WASHINGTON, June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A veteran chemical safety
expert from the American Chemical Society told the House Committee on Homeland
Security that "inherently safer technology" (IST) and creative approaches to
IST research and development will help secure the nation's chemical
infrastructure and safeguard against the consequences of a terrorist attack.
Neal Langerman, Ph.D., a former chair of the ACS Division of Chemical Health
and Safety, with more than 20 years experience in the field, testified
Wednesday that "ACS supports increased attention on safer technologies and
believes the focus should be on a broad portfolio of timely and effective
methods of reducing risk and mitigating potential damage." The House
Committee is expected to start making up a new chemical site security bill on
Thursday which would establish new security standards for facilities
nationwide that store or process chemicals.
"The ACS also supports involvement of federal agencies in researching and
facilitating the advancement of safer technologies through such measures as
grants, tax incentives, preferential government purchasing and award
programs," Langerman told the committee.
ACS has "long advocated federal support of green chemistry research and
development as a means to develop safer technologies and processes," he said.
"It has been concerned about the role that regulations play in slowing down
innovation, particularly in laboratory settings, when regulations intended
mainly for industrial settings are inappropriately applied," Langerman said.
"The most effective steps to further infrastructure protections will likely
include incentives, rather than new regulations," he said.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the
U.S. Congress. With more than 154,000 members, ACS is the world's largest
scientific society and a global leader in providing access to
chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed
journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C.,
and Columbus, Ohio.
SOURCE American Chemical Society
Charmayne Marsh of the American Chemical Society, +1-202-872-4445,
c_marsh@acs.org
