Conference Highlights: The Future of US Chemicals Policy

A Landmark Conversation: The Future of U.S. Chemicals Policy

Under the outdated and toothless federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), chemicals can go on the U.S. market with little or no safety testing, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only limited power to protect public health. One result, studies have shown, is that babies are born with hundreds of industrial chemicals in their bodies, Many of them are suspected of contributing to a growing list of health problems such as childhood cancer, obesity, autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, infertility and birth defects.

via A Landmark Conversation: The Future of U.S. Chemicals Policy | Environmental Working Group.

Background on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Urgent Need for New Chemical Control Laws in the US

As discussed here previously, the US is taking a hard look at its 30+ year old chemical control law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Many argue that the law is outdated, both because it doesn’t require health and safety data for new chemical notifications and because the bar for regulating existing chemicals seems too high a hurdle. Around 63,000 existing chemicals were grandfathered onto the TSCA Inventory with no health and safety review, and only a handful have seen such reviews since…

via The Dake Page: Chemical Control Reform – Kids Safe Out…ChAMP In?.