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

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

EPA’s draft evaluation of D4 ignores real-world risks

You may not have heard of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (known as D4), but we can guarantee you have probably come into contact with it. Used in products from adhesives and automotive care products to cosmetics, hair treatments, and deodorants, regulators in Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have determined that D4 can pose reproductive and … Continue reading EPA’s draft evaluation of D4 ignores real-world risks

PRHE to EPA: Protect people from harmful phthalates

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

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

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

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?

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’s revised framework rule needs to do more to protect health

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

EPA rulemaking continues to ignore real world chemical risks

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

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