BPA and 22 Other Controversial Chemicals Focus of Forthcoming EPA Review

BPA

There may soon be more restrictions on 23 common chemicals, including BPA (bisphenol-A), seven types of phthalates and two flame retardants, as the EPA has announced plans to review these chemicals for regulations on specific uses.

The agency will begin assessing these controversial chemicals some time after 2017, and if the agency finds reason, could choose to alter regulations to include tighter restrictions.

All of the chemicals on the new list met the criteria such as “being used in children’s products or being carcinogenic, persistent in the environment or harmful to development, reproduction or the neurological system,” reports Bloomberg BNA. “Depending on the findings of its risk assessments, the agency could decide to regulate one or more uses of the chemical, work with industry to reduce exposures or conclude that its analysis showed a particular use raised no concerns.”

That’s good news for consumers particularly concerned over the use of certain chemicals, notably BPA. A recent study found the chemical was released into the body in a matter of seconds after a person used a hand sanitizer, then touched BPA-laced thermal register receipts and greasy food. The hand sanitizer stripped away the skin’s natural oil barrier and the greasy food made it easier for the chemical to get into the skin.

“The EPA’s selection of some of the 23 newly added chemicals isn’t surprising, as the agency voiced concerns about possible health or environmental harms they could cause in action plans it released between December 2009 and April 2011,” Bloomberg BNA explains.

Other chemicals on the list besides BPA include: decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates,1,3-butadiene, 2,5-furandione, dimethylaminoethanol, 2-hydroxy-4-(octyloxy)benzophenone, 3,3′-dichlorobenzidine, 4,4′-(1-methylethylidene)bis[2,6-dibromophenol], barium carbonate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, isopropylated phenyl, phosphate, molybdenum, pentachlorothio-phenol and triphenyl phosphate.

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