US environmental regulators will now ignore costs when evaluating chemical risks

US environmental regulators are changing how they evaluate chemical risks. They will no longer consider the costs of regulation or other non-risk factors when deciding if a chemical is too dangerous.

For years, US environmental regulators had to balance the risk a chemical posed against the economic costs of banning or restricting it. This meant that even if a chemical was clearly harmful, it might stay on the market if the cost of removing it was deemed too high. The new rules mean regulators can focus solely on health and environmental safety, without having to justify their decisions based on industry profits or other non-safety concerns. This could lead to more chemicals being restricted or banned, even if it means higher costs for manufacturers.