Thousands of Chemicals Approved Without Testing
 (KRT Wire, 11/06/03)

Karen Florini, a lawyer for Environmental Defense, claims that by approving nearly a thousand chemicals a year without safety tests, the US government is exposing its people to untold hazards. Despite the appearance of synthetic substances in body fluids, like blood and breast milk, chemical manufacturers fight additional regulation, saying it would cost billions and impede research. But critics, like Florini, point to the dangers of substances like polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants), which are linked to brain damage and lower fertility in animals; bisphenol-A (a component of baby bottles and dental sealants), which is associated with lower fertility in rats; perfluorinated compounds (used in Teflon), which are linked to cancer in animals; and methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE, a gasoline additive), which is a potential carcinogen.

Even when a manufacturer admits potential risks and submits data to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company may claim confidentiality and prevent the release of details to the public. And when the EPA requires testing of a substance that is a probable risk, the process is difficult, lengthy and lacks teeth because the EPA must demonstrate that the economic and societal value of a substance already in use, do not outweigh its risks. So, even after documenting the risks of asbestos for a decade, the EPA could not get the courts to agree to ban it.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) is protecting its citizens through new regulations that allow the banning of chemicals based on “the precautionary principle,” without requiring years of proof of actual damage.