Washington, D.C. – A draft legislative proposal to fix the failed federal chemicals law put forth by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) is a slight improvement over the Udall-Vitter plan introduced in the Senate but still “falls far short of what is needed” to ensure chemicals are safe, EWG said.
EWG President and Co-Founder Ken Cook said:
For too long, consumers have been needlessly exposed to dangerous chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, hormone disruption and other serious health problems. This proposal falls far short of what is needed to ensure that chemicals used in every day products are safe. Simply put, this draft will not require that chemicals are safe before they’re used, won’t give EPA authority to quickly review and regulate the most dangerous chemicals, will not provide tough deadlines for regulating dangerous chemicals, and will not provide EPA with the necessary resources to get the job done. Consumers rightly expect chemicals to be safe, and expect EPA to move quickly to restrict or remove dangerous chemicals from commerce. This bill falls far short of what’s needed to protect us.
