Category: TSCA

The chemical lobby is trying to weaken the law that protects people from toxic chemicals

~ PRHE

Toxic chemicals and pollutants are contributing to a rise in chronic disease including cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, autism, and infertility. Yet, the chemical lobby is trying to rewrite the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the one law designed to protect people from harmful chemicals. If they are successful, it could result in significantly higher … Continue reading The chemical lobby is trying to weaken the law that protects people from toxic chemicals

PRHE to EPA: Protect people from harmful phthalates

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

Main Takeaways Phthalates are plasticizers that are widely used and present in everyone’s bodies. They can increase the risk of health harms including preterm birth, metabolic disorders and infertility; the government urgently needs to enact regulations that will stop harmful exposures. EPA’s recent draft risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) severely underestimate … Continue reading PRHE to EPA: Protect people from harmful phthalates

EPA’s proposed revisions to TSCA Risk Evaluation Framework Rule will put more people in harm’s way

~ PRHE

The UCSF Program on Reproductive Health issued the following statement today. Instead of strengthening health protections and using best available science under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA's proposed framework rule weakens them by stripping away requirements that ensure TSCA risk evaluations reflect real-world chemical exposures and risks. It removes requirements for EPA to … Continue reading EPA’s proposed revisions to TSCA Risk Evaluation Framework Rule will put more people in harm’s way

Trump’s proposed asbestos rollback is a warning sign for all toxic chemicals

~ PRHE

Dr. Rashmi Joglekar, Associate Director of Science, Policy and Engagement at the Program on Reproductive Health at UCSF, issued the following statement today. On Monday, the Trump administration announced plans to stymie implementation of the EPA’s long-awaited ban on asbestos by threatening to delay and reopen the rule for reconsideration in a process that could … Continue reading Trump’s proposed asbestos rollback is a warning sign for all toxic chemicals

EPA is going down a dangerous path on toxic chemicals

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

EPA has taken many important steps toward protecting people from harmful chemicals in recent years, but a disturbing pattern has emerged in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention in which EPA uses flawed and outdated science to estimate risk to human health. In doing so, EPA is taking several steps backwards in protecting … Continue reading EPA is going down a dangerous path on toxic chemicals

Why is EPA disregarding health risks of formaldehyde?

~ PRHE

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 rulemaking continues to ignore real world chemical risks

~ PRHE

EPA recently issued Proposed Revisions to the Risk Evaluation Framework Rule, which was originally issued in 2017 and established guidelines to govern how EPA conducts risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Proposed Revisions provide critical updates to the original framework rule, that we applaud, but the Revisions fall short in several … Continue reading EPA rulemaking continues to ignore real world chemical risks

EPA’s recent TSCA rulemakings fail to protect workers and communities of color

~ PRHE

Over the past four months, EPA issued proposed rulemakings under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that relied on scientific methods that fail to protect susceptible subgroups from harmful toxic chemical exposures. Using methods developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), scientists at PRHE estimated that workers and fenceline community residents — groups that are … Continue reading EPA’s recent TSCA rulemakings fail to protect workers and communities of color

The fox shouldn’t guard the hen house

~ PRHE

EPA says it must consider the perspective of multiple stakeholders when regulating, but the chemical industry can play an outsized role in Agency rulemaking. For example, when people paid by industry, through grants, contracts, or as employees, are appointed to EPA scientific advisory committees, this financial conflict of interest (financial COI) can lead to weaker … Continue reading The fox shouldn’t guard the hen house

EPA moves to further limit deadly methylene chloride

~ PRHE

EPA today issued a proposed rule that would further limit the deadly chemical methylene chloride, proposing to ban the use of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial uses. EPA says the banned uses account for 52% of current methylene chloride production. In response, Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, former EPA senior scientist and … Continue reading EPA moves to further limit deadly methylene chloride