Health & Parenting

Pediatricians Seek Stiffer Regulation of Chemicals

Industry Trade Group for Reform

“We agree that the Toxic Substances Control Act needs to be modernized to further ensure the safe use of chemicals and the innovation of new products,” says Scott Jensen, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Chemistry Council.

“Beyond TSCA, the federal government and industry are working together to protect children’s health through programs like the High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program,” he says.

Under this program, manufacturers provide hazard information to the EPA, including information that is directly relevant for screening potential hazards to children’s health and development, he says.

“The ACC also strongly supports the National Children's Study, which promises to be the largest and most comprehensive study of children’s health and development ever planned in the United States,” he says. The study will follow a large sample of children from across the U.S. and examine the potential effects of a broad range of environmental influences including chemicals.

In sum, “ACC believes we must work together to shape a chemical safety framework that fosters innovation and economic growth, while continuing to assure protection of public health and the environment,” Jensen says.