Great Lakes groups urge Congress to modernize chemical laws

A coalition of 60 Great Lakes environmental groups is asking Congress to update the Toxic Substances Control Act in order to prevent the spread of persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs) into the Great Lakes.

In an April 2 letter to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection the groups point out that chemical releases from decades ago continue to threaten the health of those who live in the Great Lakes region.

PBTs are uniquely dangerous because they pose a triple threat. They persist in the
environment for long periods of time and can be transported long distances; they accumulate in living organisms and increase in concentration as they move up the food chain; and, they can be highly toxic, often at very low levels of exposure. PBT substances have been associated with widespread, long-term adverse effects on wildlife in the Great Lakes. A growing body of scientific evidence links PBT chemicals to a wide range of serious human health problems, including early onset of puberty, infertility, endocrine disruption, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders and certain cancers.

Contamination of our nation’s waterways is not just a Great Lakes issue. According to a draft National Lakes Assessment released March 2, fish in half of all lakes tested had dangerous mercury levels. Seventeen percent of lakes had fish whose flesh contained health-threatening concentrations of PCBs, which have been banned in the U.S. for more than 30 years1 (US EPA,2010). Once released, we live with the impacts of PBT’s for generations.

The groups reminded the representatives that under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 and the subsequent Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy, the U.S. and Canada promised to stop discharge of persistent toxic substances into the Great Lakes.

The Toxic Substances Control Act has not been updated since it was passed in 1976.