What is TSCA?
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the federal law governing the safety of chemicals used in products and manufacturing. Originally passed in 1976, and significantly strengthened in 2016 with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Since 2016, TSCA has delivered real results including:
- Banning asbestos, a known cancer causing substance
- Banning dangerous paint strippers responsible for dozens of deaths
- Phasing out harmful degreasing chemicals known to cause cancer
- Preventing new dangerous chemicals, including some PFAS, from entering the market
Unfortunately, right now, chemical industry lobbyists are pressuring members of Congress to reopen TSCA and weaken the protections provided by the law.
Reopening TSCA would almost certainly mean:
- Less time for safety reviews of new chemicals, allowing more harmful chemicals like PFAS to enter the market before they are fully evaluated.
- Weakened state authority to protect residents from harmful chemicals.
- Rollbacks of federal actions that reduce exposure to cancer-causing chemicals like methylene chloride and trichloroethylene (TCE).
These changes would weaken national safeguards and lead to more pollution, more toxic exposure, and sicker families.
