‘Forever Chemicals’ Deserve Far More EPA Scrutiny

Re:‘Forever Chemicals’ Deserve Far More EPA Scrutiny by sclarisse on Saturday March 18, 2023 @11:30PM (#35215751)

I sure hope there’s a reasonable middle ground between nothing and requiring a manufacturer to prove a new chemical is safe like you prove a drug is safe (as in the opening an aloft). The regulatory process around new drugs is incredible. It’s almost a marvel that drugs are still approved at all. We still can’t even get the good European-approved sunscreens in the US.

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Re:‘Forever Chemicals’ Deserve Far More EPA Scrutiny by decremental on Sunday March 19, 2023 @01:05AM (#35216212)

"Stuff that goes into your body and can kill you" isn't an area where we need looser regulations.

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Re:‘Forever Chemicals’ Deserve Far More EPA Scrutiny by mhardcastle on Sunday March 19, 2023 @02:05AM (#35216454)

Is this not a statement fully generalizable to tighter regulations on food and medicine, no matter how tight current regulations are?

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Re:‘Forever Chemicals’ Deserve Far More EPA Scrutiny by pzone on Sunday March 19, 2023 @07:34AM (#35217979)

Today we lose immeasurably more lives through unnecessary delays of important new medicines. There is no cost benefit calculation whatsoever.

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Re:‘Forever Chemicals’ Deserve Far More EPA Scrutiny by franga2000 on Sunday March 19, 2023 @02:14PM (#35221846)

Sounds quite measurable actually, so forgive me if I don't take your word for it. A promising new drug with a hidden side effect that is, for example, only observable 10-20 years later, could conceivably kill far more people than all the good drugs waiting to be approved could save.

I agree things could be sped up for things that treat terminal conditions, but that's not the majority of pharmaceuticals and even there, the situation isn't that simple.

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