In response to an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) call for comments on its plans to launch talks on a new trade agreement with the European Union (EU), the American Chemistry Council (ACC) expressed concerns over the EU’s plans to regulate endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In the letter submitted to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on May 10, 2013, the ACC objects to divergences between the U.S. and the EU regulatory plans on EDCs. The industry association is particularly concerned that the EU may regulate EDCs without setting safety thresholds. Such policy would have major consequences on industry in the U.S. and EU, the ACC asserted. It calls for inter-Atlantic negotiators to assess the impact of chemical regulatory proposals on trans-Atlantic trade and added that the impact should be limited by adopting common criteria for reviewing substances of concern. The ACC suggests that the U.S. and the EU should agree in advance, which chemicals are prioritized for assessment, and what prioritization criteria shall be used.

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American Chemistry Council letter (pdf)

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