[Pharmwaste] California launches broad effort to control hazardous chemicals

[DeBiasi,Deborah]

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-chemicals30-2008se
p30,0,3514973.story

>From the Los Angeles Times
California launches broad effort to control hazardous chemicals
Two new 'green chemistry' laws focus the state program on the most
dangerous substances.
By Margot Roosevelt
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

12:05 PM PDT, September 29, 2008

California today launched the most comprehensive program of any state to
evaluate, label and, in some cases, ban industrial chemicals that are
linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other deadly effects on human
health.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed new legislation to shift the state
away from a scattershot approach in which bills targeting hazardous
chemicals in products such as jewelry, baby bottles, toys, mattresses,
computers and cosmetics have passed or failed depending on the intensity
of the lobbying and media attention.

Instead of a product-by-product approach, two new laws are designed to
encompass 80,000 chemicals now in circulation, focus on the most
dangerous, widespread substances first and control them at the
manufacturing stage, before they leach into the air, water or human
skin.

The legislation, Schwarzenegger said, propels California to "the
forefront of the nation and the world. . . . With these two bills, we
will stop looking at toxics as an inevitable byproduct of industrial
production."

The so-called green chemistry laws come as public alarm is on the rise
over dangerous substances in consumer products. But some experts fear
California's efforts will fall short because the laws don't require
industry to disclose information on their products' hazards and put the
burden of proving harm on the state.

More than 164 million pounds of chemicals are sold each day in
California in consumer and commercial products, a figure that does not
include chemicals used in industrial processes.

Existing law only allows California to regulate the disposal of
chemicals. One bill signed today, AB 1879, sponsored by Assemblyman Mike
Feuer (D- Los Angeles), lays out a framework to regulate toxics over
their life cycle. The second bill, SB 509, sponsored by Sen. Joe
Simitian (D-Palo Alto) creates a scientific clearing-house for
chemicals' effects.

The governor signed the bills on the factory floor of Los Angeles'
Nelson Nameplate, a company that has cut back its use of dangerous
solvents. The new laws, he said, would lead to "the most comprehensive
green chemistry program ever established."

Michael P. Wilson, a UC Berkeley public health researcher and a leading
figure in the green chemistry in California, said the new laws would
make California "the first state to put its foot in the water of a
modern, comprehensive approach to chemicals policy." But he added that
"we have a long ways to go before these proposals will have measurable
results."

New laws will be needed to force industry to provide information on
chemical use and hazards, he said. Federal law, long criticized as weak
by consumer groups, prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from
sharing such information with the states.

"California agencies do not know what chemicals are sold in the state,
where they are sold, by whom, for what purpose, how people might be
exposed or where they ultimately end up in the environment," Wilson
said. "This is the same situation for all U.S. states. There are large
public health data gaps."

margot.roosevelt at latimes.com 


Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!)
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028
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