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Reform of Toxic Chemicals Law Collapses as Industry Flexes Its Muscles
Fire retardants in baby blankets, nano-particles in cosmetics, plastics in water bottles and anti-bacterial agents in soaps.
Experts call these and other chemicals emerging contaminants -- compounds that were once thought to be safe, but which scientists now believe may pose a danger to human health.
How those chemicals get into your house -- and your bloodstream -- is no surprise: Loopholes in the federal law that regulates toxic chemicals have allowed manufacturers to sell them without first proving they are safe.
In recent years, however, dozens of studies -- many funded by the federal government -- have shown that chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment and in consumer goods can cause cancer, wreak havoc on hormones, damage the developing brain, depress the immune system and alter gene expression-among other problems. Earlier this year, the President's Cancer Panel reported, "The true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated." And Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which funded many of the top studies, told Congress, "Research has revealed the heightened vulnerability of fetal, infant and child development processes to disruption from relatively low doses of certain chemicals." Birnbaum, like EPA chief Lisa Jackson, urged Congress to revamp the federal law that regulates toxic chemicals, giving the agency greater authority to protect the public.
Last fall, a group of congressional Democrats vowed to overhaul the 34-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to make it easier for EPA to take dangerous chemicals off the market and ensure that the substitutes are safe. But one year, six congressional hearings and 10 "stakeholder sessions" later, the bills are dead, a testament to the combined clout of $674 billion chemical industry, the companies that process their compounds into air fresheners, detergents, perfumes, cosmetics, toys, medical devices and other consumer goods, and the stores that sell them. Their campaign to block reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act won out over EPA's support, an unprecedented campaign by public health advocates fueled by the industry's own admissions that the current law does not fully protect public health. Change Seemed Possible
One year ago, advocates said, the outlook for reform of the toxic substances act was good. According to interviews with congressional staff, Lautenberg, Rush and Waxman were optimistic about winning support. Jackson, the EPA's new administrator, announced early on that strengthening chemical regulation was a top priority. The industry itself, wary of the patchwork of regulations springing up in statehouses around the country, which targeted one chemical or another, said that a uniform federal law might be easier to deal with than 50 separate laws. Some of the chemical companies were already dealing with new safety regulations adopted in Europe.
In April, Lautenberg introduced the Kid Safe Chemical Act, and in July, Rush and Waxman followed with the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010. The heart of both bills was a shift in accountability to make chemical companies responsible for proving their products safe before putting them on the market.
"We're saying those who make the chemicals . . . ought to be responsible for testing them first before they're released to the public, instead of having the EPA play detective to search and try to find problems," said Lautenberg. The bills would have required businesses to reveal which chemicals they are using, and show that there is a "reasonable certainty that no harm will result" from all intended uses over the life cycle of a chemical. It would also require EPA to consider aggregate exposure to chemicals from many sources when making a safety determination, and to take into account vulnerable populations, such as children or those with immune disorders.
From spring into summer, Rush and Waxman sponsored 10 "stakeholder" meetings with representatives from EPA, businesses such as DuPont, Procter & Gamble and Dow Chemical, and lobbyists from the chemical industry's main trade groups, among them:
- The American Chemistry Council, the industry's largest alliance;
It's a group that can afford to buy a lot of influence. Federal records show that in 2009 the chemical industry spent more than $100 million lobbying Congress and the federal agencies.
Individual chemical industry lobbyists were also generous (see related chart). James Massie, who worked on reform for CropLife America, the main trade group for pesticide companies, donated $104,150, including $58,900 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The American Chemistry Council donated more than $305,000 to federal candidates, plus another $50,000 to the Democratic Governors Association.
Koch Industries, whose subsidiary Georgia Pacific is struggling with proposals to regulate formaldehyde in its wood products in the face of increasing evidence of cancer and other health hazards, has donated $1.5 million to federal candidates so far this cycle, with 86 percent going to Republican candidates.
Likewise, Exxon-Mobil has donated 83 percent of its $762,099 to Republican federal candidates. Procter & Gamble, which is concerned about the Food and Drug Administration's review of several of its products containing the anti-bacterial agent Triclosan, as well as reform of the toxic substances act and other issues, has covered both parties more evenly, giving 56 percent of its $388,878 to the GOP.
BASF, which makes Triclosan, has donated more than $250,000 to federal candidates this year.
The generosity extends to congressional caucuses and their foundations. Last year, for example, Wal-Mart donated at least $500,000 to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Wal-Mart lobbies on many issues, among them the revamping of chemical regulations. This fall's Congressional Black Caucus Foundation annual legislative conference, the groups' premier event, drew more than $250,000 from ExxonMobil, and at least $50,000 from Kraft Foods, a division of Altria (formerly known as Philip Morris Companies Inc.), which lobbied this year against a Senate measure to ban BPA in food and beverage containers. Wal-Mart gave $105,000 more so far this year to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and its legislative conference. Both Wal-Mart and ExxonMobil are also listed as annual $200,000 donors to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
The industry's clout is more than financial, however. It's a rare congressional district that doesn't have a chemical company, processing plant or major purveyor of consumer goods -- a point made more than once during the negotiations, and which helped keep some Democrats from signing onto the bill.
Behind Closed Doors
The stakeholder sessions included representatives from the environmental and consumer coalitions, but were closed to the press. Attendees interviewed said that at first EPA and the Democratic staff believed industry wanted to negotiate, so they conceded some ground, especially on the thorny issues of regulation of mixtures and treatment of confidential business information. But as the Democrats began to appear more vulnerable in the upcoming election, staffers and environmentalists came to believe industry was trying to run out the clock.
"The [industry] adopted a public stance for reform, so they could have a seat at the table and try to shape it," said Andy Igrejas, national campaign director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a well-funded coalition of environmental groups and others working to tighten chemical regulation. "At first we were taking them at their word that we might disagree on what reform looks like, but they were coming to the table to hash something out. But they just really used the opportunity to demagogue the bill and get other trade associations to oppose it."
Igrejas's suspicions seemed to be well-founded when Representatives Rush and Waxman held a hearing in July. The expected supporters testified in favor of the bill -- Stephen Owens from EPA, and Richard Denison, senior scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, among others. But former Democratic congressman Calvin Dooley, who runs the American Chemistry Council, surprised the sponsors by slamming the bill, calling it unworkable, and making it clear the industry was nowhere near accepting it.
"The safety standard as established in this bill sets an impossibly high hurdle for all chemicals in commerce that would produce technical, bureaucratic and commercial barriers that would stifle the manufacturing sector," Dooley said. He added, "Even more troubling are the provisions in the bill that would identify chemicals that would be subject to a safety determination." Dooley said a priority list would stigmatize manufacturers -- a reversal from the chemical council's earlier stance.
Daniel Rosenberg, a longtime attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said advocates for strengthening the bill should have seen it coming. "I'm not sure that industry was ever really for reform," he said. "They haven't proposed anything concrete since they issued a set of principles more than a year ago, and now they are backing away from those. They still use the rhetoric of reform, but there doesn't seem to be anything real behind it. Thus far they have said 'no' to just about everything proposed in the legislation or by EPA. That shouldn't be too surprising, since they have opposed reforming TSCA for years. They've always said it works and that 'People are protected, and there is nothing for the public to be concerned about.' They were against TSCA reform before they were for it, and I suspect the conversion, if it ever took place, may have been short-lived."
One of the biggest boosts for the chemical industry came from Charles Auer, who retired in January 2009 as head of EPA's toxics office. In an unusual deal between the Democrats and the Republicans on the committee, Auer was permitted to add a 16-page critique of the bill into the record after the hearing. Auer echoed Dooley's remarks, saying the proposal was overly burdensome to industry, confusing and would discourage innovation. He was quick to note that his comments were not intended to benefit any chemical company clients. But Auer is one of the chemical industry's most important advisers ever to push through the revolving door between government and industry, having launched a consulting firm that is an affiliate of Bergeson & Campbell, one of Washington's top chemical industry law-and-lobby shops. (See sidebar for other revolving door newcomers.)
"We hope Charlie will be a very powerful wake-up call," said Lynn Bergeson, a founding member of the firm, regarding Auer's written testimony, which was covered in the trade press, and which identified him as a former EPA official -- but not an industry consultant.
Asked if he believed there are hazardous chemicals in commerce right now, Auer told the workshop, "My guess is it's not a high proportion, but the fact of the matter is, you don't have the data and understanding to answer those questions," he said, meaning no one -- not scientists, the public or EPA -- knows.
Bill Allmond, a lobbyist with the Society of Chemical Manufacturers, says his organization supports modernization of the law in theory, but that the House and Senate bills are probably the worst pieces of legislation he's seen in a decade. "We had higher expectations, given the fact that there is a consensus among government and industry, that this 30-plus-year-old regulation needs to be reformed. After lengthy conversations with Capitol Hill and the appropriate committees, we still saw a bill that is extremely unworkable, and would do much more harm than good."
A New Strategy
Supporters of reform concede that EPA has not always made the most of the legal authority it already has. Some critics note that EPA's penchant for caving in to industry pressure, even when the law permitted action, is well documented through both Democratic and Republican administrations. In recent years Congress' own watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, has repeatedly reprimanded EPA officials for failing to set standards on many risky chemicals -- or for setting them too low.
Perchlorate, a byproduct of rocket fuel and a major source of water pollution, can alter thyroid hormones; TCE, an agent used as an industrial degreaser, may cause cancer; atrazine, a pesticide, is a neurotoxicant -- and all three of these compounds, and others, were caught up in an endless review cycle for years. The agency also failed over two decades to recognize that exposure to low levels of lead and mercury were diminishing the brainpower of generations of American children.
"I do think part of the issue was political will," said Denison, the senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, referring to the combination of loopholes and the lack of a desire to regulate. "For the last decade or more, before the new administration came in, the emphasis has been on voluntary programs. There was a very high hurdle to move things to a regulatory domain. The new leadership came in and looked at the core performance of those programs and said, 'We are going to do everything we can do using our existing authority.' They are running into many of the same obstacles, but the political will has changed."
The bleak record prompted states to fill in the gap. Over the past few years, more than 20 states have moved to restrict BPA (bisphenol A, chiefly used in plastic products) or fire retardants. In California last month, the state put the final touches on its Green Chemistry Initiative, a mini-toxic substances control act designed to restrict toxic chemicals while encouraging a move to greener alternatives.
These state actions may not lead the industry to accept federal regulations, but they have led to generous campaign contributions to state candidates, political parties and ballot initiatives. Outside the Beltway, chemical company interests donated upward of $18.4 million to state political coffers for election years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 20010, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
Some of the lobbyists are working on two fronts, in Washington and the state capitals. J. Scott Jennings, who was White House deputy political director under President George W. Bush and a longtime deputy to Karl Rove, is now lobbying for Arysta LifeSciences, the U.S. subsidiary of a Japanese chemical firm that makes a fumigant called MIDAS, which uses methyl iodide. The chemical was approved by EPA during the Bush administration despite the protests of many independent scientists, who sent a petition citing significant health concerns. The next job for Jennings and his company, Peritus Public Relations, was to win approval for MIDAS in Sacramento. The lobby campaign appears to have been successful (they are still awaiting approval). But this summer, California Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein contacted EPA, citing concerns about fetal death, thyroid cancer and neurotoxicity and asking them to revisit the issue. Feinstein said she has not heard back yet.
In meetings this fall, the chemical industry and its allies have made it clear they will continue to challenge the reform effort. But Lautenberg remain optimistic. "I remain committed to working across the aisle to create a system that ensures the safety of industrial chemicals, and does so in a way that maintains the U.S. chemical industry's leadership across the globe," he said. "My Safe Chemicals Act first and foremost protects public health and the environment, but it also recognizes the need to get new chemicals to market and tailors testing requirements to avoid unnecessary or duplicative tests. Once I have a Republican partner in this effort, we can work together on the bill in a way that works for both industry and for public health."
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The average american isn't very concerned over the poisons that cause them cancer. You hear many derogatory comments about 'tree huggers"and Mr.Gore is made the villain. ( Stupid is as stupid does). Most european countries and Japan are much more responsible.
February 11 2011 at 11:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAll three articles haves ignificant information about the many toxic chemicals that are ubiquitous in our world. Kudos to Ms. Kaplan for getting the word out to the people. Consumers need to know what and how bad so many products we use daily are harmful to us and the environment. The consumers will then act on manufacturing and government regualtion. Until then, regulate your own use as much as possible.
October 17 2010 at 6:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMy heart is broken. I have suffered a decade with these dangerous products. I am weeping with no help now. How could they do this. All that money could have helped the millions that are very sick from just something as simple as fragrance. Very sad day.
October 15 2010 at 8:52 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyTo commenters assuming consumers have choice: Government representatives are not serious about the passage of any bill restricting the sale of toxic products because the congressional committees themselves are arms of the industries they purport to "regulate". The Committee on Agriculture is an excellent example of such a system whereby consumers are deprived of the opportunity to make choices in even the most simple of questions regarding toxic chemicals. This group has refused to allow the School Environment Protection Act (Rush Holt) out of committee for a floor vote for more than a decade, despite the bill having passed the Senate twice in altered forms. That bill not only mandates the removal of the most poisonous (nerve system) agents from school settings but also mandates your right to know when the more toxic among chemical options are being applied. You are not allowed to know when these are in your environment nor can you be offered cues such as characteristic odorants put into the chemicals, as we do for gas fuels since carbon monoxide has no odor. Instead, masking scents no longer allow you to use your senses to weigh your risks of exposure. This makes your medical history of toxic chemical exposure unknown to you and your physician/pediatrician. No one has yet explained why any arm of legitimate agribusiness and agriculture should be involved in imposing farming chemicals in non-agricultural locations. That is about citizens lacking a true understanding of how our republic operates and only the media can educate where our schools have failed to do so. Every failure to require disclosure of product ingredients and advance notice of usage is essentially mandating our ignorance. It forced exposures upon the population which we cannot associate with common daily consequences of symptoms of illness and as contributory factors to many diseases/conditions. There is no question as to why health care costs have spiraled. The demand is endless because the rise of illness is unchecked in America. We have voted for that privilege of living with chronic illness. Unlike their owners, directors and employees, corporations do not vote. Therefore, donations stemming from corporate sources (and not just the personal accounts of individuals connected with them) cannot be considered campaign 'contributions' by voting citizens. They must therefore be classified as legal bribes from 'entities' comprising vested interests. This means the owners and officers of corporations are allowed to support the candidates of their choice twice unlike the average voter. To offset this practice, we are daily 'spammed' by opposition parties with requests to dig deep into pockets already lightened by the losses of jobs and job security. These monies fund media 'ads' which replace free reporting about voter concerns as freely offered in this article. Citizens must decide to alter the manner in which bills are permitted to come to a vote in our legislative bodies. Citizens must refuses to vote for candidates accepting corporate bribes by learning the facts for themselves instead of through political propaganda paid for with donations better spent on education. We should be contributing to the passage of legislation we require for life – in effect campaigning for bills and educating representatives about how to act upon our behalves. Barbara Rubin Former educator, disabled by pesticide poisoning in school settings. www.armchairactivist.us and testimony on schools and pesticides: http://tinyurl.com/yggqxuc
October 15 2010 at 8:32 AM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down ReplyThe answer to this is really quite simple. We do not need big govt to protect as they pretend to do.All the is needed, once it is determined that a product is not safe ais a nice PR campaigne and people need to stop buying the toxic products. Just like when the leaded tys come out of China. Manufacturers dont want to hear it fromn the govt, BUT they WILL listen to the consumer. If folks refuse to buy the toxic products, what ever they are, manufacturers have no choice but to make them in a safer manner. Knowledge and awareness-if everyone on this board took actions like that and told all your friends to as well, it would spread. The Environmental Working Group does a lot of work on these things. Google them. They even keep watch on the so-called "green options". Their "SKIN DEEP" project deals with beauty products. I am sensitive to chemicals, so in our home we have no toxic cleaners, air fresheners, perfumes. All it takes is one whiff and I get a migrane. So I have learned to used baking soda and vinegar, lemon juice, salt and such. And guessw what? No more headaches. And these things are so much cheaper than commercial cleaners, so I save $$ to boot.
October 14 2010 at 10:46 PM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down ReplySo, who is going to pay for this PR campaign you speak of? Lead toys from China were only discovered because the Consumer Product Safety Commission tested them. Do you thing the manufacturers just said,"Oh, by the way, we're using lead paint, in case you care." This government agency was the only way you would know about it. Not everyone is sensitive to chemicals and can automatically detect harmful ones. My son is sensitive like you and has serious allergies & asthma, so I understand what you go through. But, to think that these companies will put your health over their bottom line is extremely naive and dangerous. This is EXACTLY the situation where the little guy needs government regulation and watchdogs.
October 15 2010 at 12:04 PM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down Replygreed will kill us all,its not about whats good for america its about how much money they can put in their pockets
October 14 2010 at 9:54 PM Report abuse Permalink +4 rate up rate down ReplyThe real offenders here are the oil and coal company executives who ignore the destruction caused by their products. Coal plants emit more toxic chemicals than almost anything else. They also emit far more radiation because of uranium, radium and radon in the coal than any nuclear plant. Any nuclear plant that emitted as much radiation as a coal fired plant does would be shut down immediately. All this on top of the CO2 that is emitted by coal in larger quantities than any other fuel. These companies also lobby against awareness of Global Warming. Talk about short sighted greed. These guys invented it.
December 25 2010 at 5:11 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIf there was more real science out there, and less junk science, these type of bills would have a better chance of passing.
October 14 2010 at 8:33 PM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down ReplyYes, but when it comes to important health matters it makes sense to err on the side of caution.
February 11 2011 at 11:44 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"Reform of Toxic Chemicals Law Collapses as Industry Flexes Its Muscles" And just think, with no action taken by our Congress and President, this industry can flood the candidates it wants to help them out with untold millions in funds to get them elected. And it looks to me like our children are the ones who will suffer. About time we told our representatives that we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any longer.
October 14 2010 at 3:26 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyIt is so disheartening to read about the constant triumphs of big business and lobbyists over the general public. Here is a clear example of how our health and the quality of our environment are being contaminated by the very products we eat, put on our bodies and live amongst all the days of our life, and what does Congress do? They side with the millionaires. We need to raise our voices and be heard - chemicals should be proven safe before they are released to the public, not proven guilty decades after the fact, when the damage is already done.
October 14 2010 at 2:00 PM Report abuse Permalink +9 rate up rate down ReplyWe don't need the "big government" to protect us. The corporation know best!!! All American's better get on board with this. The GOP knows best!!!
October 14 2010 at 12:25 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply
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