Governor Baldacci's Task Force Promoting Safer Chemicals in Consumer Products
Interim Report
Executive Summary
The Governor's Task Force Promoting Safer Chemicals in Consumer Products was established to identify and promote the use and development of safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in consumer goods and services made, provided or sold in Maine so as to benefit public health, the environment and the economy for all Maine people.
The 1976 federal Toxic Substances and Control Act (ToSCA) was intended to provide a framework for federal regulation of chemicals found to present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment and to encourage industry to develop adequate data with respect to the effect of chemical substances and mixtures on health and the environment.
The Task Force Promoting Safer Chemicals in Consumer Products agrees with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and others that ToSCA does not provide sufficient chemical safety data for public use by consumers, businesses and workers; is inadequate to ensure the safety of chemicals in commerce in the United States; and fails to create incentives to develop safer alternatives. It further fails to provide health and ecotoxicity information for Maine companies seeking information about the safety of chemicals in their products, and fails to provide information adequate to ensure worker safety.
Under ToSCA, the burden of proof requirements are so heavy that they discourage effective agency action. This means that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot stop companies from using many chemicals the agency knows may be or are harmful. EPA's inability to act under ToSCA is a key reason Maine must move to protect its citizens and environment from toxic chemicals in consumer products.
Task Force members Tom's of Maine and Interface, Inc. represent two businesses in Maine that have developed profitable product lines that exemplify safer consumer products. Both Tom's of Maine and Interface, Inc. incorporate safer products, environmental protection and sustainability into their work practices as well as their products. Lack of comprehensive and standardized information on the toxicity and ecotoxicity of most chemicals has presented challenges for both companies.
Maine's agencies are playing a leadership role in promoting the use of safer chemicals in consumer products through the purchase and use of products that are needed in state government, commonly used by consumers and safer for our state workers and the environment. Environmentally preferable procurement is underway for janitorial supplies, lamps and ballast, computers, and wheel weights. An Integrated Pest Management program is under development for state-owned and operated buildings and their grounds in the Augusta area.
Technological innovation is key to both the development of safer alternatives to toxic chemicals and to allowing our companies to maximize the value of Maine’s rich natural resource base. Green Chemistry, including the development of bio-based products from Maine agricultural and forest resources, offers the potential for substantial economic growth and job expansion in this state. This innovative technology will supply a demand that already exists from successful Maine businesses committed to sustainable materials, processes, and products. Becoming preeminent in the field of Green Chemistry is a natural for this state and its businesses.
Task Force recommendations support the expanded efforts of the University of Maine System and private industry to become leaders in the field of Green Chemistry and the emerging potential of bio-based products.
The Task Force also recommends actions to improve our knowledge base of safer chemicals among Maine's consumers and student population and to increase opportunities for higher level education in the areas of toxicology and environmental health.
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