2016 Annual Meeting & Training Symposium

Rather than addressing the tens of thousands of chemicals on the market one at a time, the Chemical Class Approach provides a framework for understanding why some chemical families or classes commonly found in consumer products are likely to be harmful. Reducing the use of such chemicals, especially when their function is not essential, will lead to healthier products. It will prevent regrettable substitutions, where a toxic chemical is replaced by a "chemical cousin" with similar properties, which is also later found to be problematic. Flame retardants, fluorinated chemicals and antimicrobials will be discussed as examples of the Chemical Class Approach. This tutorial will demonstrate how to take a proactive approach in designing healthier products.