The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) banned three products that are deemed harmful to consumers.
The identified products included children's foam padded sleeping materials, spray polyurethane foam, and varnish and paint strippers. Manufacturers were given time to eliminate the toxins from these items, and if they fail to do so, the local government will not allow them to sell their products in California anymore.
The announcement is part of a campaign aimed to create awareness among manufacturers and consumers about the safety of products in the market. The Green-Chemistry Law gives the agency the power to ban products after they have followed a strict protocol. The process includes workshops and a public hearing. It also requires manufacturers to research for safer ingredients that they could use. This may last for two years, and the agency is still looking for other products that might contain dangerous ingredients.
On the other side of the issue is a trade group, the American Chemistry Council that expressed their disappointment over the jurisdiction.
"We share the goal of chemical safety but are disappointed that today's announcement included products that are already being actively evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," the trade group expressed in a written statement, as reported by San Francisco Chronicle.
According to the trade group, the DTSC should look into scientific evidences from sources like the EPA and other organizations that attest to the safety of the products rather than duplicating the assessments made by the federal officials.
But the DSTC reiterated that they're just looking out for the consumers."Not only is the Department of Toxic Substances Control asking that these three products be made safer, it is signaling to manufacturers to examine their products and find safer alternative ingredients whenever any of the more than 1,100 chemicals identified by this program are used," said Debbie Raphael, the agency's director to the San Francisco Chronicle.
