Tag: Regulatory

Advisors tell EPA to act on plastic pollution to benefit kids’ health

~ PRHE

The US EPA Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC) summarized the science on plastic pollution and children's health and made recommendations to the Agency that are a wake-up call on the health impacts of plastic pollution.  The majority of committee members found “…the science is clear that plastic pollution can harm children’s health and raise risks of … Continue reading Advisors tell EPA to act on plastic pollution to benefit kids’ health

Chemical regulation needs to protect health, Woodruff testifies

~ PRHE

Dr. Tracey Woodruff testified today at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on "Examining the Beneficial Use and Regulation of Chemicals”. The following is her full testimony. Testimony before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, … Continue reading Chemical regulation needs to protect health, Woodruff testifies

Toxic Recipe: EPA rollbacks, immunity for polluters, and increasing threats to public health

~ PRHE

In Brief:   EPA is proposing to roll back established protection from PFAS in drinking water. Furthermore, some lawmakers seek immunity for PFAS polluters. This double whammy to environmental protections will result in increased exposure to PFAS and higher rates of adverse health effects. This is contrary to the MAHA goals for reducing and preventing chronic … Continue reading Toxic Recipe: EPA rollbacks, immunity for polluters, and increasing threats to public health

We did the math. EPA’s calculations of male reproductive harm from DCHP are off by 50,000x.

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

Despite decades of scientific research and evaluation linking phthalates to male reproductive harm and infertility, these chemicals remain largely unregulated in the United States. There is little indication this will change based on EPA’s recent draft risk evaluation of dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), which relies on flawed scientific methods that significantly underestimate health risks. So, PRHE … Continue reading We did the math. EPA’s calculations of male reproductive harm from DCHP are off by 50,000x.

EPA’s deficient evaluation of the carcinogen 1,3-butadiene leaves the public at risk

~ PRHE

You may not be familiar with the toxic chemical 1,3-butadiene, but it’s everywhere. The U.S. chemical industry makes and uses enormous quantities of it every year—from 1 to 5 billion pounds. It’s used to make materials like synthetic rubber and plastics. EPA’s evaluation of 1,3-butadiene under the Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA) found that this … Continue reading EPA’s deficient evaluation of the carcinogen 1,3-butadiene leaves the public at risk

SCOTUS Chevron decision hamstrings regulators and favors polluters

~ PRHE

Statement from Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, Professor and Director of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and the UCSF EaRTH Center, on the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine: We are dismayed and appalled by today’s decision from the Supreme Court of the United States to ignore 40 years of … Continue reading SCOTUS Chevron decision hamstrings regulators and favors polluters

EPA’s final rule on methylene chloride is good but could be better

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

EPA issued a final rule yesterday under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that bans all consumer uses of methylene chloride, and several industrial and commercial uses. “EPA’s regulation of methylene chloride is an important step forward in protecting workers and consumers from this deadly solvent,” said Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, Professor and Director of … Continue reading EPA’s final rule on methylene chloride is good but could be better

We applaud EPA for new rule reducing EtO emissions

~ PRHE

The following statement is from Dr. Tracey J. Woodruff, former EPA senior scientist, UCSF professor, and director of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and the UCSF EaRTH Center on EPA’s new rule on EtO, ethylene oxide: “We applaud EPA for strengthening standards to reduce emissions of cancer-causing EtO (ethylene oxide). This … Continue reading We applaud EPA for new rule reducing EtO emissions

How and why to close the exposure assessment gap

~ PRHE

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