One of the best ways to accomplish this is through pollution prevention. Before a new chemical is marketed, ERA reviews the ingredients and intended uses to determine potential health or environmental hazards. During the review, EPA identifies measures aimed at reducing exposures to the chemical. At this early stage, companies wanting to manufacture or use the chemical can readily integrate pollution prevention measures into their plans. If such measures will not reduce potential risks, ERA can regulate the chemical in several other ways.
ERA also reviews chemicals already in production.
Inventory lists about 70,000 existing chemicals. Of greatest concern are 10,000 to 14,000 high-volume chemicals for which little or no data exist. To address this large number of chemicals, ERA systematically reviews clusters of related chemicals and ranks them for further review or testing. Nominations of candidates for screening come form a variety of sources, including a federal interagency testing committee of experts. Pollution prevention also involves waste minimization recycling what we used to throw away or not generating wastes in the first place.