What is TSCA?
TSCA (toss-ka) stands for the Toxic Substances Control Act. Passed in 1976 under President Gerald Ford, it is our nation’s main law aimed at regulating chemicals used in every day products. The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition is calling for an overhaul of TSCA based on the law’s inability to protect the American public from exposure to harmful chemicals.
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Safer Chemicals: Good for Health and Good for Health Care
Health care institutions across the country have reduced exposures to harmful chemicals by eliminating known and likely hazards and switching to safer alternatives. These institutions reduce their disposal costs and liability while improving the overall health of employees, patients, and communities.
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Congressional Action Needed on a Chemical of High Concern: Bisphenol A (BPA)
BPA is a very common chemical found in plastics, food and beverage can linings, and other consumer products. BPA is known to mimic estrogen and, in animal studies, researchers have linked developmental exposure to BPA to reproductive harm, increased cancer susceptibility, and abnormalities in brain development and fat metabolism.
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The President's Cancer Panel Report
In a groundbreaking report released in May of 2010, the President’s Cancer Panel provided strong confirmation that exposure to toxic chemicals is an important and under-recognized risk factor for cancer, and recommended that the Government take immediate action to reverse this trend.
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Congressional Action Needed on a Chemical of High Concern: Asbestos
Despite everything we know about its toxicity, asbestos continues to be used in things like roofing materials and disc brake pads. If asbestos-containing materials such as insulation, flooring, and ceiling tiles become old and flake, then the asbestos fibers can become airborne and breathable.
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Chemicals and the Obesity Epidemic: the Link
Obesity is a major and growing problem in the United States. Shockingly, about one in three adults is obese, and today’s children and teens are three times as likely today to be obese as they were 30 years ago. Changes in diet and exercise in the last several decades are generally believed to be at the root of the problem. But a growing body of research is finding that toxic chemicals also may be part of the problem.
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Men's Health and Toxic Chemicals
Listen up, men! Believe it or not, every day you are exposed to a host of harmful or untested chemicals. These chemicals can be found in everyday items, from your smartphone to your wrinkle-free dress shirt, putting you at risk for conditions related to sexual and reproductive health and fertility.
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The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 - S. 847
On April 14, 2011, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Safe Chemicals Act (S. 847), which would take meaningful steps to protect American families from harmful chemicals.
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TSCA: Failing the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are unique, valuable, and vulnerable. Unfortunately, the world’s largest fresh water resource has become a major "sink" for a toxic stew of chemicals that end up in our environment and wildlife and—ultimately—in all of us. The widespread contamination of the Great Lakes ecosystems illustrates how the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), our nations' primary law governing chemical safety, has failed to protect public health, our communities, and our valuable land and water resources.
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Shaping Chemicals Policy Reform: Public Health Advocates vs. the Chemical Industry
Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), our federal system for overseeing chemical safety, is now on the national agenda. This is welcome news because TSCA has failed to protect public health and the environment from toxic chemicals, in the process threatening the competitiveness of American industry in a global market that increasingly demands safer products. This factsheet defines the key differences between what public health advocates want and what the chemical industry wants from TSCA reform.
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The Business Case for Comprehensive TSCA Reform
Using safer chemicals makes sense for our economy, health, and environment. Designing new chemicals to be safer from
the start reduces the costs of regulation, costs of hazardous waste storage and disposal, costs of providing worker protections, and potential liabilities.
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Public Opinion: Overwhelming Support for Tighter Controls on Toxics.
New public opinion research finds overwhelming public support amongst voters for tightening regulations on toxic chemicals.
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Public Opinion: Americans Want More Protection from Toxic Chemicals
Majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans say they feel much more favorable [about TSCA reform] when hearing that the legislation will take chemicals off the market if they have been detected in babies at birth or in infants (Democrats—66 percent much more favorable, Independents—52 percent, Republicans—59 percent).
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Chemicals of Concern
Here’s a list of chemicals linked to serious environmental and health problems, including cancer and reproductive disorders. Examples include: Formaldehyde, Heavy metals, Hexane, Hexavalent chromium, Methylene chloride, PBTs, PCBs & DDT, PFCs, Phthalates, Toxic Flame Retardants (PBDEs), Toxic Flame Retardants (TDCP and TCEP), Tricholoroethylene (TCE), and Vinyl chloride.
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Business Case Studies
Here you will case studies showing how leading businesses are eliminating toxic chemicals from their supply chains, asking chemical manufacturers for more safety information, and calling on Congress to put common sense limits on chemicals that could harm their customers. Examples include: Kaiser Permanente, Catholic Healthcare West, Seventh Generation, Construction Specialties, and Perkins + Will.
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Meet the Chemicals
Want to know more about the toxic characters that have leached and off-gassed into every aspect of our lives? Check out our cheeky fact sheets on BPA, aka “hormone wrecker;” the contradictory flame retardant family; formaldehyde, aka “the undertaker;” lead, the notorious neurotoxin; annoyingly persistent PFOA; elusive phthalates; and tricky TCE.
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Chemicals of Concern Identified by the US EPA
The EPA has announced their proposed criteria for expanding their list of chemicals of concern that require action to reduce exposure. Check out the chemicals here for a guide to the known concerns and major uses of each chemical.
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