The Importance of Chemical Safety

Every day, people use countless products that have interacted with a number of chemicals. Chemicals, while useful in many ways, pose certain health and physical hazards that lead to necessary regulation. These health hazards exist due to proven associations between inappropriate chemical exposure and certain diseases/illnesses. Physical dangers such as explosivity and flammability are also points of concern. Thus, chemical safety laws are important due to their ability to monitor commercial products for safety and protect individuals. Even if a product has an associated danger, chem laws require them to have warning labels to help people discern when and how they can reduce their exposure to substances and know what they are getting involved with.

Major Chem Safety Laws

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):

Created in 1976, this was the first major chemical safety law in US legislation history. Although it was the first main law meant to help with chemical safety regulations, it was not very strong. The law made moves to regulate commercial chemicals but did not do much to regulate products outside of this – such as pesticides or chemicals in personal care products. This meant that a lot was left unregulated, and it was hard to get the law to work as intended due to industry pressures. Another flaw with this law is that it failed to regulate chemicals already on the market.

Frank R Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act:

Enacted in 2016, this chemical safety law was written as an overhaul to the original TSCA. It aimed to be a better source of protection against dangerous chemicals that were still being allowed to be used in everyday products. The law was a necessary revision to the 1976 act in that it began to look at existing chemicals in the market.

Many scientific advancements had also been made in the years following the TSCA, so practices such as risk-based chemical assessments were now a required implementation. The 2016 act also aimed to make chemical information more transparent to the general public, not to mention giving the Environmental Protection Agency more funding to properly carry out the act’s responsibilities. 

An Accountable Source

Even after this new and improved act was enacted, there are still holes in chemical safety laws due to efficiency and practicality. Consumers want to know that they can trust their chemical manufacturers. Luckily, Extraction Grade Solvents is a safe, ethical source to use for all of your chemical needs and beyond. We can help to bypass your worries, and our team of specialists would be happy to meet and discuss your needs and concerns. For more information about our products and how we can serve you contact us here today!