In today’s June 4, 2013 editorial the New Jersey newspaper Star Ledger publishes a plea to support Senator Lautenberg’s bipartisan proposition to reform the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In the editorial journalist Noah K. Murray argues that under the current TSCA the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not able to protect consumers from hazardous substances. Murray states that a reform is urgently needed to ensure the safety of chemicals present in consumer products. He criticizes in particular that 60 000 chemicals were grandfathered into the regulation without requiring toxicity testing.

The new bill would require EPA to eventually review all chemicals on the market and prioritize the most worrisome chemicals for testing. The journalist argues that it is, however, necessary to set firm deadlines by which EPA has to act. Such deadlines are not yet included in the current proposal. Senator Lautenberg passed away yesterday, June 3, 2013 at the age of 89. He was first elected for Senate in 1982.

Read more

The Star Ledger editorial

Share