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- watch the video below. Also below are infographics, fact sheets and social media outreach materials that summarize processes under the new TSCA and where the most current scientific principles and data should be brought to bear— please feel free to use and share!
The briefing explored: EPA’s progress on TSCA implementation and important new mandates under the revised law; the latest science on assessing risks to vulnerable populations including pregnant women, workers, and communities of color; and the implications of current EPA proposals for public health.
- Download the presentation slides.
Press Kit
View the Press Kit, which includes the Press Release, the Media Advisory and the announcement in addition to all materials listed below.
Infographics
View infographic references.
Pregnant Women + Chemicals Don’t Mix
Download the image or a printable copy.
Toxic Tricks
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Social Media Resources
Why isn’t EPA protecting him?
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Why isn’t EPA protecting them?
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Why isn’t EPA protecting them?
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Why isn’t EPA protecting workers?
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EPA is underestimating the risks
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~30,000 lbs of industrial chemicals
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Toxic chemicals are contaminating people
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Fact Sheets
How is EPA Handling PBT Chemicals under the New Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)?
Download a printable copy.
How is EPA Handling Existing Chemicals under the New Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)?
Download a printable copy.
How is EPA Handling New Chemicals under the New Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)?
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Program Summary
The legislative briefing, co-hosted by the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists covered: what the science says about the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent chemical decisions and how they affect public health; how the EPA, led by Administrator Scott Pruitt, is implementing TSCA and why it faces legal challenges; and, loopholes industry has found and what they mean for you and the public.
Speakers
Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD (moderator), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, former EPA scientist and Professor and Director, one of the nation’s leading experts on chemicals, health effects and chemical policy, reviewed how the EPA’s recent chemical decisions fail to reflect what Congress intended when it reformed TSCA.
Eve Gartner, JD, Earthjustice, attorney who has filed multiple lawsuits on TSCA to protect public health, explained how the EPA is violating the law and the loopholes industry has found.
David Michaels, PhD, MPH, George Washington University School of Public Health, former Assistant Secretary of Labor who issued OSHA rules to protect workers from exposure to silica and beryllium, examined how TSCA affects workers and how the current administration is jeopardizing workplace health protections.
Monique Harden, JD, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, who provides research, legal and advocacy assistance to communities harmed by pollution, discussed the ways chemical regulations and TSCA implementation are failing children and families.
Nathaniel G. DeNicola, MD, MSHP, FACOG, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), reviewed the reasons why ACOG is getting involved in environmental policy and what the science says about the effects of chemical exposures on women’s health.
Supporting Organizations
- Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Public Health Association
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine
- Blue Green Alliance
- Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
- Center for Research on Early Childhood Exposure and Development in Puerto Rico
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth
- Children’s Environmental Health Network
- Collaborative on Health and the Environment
- Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
- Earthjustice
- Emory Children’s Environmental Health Center
- Endocrine Society
- Environmental Health Strategy Center
- Healthy Babies, Bright Futures
- Healthy Building Network
- March of Dimes
- Pesticide Action Network
- Physicians for Social Responsibility
- Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
- Safer States
- Silent Spring Institute
- University of California, San Francisco Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies
- WE ACT for Environmental Justice
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