TSCA Reform: A Bipartisan Milestone to Protect Our Health from Dangerous Chemicals
President Obama just signed a bipartisan bill to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the first major update to an environmental statute in 20 years. That’s great news for the environment and for the health of all Americans.
TSCA was first passed in 1976 to help keep dangerous chemicals off the market and avoid making people sick. Back then, health experts already knew that certain chemicals could cause very serious health impacts, including cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm.
While the intent of the original TSCA law was spot-on, it fell far short of giving EPA the authority we needed to get the job done.
It became clear that without major changes to the law, EPA couldn’t take the actions necessary to protect people from toxic chemicals. Diverse stakeholders, including industry, retailers, and public health and environmental experts, recognized these deficiencies and began to demand major reforms to the law.
Today, in a culmination of years of effort from both sides of the aisle, President Obama signed a bill that achieves those reforms.
The updated law gives EPA the authorities we need to protect American families from the health effects of dangerous chemicals. I welcome this bipartisan bill as a major step forward to protect Americans’ health. And at EPA, we’re excited to get to work putting it into action.
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2576) was made possible by years of hard work by both Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate, as well as EPA staff who have provided significant technical assistance. I applaud everyone who stepped up and made it happen. It’s historic, and it’ll make Americans’ lives better.
TSCA was intended to be one of our nation’s foundational environmental laws. In terms of its potential for positive impact, it should have ranked right alongside the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, which, since the 70’s, have dramatically improved water quality and helped clean up 70 percent of our nation’s air pollution. But it hasn’t.
Forty years after TSCA was enacted, there are still tens of thousands of chemicals on the market that have never been evaluated for safety, because TSCA didn’t require it. And the original law set analytical requirements that were nearly impossible to meet, leaving EPA’s hands tied – even when the science demanded action on certain chemicals.
The dangers of inaction were never more stark than in the case of asbestos, a chemical known to cause cancer through decades of research.
During the first Bush Administration, EPA tried to ban asbestos under TSCA, but the rule was overturned in court. In the law’s 40-year history, only a handful of the tens of thousands of chemicals on the market when the law passed have ever been reviewed for health impacts, and only 5 have ever been banned.
Because EPA was not empowered to act on dangerous chemicals, American families were left vulnerable to serious health impacts. At the same time, some states tried to fill the gap to protect their citizens’ health—but state-by-state rules are no substitute for a strong national program that protects all Americans. Chemical manufacturers, consumer retailers, and others in industry agreed: reform was sorely needed.
As with any major policy reform, this one includes compromises. But the new bipartisan bill is a win for the American people—because it’s a victory for EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment.
Here are a few highlights:
- The new law requires EPA to evaluate existing chemicals, with clear and enforceable deadlines. Under the old law, the tens of thousands of chemicals already in existence in 1976 were considered in compliance, without any requirement or schedule for EPA to review them for safety. EPA is now required to systematically prioritize and evaluate chemicals on a specific and enforceable schedule. Within a few years, EPA’s chemicals program will have to assess at least 20 chemicals at a time, beginning another chemical review as soon as one is completed.
- Under the new law, EPA will evaluate chemicals purely on the basis of the health risks they pose. The old law was so burdensome that it prevented EPA from taking action to protect public health and the environment–even when a chemical posed a known health threat. Now, EPA will have evaluate a chemical’s safety purely based on the health risks it poses—including to vulnerable groups like children and the elderly, and to workers who use chemicals daily as part of their jobs—and then take steps to eliminate any unreasonable risks we find.
- The new law provides a consistent source of funding for EPA to carry out its new responsibilities. EPA will now be able to collect up to $25 million a year in user fees from chemical manufacturers and processers, supplemented by Congressional budgeting, to pay for these improvements.
Bottom line: this law is a huge win for public health, and EPA is eager to get to work.
Jessica J.
Jun 22, 2016 @ 12:30:17
Yes! I’m excited for this long overdue reform. Thank you to everyone who was apart of this change. I look forward to the advancements that will follow.
Raj Kumar
Jun 28, 2016 @ 18:26:41
Me to..
Akhil Buch MSc. (IH,EHS,PH)
Jun 22, 2016 @ 18:39:33
22 years ago as a graduate student looking at the neurotoxic properties of certain solvents, I recall entering MANOVA data by 10 pm into the VAX/Goulds mainframe and picking up the data at 9 am the next day. It took 12 hours to compile the data and several wasted days with an error message. Now, such SPSS routines take seconds on a laptop. 22 years later wasted days are now wasted seconds with answers returned and ample time for further research. 22 years of research data pushing the frontiers of what we know, I applaud the powers that be for taking stock, reassessing the TSCA lists and bringing us current. Our computing power grows at an exponential rate, and I look forward to shorter intervals in updates.
Coupons
Jun 23, 2016 @ 06:48:19
Cancer…learning disabilities…birth defects. Yes, it’s time for national reform that reflects current science around health impacts from toxic chemicals. Thanks for pushing on.
Lynn McCarthy
Jun 23, 2016 @ 07:10:56
Dear EPA,
Will this benefit animals tested with chemicals?
Thank you,
Lynn McCarthy
Christabel of Junk Collection London
Jul 14, 2016 @ 08:14:55
I really like your question, although I seriously doubt there would be any benefit for the animals.
I’m all about a healthy lifestyle and eco-friendly products, however I can’t help but wonder how far is EPA going to take this. Sure it sounds good now, but like history has though us, measures are only taken after a disaster happens. Hopefully EPA would be able to change that by removing any harmful products form supermarket shelves.
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Jun 24, 2016 @ 08:13:23
Thanks you so much…
qayyum
Jun 25, 2016 @ 04:28:53
Looking Forward For More Advancement.
qayyum
Jun 25, 2016 @ 04:30:15
Thanks for sharing
Kiran Akkineni
Jun 26, 2016 @ 12:47:16
It’s amazing how many carcinogenic (and otherwise toxic) chemicals are in everyday products, and how many were thought to improve health outcomes in the past (i.e. anti-bacterials). This is quite a big milestone indeed.
Thomas Bowman, PhD
Jun 27, 2016 @ 05:59:34
Will animal testing restrictions prevent or delay academic researchers’ studies in rodents of known endocrine disrupting chemicals or other chemicals that are already being utilized in human products?
OSCAR FREDY POSSO VITALI
Jun 28, 2016 @ 15:47:03
THE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SIGNED BILL REFORM TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT. TSCA IS FIRST MAJOR UPDATE AN ENVIRONMENTAL STATUTE IN 20 YEARS. TSCA WAS PASSED FIRST TIME IN 1976 KEEPING DANGEROUS CHEMICALS OFF MARKET.
Raj Kumar
Jun 28, 2016 @ 18:17:30
Thanks you!
Mike G
Jun 28, 2016 @ 18:22:35
I think this is a bad law that gives too much power to the EPA and will lead to unintended consequences.
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Jun 29, 2016 @ 04:31:50
It’s great to hear that the government is taking stern action and steps towards preventing health hazards due to toxic chemicals being let into the open environment without treatment. Such reforms will make the companies and organizations responsible for their acts of letting out the poisonous exhausts either through the air, water or land fills.
bella jones
Jun 30, 2016 @ 07:53:14
Thanks for the mention, I appreciate it , After all health is wealth.
DatamanUSA LLC
Jun 30, 2016 @ 17:07:00
Toxic Substances should be ban for normal person.
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Jul 01, 2016 @ 04:57:12
Great effort to protect our health from dangerous chemicals.
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Jul 01, 2016 @ 12:54:52
Poisonous chemicals are one of the most dangerous culprits in spoiling our health. We have to take precautions along with the government in monitoring what we eat and drink. If we take care not to let out the poisons and toxic right at the source, we can save our environment from getting polluted and also on the expenditure on cleaning it.
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Jul 04, 2016 @ 03:46:02
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Bim Bam
Jul 05, 2016 @ 04:44:57
great info
Dhiya
Jul 06, 2016 @ 03:40:26
Superb explanation & it’s too clear to understand the concept as well, keep sharing admin with some updated information with right examples.Keep update more posts.
James Matheson
Jul 07, 2016 @ 14:22:37
I made a wind up clock charge usb devices and I was shown that this environment issue is about some other country and has nothing to do with ours and no matter what people do they want another country to make ours pay they dont want the answer
Winar
Jul 11, 2016 @ 18:39:41
many chemicals among us, and many of them are dangerous. its need evaluating on the basis of public health.
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Aug 02, 2016 @ 13:40:02
thanks.
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marianne
Aug 16, 2016 @ 18:42:45
I only wish our government would protect us from the fluoride that is forced upon in the water or the Round up & GM foods that we are not allowed to know about in our foods. I have thyroid and gluten problems and I try to be very selective about everything I ingest & use on my body but if its not on the label then I don’t know what is making me sick. Profits of these companies mean more than the health of the American public but when the American “sick care system” comes crashing down around us then maybe someone will do somethig, I forget Big Pharma will profit from the sick!!!!!!!!!!
tika
Aug 23, 2016 @ 23:09:49
Poisonous chemicals are one of the most dangerous culprits in spoiling our health. We have to take precautions along with the government in monitoring what we eat and drink. If we take care not to let out the poisons and toxic right at the source, we can save our environment from getting polluted and also on the expenditure on cleaning it.
tikaw
Aug 24, 2016 @ 01:18:07
Poisonous chemicals are one of the most dangerous culprits in spoiling our health. We have to take precautions along with the government in monitoring what we eat and drink.
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Sep 21, 2016 @ 10:04:27
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Parc Aventura
Sep 21, 2016 @ 11:14:02
Care and renewal of toxic waste from factories and industries can make our health in the short medium term we thank those actions, more green forests, more pure and healthy air , in exchange for making responsible use of such waste.
Congratulations on the article.
Zumvo
Nov 02, 2016 @ 16:03:04
Toxic Substances should be ban for normal person.
geek loves health
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David
Dec 03, 2016 @ 13:07:39
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