Most Americans believe the chemicals in products they buy in the supermarket have been tested for safety. But the scandalous truth is our main chemical safety law is so badly broken that no one has the authority to ensure the safety of chemicals used in everything from cleaning products to clothes to couches. Until we fix that, Washington state families will continue to be guinea pigs for every chemical on the market or will come on the market.
This is an issue every parent and every family should care about. Tens of thousands of chemicals are in products on the market today and science has increasingly tied some of them to cancer, infertility, diabetes, Parkinson’s and other illnesses.
For years Congress failed to fix this problem because they were unable to get the bipartisan support necessary to pass a bill. Public health advocates, including the Environmental defense fund, would lend our support to “ideal” legislation, only to see it blocked by allies of the chemical industry. And in the meantime, Americans were left exposed to these dangerous or untested chemicals.
Some states have worked hard to fill the void. But with few resources, they have been unable to make much of a dent. All told, only about a dozen chemicals or chemical groups have been restricted by states in the last four decades. In Washington state, only nine chemicals face state restrictions, and those only for limited uses.
But recently, something remarkable has happened. In a Congress known for gridlock, a bipartisan group of senators developed legislation that actually fixes the biggest problems in the current system — and has a real chance of becoming law. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act — named after the late anti-tobacco crusader who wrote the original version — has 41 co-sponsors in the Senate, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Washington state’s Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray are closely following the issue, as well. It is the kind of bipartisan momentum rarely seen on any issue in Washington.
This bill is not only bipartisan; it’s solid. The bill would:
Require a safety review for all chemicals in use today.
Ensure all new chemicals pass a safety check before they can be sold.
Explicitly require protection for those most at risk from toxic chemicals, such as children and pregnant women.
Give the EPA new authority to require companies to test chemicals for safety.
Increase the availability of health information on chemicals in use to states, first responders and the general public.
The broad support for these tough new requirements didn’t just happen. The chemical industry finally realized that the lack of a strong system to give consumers confidence in their products was hurting their business. They also prefer a national system to a state-by-state patchwork. So to get that, they’ve made significant concessions to public health and environmental advocates. The bill represents a compromise, but one that is vastly better than current law and finally breaks decades of failed attempts at reform.
What is clearly unacceptable is to stay with the status quo. Under the current system all Americans are losing. Its failures represent a serious and growing public health calamity. American families cannot afford to watch Congress squander the best opportunity ever to improve protections from toxic chemicals. Congress needs to pass this legislation now.
Richard Denison is a lead senior scientist in the Environmental Defense Fund’s Health Program.
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