Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
There are tens of thousands of chemicals on the market in the US. From cleaning products to cosmetics to food packaging, we expect that the chemicals found in our everyday consumer products should be safe. However, there is no absolute requirement for chemical safety testing, and even when safety issues are found, chemicals are rarely banned or restricted. Furthermore, the standard toxicity tests typically used to assess chemical safety focus on severe health effects at high doses with little information generated about more subtle health effects that may occur at lower doses over long periods of time. As a result, we are routinely exposed to chemicals that can harm our immune systems, impact our ability to have children, and increase our risk for cancer. This talk will provide an overview of how our chemical regulatory system works (or doesn’t work) and what you can do to reduce your exposures to risky chemicals.
There are tens of thousands of chemicals on the market in the US. From cleaning products to cosmetics to food packaging, we expect that the chemicals found in our everyday consumer products should be safe. However, there is no absolute requirement for chemical safety testing, and even when safety issues are found, chemicals are rarely banned or restricted. Furthermore, the standard toxicity tests typically used to assess chemical safety focus on severe health effects at high doses with little information generated about more subtle health effects that may occur at lower doses over long periods of time. As a result, we are routinely exposed to chemicals that can harm our immune systems, impact our ability to have children, and increase our risk for cancer. This talk will provide an overview of how our chemical regulatory system works (or doesn’t work) and what you can do to reduce your exposures to risky chemicals.
