Sign this one for sure. A new chemical "reform" bill has been introduced in the Senate. The bill does not require the Environmental Protection Agency or chemical companies to prove that chemicals are safe. It barely addresses the needs of children, pregnant women and workers and does not take into account that people are exposed to multiple chemicals through many different pathways. It would not strictly regulate chemicals that remain in the environment or in our bodies for decades. Nor does it protect communities located near chemical plants. New chemicals could be manufactured and sold before the EPA fully evaluated their safety. Worse, if those chemicals were subsequently found to be dangerous, the EPA would confront multiple obstacles in banning or restricting them. States have stepped in to regulate some of the most dangerous chemicals in recent years because the federal government could not, or would not, act. BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups is a good example. This bill would "pre-empt" state action, blocking the ability of states to protect their people when the federal government fails to do so. Chemical companies would not be required to produce basic safety data for new chemicals or chemicals that are already on the market. When submitting health and safety testing data, companies would be allowed to keep secret the names and other identifying features of their chemicals.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:34:25 +0000
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