For several years there have been increasing calls and a growing consensus among both activists and industry to reform the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This is the federal statute that allows the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review the safety of new chemicals before they are allowed to be commercially manufactured, and to restrict uses of existing chemicals in circumstances where they are found to present an unreasonable risk. TSCA has not been amended significantly in this respect since it was adopted in 1976. While TSCA was originally a model chemical control law for other nations, many other developed nations are now implementing more progressive chemical control regimes - most notably the European Community under its REACH legislation.
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