Asia-Pacific

US govt urged to restrict chemicals on market

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-04 13:56

LOS ANGELES - Two US health agencies on Tuesday urged the United States to strengthen efforts to restrict chemicals that threaten health.

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Citing growing evidence of the link between exposure to toxic chemicals and chronic diseases, the Johnson Family Foundation (JFF) and the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must seek partners in academia to help evaluate the risks of industrial chemicals on the market today.

Such industrial chemicals include those that are produced in the greatest quantities, are commonly found in the human body, and that pose a potential risk to children's health and development.

The two agencies noted that the current Toxic Substances Control Act is outdated and falls short, leaving the public vulnerable to some 83,000 toxic chemicals currently on the market.

Under the 1976 law, companies do not have to prove their chemicals are safe.

This provision keeps potentially harmful chemicals on the market, increasing the risk to human health," the two agencies said in a report published in Health Affairs.

Furthermore, the process required by the law to identify and control hazardous chemicals requires an extensive process of collecting, analyzing and evaluating data, the report said.

This process consumes considerable government time and resources and acts as a roadblock to efforts to manage chemical risks and protect the public's health, according to the report.

The report urged the federal government to prove whether a chemical is dangerous.

With reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act uncertain, given the current political and budgetary climate, the EPA must look beyond Washington to strengthen its oversight of chemicals and accelerate efforts to reduce exposures to those chemicals that might contribute to poor health, the report said.

"In the thirty-five years since the Toxic Substances Control Act was enacted, we've learned much more about the harms of everyday chemical exposure and its contribution to a growing number of chronic diseases such as reproductive disorders, learning and behavioral disabilities, and diabetes," said Sarah A. Vogel of the JFF, co-author of the report. "Yet the EPA has had a nearly impossible time regulating the use of hazardous chemicals, such as asbestos, because it is hindered by the very high burden of proof that falls on the agency."

They propose that the EPA partner with academic institutions and professional societies to test and evaluate the risks of high-priority chemicals, including those that are produced in the greatest quantities, are commonly found in the human body, and that pose a potential risk to children's health and development.

In April, a bill was introduced in the US Senate that would reform the country's chemical policy and align the United States more closely with changes in Europe. The bill would require chemical producers to submit safety data for all chemicals, new and existing, and prioritize substances of concern for review and risk management, according to Health Affairs.

Many states have already taken steps to limit the market for hazardous chemicals, such as restricting lead in toys and bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles.