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10 Reasons We Need Toxic Chemical Reform
August 2017
You’ve probably never heard of these chemicals. We can’t even pronounce most of them. None of our stuff has labels telling us what chemicals are used to make them. But these toxic chemicals are everywhere. Thousands of chemicals on the market are untested for human safety.
EPA has identified the following chemicals as potentially harmful; a new law would give EPA the authority to evaluate whether they should remain on the market.
Tetrabromobenzoate (TBB)
USED IN: Upholstered furniture and electronics made with Firemaster flame retardants Carried in house dust
LINKED TO: Potential reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption
Tris (1,3-dichloroisopropylphosphate) (TDCPP)
USED IN: Polyurethane foams as a flame retardant – in sofas, chairs, baby strollers, car seats and other products • Construction Carried in dust, streams, sewage, fat tissue, breast milk
LINKED TO: Liver and kidney cancer
N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)
USED IN: Agricultural chemicals • Paint and coating-removal products • Plastic coatings • Cleaning products • Petrochemical processing1
LINKED TO: Fetal development problems, low birth weight, birth defects
Methylene Chloride/Dichloromethane (DCM)2
USED IN: Decaffeinated coffee • Paint strippers and removers • Electronics • Spray paints • Automotive products • Insect sprays • Fumigants for grain and strawberries
LINKED TO: Cancer, headaches, dizziness, nausea3 ; acute occupational exposures have caused deaths4
1-Bromopropane
USED IN: Aerosol adhesives • Foam cushions • Asphalt • Dry cleaning • Synthetic fibers • Cleaners for optics, electronics, and metals
LINKED TO: Possible human carcinogen
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)
USED IN: Electronics and circuit boards as a flame retardant Carried in human blood, breast milk, and fat tissue
LINKED TO: Possible carcinogen
1,4-Dioxane
USED IN: Many common inks, adhesives, resins, oils, waxes, and dyes7 • Can also contaminate deodorants, shampoos, toothpastes and mouthwashes
LINKED TO: Cancer
Trichloroethylene (TCE)
USED IN: Dry cleaning • Spray-on protective coatings • Pepper sprays • Film cleaners • Industrial degreasers
LINKED TO: Cancer, headaches, birth defects
Toluene Diisocyanates (TDI and related chemicals) 8
USED IN: Consumer adhesive products • Polyurethane foam • Sealants for concrete patios and wood floors Highly volatile, as compounds may migrate out of products
LINKED TO: Skin, eye, lung irritation, impairment of lung function, asthma. Possible human carcinogen
Phthalates:
USED IN: Cosmetics • Textiles • Food packaging • Paints • Nail polishes • Dental materials • Paper-based materials • Medical supplies • Wood varnishes • PVC pipes • Vinyl tiles • Lacquers
SOME ARE LINKED TO: Reproductive and developmental harm10, asthma11 P
More information about the Toxic Substances Control Act:
Hundreds of new industrial chemicals come on the market every year without being tested for safety. That’s because our current chemical regulatory system is toothless and ineffective. Chemicals linked to cancer, learning disorders, birth defects, asthma, and other serious health problems are used in everyday products and make their way into our communities, homes, and bodies. It’s time to fix our broken chemical law. The good news is we now have a real chance to fix this problem. Congress has passed two bills that would help protect our kids from toxic chemicals: one in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives. It’s imperative that our lawmakers keep this process moving forward by “conferencing” the bills, a standard part of the lawmaking process, so that we can have one bill signed into law.
As parents, we want a chemical law that protects our kids. Here’s what moms want to see in a conferenced toxic chemical bill:
Experts make the call, not industry
EPA’s main focus should be on the chemicals its experts decide are the highest priorities -- not the ones industry wants evaluated. And EPA also needs the authority and dedicated resources to do its job.
We have the right to know
Companies shouldn’t be able to hide the identity of chemicals in health and safety studies.
American families shouldn’t be guinea pigs
EPA experts must affirm the safety of new chemicals before they are put on the market, instead of allowing them to be sold without safety evaluations. That makes our kids guinea pigs for untested chemicals.
Sources:
1 http://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/fact-sheet-n-methylpyrrolidone-nmp 2 http://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/methylen.html 3 http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/dcm_opptworkplanra_final.pdf 4 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6107a2.htm 5 http://blogs.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/tdcpp_post/ 6 http://oehha.ca.gov/multimedia/biomon/pdf/120408flamedoc.pdf 7 http://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/dioxane.html 8 EPA 2015, “Significant New Use Rules: Toluene Diisocyanates and Related Compounds,” 9 http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPPT-2011-0976-0001. 10 http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/phthalates_actionplan_ revised_2012-03-14.pdf 11 http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12528/phthalates-and-cumulative-risk-assessment-the-task-ahead
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