Safe Chemicals Act

Did you know that the EPA is required to test only a few hundred of the 85,000 different chemicals currently on the market? In fact, the federal law governing how we regulate chemicals doesn’t even require chemical companies to prove that the chemicals they make are safe before they end up in products.

This means that on a daily basis we are at risk of being exposed to dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals. These harmful chemicals may be in our workplaces, our classrooms and our homes – in our clothing, furniture, cleaning products, plastics, cosmetics, children’s toys and countless other everyday products.

In response, we’re working with a coalition of organizations and activists from across the country to collect 100,000 signed petitions in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, which would take meaningful steps to protect our families from harmful chemicals.

The Toxic Substances Control Act, the nation’s primary chemical safety law, has failed to protect public health, the environment and our communities. While the rates of diseases like asthma, diabetes, childhood cancers, infertility, and learning and behavioral disorders keep going up, the federal system that should protect us from harmful chemicals hasn’t changed in 35 years.

The reason for this inaction? The chemical industry is vigorously fighting to protect its profits.

For decades, the chemical industry has fought efforts to reform our nation’s chemical safety laws. Last year, the industry spent $52 million lobbying Congress to block meaningful reform efforts. And just recently, they spent another $1.5 million on deceptive television ads to mislead and confuse the public about the severity of the problem.