What You Need to Know About the Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer Toxic Chemical Protection Act

 

This bill was introduced by Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). It seeks to pave the way for toxic substance control reform and to ban asbestos in the U.S. It also addresses stronger safety standards and quicker safety reviews of chemicals including asbestos. It is named after Alan Reinstein, former president of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), who died of mesothelioma in 2006, and Trevor Schaefer, a brain cancer survivor who was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 13 in 2003.

This bill was written to address asbestos, children’s cancer, and other threats that toxic chemicals pose to families living in the United States. It is designed to protect the public health by:

  • Requiring EPA to use a stronger standard to judge whether chemicals are safe.
  • Requiring EPA to review more chemicals more quickly.
  • Requiring swift action on cancer-causing asbestos.
  • Making clearer which chemicals EPA can designate as needing review “high priority” or considered as safe without a full review “low priority” and provides citizens the right to challenge “low priority” designations in court.
  • Ensuring that all chemicals in the marketplace are ultimately assessed by EPA.
  • Preserving EPA’s authority to regulate products and mixtures containing dangerous chemicals.
  • Ensures states can protect their citizens from dangerous chemicals.

To remain up to date on the status of the Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer Toxic Chemical Protection Act which amends the Toxic Substance Control Act visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/725





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