State withdraws formaldehyde rule proposal
A proposed rule that would have required manufacturers to disclose when the cancer-causing chemical formaldehyde is present in children's products has been withdrawn by the state.
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network reported that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection withdrew the proposed rule to allow time for an analysis of the chemical by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is expected to produce a report of its risks this summer. The rule would have added formaldehyde, identified as a known carcinogen by the U.S. government, to the state's priority chemical watch list under the Kid Safe Products Act.
"We wanted to make sure that we had that information to inform our rulemaking," DEP Commissioner Patty Aho said. "We'll be looking at that U.S. EPA information when we receive it in order to incorporate that into our priority chemical analysis."
Environmental groups have decried the DEP's withdrawal of the rule, saying that states should lead the way in regulation because of the federal government's slow pace.
Mike Belliveau of the Environmental Health Strategy Center told MPBN this is another instance in which Gov. Paul LePage's administration has acquiesced to lobbying groups, including the American Chemical Council, which voiced strong opposition to the proposed formaldehyde rule earlier this year. The governor in the past has attempted to remove the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A from the state’s chemical watch list, but failed.
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