Environmental Issues: Health

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All Documents in Health Tagged toxic

Fix the FDA
Overview

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration has been plagued by scandalous mistakes that have shaken public confidence. Significant reforms are needed to restore the FDA's mission to protect public health.

Congress Must Ensure Important Information about Chemical Use Is Not Hidden from People: Phthalates
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as phthalates, a class of chemicals used in plastics, personal care products, and other everyday products. Whether inhaled, ingested, or absorbed across the skin, some phthalates may disrupt the body’s hormones, causing reproductive health effects. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Protect People from Toxic Chemicals Known to Cause Harm: Tricholoroethylene (TCE)
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), a cancer-causing chemical used in many industries and consumer products -- including rug cleaners and spot removers. TCE exposure can pose serious health risks but exposure during pregnancy is especially worrisome as it has been associated with low birth weight and multiple types of birth defects. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Protect People from Toxic Chemicals Known to Cause Harm: Vinyl Chloride
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, used in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that appears in everything from wall and floor coverings to children’s toys to cars. Vinyl chloride, a chemical known to cause cancer, poisons the air breathed by workers and people living in contaminated communities. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Provide the EPA with Authority to Regulate Dangerous Chemicals: Asbestos
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as asbestos, which is still used in some building and automotive materials. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Provide the EPA with Authority to Regulate Unsafe Chemicals: Formaldehyde
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, which is still in widespread use, particularly in building materials, binders, resins, and composite wood products, used to make everything in a home from carpets to countertops to cabinets to couches. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Expand Protections against Widely Used Harmful Chemicals: Methylene Chloride
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as methylene chloride, used in many industrial and consumer  applications -- including as an extraction solvent for caffeine, spices, and hops, and in products such as wood floor cleaners, water repellents, and spray shoe polish. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Protect People from Toxic Chemicals Known to Cause Harm: Hexavalent Chromium
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as hexavalent chromium (hex chrome), which is used in industries such as metal processing, tanneries, and stainless steel welding where workers are exposed to contaminated air. A legacy pollutant, cancer-causing hex chrome can also contaminate soil and water supplies for decades. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Should Protect Workers -- and Families -- from a Nerve-damaging Toxic: Hexane
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as hexane, used primarily for industrial purposes but also found in common household products -- including stain removers, spray adhesives and craft paints. Hexane is easily inhaled and can cause long-lasting, even permanent, nerve damage. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Act to Remove Toxic Substances from Products Our Families Use Everyday: Flame Retardants TDCP and TCEP
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as the flame retardants TDCP and TCEP, which are found in a wide variety of household products -- including strollers, nursing pillows, and couches and chairs -- and are suspected to cause cancer, and neurological and reproductive harm. NRDC urges Congress to update TSCA to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals. Get document in pdf.

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