US NTP identifies ‘candidate substances’ for Report on Carcinogens

The United States National Toxicology Program has identified five substances as “candidate substances” for its next Report on Carcinogens (RoC), a biennial document that lists substances, including industrial chemicals, as either “known” or “reasonably anticipated” to be human carcinogens. The substances are: bromopropane, primarily used as a solvent for fats, waxes, or resins and in some spray adhesives and aerosol propellant applications; cumene, an alkylated benzene used mainly to produce phenol and acetone; pentachlorophenol, a general biocide that has been used extensively as a fungicide, bactericide, herbicide and insecticide by agriculture and other industries; ortho-toluidine, used as an intermediate to manufacture herbicides, dyes, pigments and rubber chemicals; trichloroethylene, used mainly as an intermediate for hydrofluorocarbon production and as a degreaser for metal parts. Occupational and environmental health scientists have voiced concern over moves by the US House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services to delay funding for the RoC until the National Academy of Sciences completes its review of the report’s listings for formaldehyde and styrene.