Statement

ACC Believes Kid-Safe Chemical Act 2008 Addresses Important Concepts but Voices Concerns About Some of Bill's Programs

ARLINGTON, VA – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) supports many of the concepts proposed in the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act of 2008, including enhancing the protection of children’s health, managing potential risks of chemicals in commerce, using a prioritized and tiered testing approach, and rewarding business innovations.

Additionally, ACC believes the bill includes helpful provisions that would allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide confidential business information to state governments useful for their chemical management programs and provisions that aim to reduce the use of animal testing where science based and practicable.

These concepts and proposals reflect much of the work and coordination currently underway between EPA and industry as well as some issues on which ACC has been actively advocating.

The legislation also contains some impractical solutions that may not produce the benefits intended by the bill’s authors. For example, the bill proposes a “no harm” standard for all chemicals in commerce regardless of use or potential exposure. Further, the bill’s biomonitoring provisions are duplicative of work already being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and don’t reflect CDC’s view that simply detecting a substance in human biomonitoring does not mean there’s risk of developing disease.

Manufacturers go to great lengths to assure their products are safe for their intended use – safe for children, safe for adults, safe for consumers, communities, the environment and safe for workers engaged in manufacturing. Through Responsible Care®, ACC member companies have committed to implement health, safety, security and environmental protection. Today, children live safer, more healthful lives thanks to the development of chemical products and technologies that improve public health and safety.

ACC is committed to working with government to promote the health and safety of children and improve chemical management in the U.S. ACC welcomes the opportunity to discuss this legislation with its sponsors, leverage existing work by EPA, CDC and industry more effectively, and ultimately improve the chemical management system in the US.

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