Statement on the Reform of Chemicals Policy in the United States
The main law regulating dangerous chemicals in the United States, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), is woefully out of date and ineffective.
April 4, 2010
The main law regulating dangerous chemicals in the United States, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), is woefully out of date and ineffective. When TSCA became law in 1976, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required to grandfather in the use of the 60,000 chemicals with no requirement that they be tested and shown to be safe. In the 34 years since its passage, the EPA has only used TSCA to require testing on 200 of the 80,000 chemicals that are now produced and used in the United States.