Court rejects industry challenge to styrene inclusion in carcinogen report
NTP met criteria
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has rejectedchemical industry challenges to an agency's decision to list the chemical styrene in the Twelfth Report on Carcinogens as "reasonably anticipated" to be a cancer-causing agent. A major styrene trade association and a manufacturer of the substance had sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for including styrene in the report.
The Public Health Service Act of 1978 directs the Secretary of HHS to prepare a Report on Carcinogens every other year that identifies substances with the potential to cause cancer. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) prepares the report to be issued on behalf of the Secretary of HHS. NTP does not issue or enforce regulations; it only conducts its own evaluations of the scientific evidence on carcinogens and publishes its conclusions.