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Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform Bill)
To amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to ensure that risks from chemicals are adequately understood and managed, and for other purposes, Lautenberg's "Safe Chemicals Act of 2011" would require safety testing of all industrial chemicals, and puts the burden on industry to prove that chemicals are safe in order to get on or stay on the market. Under current policy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can only call for safety testing after evidence surfaces demonstrating a chemical is dangerous. As a result, EPA has been able to require testing for just 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals currently registered in the United States, and has been able to ban only five dangerous substances. The new legislation will give EPA more power to regulate the use of dangerous chemicals and require manufacturers to submit information proving the safety of every chemical in production and any new chemical seeking to enter the market.
·Summary (2 pages)
·Full text (182 pages)
·Video: Lautenberg Introduces "Safe Chemicals Act of 2011" (3 minutes)
The Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure Elimination Act of 2011
This targeted research and evaluation program on suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals would establish greater scientific certainty with respect to the linkage of often unregulated chemicals with endocrine system effects. Credible linkages would make it possible for them to be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act, and new legislation such as the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Enhancement Act of 2010. It would also promote voluntary actions to reduce exposure to these harmful chemicals through market forces.
·Full text (18 pages)