from 35%, a policy that has triggered a jump in palm futures and may pressure prices further in 2025.

mrchub.com