If CEPA was indeed protecting public health, we would expect declining diseases from environmental exposures. Canadian examples point to the opposite. Endocrine-related obesity and metabolic syndrome, disorders of early development and sexual differentiation, and cancers in hormone-sensitive tissues have not been prevented. Endocrine disruption does not follow classic dose-response, so these substances must be regulated based on their innate hazard. With many thousands of EDCs, classes of similar chemicals require group actions.
A regulatory conclusion that an environmental exposure poses an “acceptable risk” is initially based on little data. Ethically, regulators should follow up to detect harms at the earliest possible opportunity. Relying on epidemiology can result in harms to generations.