ABSTRACT
One of the earlier environmental problems to be treated was regulation of toxic pesticides by Congress’s enactment of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which was amended in 1972 by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act, and again in 1975, 1978, and 1988. Prior to this period of acute environmental awareness of the necessity for toxic control, only scattered and special controls had been enacted. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that prior to 1976, approximately 90% of all hazardous wastes were improperly disposed of. As a result, the Toxic Substances Contol Act 1976 (TSCA) was enacted as a comprehensive, gap-filling measure to control toxic substances. Amendments were made to TSCA in 1986 and 1988 to deal with two toxic health hazards, viz., asbestos in public building structures and radon.
