California Drafts Product Regulations

Manufacturers of consumer products sold in California would have to identify their toxic ingredients and analyze alternatives to those chemicals, under draft regulations the state released last week. Also, the draft regulations would establish a list of “chemicals of concern” in consumer products. The draft rules are designed to change the way companies create products and to stimulate a new industry that analyzes alternatives, says Deborah Raphael, director of the state Department of Toxic Substances Control. Adoption of these regulations would create opportunities for chemists and product designers who put safety to humans and the environment on par with performance and efficiency, she adds. Raphael says Californians “should feel confident as they walk the aisles of any store that products on the shelves are safe to use and free of toxic chemicals.” The draft regulations would implement 2008 state laws that are part of California’s green chemistry program.