The new chemical safety law

Guests: Richard Dennison, Joseph Braun

A bill overhauling the way we regulate chemicals was signed into law last month, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21^st Century Act.  Under the new law the EPA will begin reviewing the 64,000 chemicals in household and industrial products to determine whether or not they pose a risk to human health or the environment.  Guest host Marty Cummings-Jordan talks with RICHARD DENNISON, lead senior scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, about the significance of the new law.  Then, we look at the health effects of the chemicals in our lives — the stuff in our lotions and shampoos, plastic cups and carpeting, and clothing and canned foods.  JOSEPH BRAUN, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, explains what we know about so far about the risks.

Image: Jenny Lee Silver