M8.4 Blog Chemical Policy Reform

I chose to comment on background paper #6 which was titled Take Immediate Action to Protect Communities and Workers. I feel like as public health professionals, preventative medicine and protecting population health is our bread and butter. It would only make sense that this approach would be first. This paper highlights the problem with our current chemical exposure policies. It explains even though improvements in environmental health efforts are being made by industries like factory farms  or oil companies, “As evidenced by the thousands of permit violations and accidental releases, this can mean the facilities consistently fail to meet regulations, incorporating the cost of fines and penalties into the cost of doing business and passing that cost on to product consumers” (Wilding & Lewis, 2019). Current policies are a slap on the wrist and essentially do not stop industries from ruining our health and the environment. Immediate actions are required to protect workers and communities. The authors describe this as a very hard thing to do because laws and regulations needed are missing, poorly enforced, or have not been enacted. The authors say these actions in the meantime can mitigate damage. 

1.Replicate the Strategic Toxic Air Re- duction (STAR) program

2.Support the Right-to-Act

3.Pass and Enforce Environmental Justice Policies.

4.Pass “Bad actor” Laws

5.The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration must: Set Permissible Exposure Limits at levels below those known to cause health effects, the Hierarchy of Health and Safety Controls.

These are just a few things  the authors feel could be implemented immediately-ultimately improving quality of life. The authors believe changes in the workplace is the number one priority because workers are more exposed and the after effects would directly decrease the number of environmental health related issues. Even faster changes could happen if these workforce protections would be implemented at the state and regional levels.