AHAM’s commitment to safety includes supporting regulations that ensure chemicals used in consumer products do not expose consumers to unreasonable health and safety risks. AHAM advocated for important reforms to the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), which gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the use of new and existing chemicals in products. Since the reforms became law in 2016, AHAM has focused on ensuring that any regulations created under the law protect public health, are science-based and do not place unnecessary burdens on manufacturers.
At the state level, AHAM works with policymakers to ensure that chemical labeling laws and rules prohibiting the use of certain chemicals focus on health risks due to exposure. Efforts to regulate PFAS through disclosures and prohibitions have increased in states. AHAM advocates for a more focused approach rather than a one-size-fits-all policy that could apply to approximately 10,000 substances. As AHAM has emphasized with legislators, PFAS contained within appliances or used to manufacture appliances are typically present only in trace amounts, and therefore less likely to pose health and environmental risks if properly used and managed.
