Toxic Substances Control Act Overview
Current Law and Policies
Federal legislation to regulate U.S. commerce in chemi-cal substances was originally proposed in 1971 by the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Its report, Toxic Substances, defined a need for comprehensive legislation to identify and control chemicals whose manufacture, processing, distribution, use, and/or disposal was potentially dangerous and not adequately regulated under other environmental statutes. The House and Senate each passed bills in both the 92nd and 93rd Congresses (in 1972 and 1973, respectively), but controversies over the scope of chemical screening prior to commercial production and distribution, level of costs, and the relationship to other regulatory laws stalled final…
