Submission for Subcommittee hearing on “Regulation of New Chemicals, Protection of Confidential Business Information, and Innovation”

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) submits that stringent chemical regulations incentivize the development of safer alternatives, citing patent spikes for phthalate-alternatives as evidence. It criticizes TSCA Section 5 for allowing 'regrettable substitution' due to insufficient safety data and TSCA Section 14 for the abuse of confidential business information (CBI) privileges. CIEL recommends shifting the burden of proof for safety to manufacturers, increasing information transparency, and phasing out endocrine disrupting chemicals.

• Stricter regulations on hazardous chemicals promote innovation and the adoption of safer alternatives by creating market incentives and overcoming barriers such as economies of scale and externalized costs.
• Analysis of international patent filings indicates that the invention of alternatives to phthalates, which have endocrine disrupting properties, accelerated in correlation with the implementation of stricter protective rules.
• TSCA Section 5 is criticized for failing to prevent 'regrettable substitution'—where one hazardous chemical is replaced by another structurally similar hazardous chemical—because manufacturers are not required to provide health and safety information to regulators.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2013). Submission for Subcommittee hearing on “Regulation of New Chemicals, Protection of Confidential Business Information, and Innovation”. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/HouseInnovation_HearingSubmission_11Jul2013.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Submission for Subcommittee hearing on “Regulation of New Chemicals, Protection of Confidential Business Information, and Innovation”. 2013. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/HouseInnovation_HearingSubmission_11Jul2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Submission for Subcommittee hearing on “Regulation of New Chemicals, Protection of Confidential Business Information, and Innovation” |date=11 July 2013 |url=https://www.ciel.org/Publications/HouseInnovation_HearingSubmission_11Jul2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2013submission, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Submission for Subcommittee hearing on “Regulation of New Chemicals, Protection of Confidential Business Information, and Innovation”}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/Publications/HouseInnovation_HearingSubmission_11Jul2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }