The TSCA was first passed back in 1976 to provide regulation over how everyday chemicals are developed, used, and disposed of, including dangerous substances like asbestos. However, since it became law, the TSCA has been criticized by a number of individuals and groups because it doesn’t provide adequate authority to regulatory agencies to enforce its provisions.
Recent calls for TSCA reform focused on a number of areas where the TSCA could be improved, including:
- Requiring regular reviews of commercially used chemicals
- Before marketing chemicals, companies must show that they are safe – similar to how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests drugs for safety
- Implement better protections for children, women, and other vulnerable groups
- Extend the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) authority to analyze existing and new chemicals
In June 2015, the TSCA Modernization Act passed the House to address a number of these issues. A different bill, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, has been making its way through the Senate. Although these bills address TSCA deficiencies in different ways, public interest groups, including the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), are hopeful that the differences will be worked out, and the new combined bill will improve the EPA’s ability to address toxic materials such as asbestos.
Source: http://www.mesothelioma.com/
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