Despite decades of research and many notable public health protection achievements, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of chemicals and health, and the United States lacks a comprehensive system that fully protects the public’s health from harmful chemical exposures. The recommendations described in this Action Agenda illustrate how we can enhance and continue to build such a system in the United States.
The National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures was born out of a widely shared
desire to spur the United States toward the vision of using and managing chemicals in ways that are safe
and healthy for all people. Many shared the perception that a broad, grass-‐roots “call to action” was
needed. Achieving the National Conversation vision will require acting with common purpose to
overcome many scientific, economic, political, and practical challenges. Collectively, we often fail to
prevent health effects from chemical exposures before they occur. Although environmental justice
concerns are well understood, we often fail to protect the most vulnerable populations who
disproportionately suffer the health effects of some chemical exposures. Our scientific understanding of
chemicals and their health effects is incomplete, although new toxicological testing methods offer
promise. Public health officials and members of the public are sometimes unprepared to communicate
and learn from each other as equal partners in efforts to understand the sources, pathways, and impacts
of, chemical exposures and what is needed to protect health.
