A group of 26 health, labor, and environmental groups have filed comments voicing strong support for a change in EPA policy that they say denied public access to information the agency receives from the chemical industry.
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Download NowAs a result, chemical companies could “mask the identity of chemicals when submitting information to the agency about known health and safety impacts.”
The filing comes as Congress considers legislation that would overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act, a law that safety advocates and some in the chemical industry have criticized as inadequate.
The groups urged EPA to take steps, including:
- Implementing a system for tracing and reporting the status of all reviewed and challenged claims and providing the information in a timely manner
- Prioritizing review of claims for chemicals for which available information indicates cause for concern regarding a hazard or exposure potential
Attorney Marianne Engleman Lado says the move signals greater transparency by EPA. “If a chemical is known or suspected to be causing cancer or other serious diseases, at the very minimum, the public should be able to find out the name of that chemical. Although it’s the law, in the past it wasn’t the practice.”