Chemical Reform Agenda
PEER has a long track record of representing whistleblowers and working with anonymous government employees who want to hold their agencies accountable for protecting public health and the environment from toxic chemicals and pollution.
Our work focuses on five areas:
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Protecting scientists in their work.
- Ensuring that any chemical in commerce is safe or can be managed to protect human health and the environment.
- Fighting to have systems in place to ensure we use the safest and healthiest products possible.
- Making sure that if industry causes unsafe levels of pollution or chemical accidents, the public knows immediately, and the responsible party pays to clean it up
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Increasing government transparency to allow for better decision making and accountability.
Because of chemicals, humans have progressed in extraordinary ways.
However, the overuse and mismanagement of chemicals are causing significant long-term threats to a livable planet. Exposure to toxic chemicals can harm children, shorten life expectancy, and negatively affect the well-being of all living things for generations. Together with climate change and biodiversity loss, the mismanagement of chemicals is a significant obstacle to a livable planet.
LEARN MORE
New Chemicals Need Closer Scrutiny
EPA does not have reasonable assurance that the new chemicals review process is properly considering and addressing risks to public health and the environment. PEER is working to change that. Learn more»
EPA Scientists Punished for Identifying Chemical Risks
The Inspector General found EPA retaliated against scientists because they protested watering down risk assessments for new chemicals being approved for commercial release. Learn more»
Strengthening the Chemical Safety Board
The Chemicals Safety Board suffers from personnel issues, industry influence, and weak regulations. PEER works to strengthen this agency’s capacity to respond to accidents. Learn more»
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A SNAPSHOT OF PEER’S PAST EFFORTS
Here are some examples of how PEER has made a difference:
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Revealed that EPA had hidden thousands of industry reports from the public and their own scientists about the substantial health risks from chemicals already on the market. Our subsequent legal action caused EPA to post these reports once again.
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Identified the presence of PFAS, a toxic class of chemicals known as “forever chemicals,” in products such as plastic containers, fertilizers, pesticides, and artificial turf. We are working to get these products off the market and to promote safer alternatives.
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Helped to stop the use of radioactive phosphor-gypsum to build highways. This dangerous scheme was a big giveaway to the fertilizer industry over the objections of EPA’s staff experts.
PEER’S PERSPECTIVE
Reforming EPA’s New Chemicals Program
READ MORE NEWS ON PUBLIC HEALTH
More Oil and Gas Wells Illegally Permitted in Colorado
Conservation groups petition EPA to step in and protect air quality
STATEMENT | IG Report Finds EPA New Chemical Review Process Badly Broken
EPA has not complied with applicable record keeping and quality assurance requirements when implementing its New Chemicals Program
EPA Plays Political Shell Game on PFAS Definition
No Sound Scientific Basis Available for Any of the Changing Definitions
Navy Refuses to Probe Hunters Point Toxic Disinformation
Navy IG Won’t Review False Statements on Sr-90 Levels in “Clean” Parcel
PEER and CEH Ask Court to Immediately Stop Unlawful PFAS Formation
Motion seeks to stop violations of federal law that are exposing millions of Americans to dangerous PFAS in fluorinated plastic containers
PEERMail | A Tempered Victory for Clean Air
EPA rejects a Trump-era proposal that would have lifted Clean Air Act regulations on two types of plastic recycling.
EPA Must Remove PFAS from Plastic Containers
New Analysis Demonstrates Health Risks to Millions of Americans Using Plastic Containers
STATEMENT | DOJ Falls Short on Protecting the Public from Unsafe Exposure to PFAS Chemicals
In their request for a declaratory judgement against Inhance, the DOJ failed to seek an injunction to stop Inhance’s unlawful and dangerous conduct in producing PFAS.
