TSCA

National Conversation on Chemical Exposure Drafts Available

I previously wrote about the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures, the effort by the CDC and ATSDR to develop recommendations for action regarding chemical exposures.  The National Conversation  formed a series of work groups to focus on a set of specific areas, and develop draft recommendations.  Today through September 20th, the draft …

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What’s Really Wrong With TSCA?

As Dan Farber discussed in his recent post, David Markell ‘s recent paper on TSCA provides some really interesting history.  John Applegate has some fascinating pieces on the history and future of TSCA as well–well worth the read  also.   I thought it was curious that Dan focused on cost-benefit barriers imposed by the courts as being the obstacle to effective risk regulation, …

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Reforming the Reforms: Building Safe Alternatives into Safety Standards

Chemical policy reform is heating up at the federal level. Senator Lautenberg has introduced a comprehensive reform bill in the Senate, and Congressmen Rush and Waxman are circulating a discussion draft bill in the House.  In their current form, both the Lautenberg bill and the Rush/Waxman discussion draft rely upon risk-based safety standards to protect against toxic …

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EPA Announces Action Plans for Four Existing Chemicals

EPA closed out 2009 by issuing “chemical action plans” for four chemicals: phthalates, long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in products, and short-chain chlorinated paraffins.  For each chemical, the action plan provides a summary of existing hazard, exposure, and use information, an outline the risks that the chemical may present, and a description …

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UCLA Sustainable Technology Policy Program Receives Grant for Alternatives Assessment

The Sustainable Technology Policy Program, an interdisciplinary project of UCLA School of Law and the UCLA School of Public Health, has received a research grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public Health Law Research Program to study safer alternatives to the use of lead in industrial and consumer products and processes. The grant, in …

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Jackson Comes Out Swinging on TSCA, But Pulls Some Critical Punches

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson delivered a one-two combination in chemical policy on Tuesday, announcing principles for legislative reform of TSCA while directing the agency to publicize administrative “enhancements” to the existing program.  At a speech in San Francisco, the Administrator presented the Obama Administration’s “Essential Principles for Reform of Chemicals Management Legislation,” a set of …

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Delivering on Reform?

It seems that TSCA reform is heating up for this and next year, but the form it will ultimately take is still quite hazy.  Senator Lautenberg and Representatives Waxman and Solis introduced the Kid Safe Chemical Act (KSCA) twice before, and the Senator is about to take a third swing at it very soon.  In …

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One Step Backward, One Nano Step Forward. . . Maybe

The action on nanomaterials continued at the federal level in August, advancing forward in one area (tentatively) and faltering in another (perhaps temporarily).  First, on August 4, the Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) issued its 64th report.  (The ITC is an independent advisory committee charged with identifying potentially toxic chemicals for which there is inadequate testing …

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National Conversation Starts on Public Health and Chemical Exposure

The CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry recently kicked off their National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposure with a day-long meeting on June 26, 2009 in Washington, DC.  The National Conversation is a stakeholder and public involvement initiative intended to develop an action agenda …

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Holding Our Breath for a Test Rule for Carbon Nanotubes

Researchers recently reported new findings regarding potential occupational hazards associated with carbon nanotubes.  These nano-scale cylinders have a variety of forms (single-walled and multi-walled, coated and uncoated, and so on.)  They are widely available and used in a variety of manufacturing, medical and electronic applications.  Previously, much attention was focused on whether when inhaled, nanotubes …

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