Are there really thousands of untested chemicals in everyday products?
If you’ve ever read a news article or blog post about chemicals, you may have come across the oft-cited claim that there are 84,000 untested chemicals in the products we use every day. Taken at face value, this figure is startling. But, if you check the facts and take a closer look, you’ll also find that this figure simply is not true.
Check out this video, which provides some clarity and
context. You see, the 84,000 number is based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA) chemical inventory list. Established in 1979, this inventory has not been an accurate reflection of the chemicals actually used in products. Why? For one thing, any chemical that has ever gone on the inventory has stayed there, even if it’s not used anymore.
A more accurate count of the total number of chemicals in commerce is closer to 7,700 – this reflects chemicals produced in what EPA considers “significant amounts” and widely used in commerce.
All new chemicals are subject to an EPA safety review before they are used in products. And, under the “Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,” signed into law last year, EPA has even greater authority to review any chemical, at any time, to protect public health and the environment. Plus, more than a dozen other laws and six federal agencies also help to regulate the use of chemicals. So, for more than 35 years, the number of new chemicals that have come to market without U.S. EPA review has been ZERO.
Watch the video below and learn more at ChemicalSafetyFacts.org.
