CNNH Parent Champion Advocates for Chemical Safety...for Neurological Health
Law Passes to Ensure  Scrutiny  of Chemicals Used in Household Products

On June 22nd, President Barack Obama signed into law The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act!! This law calls for the review of chemicals currently found in household products and for increased scrutiny over new chemicals before entering the marketplace, in addition to protecting vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women. Senator Frank Lautenberg initiated the legislation - which replaces the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 - prior to his death in 2013. 
Lisa, Marc and Harrison
Marc, Lisa and Harrison Huguenin in Washington D.C.

The staff at CNNH are particularly excited and proud of this law because it was championed, in part, by a CNNH parent, Lisa Huguenin, Ph.D. Dr. Huguenin holds a doctorate in Environmental Science and Human Exposure Assessment, but she advocated for this law on behalf of her son, Harrison. You can read Lisa's story in the testimony she provided during a Senate hearing on Toxic Chemicals and Children's Environmental Health on October 26, 2010. In her testimony, Lisa raises concerns about the prevalence of neurological conditions, such as autism, and how studies are linking them to environmental exposures. 

Lisa H at White House
Lisa Huguenin introducing President Obama
Lisa H with Pres O
Lisa Huguenin greeting President Obama
  

We applaud Lisa's advocacy and tenacity for the many years she dedicated to providing testimony, encouragement and education to our lawmakers. We are hopeful that with the heightened scrutiny of dangerous chemical substances our homes will become a little bit safer and our children will become a little bit healthier. Dr. Lisa Huguenin is a true CNNH Parent-Champion!

Click here to see the video of June 22, 2016 when Lisa introduced The President of the United States and his comments on the law.


Some details about the new law...

The new law gives the Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA) new power over tens of thousands of chemicals, with new ability to order testing and regulate the substances. It also limits states' authorities in an effort to stop a nationwide patchwork of chemical laws that industry says is difficult to deal with.1
  
"Most Americans believe that when they buy a product at the hardware store or the grocery store, that product has been tested and determined to be safe," said Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the lead Democratic sponsor of the bill following the death of Senator Lautenberg in 2013. "But that isn't the case. Americans are exposed to hundreds of chemicals from household items." 

Specifically, the law calls for the following reforms 2:
  
  • Mandates safety reviews for all chemicals in active commerce.
  • Requires a safety finding for new chemicals before they can enter the market.
  • Replaces TSCA's burdensome cost-benefit safety standard-which prevented EPA from banning asbestos-with a pure, health-based safety standard.
  • Explicitly requires protection of vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women.
  • Gives EPA enhanced authority to require testing of both new and existing chemicals.
  • Sets aggressive, judicially enforceable deadlines for EPA decisions.
  • Makes more information about chemicals available, by limiting companies' ability to claim information as confidential, and by giving states and health and environmental professionals access to confidential information they need to do their jobs.
One of the most important provisions of the bill, according Hill.com, is that the EPA decides whether to regulate a chemical based on its impact on human health and the environment. The prior law required certain considerations of the cost of compliance, which contributed to the EPA's record of having regulated only five chemicals under the 1976 law. Asbestos is an example of a chemical that hadn't been regulated. 1




1 Rosenberg, Andrew. "Making sense of chemical safety reform." (2016, January 29). Retrieved from http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/267381-making-sense-of-chemical-safety-reform

2 Chemicals policy reform. (2016, June 22). Retrieved from  https://www.edf.org/health/policy/chemicals-policy-reform


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