M8.4 Blog Chemical Policy Reform

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In light of the Louisville Charter elements BLOG about what you know about the current holes in our national chemical policies, Note any California chemical policies that may be an improvement on the federal policies.

 The Louisville Charter suggests that we update our chemical policies and work towards safer and less use of chemicals. The charter advises that we require safer substitutes and solutions, phase out persistent, bioaccumalative, or highly toxic chemicals, act on early warnings, and require comprehensive safety data for all chemicals. It also states that the public and workers should have the full right-to-know and participate in decisions on chemicals, and that immediate action should be taken to protect those communities and workers at risk for chemical exposure. Our nation has taken a long time to update our chemical policies, and there were many ways companies could get around the standards or restrictions in place. In June 2016, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed. This helped to improve our regulations and safety regarding chemicals, but much work is still needed. 

 In California, the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act was signed in October 2017. This makes California the first state to require companies to disclose the chemicals in commercial and household cleaning products. New York also regulates chemical disclosure. Companies will be required to list ingredients online by January 1, 2020 and if they do not comply, they will not be able to sell their products. This is definitely a step forward towards better chemical regulations and transparency. 

 Reference
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/pg-sc-johnson-back-california-chemical-labeling-law

Comments

  1. Ashley SubramaniMarch 19, 2018 at 1:46 PM

    Hi Loren,

    I think what California is great but needs to be taken to the federal level to get all states to follow this model. Even though were protecting ourselves out here by having an understanding what is in our products, other's near us still have no idea what harm they are being exposed to. The idea of transparency should already been a federal requirement but this act is hopefully a step closer to it.

    -Ashley

    ReplyDelete

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