After the sobering results of last week's election, I'm reflecting about what this means for our work to promote a healthy and safe environment free of toxic chemicals. Voters clearly said they wanted change at all levels of government, including in our own Bay Area. While there will be much post-election analysis, our own polling … Continue reading Our values and mission won’t change; our strategies will
In an era where science and law often collide, the June 28, 2024, Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo overturning Chevron deference marks a pivotal shift that could reshape environmental regulation as we know it. The longstanding Chevron decision established the principle that federal courts must defer to an agency’s reasonable interpretation … Continue reading How will SCOTUS’ Chevron decision impact environmental health regulations?
Yeast and worms may be small, but they have the potential to transform the way we evaluate chemicals in the United States. A big challenge in preventing harmful chemical exposures is how long it takes to identify whether a chemical is toxic to human health. Fortunately, yeast and worms - high throughput (HTP) in vivo … Continue reading The power of rapid screens to predict human toxicity
EPA’s recent draft risk evaluation of formaldehyde is a concerning new direction in the Agency’s implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, with people routinely exposed through its use in composite wood products, plastics, paints, adhesives, and sealants. While EPA’s recent risk evaluation does find that formaldehyde presents an … Continue reading Why is EPA disregarding health risks of formaldehyde?
EPA today issued a final rule to revise the framework for how it conducts risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This rule is important for establishing how risks of harm from chemical exposures to workers, consumers, children and fenceline communities are assessed under TSCA. The final rule includes important improvements in several … Continue reading EPA’s revised framework rule needs to do more to protect health
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has been famously attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Today, an ounce of prevention is worth more like $820 billion when you estimate the health costs of climate change and air pollution, per year in the U.S., according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. A vastly disproportionate … Continue reading Safeguard loved ones from toxic chemicals
In the United States, almost 60 million people live within 500 meters of a highway or highly trafficked road. Living near roads means greater exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) from cars and trucks, which can lead to numerous health issues, including premature death. In California, 40% of the population lives near major roads, the … Continue reading Life is a (polluted) highway: How exposure to traffic pollution impacts health
Quantitative risk assessments underpin most of our federal regulations related to chemicals. Therefore, it is important to understand how and why risk assessments can go astray. Risk assessment brings together concepts of hazard (the potential for a chemical to result in an adverse health outcome, such as carcinogenicity) and exposure. Combining multiple sources of information … Continue reading How and why to close the exposure assessment gap
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is currently developing a critical update to its guidance on analysis of benefits and costs of federal regulations, known as Circular A-4. This guidance, which hasn’t been revised since it was issued in 2003, can have a major impact on the extent of public health protections in a … Continue reading OMB’s draft Circular A-4 falls short on equity
When a nail salon worker heads home after work, she’s probably carrying more than her paycheck. She is also carrying phthalates — a class of toxic chemicals that contaminates people via nail polish, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, plastics, and food. One nail salon worker is exposed to multiple chemicals from many different sources, yet regulators like … Continue reading CRAs can help EPA more accurately estimate risks from toxic chemical exposures
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