Lynn L. Bergeson, “GAO Recommends TSCA Improvements, and a Senate Bill Responds with a Proposal,” Environmental Quality Management, Winter 2005.

In June 2005, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report critical of the federal government’s ability under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to assess and prevent risks from new and existing chemical substances. Release of the GAO report coincided with the introduction by Senators Frank Lautenberg and James Jeffords of the Kid Safe Chemicals Act (S. 1391), a bill intended to improve children’s health by reducing exposure to harmful toxic chemicals in everyday consumer products and otherwise address the deficiencies in TSCA outlined in the report. This column reviews the GAO report, the proposed Kid Safe Chemicals Act, and the outlook for both.