Worker advocates dissatisfied with EPA’s safety actions

摘要

In a congressional hearing, a lineup of advocates for worker safety faulted the way the EPA is using its new authority under the 2016 amendments to TSCA to shield workers from the occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals. The amendments direct that in reducing the risks of exposure to these chemicals, the Agency must consider the risks to “susceptible subpopulations,” which the amendments define as groups that may be at greater risk than the general population, including but not limited to “infants, children, pregnant women, workers, or the elderly.” But in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, witnesses said that in implementing the law, the Agency is missing opportunities to reduce exposure experienced by groups that include autoworkers, firefighters, and teachers.