Five silicone producers, including Dow and Evonik, claim environmental monitoring information for D4 demonstrates that the widely used compound is safe, according to an article from Bloomberg BNA. The manufacturers reportedly submitted the information to the Environmental Protection Agency as part of an enforceable consent agreement they signed in 2014.
The European Union classifies D4 as reprotoxic and harmful to marine life, according to the article, and places some restrictions on its use. The EPA has not restricted use of D4, although it is one chemical the agency may review for risks under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The new data indicates no such regulatory restriction is necessary, says Karluss Thomas, senior silicone director at the American Chemistry Council, in the article. U.S. production and imports of D4 reportedly jumped from 300 million pounds in 2011 to between 750 million and one billion pounds in 2015.
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