Toxic Substance Control Act

MATCH PLEASE

1. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (D)
2. U.S EPA (A)
3. U.S FDA (J)
4. Rat Poison (B)
5. 1976 (C)
6. Oncogenicity (I)
7. 1947 (H)
8. Requires plaintiff to demonstrate that the defendant was engaged in an abnormally dangerous activity (K)
9. Food Quality Protection Act (F)
10. 15 (G)
    Analyze and describe the effectiveness of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
    The TSCA was established in 1976 and gives the EPA the authority to regulate industrial chemicals that are not covered by other statutes (Vogel & Roberts, 2011). Since its establishment, the act has enabled the EPA to require reporting, testing and establish restrictions regarding chemical substances not covered in other statutes. While it was effective after its inception as it led to a number of advantages such as the collection of information regarding chemicals, their usage and health and safety requirements, it is currently perceived as weak and outdated (Vogel & Roberts, 2011). Due to shifting governments, reduced funding and reduced oversight by Congress, the power of the EPA to undertake operations under the act were significantly limited (Hamblin, 2016). Furthermore, since the law has not been substantially updated for years, there are profound gaps in most basic health and hazard information on a vast majority of commercial chemicals currently exists. While the act did receive an update in 2016, additional changes are still required (Hamblin, 2016). The act, therefore, needs to be amended to include other chemicals and develop a comprehensive chemicals policy program for a number of states in the US.
    Explain the major differences between the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FFDCA) and the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA).
    Despite their wide array of similarities, the FFDCA and the FQPA have a number of differences. For instance, while the FFDCA required the EPA to determine and set tolerances that can be considered as “safe”, the FQPA reiterates this requirement and specifies a 10-year period after which the EPA will be required to reassess the set tolerance levels (EPA, 2019a; EPA, 2019b). On the other hand, the FFDCA required the EPA to only consider the aggregate risk from exposure to a specific pesticide while the FQPA included elements such as cumulative exposure to pesticides that have common mechanisms of toxicity. In essence, the FQPA wished to establish more refined pesticide risk assessment measures. With the new requirements set out under the FQPA, the EPA ended up revoking or modifying over 4000 tolerances thereby resulting in a refined and more efficient tolerance list being outlined (EPA, 2019a). The FQPA also established a number of aspects that are not present in the FFDCA such as giving consideration to minor uses of pesticides, outlining a list of pests that are of significance and requiring the EPA to screen pesticides for disruption to the endocrine system (EPA, 2019a). Lastly, the FQPA requires periodic review cycle of pesticide registrations. This will ensure that the tolerances and requirements will always reflect the most recent changes in science and pesticide practices.

References
EPA. (2019a). Summary of the Food Quality Protection Act. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-food-quality-protection-act
EPA. (2019b). Summary of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-federal-food-drug-and-cosmetic-act
Hamblin, J. (2016). Toxic Substances Will Now Be Somewhat Regulated. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/05/toxic-substances-control-act/484280/
Vogel, S. A., & Roberts, J. A. (2011). Why The Toxic Substances Control Act Needs An Overhaul, And How To Strengthen Oversight Of Chemicals In The Interim. Health Affairs, 30(5), 898-905. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0211