The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (or DTSC) is an agency of the government of the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

which protects public health and the environment from

hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...

. DTSC is part of the

California Environmental Protection Agency The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) is a state cabinet-level agency within the government of California. The mission of CalEPA is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quali ...

, with one thousand employees, and is headquartered in Sacramento. , DTSC has regional offices in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

, Chatsworth,

Clovis Clovis may refer to: People * Clovis (given name), the early medieval (Frankish) form of the name Louis ** Clovis I (c. 466 – 511), the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler ** Clovis II (c. 634 – c. 657), ...

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

El Centro El Centro ( Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the co ...

and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and environmental chemistry laboratories in Berkeley and

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

. Meredith Williams has served as the director of DTSC since 2019.

History

The Hazardous Waste Control Act of 1972 established legal standards for hazardous waste. Accordingly, in 1972, the Department of Health Services (now called the

California Health and Human Services Agency The California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) is the state agency tasked with administration and oversight of "state and federal programs for health care, social services, public assistance and rehabilitation" in the U.S. state of Calif ...

) created a hazardous waste management unit, staffing it in 1973 with five employees concerned primarily with developing regulations and setting fees for the disposal of hazardous waste. In 1978, the

Love Canal disaster Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, infamous as the location of a landfill that became the site of an environmental disaster discovered in 1977. Decades of dumping toxic chemicals killed residents and harm ...

caused an upswing in funding for the unit, which grew to seventy people before being made an official branch of the department. In 1981, the unit was renamed to the ''Toxic Substances Control Division'', consisting of a laboratory in Berkeley and a headquarters office in Sacramento, and took on public information duties. Eventually, the Division was severed from the Department of Health Services and placed under the new California Environmental Protection Agency. The agency has since expanded to include the regulation of commercial products including toys, jewelry and

food packaging Food packaging is a packaging system specifically designed for food and represents one of the most important aspects among the processes involved in the food industry, as it provides protection from chemical, biological and physical alterations ...

Areas of responsibility

DTSC regulates the generation, handling, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste in California. DTSC also cleans up hazardous waste sites in California such as disposal sites and industrial sites that resulted in contamination of soil and groundwater. Since 1 October 2013, DTSC can impose a range of regulatory responses to address hazards or potential harmful exposure. According to the ''Safer Consumer Products'' regulations, DTSC may: require additional product information for consumers; impose use restrictions on chemicals and products; prohibit the sale of a product; require

engineering controls Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve systems. Modern engineering comprises many subfi ...

; require end-of-life management; or order funding for green chemistry research.

Programs and laws

In cooperation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, DTSC administers state and federal hazardous waste programs including: * California Environmental Quality Act—CEQA; * Resource Conservation and Recovery Act—RCRA * Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act—CERCLA * Toxic Substances Control Act—TSCA of 1976. * California Green Chemistry Initiative, becoming statute in 2008. *RCRA (Resources Conservation and Recovery Act) *and a number of other State and Federal bodies of law dealing with hazardous materials and the environment.

Office of Criminal Investigations

Within DTSC's Hazardous Waste Management Program is the Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI). OCI is staffed with criminal investigators (sworn

California State The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California, and the largest public university system in the United States. It consists of 23 campuses and seven off-campus centers, which together enroll 461,6 ...

Peace Officers A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

), environmental scientists and computer forensics specialists. DTSC Investigators are duly sworn

peace officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

s of the State of

. They are authorized to conduct investigations, make arrests, and carry firearms (among other duties). As of 2015, Hansen Pang is the director of OCI.

Criticism

In 2015,

Exide lead contamination Exide was one of the world's largest producers, distributors and Battery recycling, recyclers of Lead–acid battery, lead–acid batteries. Lead–acid batteries are used in automobiles, golf carts, fork-lifts, electric cars and motorcycles. Th ...

raised concerns about longstanding problems at the state Department of Toxic Substances Control. The governor and state legislators sought new laws, oversight hearings, and other reform efforts after a battery recycling facility east of Los Angeles was allowed to operate without a full permit for more than three decades and the company was not required to set aside adequate funds to clean up pollution coming from the plant.

References

External links

Official State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control—DTSC websiteThe California Green Chemistry WikiDTSC Office of Criminal Investigations website
{{DEFAULTSORT:California Department Of Toxic Substances Control DTSC Environment of California Toxic Substances Control Waste organizations