To provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with environmental monitoring data on the siloxane D4, members of the Silicones Environmental, Health, and Safety Center (SEHSC) have begun an environmental monitoring program, designed in partnership with EPA, to assess levels of D4 in the environment. The data generated in the program will facilitate EPA’s environmental risk assessment for D4, using actual environmental concentrations, rather than predicting concentrations using computer models.
D4 is primarily used as an intermediate to make silicone polymers which enable products that provide vital societal benefits from a variety of industries, including: transportation, building and construction, health care and electronics.
“Generating real-world data from multiple locations throughout the U.S. will help us better understand the fate and distribution of D4 in the environment—which is consistent with our industry’s international environmental stewardship efforts,” said Karluss Thomas, senior director, ACC’s Chemical Products and Technology Division. “We are pleased that EPA will also be able to use this monitoring data to inform its risk assessment for D4.”
Siloxanes, including D4, are some of the most extensively studied chemicals widely used in consumer products and industrial applications. Health Canada conducted a comprehensive review of D4 and concluded there is no risk to human health. In addition, the European Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety (SCCS) and the United States Cosmetics Ingredient Review (CIR) Panel, which are independent expert scientific panels, also confirmed the safety of D4 for those consumer product applications for D4 that they reviewed.