The House and Senate have now both passed the reconciled toxic chemical control legislation – the House bill on May 24, 2016 by a vote of 403 to 12 and the Senate bill on June 7, 2016 by voice vote. The legislation will next move to the President's desk for signing.
Advocates for human and environmental health, environmental justice, worker safety, sustainable business, cancer organizations, parent groups, and many others have been working for years to strengthen the ineffective Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. TSCA has been an abject failure at controlling toxins in the marketplace and protecting communities. It failed even to regulate asbestos despite mounting evidence of its danger. With approximately 85,000 chemicals in use, TSCA has banned only five of them.
* Funding that still falls short of what the Environmental Protection Agency needs to review a higher number of chemicals in a more timely way.
"Consumers increasingly understand that products we use every day, including those we put on our bodies and on our children, are not safe. U.S. policymakers have taken some steps, but more is needed if our nation is serious about regulating dangerous chemicals," said Todd Larsen, Green America's executive co-director for consumer programs.
* Removing the role of "cost effectiveness" in evaluating whether a chemical is safe.
Human and environmental health, not chemical industry profits, must drive control of toxic chemicals while businesses innovate and develop safer alternatives.