35 years of Reducing Toxics
Like many of our environmental laws, the Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) was created in the wake of a tragedy. Just outside Boston, Massachusetts, children in the community of Woburn developed leukemia and other cancers at an abnormal rate during the 1960s and 70s. Investigations later linked the cluster of childhood cancer with water contamination from the use of toxic chemicals by local businesses. The carcinogen trichlorethylene (also known as “TCE”) was among the toxics identified.
This preventable tragedy helped spur the adoption of TURA in 1989, and with it the establishment of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI). Over the past 35 years, TURI has collaborated with businesses and communities on reducing the upstream use of toxics chemicals to prevent tragedies like Woburn from happening again. Toxics Use Reduction is a fundamental aspect of pollution prevention, recognizing that reducing the use of toxics at their source is typically far more effective and efficient than trying to manage risks of toxic pollution downstream. It has since become a , illustrating time and again that safer solutions to toxic chemicals exist.
Arriving at TURI in 2021, I find what TURI achieved over the past 35 years is remarkable. In Massachusetts, businesses have used the Toxics Use Reduction methodology to reduce their use of toxics by 75%, and their release of toxic pollution by 91%.
When we look at specific substances, such as TCE and other toxics responsible for childhood cancers inWoburn, the decline is even more dramatic. We welcome the forthcoming ban on the use of TCE and other toxic solvents at the US federal level and are committed to help remaining users make the switch to safer alternatives as part of our “Drive to Zero.”
Collaborating with the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) and partner agencies like the Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), companies have successfully identified safer chemicals and alternative practices to eliminate the use of toxic substances. This proactive approach not only safeguards workers and prevents pollution at its source but also results in cost savings for the companies. Interestingly, many companies voluntarily opt for these safer alternatives, not just to comply with regulations, but also because they find that these alternatives are more effective and economical, while also promoting human and environmental health in their communities.
At TURI, our work is far from done. On the contrary, the task at hand grows every day. The use of chemicals continues to increase, including those linked to cancer and those with negative impacts on child development, our brains, reproductive systems and respiratory health. Meanwhile, new substances constantly enter the market with limited data about their health hazards and assessments of their risks.
Perhaps our most pressing challenge today comes from a huge class of substances dubbed “The thousands of individual substances that make up the class of PFAS – can cause cancer, accumulate in our bodies, and will remain in our soil, air and water for centuries. It is paramount that “we turn off the tap” on PFAS to prevent further contamination and harm to human health and the environment.
At TURI, we are helping to do just that. For example, working with our research partners at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and MA microelectronics company Transene, TURI developed a safer alternative to PFAS surfactants used in the electronics industry in just 18 months. Our research shows it is possible to use safer alternatives to PFAS in refrigerants, textiles, firefighting gear, food packaging, and more. Of course, TURI continues its work to develop and deploy safer alternatives to halogenated solvents, flame retardants, disinfectants and more.
The work of TURI has never been more important than it is today. I invite you to join me and my colleagues at TURI as we embark on our journey to take toxic use reduction to the next level.
Baskut Tuncak, Director
