Safer Chemicals

In 2004, NEWMOA initiated a Northeast interstate project to assist states with identifying emerging chemicals of concern and improving coordination among various agencies concerned with chemicals in the environment. A list of Safer Chemicals Workshops can be found here.

The overall objective of this project was to:

• Develop greater consensus on priority chemicals for future action;
• Improve coordination and integration among key public health and environmental agencies;
• Inform the participants about ongoing data collection efforts at EPA, including EPA's High Production Volume Chemicals Project, Children's Health data, and new risk models; and
• Develop integrated approaches to addressing these issues.

To achieve these objectives, NEWMOA:

• Identified key state and tribal agencies, programs, and individuals involved in chemicals analysis and reduction activities;
• Provided support for meetings and workshops in the Northeast to improve coordination and increase the use of chemical data and models;
• Discussed how to identify potential priority chemicals for future action.

In 2008, NEWMOA initiated a Safer Chemicals Workgroup to address growing interest in toxic chemicals used in products and their manufacturing and the public health and environmental concerns from exposure during the manufacture, use, and end-of-life disposition. The mission of this Workgroup is to:

• Facilitate communication and information sharing about toxic substances in products and manufacturing and safer alternatives; policy and legislative initiatives at the state and national level; health and environmental assessments of existing chemicals and alternatives; priority chemical identification and prioritization; identification of state training needs
• Seek out areas of common interest and concern of the member states and identify potential projects, activities, and funding sources to assist states in program implementation
• As resources allow, develop and sponsor training for state programs, including web conferences and workshops
• Collaborate with other agencies and organizations outside of the NEWMOA membership that share an interest in reducing risk and exposure to toxic chemicals, including but not limited to academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and public health agencies

For more information contact: Terri Goldberg, NEWMOA, (617) 367-8558 x302, .

This webpage provides links to information on the 2006 "Characterizing Chemicals in Commerce: Using Data on High Production Volume (HPV) Chemicals" national conference and various workshops on integrated chemicals topics that have been held since 2004.