Are expanded community right-to-know programs under consideration in other states?

Advocates for reductions in the industrial use of toxic chemicals are working with a number of states and local governments on initiatives that could include materials accounting data reporting requirements. For example, San Francisco is considering an ordinance directing city and county agencies to make regulatory decisions based on the “precautionary principle.” This principle, which has been adopted by the European Union as the basis for regulations on toxic chemicals, holds that in the face of scientific uncertainty, government should err on the side of protecting the public’s health and safety. In other words, if the evidence suggests there is a good chance that a chemical may pose a risk of irreversible harm, regulators should not wait for absolute proof before acting. In practice, policies based on the precautionary principle could require industrial facilities to track the quantity of toxic chemicals used or shipped in products, as well as other pollution prevention indicators. (For more information on the precautionary principle, see http://www.uml.edu/centers/LCSP/precaution.)

Pollution prevention advocates in several states are working to pass legislation designed to phase out the industrial use (or generation) of persistent, bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs) such as mercury, lead, and dioxin. One way to verify whether facilities are using PBTs, or are adding these or other pollutants to consumer products, is to require manufacturers to report this information to state agencies and ultimately to the public -- as is done in Massachusetts and New Jersey.