EPA to study the risks of certain flame retardants on human health and the environment under TSCA reform.

Under the newly amended law, EPA must release a scoping document within six months for each chemical. This will include the hazard(s), exposure(s), conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulation(s) the agency plans to consider for the evaluation.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug that is similar to morphine and heroin but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Fentanyl and its analogs are members of the class of drugs known as rapid-acting synthetic opioids that alleviate pain. Other drugs in this class include fentanyl analogs, such as acetylfentanyl, butyrfentanyl, carfentanil, alfentanil, sufentanil and remifentanil. Fentanyl acts quickly to depress central nervous system and respiratory function. Exposure to fentanyl may be fatal.

Fentanyl analogues and other potent synthetic opioids and analgesics may be absorbed through the skin, allowing the drug to enter a person’s body without the typical illicit drug ingestion methods such as smoking, snorting, injection, etc. In addition, opioids may be inadvertently inhaled in situations where suspected drug samples are disturbed and particles become airborne. These exposures may place other people, including first responders, at potential risk.

The Ebola epidemic, which broke out in West Africa in 2014, served as a stark and timely reminder of the health and security risks that biological pathogens pose to modern society. The outbreak saw unprecedented levels of cooperation between health organisations and the military to try and contain the spread of the virus. But in the background, concerns were being aired in some quarters, as to whether terrorists or non-state actors could use biological pathogens like Ebola to launch 
attacks designed to cause mass deaths and/or casualties.



Firefighters are continuously exposed to particulates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that may heighten the likelihood of cancer. This is why they wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) during fire suppression and overhaul—to protect the respiratory tract, which is vulnerable to toxic combustion products that are commonly found in smoke and soot.