Companies must now tell US environmental regulators before using certain chemicals in new ways

US environmental regulators are creating new rules for specific chemicals. Companies must now get approval before using these chemicals in any way that regulators consider "new."

For decades, companies could introduce new uses for existing chemicals without specific oversight, as long as the chemical itself was already approved. This change means that even if a chemical is on the market, any new application of it now triggers a mandatory review. This shifts the burden of proof: companies must now demonstrate safety for new uses before they begin, rather than regulators reacting after the fact.