Washington, D.C. – The Chemical Safety Improvement Act proposed in the Senate “fails to protect public health and the environment and allows chemical companies to keep conducting business as usual, which is the reason all Americans, including babies in the womb, are polluted with hundreds of toxic chemicals,” said Jason Rano, Environmental Working Group’s Director of Government Affairs.
“The House should embrace the opportunity to draft reform legislation that addresses all the failings of the Toxic Substances Control Act and corrects the deficiencies of the Senate proposal,” said Rano. “The Senate bill should not be the starting point for the debate over reforming the failed toxics law. At a minimum, Congress should begin with a proposal that includes a strong safety standard, protects children and other vulnerable populations, pulls back the cloak of secrecy the chemical industry enjoys and frees states to adopt stronger chemical safety laws if they wish.”
EWG was the first public interest group to publicly oppose the Chemical Safety Improvement Act when it was introduced in the Senate. Others who have raised serious concerns about the bill’s weaknesses include the Breast Cancer Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Academy of Pediatrics, California public health and law enforcement officials and leading legal scholars and scientists.
You can read more on EWG’s objections to the Senate CSIA bill here:
