The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is calling for improvement and modernization of the US chemical regulatory system and pledging a leadership role in what the council said is a critical initiative.
ACC is asking for a series of forward-looking measures that would increase industry’s responsibility for evaluating chemicals and their uses, authorize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make safety determinations about priority chemicals in a risk-and-science based process, and assure an appropriate level of resources for EPA to implement these actions.
"We are launching a robust effort to grant new powers and adequate resources for the Environmental Protection Agency to more effectively fulfill its mission in determining the safety of chemicals for their intended uses," said Cal Dooley, ACC president and chief executive officer.
He pointed out that the Toxic Substance Control Act is more than 30 years old and that scientific about how to assess chemical risks has grown substantially in that time.
ACC has endorsed granting EPA the authority to determine the safety of priority chemicals for their intended uses and adequately assess risk. ACC also called for establishment of clearly understood scientific principles and protocols to evaluate chemical research and testing.
"For our part, the chemical industry will continue to provide robust information in a transparent manner on chemicals it produces to help EPA assess the safety of all chemicals in production," Dooley said. "We must also engage the chemical value chain in assuring that there is sufficient information to adequately assess chemical safety."
ACC also suggested that EPA be given authority to share confidential information with state and local governments when relevant to a decision on chemical safety, with appropriate protections against unnecessary disclosure.