Toxic Chemical Reform Hearings

Things are starting to heat up on Capitol Hill as the chemical industry and public health organizations debate how the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) will be updated for the first time since its original adoption in 1976.

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL)are expected to introduce a Toxic Chemical Reform bill later this month and hearings have already begun on this important issue. Last Thursday, March 4, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing was on Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals (PBTs), which include many of the most dangerous substances on the planet including dioxin, mercury, lead and cadmium. This Tuesday, March 9, the Senate Environment and Public Works hearing will invite business leaders to testify on how a move from toxic chemicals would affect their industry. The hearing will be audio webcast at http://www.energycommerce.house.gov.

The chemical industry claims they want real change, yet they are proposing costly and time consuming risk assessments which would delay any meaningful changes. However, the word is getting out... In a CNN segment called Chemicals, innocent or guilty, Sanjay Gupta, a physician and CNN’s chief medical correspondent, said that Lautenberg’s aim is “changing the paradigm from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent, in the sense that [a chemical] has to be tested before it can actually come to market.”

Please call your Congressional Representative and Senators to let them know we support Toxic Chemical Reform and we hold them accountable to make real and significant change! You can reach the Capitol Hill Switchboard @(202)224-3121 .