Safety

The business of chemistry helps create the products that make us safer—in our homes, at work, at play, on the road and even on the battlefield. Developed by almost 800,000 American workers, these innovative products continually advance with new technology to make our lives safer and more secure.

Here's a list of just a few of the products created by the business of chemistry that impact our lives on a daily basis:

• Plastic seat belts, child safety seats and air bags save countless lives on the road.
• LED traffic lights, reflective signage and foam filled crash drums help make us safer.
• Medical devices, x-rays and blood bags and medicines save lives in the emergency room.
• Cyclists, skiers, hikers, mountain climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts rely on carbon fiber-reinforced plastic gear and safety equipment, from skis and boots to goggles and ropes.
• Lightweight body armor saves lives in law enforcement and on the battlefield.
• Plastic encased MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) deliver food safely to our soldiers on the battlefield and then heat themselves through a chemical reaction.

ACC and its member companies developed the Responsible Care® Product Safety Code to drive improvement in chemical product safety as part of the industry’s signature environmental, health, safety and security management system. The Product Safety Code is our industry’s public commitment to our role in the safe management of chemicals and articulates our pledge to make safety a core value in how our products are made, sold, delivered, used and disposed of.

ACC sponsors two primary scientific initiatives to enhance scientific understanding of chemical safety: the Long-Range Research Initiative (LRI), which promotes innovation in the methods and technologies used for assessing chemical safety, and the Center for Advancing Risk Assessment Science and Policy (ARASP), which focuses on advancing knowledge about how chemicals interact with the body and the relationship between chemical exposure and safety.

The Federal Safety Net

Beyond ACC’s initiatives, there are more than a dozen federal laws create a safety net to oversee the safe use of chemical products, including:

• The Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (LCSA) gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to review and regulate chemicals in commerce. Congress passed bipartisan comprehensive reform legislation to update the regulation of chemicals for the first time in 40 years, modernizing the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to meet the needs of the 21st Century.
• The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FFDCA) requires FDA approval of many new drugs, food additives, medical devices and materials that contact food.
• The Federal, Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) sets requirements for pesticide product testing and approval by EPA.
• Additional laws that promote the safe use of chemical products include the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, among others.

Learn more about policies that can help American chemistry continue innovating, creating jobs and enhancing safety.