On July 22, U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush, chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, and Rep. Henry A. Waxman, chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, introduced H. R. 5820, the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010 (pdf).

The Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010 would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 to ensure that the public and the environment are protected from risks resulting from chemical exposure. The bill:

• establishes a framework to ensure that all chemical substances to which the American people are exposed will be reviewed for safety and restricted where necessary to protect public health and the environment.
• requires the chemical industry to develop and provide to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency essential data, and improves EPA’s authority to compel testing where necessary.
• ensures that non-confidential information submitted to EPA is shared with the public and that critical confidential information is shared among regulators, with states, and with workers in the chemical industry.
• creates incentives and a review process for safer alternatives to existing chemicals as well as a workforce education and training program in green chemistry.
• promotes research to advance understanding of children’s vulnerability to the harms of chemicals.
• encourages the reduction of the use of animals in chemical testing.

For EPA, the bill establishes an expedited process to reduce exposure to persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances, allows exemptions for chemicals that are already known to be safe, directs the agency to address exposures in "hot spot" locations and to engage in international efforts to control dangerous chemicals.

According to the measure, EPA actions will be transparent, open to public comment, and subject to judicial review, without unreasonable procedural burdens.

Comment – This is the US version of the EU REACH legislation.  It is supported in the Senate by a broad coalition of Senators, led by Sen Feinstein.

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