Add your voice to a coalition fighting for toxic chemical reform

Posted on Oct 31, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Law, Susie Collins

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families wants to hear your story.

I wanted to take a minute to tell you about a coalition of groups working hard to reform toxic chemical policy in the United States: Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.

At the end of the post, find a link to their website, where you can tell your story about how toxic chemicals have impacted your life. I urge you to add your voice and give your support to this organization.

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families is a groundbreaking coalition of diverse groups united by their common concern about toxic chemicals in our homes, places of work, and products we use every day. Please take a moment to learn more about what we want:

A reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) would serve as the backbone of a sound and comprehensive chemicals policy that protects public health and the environment, while restoring the luster of safety to U.S. goods in the world market. Any effective reform of TSCA should:

Take immediate action on the most dangerous chemicals
Current laws aren’t protecting us from chemicals that are building up in our bodies and threatening our health. These persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals should be phased out of commerce. Our exposure to other toxic chemicals that we know can cause serious health problems, should be reduced. Green chemistry research should be expanded, and safer chemicals favored over those with known health hazards.

Hold industry responsible for the safety of their chemicals and products
Due to serious limitations of the current law, very little is known about the vast majority of the tens of thousands of chemicals produced and used in the US. Over the past three decades, the EPA has required testing on just 200 existing chemicals and restricted only five. Companies that make and use chemicals should be required to provide full information on the impact of all their chemicals on health and the environment. The public, workers, and businesses should have access to information about the safety of chemicals.

Use the best science to protect all people and vulnerable groups
Chemicals should meet a standard of safety for all people, including children, pregnant women, and workers. The extra burden of toxic chemical exposure on people of color, low-income, and indigenous communities must be reduced and more studies must be done to detect which chemicals are present in our bodies.

Safer Chemical, Healthy Families wants to hear from us. Please click here to go to their website to tell your story about your chemical injury and why you believe that toxic chemical policy in the U.S. must be reformed. Tell them you support their work 100%, but urge them to do even more. Tell them you want more than just “safer chemicals,” tell them you want all products in the marketplace SAFE, period.

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Tags: Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Indoor Pollution, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Products