What is meant by widespread and previously unsuspected distribution in environmental media?
A.27. “Widespread distribution” means extensive. Persons with a possible TSCA §8(e) reporting obligation should consider amount, extent and patterns of contamination in determining if distribution is extensive enough to be considered widespread. For example, a chemical spill involving thousands of pounds of a toxic chemical is TSCA §8(e) reportable if it migrates to groundwater where there is a reasonable possibility of exposure to humans or environmental species through drinking water or agriculture. But a smaller chemical release that was cleaned up and contained before any substantial distribution to the environment occurred may not be TSCA §8(e) reportable. “Previously unsuspected” is not only unknown, but considered unlikely based on previously available information. “Environmental media” are soil, sediment, surface and ground water, air (including workplace and other indoor air) and, by extension, commercial products containing toxic chemical contaminant(s). Q.28. In many cases,
