From asbestos to PFAS to microplastics, nowadays it seems like harmful chemicals are present everywhere we turn. Though there are certainly many hazardous chemicals in our environment, there's also a large amount of misinformation about how these findings are communicated and in what capacity they become toxic. To clear up the air, we're joined today by Dr. Michal Freedhoff, head of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSSP). Tune in to hear her unique perspective on how safety regulations became more rigorous since 2016 under the revised Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), how we still see impacts of historical ignorance around chemical safety in today's chemical regulations, and the dire need to prevent science from turning into a weapon of uncertainty through accusatory claims against scientists.
Michal Freedhoff is the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). She has a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Rochester and has over 20 years of government experience, including serving on scientific research and development committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives.