Category Archives: TSCA

China’s viral enviro health documentary and US TSCA reform malaise

Posted on April 6, 2015 by tbach

Last month, this Chinese documentary about the country’s legendary air pollution problems went viral. Now available with English subtitles, Under the Dome has the look and feel of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, from TED style narration and eye-grabbing background slides to shots of rapt … Continue reading →

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Same old DC gridlock on TSCA reform

Posted on April 30, 2014 by tbach

Just moments ago I posted on yet another state’s successful lawmaking on commercial chemicals regulation.  Now, unfortunately, I get to update you on the continued paralysis in Congress on federal TSCA reform. The Hill reports today that Rep. Shimkus’s floating … Continue reading →

Posted in chemical safety regulation, congress, environmental health, public health, synthetic chemicals, TSCA | Comments Off on Same old DC gridlock on TSCA reform

Update on the commercial chemicals bill

Posted on March 13, 2014 by tbach

As explored in earlier posts here and here and here, the Chemicals Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate last May to address many shortcomings of the Toxic Substances Chemical Act (TSCA), has been slowly making its … Continue reading →

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Fraud in Asbestos Litigation

Posted on February 5, 2014 by caitlin

Asbestos, a heat resistant mineral fiber, was commonly used as insulation and in manufactured goods as a fire retardant until it was banned for many of these uses in the 1970s. In 1989, EPA attempted to ban all products containing … Continue reading →

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Water Safe to Drink After West Virginia Spill (Just Not for Pregnant Women)

Posted on January 19, 2014 by caitlin

On January 9, 7500 gallons of Crude MCHM, or 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a chemical used to clean coal during processing, leaked from a storage tank at Freedom Industries and contaminated the Elk River and the drinking water supply in nine counties. … Continue reading →

Posted in chemical safety regulation, drinking water, EPA, TSCA | Comments Off on Water Safe to Drink After West Virginia Spill (Just Not for Pregnant Women)

GAO Reviews EPA’s use of Conditional Registration

Posted on September 17, 2013 by caitlin

Pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA conducts toxicity assessments to determine whether or not to register chemical substances. In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) addressed EPA’s longstanding struggle to obtain adequate scientific information on … Continue reading →

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Committee Hearing on the Chemical Safety Improvement Act turns into Preemption Debate

Posted on September 13, 2013 by caitlin

One of the biggest topics of debate surrounding the bi-partisan attempt to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been whether the bill, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), would preempt state law. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of … Continue reading →

Posted in BPA, chemical safety regulation, environmental health law, EPA, lead, mercury, TSCA, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Committee Hearing on the Chemical Safety Improvement Act turns into Preemption Debate

Panel Discussion on TSCA Reform

Posted on July 11, 2013 by caitlin

On July 10, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) held a panel discussion on the bipartisan Chemical Safety Improvements Act (CSIA), introduced by Senators Lautenberg (D) and Vitter (R) in May.  The panel included perspectives from Richard Denison, the Senior Scientist … Continue reading →

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Senator Frank Lautenberg, environmental public health advocate

Posted on June 3, 2013 by tbach

Senator Lautenberg, who has figured so prominently in this blog for the past week, died this morning.  He was 89.  A five-term senator from New Jersey, he came to public service after a career in business, at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, chemical safety regulation, congress, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, government, precautionary principle, public health, public health law, synthetic chemicals, TSCA, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Senator Frank Lautenberg, environmental public health advocate

Popular reaction to the Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013

Posted on May 30, 2013 by tbach

I listened with interest today to On Point’s segment on this proposed bipartisan bill.  The segment was captioned “Toxic Chemicals:  A New Push to Get a Grip.”  Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group was a featured guest (I mentioned his group’s … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, carcinogens, chemical safety regulation, congress, dioxins, environmental health, environmental health law, EPA, EWG, lead, PCBs, precautionary principle, public health, risk assessment, synthetic chemicals, TSCA, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Popular reaction to the Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013