PROTECTING ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

RTKnet: Chemicals

explanation of types, classifications, listings, PBT, etc

Proposed Oil Spill Bill Requires More Disclosure from Frackers (News Inferno)

A new bill, HR3534, which recently passed in the House Natural Resources Committee, would require drilling companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing on federal lands to disclose the chemicals they are using. While the legislation requires drillers to disclose "the chemical constituents of mixtures, Chemical Abstracts Service numbers, and material  safety data sheets," they are not required to publicly disclose "proprietary chemical formulas," falling short of what environmentalists want.

(20 Jul 2010)

EPA Chief Calls for More Authority Over Dispersants (The New York Times)

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson urged Congress to pass legislation strenghtening the EPA's authority over oil dispersants, asking for increased testing and disclosure of the chemical ingredients in Corexit. Jackson asserted that new dispersant legislation "would give us critical transparency and openness protections that right now EPA cannot provide by law."

(19 Jul 2010)

EPA and Other Federal Agencies Collaborate to Improve Chemical Screening (EPA)

The FDA joins the EPA, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the National Institutes of Health's Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC) in the Tox21 collaboration, which uses federal agencies' combined resources to develop methods to more effectively predict how chemicals will impact human health and the environment. According to the NTP, "The addition of the FDA...allows biomedical researchers and regulatory scientists...to more rapidly screen chemicals and find more effective ways to protect the health of the public."

(19 Jul 2010)

Sen. Lautenberg Introduces Bills to Protect Chemical and Water Plants Nationwide (Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ))

Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Secure Water Facilities Act and the Secure Chemical Facilities Act, which will "close a gap that leaves millions of families vulnerable to an attack on America's chemical plants and water treatment facilities." According to Lautenberg, this legislation will "ensure a thorough review of risk, and help us move toward more secure plants and safer communities."

(15 Jul 2010)

Drilling Company Lists Hazardous Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing (Pro Publica)

Range Resources plans to disclose the hazardous chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania wells on their website. Earthjustice asserts that although this list will help specialists determine whether drilling is polluting drinking water, "It does not by any stretch of the imagination cover what most people would consider to be hazardous."

(15 Jul 2010)

TAKE ACTION - Tell Your Representatives To Support the FRAC Act (Food & Water Watch)

Companies that are threatening our drinking water with hydraulic fracturing can't be held accountable under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and they don't have to disclose the 596 chemicals that they are injecting into the ground. Ask your representative to close the loophole and require companies to disclose the chemicals they are using by passing the FRAC Act.

(15 Jul 2010)

EPA Relies on Industry-Backed Studies to Determine Safety of Weed Killer (The Huffington Post)

The EPA is publishing studies of the health effects of the pesticide Atrazine in drinking water that have been funded by companies with financial interest in the weed-killer. Many of these studies, which allege that the pesticide has minimal health risks, have not been scrutinized by independent scientists.

(09 Jul 2010)

EPA Seeks Employee Participation in Chemical Safety Inspections (EPA)

The EPA has released interim guidance that will allow employees and employee representatives to participate in chemical safety inspections, increasing transparency in the inspection process. The EPA is requiring state and local agencies to adopt a similar procedure under the Risk Management Program (RMP). Worker safety advocates have long sought enforcement of this feature of the Clean Air Act.

(08 Jul 2010)

Minnesota Department of Health Lists Chemicals of High Concern (Minnesota Public Radio)

The Minnesota Department of Health released a list of 1755 hazardous substances used in consumer products and industrial processes. "The list doesn't consider how often people are exposed to the chemical or the risk of exposure" because there is limited access to toxicity information. The Health Department may use the list to increase public awareness or other organizations might point to the list to inform consumers.

(02 Jul 2010)

Potentially Harmful Chemicals Used in Pennsylvania Drilling (New York Times)

Chemicals being used to drill natural gas wells in Pennsylvania are linked to neurological problems, cancer, and other health problems. Using data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Associated Press hopes to release a full list of gas drilling chemicals used in Pennsylvania online. Environmental advocates are concerned that these chemicals are polluting their drinking water and harming their health.

(29 Jun 2010)