Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has announced a new piece of legislation called the Safe Chemicals Act, which would impose new standards for chemicals used in commercial products and increase the EPA's authority for testing and regulation.
Currently, chemicals in most consumer products already fall under the purview of the EPA, though the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 gives the EPA limited regulatory authority. Under the new legislation, the EPA would be required to, among other things:
- Request testing data from manufacturers when necessary;
- Give certain chemicals priority with regard to hazard level;
- Establish a chemical database for public information.
Additionally, the bill would provide incentives for companies involved in green chemistry.
On the corporate side, manufacturers involved in producing consumer products would need to change the ways in which they test, classify and distribute their products. They would have to provide the EPA with lists of all chemicals used in their products as well as information on each chemical's toxicity.
Although the Safe Chemicals Act would provide consumers with more information about the products they use and may reduce the chances of exposure to toxic substances, the legislation may have some problems. It is possible that the bill would compromise intellectual property rights, forcing corporations to make available the types chemicals used in production.
Furthermore, the legislation gives individual states the right to set their own regulations for the use of chemicals in consumer products, to a point. While this might not matter for local companies, national and international firms might have difficulty complying with differing rules for 50 states.
Senator Lautenberg has collected support from numerous agencies and corporations, including the EPA and the Environmental Defense Fund. In order to pass this legislation, Lautenberg may need to adjust certain facets of the language, but because chemicals and toxicity are a concern for millions of Americans, he will likely continue to garner a support base.
