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Cal/EPA moves closer to banning certain chemicals
SACRAMENTO December 16, 2008 10:22am 
• Releases final draft for ‘green chemistry’ • Expected to reduce use of toxic chemicals in products sold in California The use of certain toxic substances in products and manufacturing processes would be banned or reduced in California under the California Environmental Protection Agency’s final recommendations for the state’s “green chemistry initiative” released Tuesday.
“Rather than managing wastes at the end of a product’s lifecycle, green chemistry shifts our focus to designing chemicals, processes, and goods that have little or no adverse affects during the manufacturing, use or disposal of a product,“ says Linda Adams, head of Cal/EPA.
Cal/EOA claims its proposals “will accelerate California’s move toward a clean, green, sustainable economy.” There are six policy recommendations, in Cal/EPA’s own words:
• “Expand pollution prevention and product stewardship programs.
• “Develop green chemistry workforce education and training through new and existing educational programs and partnerships.
• “Create an online product ingredient network to disclose chemical ingredients for products sold in California, while protecting trade secrets.
• “Create an online toxics clearinghouse, an online database of chemical toxicity and hazards populated with the guidance of a green ribbon science panel to help prioritize chemicals of concern and data needs.
• “Accelerate the quest for safer products, creating a systematic, science-based process to evaluate chemicals of concern and alternatives to ensure product safety and reduce or eliminate the need for chemical-by-chemical bans.
• “Move toward a cradle-to-cradle economy, establishing a California green products registry to develop green metrics and tools (e.g., environmental footprint calculators, sustainability indexes) for a range of consumer products and encourage their use by businesses.”
“These recommendations usher in a new era of how we look at household products – from our children’s toys to the plastic we use to make shampoo bottles to the varnish on our wood furniture,” says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Instead of paying attention to the toxic substances in our everyday products only when it comes time to throw them away in the landfill, we will now pay attention to those substances every step of the way – from when the product is designed, manufactured, used and recycled.”
Mr. Schwarzenegger claims the new policy options “will boost our economy through the use of new technologies, products and a green workforce.”
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