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Help Using the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory Files
Description
This version of the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory provides the non-confidential chemical identities and some related information for the substances on the TSCA Master Inventory File; it contains no TSCA Confidential Business Information. New versions of the TSCA Inventory are issued at approximately six-month intervals (approximately January and June of each year).
- Help Using These Files
- File Format
- EPA TSCA Inventory Flags
- Background on Completeness, Accuracy, and Legal Standing
Go to the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory files
Help Using These Files
EPA provides two versions of the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory for users to download at www.epa.gov/opptintr/existingchemicals/pubs/tscainventory/index.html. Inventory information is available in compressed "zip" files, in both a Microsoft Access version and a generic comma-delimited "CSV" text version. Depending on how your computer is configured, the zip file may open automatically when you click the link, or you may need to download the zip file and then manually open it. Inside the zip file you will find the actual data files. Generic information about zip files. 
To use the Microsoft Access version, you will first need to have Microsoft Access software installed on your computer. You can also view the information using a free Access "Viewer" that you can download. Please see the Microsoft Access support site for help in using Access software.
- TSCAINV_wCAS#_JAN10 - Contains that portion of the data that is not confidential for chemical substances, as identified by Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry Number and Chemical Abstracts (CA) Index Name.
- TSCAINV_wGenericChem_JAN10 - Contains the non-confidential list of chemical substances that are confidential, as identified by EPA accession number and generic chemical name.
If you don't have Microsoft Access, use the Comma Separated Value (CSV) text version. This version is designed to be uploaded into a wide variety of spreadsheet, word processing or database software applications. (Note: Users of this format may need to adjust column widths and other formatting to their specific software.) There are three *.CSV tables:
- TSCAINV_wCAS#_JAN10(Part I).csv and
- TSCAINV_wCAS#_JAN10(Part II).csv
- TSCAINV_wGenericChem_JAN10.csv - Contains that portion of the data that is not confidential for chemical substances, as identified by EPA accession number and generic chemical name.
The Microsoft Access database contains two tables:
These two files together comprise the list of all non-confidential chemical substances on the TSCA Inventory, as identified by Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry Number and Chemical Abstracts (CA) Index Name.
Once you have uploaded the files, you can perform basic searches or sort the information in different ways.
For example, in many types of databases or spreadsheets, you can press Control-F (or Command-F, on a Macintosh) to bring up a basic "Find" search box. Then you can type in a keyword or number for which to search.
You may be able to do other or more complex searches or sorts, but that will depend on which software you use. Please see your own software help system or your local computer support personnel for additional instructions.
File Format
The following data fields are provided for each chemical substance:
| File Name | Field ID |
Data | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
TSCAINV_wCAS#_JAN10 |
Record ID Number | |||
| Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number | ||||
| CAS Registry Number without "-" [dashes] | ||||
| Preferred Chemical Abstract (CA) Index Name * | ||||
| Chemical Substance Definition * | ||||
| UVCB Flag | ||||
| EPA TSCA Regulatory Flag *** | ||||
| TSCAINV_wGenericChem_JAN10 TSCAINV_wGenericChem_012010.csv |
Record ID Number | |||
| PMN Number/Form Number | ||||
| EPA Accession Number | ||||
| EPA TSCA Regulatory Flag *** | ||||
| Generic Name * | ||||
| * These data can be greater than 256 characters in length ** Multiple values are separated by a semicolon and space *** Information on EPA TSCA regulatory flags is provided below |
||||
| Field ID | Approximate Maximum Character Length |
|---|---|
NOTE: A Chemical Substance Definition in the DF field provides important identify information for certain Class 2 substances having Preferred CA Index Names that are not specific or complete enough to permit unambiguous identification of the substance or the category to which it belongs.
The presence of "UVCB" in the UV field indicates the substance is a Class 2 substance within the UVCB group, i.e., those with Unknown or Variable Composition, Complex Reaction Products and Biological Materials. These substances have no definite molecular formula representation and either partial or no structural diagrams.
The ASCII character set is used, with Field IDs in upper case and the data themselves in upper and lower case. Special characters are handled using the following conventions:
Greek letters - name of letter within periods, e.g., the alpha is represented as ".alpha".
The degree sign in temperatures is represented as ".degree".
Any superscript or subscript characters normally used in printed versions are online in the CD version.
All fields pertaining to a particular chemical substance are grouped together into a single substance record. For ease of use with data management software, records are separated from each other by a carriage return (
All field identifiers are present in a record even if some fields have no data. If there are no data, the field ID (with colon) is immediately followed by a tab unless it is the last field of the record, in which case the field ID (with colon) is immediately followed by a carriage return and newline. As indicated above, the SN and FL fields can have multiple values of data. In such cases, each value is separated from the one following by a semicolon followed by a space.
EPA TSCA Regulatory Flags
Special flags are used throughout the TSCA Inventory to identify those substances on the Inventory that are the subject of an EPA rule or order promulgated under TSCA, as well as to indicate the types of full or partial exemptions from TSCA reporting requirements. The following is a list of flags that are used:
E - indicates a substance that is the subject of a Section 5(e) Consent Order under TSCA.
F - indicates a substance that is the subject of a Section 5(f) Rule under TSCA.
N - indicates a polymeric substance containing no free-radical initiator in its Inventory name but is considered to cover the designated polymer made with any free-radical initiator regardless of the amount used.
P - indicates a commenced PMN substance.
R - indicates a substance that is the subject of a Section 6 risk management rule under TSCA.
S - indicates a substance that is identified in a proposed or final Significant New Uses Rule.
T - indicates a substance that is the subject of a Section 4 test rule under TSCA.
XU - indicates a substance exempt from reporting under the Inventory Update Reporting Rule, i.e., Partial Updating of the TSCA Inventory Data Base Production and Site Reports (40 CFR 710(C)).
Y1 - indicates an exempt polymer that has a number-average molecular weight of 1,000 or greater.
Y2 - indicates an exempt polymer that is a polyester and is made only from reactants included in a specified list of low concern reactants that comprises one of the eligibility criteria for the exemption rule.
Background on Completeness, Accuracy, and Legal Standing
This compilation of the public TSCA Inventory information is updated twice a year to include new and corrected TSCA Inventory chemical listings, and it contains none of the chemical identities claimed as confidential. Thus it is not as complete nor current as the information contained in EPA's TSCA Master Inventory File, which includes the chemical identities claimed as confidential and is updated continuously as new and corrected information is received by EPA. Consequently, for the purposes of TSCA compliance, the TSCA Master Inventory File maintained by EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics is the only complete and accurate source that can provide authoritative and conclusive information about which chemical substances are currently included in the TSCA Inventory.
Chemical names in this public file that are not of the Chemical Abstracts (CA) Index nomenclature comprising the actual TSCA Inventory listings were provided by the submitters of the reported substances. Although EPA has tried to correct errors in these submitter-provided names, it does not guarantee that all such errors have been identified and corrected. Similarly, a chemical synonym that a person obtains from another information source may not accurately refer to a particular chemical substance and its CAS Registry Number listed in the TSCA Inventory, even though the other source links the chemical synonym to that chemical substance and its CAS Registry Number. Therefore, for purposes of TSCA compliance, persons should only rely on the particular CA Index names constituting the TSCA Inventory listings. In this version (February 2010) of the public Inventory, the CA Index name can be found in the "IN:" data field. For questions related to the TSCA, please refer to www.epa.gov/oppt/newchems/contact.htm.