In an article published on August 14, 2018, by the magazine Undark, Emily Monosson, adjunct professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, U.S., argued that “[c]hemical regulation and testing requirements simply can’t keep pace with science.” On the example of the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CAS 2921-88-2) and the substance bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7), used to make certain plastics, she illustrated how standard toxicity tests used in regulatory toxicology lag behind the science, thus missing “critical toxic responses” such as impaired brain development and transgenerational effects.
However, “changing regulations to reflect these new [scientific] findings is complicated” because “any new law has complex social, political, and economic impacts, making it a high stakes game,” Monosson highlighted. Nevertheless, “our health, and the health of the next generation, require an agency that is receptive to the best available science incorporating new insights into toxic chemicals and values health over profit,” she called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Emily Monosson (August 14, 2018). “Toxicology has advanced. The EPA needs to advance with it.” Undark
