Doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy paper today, calling for tighter control over the chemicals used in products, according to Reuters. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 was intended to regulate the use of potentially hazardous chemicals in consumer products, and gives the government the right to keep dangerous chemicals out of the market.
The policy paper released by the AAP, states that children are especially vulnerable to chemicals, and that little research is conducted to determine if any of these substances are harmful. Dr. Jerome Paulson, of The Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., told Reuters, that kids can be vulnerable to the chemicals during developmental stages. The current Toxic Substances Control Act does little to address the harmful effects that chemical additives can have on the health of growing children.
The Toxic Substances Control Act has only been used to regulate five chemical substances in 35 years, one of which is asbestos. There are over 80,000 different chemicals used by businesses, and although companies are required to inform the EPA of their use, they are not required to study them for safety, Paulson reported by USA Today.
New Jersey Senator, Frank Lautenburg, has introduced a bill to reform the TSCA act for the second time.
The EPA and TSCA act still has been ineffectual in getting asbestos banned, even though it is known to cause mesothelioma, an aggressive type of lung cancer. Thousands of people contract the asbestos-related cancer every year, and with aid from mesothelioma attorneys, they can get the help needed to care for their illness. People who have worked closely with asbestos continue to fall ill even decades after exposure, and knowledgeable mesothelioma lawyers’ battle for their rights in the courts.
