How to Better Protect People and Communities from Harmful Chemicals
With chemical production and use on the rise, and evidence that many chemicals in everyday products are linked to health harms including cancer, infertility, and neurodevelopmental conditions, an interdisciplinary group of experts, including EPA veterans, recommend improvements in how science is used in decision-making to prevent harmful chemical exposures.
Recommendations for EPA to Strengthen Science in Decision-Making
Despite advances in science and a greater understanding of chemical health harms, EPA's regulatory approaches to assessing and regulating human health risks of chemical exposures have not significantly changed since the 1970’s.
The group of experts, convened by the Science Action Network for Health and the Environment (SANHE), outlined five principles and recommendations to update science in hazard and risk assessment in order to improve chemical regulations and make chemical policy more health-protective.
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Scientific Recommendations
Consensus Statement
To better protect people from harmful chemicals, we recommend 5 principles for using science in hazard and risk assessment to improve chemical regulations by reflecting real-world risks.
Assessing Population Variability
How to update assessment methods to better account for diversity and vulnerability to chemical risks resulting from exposure to multiple chemicals and non-chemical stressors like poverty and racism.
Quantifying Non-Cancer Health Outcomes
An updated approach for estimating risk of health outcomes other than cancer that reflects the reality and diversity of the general population.
Improving Exposure Assessment Methods
Four ways EPA can improve exposure assessments to protect public health, such as considering where people live or how they might be more susceptible to toxic chemicals.
Regulating Chemicals by Class
EPA's approach to regulating hundreds of thousands of chemicals one at a time is not working. We recommend an approach for EPA to regulate toxic chemicals by class or group to better protect people.
