California's S afer Consumer Products Program: A Path to Reducing Toxic Chemicals in Products A Report on the S CP Program to the DTS C Independent Review Panel Kathryn Alcantar, Director of CA Policy CEH & CHANGE Coalition
Who We ARE Asian and Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance Forward Together Bay Area Healthy 880 Communities The Green Schools Initiative Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates Green Science Policy Institute Black Women for Wellness Health Care Without Harm Breast Cancer Action Healthy Child Healthy World Breast Cancer Fund Healthy Children Organizing Project, Consumer Action California Latinas for Reproductive Justice Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative Just Transition Alliance California Pan-Ethnic Health Network Making Our Milk Safe Californians Against Waste Movement Strategy Center Californians for Pesticide Reform Pesticide Action Network, North America Center for Environmental Health Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment Clean Water Action Science and Environmental Health Network Coalition for Clean Air Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Commonweal So CA COSH Communities for a Better Environment United Steelworkers Local 675 East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice Worksafe Environment California Women’s Voices for the Earth Environmental Working Group
Our Involvement in S CP Program Development of Regulations Engagement at GRS P meetings Joint comments on Proposed Priority Products Workplan Alternatives Assessment Guidance Members attending/ providing comments at public workshops
S ummary of Benefits and Challenges References broad spectrum of authoritative lists Underutilized authority for data call-in Potential to stop chemical whack-a- mole game Lack of fee authority results in lack of resources S ends signals to industry about changes needed- initiates research S electing too narrow chemicals in narrow categories (e.g. FRs) may feed Authority to call-in data into toxic substitutions Authority to address chemical Delays undermine the intent of the classes, not j ust individual chemicals program Responsive to needs of vulnerable Collectively S CP has capacity, not communities and environmental currently being used, to have a much endpoints greater impact on public health Progress on Alternatives Assessment Guidance DTS C staff available and responsive
S ynopsis of Comments on Priority Product: Children’s Foam S leeping Products Great responsiveness to current chemical of concern Vulnerable populations: Children Narrow view of Chemicals of Concern Narrow Categories of Products Result in a missed opportunity to protect PH: CPS C’s recent testing found halogenated FRs in 22% of kid’s products tested
S ynopsis of Comments: MDI containing S PF S ystems Important current issue with potential for widespread adverse impacts S PF systems increasingly being used for energy efficiency Vulnerable Populations: Workers and Consumers Buildings should be BOTH energy efficient and healthy Great example of stimulating innovation
Example of Petition: BP A in Canned Food/ Beverages
“ the program needs to focus on PPs S ummary with a significant public health impact, and that communities care about, and do so in a timely manner” Program has great potential to “ the S CPs were very useful in our efforts to engage with AT&T to begin protect public health across a wide variety of chemicals in products a j oint union-company ‘ Green Team’ committee … to look at the materials Identification of PPs can really spur catalogue the company had our innovation people using and find more benign alternatives where possible” Agency isn’ t utilizing its full authority “ unions and other groups of workers and workers advocates can be greatly Program must speed up to actually empowered by the existence of the drive innovation S CPs in general and especially if the S tate needs to ensure full funding product/ chemical is one that they and address regulatory barriers are using. Workers need the S CP program to continue and to expand Lack of action is driving legislative [worker protections]” mandates and priorities Given the extent of the problems with chemicals in consumer products, S CP has a duty to take on its full capacity to achieve the public health
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