Chemical Policy (TSCA)
There is widespread agreement that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the principle federal statute governing the use and safety of the thousands of chemicals we are exposed to in our everyday lives, is broken and needs to be reformed.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been given responsibility but little authority to enforce TSCA. Enacted in 1976, this current law was broken from the start, grandfathering thousands of chemicals already on the market. This law is so broken and so weak that the EPA could not even ban asbestos, a cancer-causing substance that is still in use and killing thousands of Americans each year.
To date, the EPA has only reviewed a few hundred chemicals for safety. There are nearly 85,000 chemicals currently approved for use that the federal government and consumers know little to nothing about.
We need real toxic chemical reform that ensures protection of public health, especially to our vulnerable populations, and the environment from the hazards these chemicals pose.
EWG president Ken Cook has issued the following statement on the passage of the Janey Ensminger Act
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The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bipartisan bill that provides health benefits to veterans and their families exposed to contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Read MoreEWG's Chief of Staff, Heather White, explains why reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is needed to protect kids and adults from toxics chemicals like flame retardants, found in unexpected places like peanut butter.
Read MoreA key Senate committee today (July 25) approved the first fundamental overhaul of federal chemicals regulation since passage of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), widely considered the weakest of the major U.S. environmental laws.
Read MoreThe Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today scrutinized a failed federal law that has allowed toxic flame retardants to be widely used in consumer products.
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A short clip from the video "10 Americans".EWG President Ken Cook, explains the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 and why reform is needed to help protect people of all ages, especially babies, from toxic chemicals found in consumer products.
Read MoreThe U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that furnishes health care benefits to veterans and their families made ill from polluted drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Read MoreLess than a year after the state of California banned baby bottles and sippy cups made with the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol-A, BPA, the federal government has followed suit.
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My kids eat more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches than I'd like to admit. And in my line of work I hear about toxic chemicals daily so it takes a lot to shock me. But, flame retardants in peanut butter? Even I paused when I saw the headline about a recent study that found that flame retardants - that stuff that's slathered on kids' pajamas, sofa foam and upholstery ostensibly to protect us from fires--are showing up in sardines, poultry and yes, even peanut butter.
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California Governor Jerry Brown took a stand for public health today by directing state agencies to revise outdated and unsupportable flammability standards.
Read MoreThe federal Food and Drug Administration has informed Rep. Edward M. Markey (D-MA) that it is beginning a process that could end the use of the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in infant formula packaging.
Read MorePeople diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to toxic debris during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks should qualify for free treatment under the 9/11 victim compensation fund, federal health officials said last week.
Read MoreEven the asbestos industry has its defenders on Capitol Hill. Their support for the deadly carcinogen and the industries that use it was on display when the “Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2012” was introduced last month.
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Finding a nasty flame retardant in peanut butter and other food products brought EWG senior analyst Sonya Lunder to tell E&E reporter Jeremy Jacobs: "We are contaminating our food chain with chemicals that are long-lasting in the environment and harmful to our health. We need to stop this."
Read MoreDeSmog Blog published a piece last week about a new study linking in utero exposure to the notorious bisphenol-A to breast cancer.
Read MoreWhen I spoke with EWG senior analyst Nneka Leiba about this year's sunscreen database she had mixed feelings.
"On one hand, we can recommend 25 percent of sunscreens on the market," she said. "On the other hand, we can recommend 25 percent of sunscreens on the market."
After five years of advocating more effective and safe sunscreens, we're excited to see some progress in the marketplace. Last year we could recommend 20 percent of sunscreens, and the year before only eight percent. Why is that?
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Late Thursday EWG found out the Food and Drug Administration was going to delay their sunscreen regulations by six months, at the request of the cosmetics industry. EWG replied with a statement that called out the agency's foot-dragging and highlighted the disservice to consumers. USA Today, Forbes, Mother Jones, Los Angles Times and E&E News all ran stories.
Read MoreUnder pressure from two cosmetic industry groups, the Food and Drug Administration has decided to delay for six months implementation of pending regulations on how sunscreens are labeled and marketed.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture began testing fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues in 1991 after the public became concerned about their potential risks to children.
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Nicholas Kristof a columnist for The New York Times, has written about the expanding evidence that hypospadias and other birth defects in people and wildlife that may be linked to the daily bombardment of endocrine disruptors in household goods, pesticides and other man-made products.
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