104 



all times we must keep in mind the goal of preventing, not just 

 controlling risks, in order to have a successful toxics program. 



Thank you for your time and all your efforts on TSCA reauthor- 

 ization. 



Senator Reid. Mr. Joseph A. Dear, Assistant Secretary, Occupa- 

 tional Safety and Health, will now testify. 



STATEMENT OF JOSEPH A. DEAR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, OC- 

 CUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF 

 LABOR, 



Mr. Dear. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



I have a statement from which I will summarize. 



Senator Reid. Without objection, your prepared statement will 

 appear in the record. 



Mr. Dear. I am particularly pleased to be here today with my 

 colleagues from EPA and NIOSH. We share a goal of reducing ex- 

 posure to toxic chemicals at their source instead of having to intro- 

 duce control or abatement after exposures have occurred. We are 

 working in concert to make sure that we use the resources of our 

 three agencies in the most effective manner possible. 



OSHA's responsibility is for worker safety and health. We inspect 

 workplaces; we set standards; and we assist employers and employ- 

 ees in abating hazards in the workplace. Chemical exposure in the 

 workplace is a major cause of illness and disease in America. There 

 are thousands of workers who die each year from illnesses caused 

 by exposure to substances like asbestos, silica, chromium, carbon 

 monoxide — and the list goes on and on. 



Although we lack precise information on the exact number of 

 worker deaths and illnesses from occupational exposure, one esti- 

 mate is that from 50,000 to 70,000 workers die each year as a re- 

 sult of occupational exposure and another 350,000 illnesses are 

 caused by these occupational exposures. 



The National Academy of Sciences has found that fewer than 20 

 percent of industrial chemicals have been adequately evaluated for 

 possible human toxicity. There is a pressing need for data on the 

 degree and the nature of hazards posed by industrial chemicals so 

 that we can protect workers and prevent disease. 



In addition, there is a lack of information about chronic and long- 

 term exposures and multiple chemical exposures over a long period 

 of time to American workers. 



OSHA shares EPA's interest and your interest in making TSCA 

 more effective. Data from chemical tests are valuable to OSHA in 

 assessing risk to workers and in setting priorities and developing 

 occupational health standards. 



Since TSCA was enacted, OSHA has received information from 

 EPA pursuant to section 9 on a number of substances, including 

 formal referrals on three chemicals — Butadiene, Glvcol ethers, and 

 Methylenedianiline. OSHA has proposed rules on the first two and 

 issued a final standard on MDA. 



Notwithstanding that, we have found problems in using TSCA. 

 First, there is the problem of coordination between EPA's referrals 

 and OSHA's own priorities for risk assessment. We are in the proc- 

 ess of working together to improve this coordination so that when 



