The Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer Toxic Chemical Protection Act
For Immediate Release: March 12, 2015
| Contact: | Ansje Miller, [email protected]; Charles Margulis, [email protected] |
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) welcomes the announcement today by Senator Barbara Boxer that she is introducing legislation that would establish, for the first time in nearly 40 years, strong protections for American children and families from chemical health threats. In contrast to the proposal earlier this week introduced by Senators Udall and Vitter, the The Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer Toxic Chemical Protection Act would create a sea change in U.S. chemical regulations, by requiring EPA, among other changes, to:
1. Conduct a swift review with strict deadlines for completion of the reviews for the most toxic chemicals, including asbestos;
2. Take into account how people are exposed to chemicals, with assessments that include the real-world reality that we are all exposed to multiple chemicals with many different and cumulative health effects every day;
3. Preserve the role of the state’s in developing and enforcing chemical safety rules.
The bill is named for asbestos-victim Alan Reinstein, who died from mesothelioma in 2006 and Trevor Schaefer, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 13. “It’s outrageous that the Udall bill would not even give EPA the authority to ban a disastrously deadly chemical like asbestos,” said Michael Green, Executive Director of CEH. “We applaud Senator Boxer for her stronger approach, which creates the protections that Americans deserve from harmful chemicals in our air, water, food and in thousands of every day products.”
CEH expects Senators who care about children’s health to offer strong support for the Boxer proposal and/or for a combined approach that incorporate these and other urgently needed changes to the Udall draft.