ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the main policies that deal specifically with the creation, use, transportation, and disposal of toxic substances and how those policies affect environmental justice. The legal system for controlling toxic substances is to protect human health, although protecting other forms of life is a secondary objective. Two main health concerns associated with toxic substances are risk of cancer and effects on reproduction. Many aspects of the toxic substance problem make it difficult to resolve. Three important aspects that add to this difficulty are the number of substances involved, latency, and uncertainty. The potentially toxic substance that is working its way through the government regulatory bureaucracy is Bisphenol A. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company under the general duty clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which requires an employer to provide a workplace free of hazards, and fined it $10,000.
