Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Assessing and Managing Chemicals under TSCA

National PFAS Testing Strategy

To advance the agency’s understanding of the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), EPA has developed a national testing strategy that will require PFAS manufacturers to provide the agency with toxicity data and information on categories of PFAS chemicals to inform future regulatory efforts.  EPA has selected PFAS to be tested based on an approach that breaks the large number of PFAS into smaller categories based on similar features and considers what existing data are available for each category. EPA’s initial set of test orders for PFAS were strategically selected from more than 20 different categories of PFAS.

  • National PFAS Testing Strategy (pdf) (734.11 KB)
  • Read more about EPA’s overall work to manage PFAS risks through the PFAS Council and the associated Roadmap which describes EPA’s vision toward PFAS over the next several years.
  • Learn more about EPA’s work to manage risks from PFAS under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
  • View materials from the February 2024 TSCA PFAS Workshop.

Most of the hundreds of PFAS currently in commerce have limited or no toxicity data, and if EPA attempts to research them one at a time, it will be impossible for EPA to expeditiously understand, let alone address, the risks these substances may pose to human health and the environment. To address this data gap and fundamentally advance our understanding of these substances, EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and Office of Research and Development have collaborated to develop this National PFAS Testing Strategy (Strategy) to deepen the understanding of the impacts of PFAS, including potential hazards to human health and the environment.

This Strategy will help EPA identify and select PFAS for which the Agency will require testing using TSCA authorities. The Strategy develops categories of PFAS based on   information about similarities in structure, physical-chemical properties, and existing test data on the toxicity of PFAS (both publicly available and submitted to EPA under TSCA). Consideration of the existing toxicity data prior to requiring further testing also ensures adherence to the TSCA goal of reducing animal testing. EPA will use the Strategy to identify important gaps in existing data and to select representative chemicals within identified categories for additional study.

EPA is taking a phased approach to issuing test orders pursuant to the strategy beginning with human health effects on representative test substances for 24 PFAS categories in Phase I. The first test order was issued in June 2022, and the agency plans to issue additional Phase I orders in the coming months. 

  • Learn more about test orders under Section 4 of TSCA

Assessing and Managing Chemicals under TSCA

  • How EPA Evaluates the Safety of Existing Chemicals
  • Prioritizing Existing Chemicals for Risk Evaluation
  • Risk Evaluations for Existing Chemicals under TSCA
  • Risk Management for Existing Chemicals under TSCA
Assessing and Managing Chemicals under TSCA Contact Us
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on March 6, 2025
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.