ISSUE 03
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE
California’s Innovative Green Chemistry Program Seeks Safer Chemicals The Safer Consumer Products Program (SCP) was created to accelerate the quest for safer chemicals – the primary objective of California’s landmark 2008 Green Chemistry law. The SCP regulations that took effect October 1, 2013 enact a four-step process for evaluating toxic chemicals in products that consumers buy and use. Productchemical combinations that have the potential to cause adverse impacts to human health, biota, or ecosystems are prioritized through regulations. Once prioritized and listed as Priority Products, manufacturers are required to find safer substitutes for the listed product-chemical combinations. Product-chemical combinations are evaluated by
7 / intlexposurescience.org
SCP research scientists and products that potentially expose people or biota to certain chemicals where that exposure could cause harm, are “prioritized” and listed through regulation. When product-chemical combinations are listed, they become “Priority Products,” triggering the search for safer alternatives. Possible exposure is a primary criterion determining what products get prioritized. California has learned from past legislative actions banning hazardous chemicals that replcement chemicals with equally bad or worse impacts can enter the market because of inadequate vetting of potential hazards.