Is the New Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Working as Congress Intended?

~ PRHE

Our April 2018 legislative briefing “Is the New Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Working as Congress Intended?,” held in partnership with The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), was attended by 95 people including Congressional and agency staff, media and NGOs. Leading experts shared concerns about EPA’s approach to the science in TSCA implementation- … Continue reading Is the New Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Working as Congress Intended?

The Clean Air Act must protect pregnant women: here’s how

~ Patricia Koman, MPP, PhD

Whether at the Oscars or the March for Science, women are increasingly standing up with each other and questioning the status quo in everything from entertainment to politics, including in my field of environmental health. Protecting women during pregnancy from pollution might seem like an obvious public health objective, yet in the 40-plus year history … Continue reading The Clean Air Act must protect pregnant women: here’s how

1+1>2: Evaluating how risks of pollutants and stressors stack up

~ Hongtai Huang

Constant exposure to environmental pollutants can sicken our bodies, and social stressors such as poverty and psychological burden can further aggravate the health effects. For example, traffic-related air pollution has been linked to the onset of childhood asthma. However, if children exposed to air pollutants also experience violence, their risks of developing asthma can be … Continue reading 1+1>2: Evaluating how risks of pollutants and stressors stack up

In this EPA, low priority is a high priority

~ Veena Singla

You may have heard the statistics: 80,000 industrial, commercial and consumer product chemicals registered for use in the U.S. with little if any health data on most, and few hazardous chemicals restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thus, you might naturally think that EPA’s focus under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) would … Continue reading In this EPA, low priority is a high priority

Stripping chemical hazard program bad move for public health

~ Veena Singla

There’s a federal assessment program you’ve probably never heard of, yet its results are so powerful that they create policies to limit people’s exposure to cancer-causing and toxic chemicals across the country, from a mobile home park in San Diego to a retired couple’s home in Northwest Michigan to apartments in Minneapolis. It’s the Integrated … Continue reading Stripping chemical hazard program bad move for public health

EPA skirts law with industry ‘do-overs’ for risky chemicals

~ Veena Singla

I wish my school exams had been as easy as getting approval to produce a new chemical under this administration’s EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The Agency’s new process is the equivalent of getting a bunch of answers wrong, being told what the right answers are, then re-doing the test and getting an A+. But unlike … Continue reading EPA skirts law with industry ‘do-overs’ for risky chemicals