Public health advocates vs. chemical industry reps: two starkly different views on TSCA reform

On the eve of Congressional action, and after years of insisting that the status quo was just fine, organizations like the American Chemistry Council are suddenly announcing their support for reforming our nation's toxic chemical policy. What changed? For starters, states are beginning to ban toxic chemicals like BPA. Even worse, consumers are snubbing products that contain toxic chemicals.

Understanding that they can't fight this trend, the chemical industry has launched a PR campaign trying to appear green and clean; luring in supporters with Web sites designed to look like ours. But if you look past the fluff, you will find that our coalition and chemical industry reps still have very different ideas about what real TSCA reform should look like.

Events:

On March 30th, our campaign rallied outside the chemical industry’s annual conference in Baltimore to let them know they can’t ‘duck’ real TSCA reform.

Get the Facts:

• Factsheet: Shaping Chemicals Policy Reform: Public Health Advocates vs. the Chemical Industry (Safer Chemicals, Health Families)
• Holly Lohuis: Killer Whales, Toxic Chemicals, and a Mom (HuffPo Op-Ed)

Recently I received a call from a group purporting to promote protection from toxic chemicals...the Coalition for Chemical Safety (CCS)...it turns out that it is an organization created by a public relations firm to appear "grassroots"... CCS is pretending to be like us, when in fact it represents the interests that are trying to block or minimize restrictions on chemicals.
— Holly Lohuis, Marine biologist, Ocean Futures Society

• 3 Ways the Chemical Industry and Health Advocates View “Reform” Differently: See what 200 health and environmental groups had to say to the chemical industry outside its annual GlobalChem conference. (The Daily Green)
• Andy Igrejas: It's Time to Reform Our Toxic Chemical Laws (HuffPo Op-Ed)
• Richard Denison Blogs about the Coalition for Chemical Safety (Environmental Defense Fund)
• Alexandra Gorman Scranton: Will the real health advocates please stand up? (Helena ir.com)
• BPA industry fights back (Journal Sentinel)
• Chemical industry extinguishes effort to curb toxic fire retardants (NewsReview.com)
• The Business Report writes about ACC's about-face on TSCA (Business Report)
• National Journal explores chemical industry's bogus grassroots campaign (National Journal)
• Rallying For Better Chemicals Regulation (Chemical and Engineering News)