The President's Cancer Panel released a landmark 200-page report on Thursday May 6th, warning that our lackadaisical approach to chemical regulation may have far-reaching consequences for our health.
An excerpt from the report:
The prevailing regulatory approach in the United States is reactionary rather than precautionary. That is, instead of taking preventive action when uncertainty exists about the potential harm a chemical or other environmental contaminant may cause, a hazard must be incontrovertibly demonstrated before action to ameliorate it is initiated. Moreover, instead of requiring industry or other proponents of specific chemicals, devices, or activities to prove their safety, the public bears the burden of proving that a given environmental exposure is harmful.
It's about time! Better now than never...maybe there is hope after all?
Also check out the op-ed article by the New York Times here.