The U.S. EPA recently announced that it would assess twenty chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act, an important signal of leadership from the agency. The vast majority of the chemicals are flame retardants, which have been linked to developmental disabilities are used widely in sofas and other furnishings.
Our campaign Director, Andy Igrejas responded to the announcement with praise and a call for stronger federal laws on toxic chemicals.
“We applaud today's EPA announcement. Flame retardants have become exhibit A for our nation's failed chemical policy. Many have have turned out to be very toxic, and yet they have found their way into our homes and our bodies through their use in consumer products. Recent investigative journalism, as well as Senate oversight has revealed deeply deceptive practices used by the chemical industry to market these chemicals, inflating evidence of their efficacy while suppressing evidence of their toxicity.
“EPA is right to tackle a broader group of chemicals and break the cycle where one chemical is scrutinized, leading to replacements, which later turn out to also be problematic. The assessments can help shed new light on these chemicals and inform the market place about which ones to avoid. Unfortunately, until there is reform of TSCA, they will be severely limited in what they can actually do with the results of their assessments. That's why it is so important that congress pass the Safe Chemicals Act, which Senator Lautenberg will soon reintroduce.”
We are excited by the leadership from the EPA on these chemicals, but the question still remains, how can the EPA act on these chemicals if shown to be harmful under our current weak laws?
Tell your Senators you support the Safe Chemicals Act here!
Join us in thanking the EPA on Twitter — sample tweet:
Thank you @EPAgov for assessing flame retardant safety, now we need the #SafeChemicalsAct to move towards @SaferChemicals!