Bill Would Let Health Researchers Ban Toxic Chemicals

New legislation could help health experts target and eliminate potentially harmful chemicals from commerce each year by labeling them as “high concern.” Under the bill, the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and a panel of experts could designate up to 10 chemicals each year to be banned.

Those chemicals would become unlawful to use 24 months after the designation. The bill is to be introduced by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Virginia, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, later this month.

Proponents of the bill are especially keen on targeting endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A, or BPA, a substance often used in plastics. Other endocrine-disrupting chemicals can be found in everyday products like detergents, flame retardants, food, and cosmetics. Many of them have already been identified as adversely affecting human health.

As of now, the NIEHS can conduct research and warn regulatory agencies of their latest research, but they have no power when it comes to regulation. The bill is expected to be contested by chemical manufacturers.

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