Unfortunately, we have been seeing decreased regulation of air quality, water quality, radioactive exposure, and reduced public comment periods over the last couple years. For example, federal standards that were put in place to improve air quality and protect public health in the 1990s have been reduced. We also are seeing the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decrease limits on radioactive exposure that were put in place after the US exposed countless lives to radioactive contamination through nuclear weapons testing and uranium workers.

This bill also restricts what regulations can be based on if there isn’t a federal standard. This might lead to ineffective regulation of some industries, like nuclear waste reprocessing, that do not exist in the US today. Under this bill, only toxic exposures that cause immediate, present, and diagnosable illness could be regulated. This could lead to profound harm to communities today. For example, even though we know chronic exposure to air pollution like PM 2.5 can cause cardiovascular illness, under this law, these pollutants would not have passed the test for new regulation. Another example is radioactive exposure. While exposure to ionizing radiation might result in the immediate development of a tumor, it could cause the mutation of one strand of DNA, the malfunction of a cell, that may eventually result in cancer. We cannot save lives if we cannot regulate based on increased risk of illness related to environmental exposure.

We know that long-term air pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, but this bill would prevent regulation unless a direct, immediate link to illness can be proven. The same is true for radioactive exposure, which may not cause harm right away but can damage DNA and lead to cancer years later. Public health protections are meant to prevent illness — not wait until it appears.