The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) issued a statement recently to a key U.S. Senate environmental panel, expressing its opposition to the Safe Chemicals Act introduced earlier this year by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). 

The EPA has released a report identifying substitutes for decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), a commonly used flame retardant chemical which has been shown to damage human health and the environment.

The chemical industry has spent millions on U.S. political campaigns in an effort to prevent Congress from strengthening the Toxic Substances Control Act, according to a report released by Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy group.

The EPA has released for public comment draft risk assessments, for particular uses, on five chemicals found in common household products. The draft risk assessments were developed as part of the agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan, which identified common chemicals for review over the coming years to assess any impacts on people’s health and the environment.

The EPA says it will begin assessing 23 chemicals – 20 of which are commonly used as flame retardants (FR) -- for potential risks to human health and the environment. This effort is part of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan which identifies commonly used chemicals for risk assessment.