Only 200 of the 82,000 chemicals entering the market since 1976, have been tested.
New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) and Illinois House Representative Bobby Rush (D) have been working on legislation to overhaul the nation’s original Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) In 2009 a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) named the original TSCA act a “high risk” area of government, in need of reform.
The GAO found that the original act fails to adequately monitor the toxic chemicals actually in use in this country, requiring testing on only about 200 out of 82,000 chemicals entering the market since 1976. Of these 82,000 chemicals only 5 have been restricted. The GAO also found that the original act places significant burdens on those most likely to be affected by these chemicals, requiring them to research products for themselves to determine risks.
The new law would correct these flaws and would require safety testing of all industrial chemicals.
Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation , the leading household healthy cleaning products company says: “We support updating TSCA because it is vital for protecting the health of people and the planet.” Jeffrey Hollander was interviewed on the Green is Good radio show. His interview can be found here.