Chasing the chemical of the month

IATP Senior Policy Analyst Kathleen Schuler has written a new commentary entitled "Toxic chemicals are costing us—and we're paying with our health" that calls attention to the "toxic-chemical-of-the-month cycle" in which one chemical is banned (say, lead in children's products) then quickly replaced by an equally toxic successor (in this case, cadmium—a neurotoxin and carcinogen) by manufacturers looking to cut costs.

Beyond the obvious health concerns (neurological disorders, cancer) that toxic chemicals raise, Schuler also points to the toll they take on our budget. According to a January 2010 report from the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, "a 0.1 percent decrease in the incidence of chronic diseases would reduce direct U.S. health care expenditures by $5 billion per year by 2020."

Schuler, as a contributing author of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families report, is calling for legislative reform of the 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) that will increase testing and regulation of a broader range of chemicals. New legislation is expected in Congress soon. With chronic health problems on the rise, and health care costs a topic of constant national chagrin, chasing the chemical of the month just doesn't make sense.

Download the new IATP commentary here.