Cracking down on chemicals

Re “The Green Revolution,” editorial, April 27

The Times applauds the Schwarzenegger administration for its Green Chemistry Initiative.

But the California Environmental Protection Agency’s goals were shared by the Toxic Substances Control Act enacted by Congress to determine which of the tens of thousands of industrial chemicals in our food, air and homes cause cancer, birth defects or other long-term harm.

The petrochemical revolution in this country actually began just after World War II. Some of the toxic agents, like parathion and methyl bromide, are still out there.

Unless the governor’s initiative has real teeth, we’ll be having this same conversation in another 35 years.

Al Meyerhoff

Studio City

The writer is the past director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s public health program.