AFL-CIO Opposes Trump-EPA Plans to Weaken Chemical Safety Regulations
The AFL-CIO condemns the Trump administration’s EPA plan to weaken the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), arguing it would increase workers’ exposure to hazardous chemicals and endanger public health. The union federation urges Congress to preserve TSCA protections, maintain EPA’s enforcement powers, and rejects assumptions that all workers wear protective equipment. Corporate interests back the rollbacks, prioritizing market speed over safety.
The AFL-CIO criticizes the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, led by Lee Zeldin, for plans to roll back chemical safety regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), originally enacted in 1976 and updated in 2016. The administration proposes reducing chemical testing and allowing new chemicals to enter the market before hazard evaluations are complete. This move prioritizes corporate profits and deregulation at the expense of worker safety and public health. Union letters to Congress highlight how hazardous chemical exposure causes significant occupational illness and death, estimating 135,000 annual U.S. worker fatalities linked to workplace hazards. The AFL-CIO opposes shifting the burden of protection onto workers via mandatory respirators, which are uncomfortable and ineffective by themselves. They emphasize that EPA has stronger enforcement authority than OSHA, including the power to remove dangerous chemicals and allowing citizen lawsuits if EPA fails to act. The unions warn that weakening TSCA will undermine protections, reduce transparency by limiting public involvement, and foster regulatory capture, where industry interests dominate EPA decisions. They call on lawmakers to uphold the integrity of TSCA, maintain comprehensive chemical risk evaluation including vulnerable communities, and resist deregulation efforts that endanger workers, their families, and broader populations.
