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You Asked, Congress Listened
We’ve just moved one step closer to retiring Bad Actor Chemicals in this country. Yesterday, Congressmen Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) formally introduced the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010 (H.R. 5820). Back in June we asked you to contact your representative to urge them to make the Toxics Substances Control Act reform bills stronger in five ways. Guess what? You asked and they listened (mostly). Look at how the new bill took some of your thoughts and incorporated them (or not):
Story of the Safe Cosmetics Act
In the third story of our ongoing series, "Independence from Toxic Chemicals," Ryan Berghoff describes California's Safe Cosmetics Act, the first law in the country to address toxic chemicals in cosmetics.
Every day millions of people cover their bodies in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products hoping to look more attractive, but there is a price to pay for beauty (and I’m not talking about how expensive cosmetic products are). Independent testing in the United States and the European Union has determined that some cosmetic products contain substances known or suspected to cause cancer and reproductive toxicity that can harm the mother, fetus, and nursing children. Dangerous chemicals have a knack for showing up in our every day products, from toys that our children play with to the cosmetics in our bathroom cabinets, and that is why California has taken the lead in passing legislation to protect its residents.
Read more...Still Hope for BPA-free kids in California
An attempt to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) in California fell short of several critical votes yesterday—but it’s not over yet.
California has always fancied itself as a leader in progressive environmental and health policy, so it’s quite baffling why a ban on BPA has not been able to pass yet. Vermont, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, the city of Chicago and four counties in New York state — Albany, Schenectady, Suffolk and Rockland — have all been successful in implementing BPA bans. Canada, Australia and New Zealand also have bans on BPA in children’s drinking containers, and New York is working to ban BPA across the entire state. So why is California having troubles passing a BPA ban?
Read more...CNN's Dr. Gupta Talks Chemicals Policy
If you've been following CHANGE's blog posts, you probably know that there are 80,000 on the market and only 200 of them have been tested for safety. But that oft-quoted statistic in the chemicals policy world doesn't usually make it to broadcast television. Until now.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives a compelling report on how a 1976 toxic chemical law (the Toxics Substances Control Act, or TSCA) may be putting Americans at risk.
Click on "Read more" below to see the video entitled "Chemicals: Innocent or Guilty?"
Read more...Listen Live to the US Senate Hearing on Toxic Chemicals on February 4
February 4, the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health is holding a hearing to examine the current science on public exposure to toxic chemicals. The federal law governing toxic chemical production and use, the Toxic Substances Control Act, is due to be updated with new legislation by Subcommittee Chair, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in early 2010.
What will they say? Are the Feds going to represent California's interest in protecting health and the environment from toxic chemicals?
Find out by listening live to the Senate Hearing Feb 4, 10:00 am (EST) (7:00 am PST) thanks to Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, Pacifica Radio Network and Free Speech Radio News.
Then come back to this space and tell us what you thought.
Read more...Resources and Fact Sheets
- Click the following link to download PDF on CHANGE's letter to the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC): Download CHANGE Letter to DTSC
- Click the following link to download PDF on CHANGE's Green Chemistry Fact Sheet: Download CHANGE Green Chemistry Fact Sheet FINAL
- Click the following link to download PDF on Green Chemistry Initiative Framework: Download CHANGE_GCI_framework FINAL
- Click the following link to download PDF on concerns for Maziar and DTSC: Download Concerns for Maziar 8-18-09
- Click the following link for CHANGE members' May 2009 concerns for Maziar and DTSC: Download GC_CHANGE_Members_Input
California state Assembly fails to pass BPA ban
By Sarah E. Brown
SACRAMENTO - Sept. 11, 2009. The California state Assembly failed to pass SB 797, a bill which would have banned the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from use in children's sippy cups, infant formula and other food and drink products designed for children aged three and younger.
More than 200 scientific studies have linked BPA, a synthetic estrogen used in many hard plastics, to reproductive disorders, prostate and breast cancer, autism, birth defects, infertility in men, early puberty in girls and other serious health risks.
Read more...Concerned crowd rallies to ban BPA in baby products
By Sarah E. Brown
Wednesday, Aug. 26 2009, Sacramento Calif.
Beneath a giant-sized baby bottle, a diverse crowd of concerned citizens, legislators, public interest advocates, physicians, scientists and actress/environmental activist Amy Smart joined together for a rally at the California state Capitol to support SB797, a bill which would protect California's children and infants from Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic endocrine disruptor chemical added to many plastics and cans which has been linked to early onset of puberty, autism and breast cancer.
Read more...California Senate Passes Ban on BPA
With a vote of 21-16, the California State Senate approved a ban on the use of a chemical in food and beverage containers that scientists say can harm childhood development.
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical that was developed in the 1930s as a synthetic estrogen. It was soon supplanted by another estrogen, DES, but then someone discovered that it could be the building block of polycarbonate plastic. Companies started using it in baby bottles, water bottles, teething rings, food can linings, dental sealants, epoxy resins, CDs, eyeglass lenses, carbonless ink & many other things.
Read more...Lead Wheel Weights Ban Passes CA Senate
Today the California Senate voted 21 to 13 to phase out Lead wheel weights in California. SB 757 is co sponsored by CHANGE members Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and Clean Water Action (CWA). This bill bans the use of lead wheel weights in the state of California. Currently lead from wheel weights is the largest new source of lead pollution, putting 500,000 pounds of lead into our state waterways every year.
SB 757 makes lead wheel weights illegal after January 2010, removing this large source of pollution from the environment. Information on how this ban keeps Californians safer can be found on the CEH Website.
Read more...