,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bffi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,august #e1    
#bjba,mrs4 ,feinstein 7for herself and  
,mrs4 ,gillibrand7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to ban the use of              
ortho-phthalate chemicals as food       
contact substances4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,preventing ,harmful ,exposure to       
,phthalates ,act4  #b4 ,findings        
,congress finds as follows3 7#a7        
,prenatal exposures to phthalates can do
 lasting harm to child brain development
 and increase children's risks for      
learning1 attention1 and behavior       
disorders4  7#b7 ,pregnant women's      
exposures to phthalates1 which are known
 to decrease fetal testosterone1 can    
harm reproductive tract development in  
male babies which may have lifelong     
consequences4  7#c7 ,phthalates that are

 used in food production materials have 
been shown to leach into food from      
plastic equipment1 such as tubing used  
in commercial dairy operations1 lid     
gaskets1 food preparation gloves1       
conveyor belts1 and food packaging      
materials4  7#d7 ,exposure to phthalates
 can come from multiple sources         
simultaneously1 including food and food 
contact substances and other products4  
,therefore1 assessing risks from        
individual phthalates may underestimate 
the health risks from exposure to       
mixtures of phthalates4  7#e7 ,research 
shows that women have higher exposure to
 phthalates found in personal care      
products than men4  7#f7 ,studies have  
shown that ,black and ,latina women have
 higher exposure to certain phthalates  
compared with ,white women4  7#g7 ,in a 
nationally representative sample1 ,black
 women had higher exposures to a        
real-world mixture of hormonally-active 
phthalates compared to ,white women4    
#c4 ,prohibition on use of              

ortho-phthalate chemicals as food       
contact substances1 including food      
packaging materials  7a7 ,in general    
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 effective on the date that is #b   
years after the date of enactment of    
this ,act-- 7#a7 the use of any         
ortho-phthalate chemical as a food      
contact substance shall be deemed to be 
unsafe for the purposes of the          
application of clause 7#b77;,c7 of      
section #djb7;a7 of the ,federal ,food1 
,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4
 #cdb7;a772  7#b7 any regulation        
previously issued under section #dji of 
such ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cdh7          
prescribing the conditions under which  
any ortho-phthalate chemical may be     
safely used as a food contact substance 
shall have no force or effect2 and  7#c7
 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human   
,services 7referred to in this ,act as  
the ,secretary7 shall object to any     
notification of an intended use of an   
ortho-phthalate chemical as a food      

contact substance submitted under       
section #dji7;h77#a7 of such ,act1 and  
may not issue regulations prescribing   
any conditions under which any          
ortho-phthalate chemical may be safely  
used as a food contact substance4  7b7  
,alternative substances ,notwithstanding
 any other provision of law1 beginning  
on the date that is #b years after the  
date of enactment of this ,act1 in      
acting in response to any petition under
 section #dji of the ,federal ,food1    
,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4
 #cdh7 to establish safety with respect 
to a food contact substance that the    
,secretary determines to be an          
alternative to an ortho-phthalate       
chemical1 in addition to the criteria   
under subsection 7c7 of such section    
#dji1 the ,secretary shall consider     
potential adverse effects of exposure to
 the substance on vulnerable            
populations1 including pregnant women1  
infants1 children1 the elderly1 and     
populations with high exposure1         

including workers who are exposed       
through production practices or handling
 of final products4  #d4 ,,fda review of
 products  7a7 ,in general ,the         
,secretary shall-- 7#a7 conduct a review
 of products other than food that is    
subject to regulation by the ,food and  
,drug ,administration to determine      
whether such products lead to exposure  
of the general public to any            
ortho-phthalate chemical through use of 
such products2 and  7#b7 not later than 
#a year after the date of enactment of  
this ,act1 issue a report on the        
findings of such review1 to be made     
available to the public on the website  
of the ,department of ,health and ,human
 ,services4  7b7 ,considerations ,in    
conducting the review under subsection  
7a71 the ,secretary shall consider      
disproportionate exposure of products   
containing an ortho-phthalate chemical  
to members of communities of color and  
the health effects of such exposure to  
members of such communities1 including  

any increased risk of preterm birth1 low
 birth weight1 or other risks to        
children's health4