September 30th, 2009

Philadelphia Inq reports:

The Obama administration last night unveiled the broad outlines of a proposal to overhaul the regulation of thousands of chemicals used in consumer products and the workplace, calling for more testing and greater authority to restrict toxic products.

The plan, which would require legislation, would replace an existing system that is widely seen as ineffective – so much so that it did not allow the government to ban asbestos, a known carcinogen, decades ago.

Chemical manufacturers would have to share more information about the risks of both their existing products and any new creations, with less ability to hide behind claims of trade secrets. The companies would be required to conduct safety tests for certain chemicals, including in some cases tests on lab animals – a level of scrutiny currently not required at all for many new substances.

Public-health advocates welcomed the plan as did representatives for the industry, which in the past has balked at added regulation in favor of voluntary measures. A key reason is that individual states and cities have started to regulate chemicals on their own, leading companies to seek the uniformity of a federal program.

Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the