TSCA and the Society of Toxicology
What role does toxicology play as Members of Congress continue efforts to revamp a major environmental statute that is now more than 35 years old? The statute in question is the Toxic Substances Control Act 1976, which mandates that the US EPA protect the public “from unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment by regulating the manufacture and sale of chemicals in the US." For the past several years, Members of Congress have grappled with ways to improve this outdated statute which both sides of the aisle; all stakeholders agree needs to be revamped to bring the statute into the 21st century.
Both Houses of Congress now have new versions, the latest being introduced by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL). The Senate version was introduced late last year by the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA). These bills seemingly provide the US EPA with a more workable approach to prioritization, chemical testing and assessment, and risk management.
Given the scientific provisions of the bill and the role that scientists and toxicologists play in implementing the scientific provisions, SOT becomes an important player in helping legislators understand the risk assessment process, and the questions that address the safety of chemicals.
SOT is not advocating for one bill or the other, but is committed to addressing any questions about the scientific aspects of the legislation. As a first step, SOT has identified the following three key principles to help guide the debate:
- Do not prescribe any specific methods or techniques for generating information used in the safety and risk assessment process.
- Protect the authority of US EPA to judge when, and how, to apply new techniques and methods for generating information for safety and risk assessment with TSCA
- Apply concepts used in the safety and risk assessment process consistently throughout proposed legislation.
Join other toxicologists in learning more about the strategy and information that the SOT TSCA Task Force is providing to key legislators who are responsible for revamping this outdated statute.
TSCA Task Force Update: Strategy, Issues, and Outreach
Wednesday, March 26
7:00 AM to 7:45 AM
CC Room 128