FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Industry Calls on Congress to Adopt Logical and Efficient Chemical Prioritization Model to Modernize Outdated Law
Contact:
Scott Openshaw, Director, Communications, 202-295-3957
Brian Kennedy, Director, Communications, 202-639-5994
November 17, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) today testified in a hearing, “Prioritizing Chemicals for Safety Determination,” before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. Representing the industry groups was Bill Greggs, who presented a model the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could use to help prioritize existing chemicals in commerce in a logical and efficient manner.
Developing a priority-setting process is a crucial element in achieving the global gold standard for chemicals management policy through modernization of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, which provides the EPA the regulatory authority over chemicals in commerce. Given the more than three decades of scientific and technological advancements since TSCA was enacted, the industry groups say the statute is in need of a significant makeover. We are pleased that the Subcommittee is examining this issue and considering potential changes to TSCA that will help restore public confidence in the U.S. chemicals management system.
The industry is proposing a risk-based model that EPA can use to review and assess existing chemicals in commerce and that takes into consideration both a chemical’s hazards and potential exposures. Chemicals identified as high priorities should be those substances with both the highest hazards and the highest potential exposures.
A single factor, whether based on hazards or potential exposures, is not sufficient for a chemical to be deemed as a high priority chemical. This will result in everything being a priority, and if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.
The members of CSPA, GMA, and SDA are committed to manufacturing and marketing safe and innovative products that provide essential benefits, including important public health benefits, to consumers while protecting human health and the environment. Product safety is the foundation of consumer trust and the consumer products industry devotes substantial resources to achieving this goal. We urge Congress to bring together all stakeholders—Congress, regulators, downstream users, raw material suppliers, retailers, environmental, consumer, animal welfare and labor groups—to work together to develop sound public policy on the modernizing of TSCA.
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Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe. Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders. In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.
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- July 28, 2010 GMA Appoints Leon Bruner Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Science Officer
- January 15, 2010 GMA Statement on Federal Government Update on the Safety of BPA
- November 17, 2009 Industry Calls on Congress to Adopt Logical and Efficient Chemical Prioritization Model to Modernize Outdated Law
- October 6, 2009 Industry Groups Propose Building Blocks for U.S. Chemicals Management Policy
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