November 29, 2016
By Sam Lemonick
In May Congress (click here) amended the Toxic Substances Control Act, a 40-year old law intended to ensure the safety of the growing array of new chemicals being created, like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The original law was written with an eye toward balancing the EPA’s regulatory responsibilities against the financial interests of the chemical industry.
Over time it became clear that the law didn’t give the EPA sufficient power to protect Americans. The amended law, which had broad support, directs the EPA to be more proactive, judging chemicals’ potential for harm before they reach the market. It also requires the EPA to start reviewing substances already out in the world, asking for a list of 10 chemicals thought to be most harmful by mid-December.
The agency turned its work in early, releasing that list today. It now has three years to evaluate their risks. If the EPA decides any pose an unreasonable threat to human health or the environment, it has two years to do something about it, like banning the chemical....
The EPA is doing vital work and must complete their findings to submit to Congress.
...How People Are Exposed to DDT (click here)
By Sam Lemonick
In May Congress (click here) amended the Toxic Substances Control Act, a 40-year old law intended to ensure the safety of the growing array of new chemicals being created, like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The original law was written with an eye toward balancing the EPA’s regulatory responsibilities against the financial interests of the chemical industry.
Over time it became clear that the law didn’t give the EPA sufficient power to protect Americans. The amended law, which had broad support, directs the EPA to be more proactive, judging chemicals’ potential for harm before they reach the market. It also requires the EPA to start reviewing substances already out in the world, asking for a list of 10 chemicals thought to be most harmful by mid-December.
The agency turned its work in early, releasing that list today. It now has three years to evaluate their risks. If the EPA decides any pose an unreasonable threat to human health or the environment, it has two years to do something about it, like banning the chemical....
The EPA is doing vital work and must complete their findings to submit to Congress.
...How People Are Exposed to DDT (click here)
C14 H9 Cl5
It isn't so much the carbons and the carbon rings that are the problem, it is the single Hydrogen and the chlorine that interact with the body. You know choline. NACL. NaCl. Sodium Chloride. Chlorine is highly reactive. Chlorine gas killed many in Syria. (click here) It is highly reactive.
People are most likely to be exposed to DDT from foods, including meat, fish, and dairy
products. DDT can be absorbed by eating, breathing, or touching products contaminated
with DDT. In the body, DDT is converted into several breakdown products called
metabolites, including the metabolite dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE). DDT and
DDE are stored in the body’s fatty tissues. In pregnant women, DDT and DDE can be
passed to the fetus. Both chemicals are found in breast milk, resulting in exposure to
nursing infants....
