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. Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program

Acetonitrile Petition

Acetonitrile Petition
Basic Information
Legal Authorities
  • 42 U.S.C. §11023
  • 42 U.S.C. §11048
Federal Register Citations
  • 78 FR 14241
  • 73 FR 12410
  • 64 FR 10597
Code of Federal Regulations Citations
  • 40 CFR Part 372
Docket Numbers
  • EPA-HQ-TRI-2006-0319

On this page:

  • Rule Summary
  • Rule History
  • Additional Resources

Rule Summary

In 1999 and 2013, EPA denied petitions to remove acetonitrile from the list of chemicals subject to reporting requirements under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and Section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA). EPA reviewed the available data and determined that acetonitrile did not meet the deletion criterion of EPCRA Section 313(d)(3) due to its potential to cause death in humans. 

Rule History

On February 4, 1998, EPA received a petition from BP Chemicals Inc. and GNI Chemicals Corporation to delete acetonitrile from the list of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals. On March 5, 1999, EPA denied the petition based on a determination that acetonitrile met the listing criteria of EPCRA section 313(d)(2)(B) and (d)(2)(C) due to its potential to cause neurotoxicity and death in humans and its contribution to the formation of ozone in the environment. 

On June 28, 2002, EPA received a second petition from BP to delete acetonitrile from the list of chemicals reportable under EPCRA Section 313. Specifically, BP argued that acetonitrile met all of the criteria for delisting because: (1) Under generally accepted scientific principles, chronic mortality is not an issue for concern; and (2) EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards concluded that acetonitrile does not have sufficient photochemical reactivity to contribute to ozone formation.  

On March 5, 2013, EPA denied the petition to delete acetonitrile, based on EPA’s conclusion that acetonitrile can reasonably be anticipated to cause serious or irreversible chronic health effects in humans. 

Additional Resources

Denial of Petition: 2013 (PDF)(5 pp, 226 K, About PDF)
Notice of Data Availability (PDF)(2 pp, 178 K, About PDF)
Denial of Petition: 1999 (PDF)(8 pp, 239 K, About PDF)

Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program

  • What is TRI?
    • Covered Chemicals
    • Covered Industry Sectors
    • Data Quality
  • Reporting for Facilities
    • Guidance (GuideME)
    • Reporting Software (TRI-MEweb)
    • Laws & Regulatory Activities
    • Enforcement
  • TRI Data & Tools
  • Pollution Prevention
    • Guide to Using TRI Data to Reduce Pollution in Your Community
    • P2 Analyses
    • P2 Resources
  • TRI Data in Action
    • Data Uses Catalog
    • TRI for Communities
    • TRI for Advocacy Organizations
    • TRI for Researchers
    • TRI for the Press
    • TRI for Industry
    • TRI for Government
    • TRI for Tribes
    • What You Can Do
  • TRI Site Map
TRI Program Contacts
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on January 30, 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.