Although Toxic Substances Control Act reform, the focus of the October Congressional Digest, is moving slowly through Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called it a “top priority” and some States have taken action, as well.

In a talk to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said that “[a] child born in America today will grow up exposed to more chemicals than a child from any other generation in our history.” She referred to a 2005 study that “found 287 different chemicals in the cord blood of 10 newborn babies ? chemicals from pesticides, fast food packaging, coal and gasoline emissions, and trash incineration.”

A summary of that study, by the Environmental Working Group, can be found here.

Noting some of these chemicals may be “risk-free,” Administrator Jackson said that the public nevertheless is “understandably anxious and confused” and turning to government for assurance that “unacceptable risks haven’t been ignored.”

One solution may be found in “green chemistry” – the use of chemistry to reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts. EPA has instituted a number of programs to promote the concept, including awards, research, and educational activities.

On the state level, the California Green Chemistry Initiative is designed to drive the development of a new industry in that state. The report Green Chemistry at Work highlights 12 California businesses that are working on such innovations.

In addition, more than a dozen states have signed onto a document called State Principles on Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act. More than 30 have proposed legislation banning or restricting the use of mercury, 24 have restrict use of the toxic flame retardant PBDE, and three have enacted legislation banning phthalates, a group of chemicals that is often used to make plastic more flexible.