Closing the Exposure Assessment Gap: A Case Study of Phthalates

In this webinar, Dr. Bhavna Shamasunder will explain the problems with current approaches to exposure assessment, and will describe ways in which EPA could improve its approach in the short term. She will present the example of phthalates as a case study of the patchwork regulatory environment, the ways in which incomplete exposure assessments contribute to the problem, and the options for improving EPA’s approach. Her discussion of exposure assessment will draw upon and build on a recent study, Addressing Systemic Problems with Exposure Assessments to Protect the Public’s Health. Dr. Shamasunder and Dr. Astrid Williams will discuss racial disparities in exposures to phthalates and implications for health, drawing upon the findings of the Taking Stock study on impacts of beauty products on Black and Latina women’s health.

The webinar will be moderated by Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz of Earthjustice, who will place the discussion in a framework of on-going work to address the cumulative risk of phthalates and other chemicals of high concern under the Toxic Substances Control Act. He will also discuss implications for environmental justice activities at EPA, and will highlight opportunities to take action on this issue.

This webinar is cosponsored by CHE and the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE)’s Science Action Network.