Kid-Safe Chemicals Act: why we care

 

A friend who works at the Environmental Working Group introduced me to the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act and asked if I'd be interested in helping to bring some awareness to the topic. After a quick glance at the issue, I immediately signed up: the current toxic chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act passed in 1976, hasn't been amended since, and is widely regarded as the weakest of all major environmental laws. Since this law passed, some 20,000 chemicals have been introduced into products on the market that haven't been proven safe, in addition to the 64,000 chemicals already in use in 1976.

Why is this a concern? Those toxins are found in our bodies and we don't know the extent of their damage. Studies show that babies are born with as many as 300 industrial chemicals at birth. I'm no scientist, but that doesn't sound like the best start to a long, healthy life to me.

I don't think it's coincidence that we're also seeing a significant increase in serious diseases and conditions from childhood cancer, to autism, ADHD, learning deficits, infertility, and birth defects.

Simply put, the existing law simply doesn't work to protect us.

For the same reasons we eat organic foods, use natural cleaning solutions, avoid plastics in the kitchen, and examine the toys our children play with, we support the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act. It's a lot of work to evaluate products, but we do it because our children's health and safety are that important. We shouldn't have to though - food producers and growers, manufacturers, retailers and our government should all be doing their job to make sure that only safe products make their way into homes.

The first, and easiest step, is to visit the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act website and Sign the Declaration to let your public officials know you care. This will take one minute if you watch the short video there.

If you want to make sure you're not inadvertently exposing your family to toxin chemicals in your home, here are few tips (and there's more at the EWG site):

1. Don't wear shoes in the house - keep them, and the pollutants they carry outside

2. Avoid using Teflon pans to cook with

3. To avoid leeching chemicals into food, never microwave plastics

4. Eat organic as much as possible, or at least the Dirty Dozen

Yesterday I was one of the parents filmed for a video produced by EWG to help drive further awareness on the need to update the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. When the video is ready to share, you can bet we'll post it here and let you know. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll help.

Like what you read? Get Change Becomes Change updates sent right to your email by subscribing to our blog.

Comments

[Denise]

Thanks for the reminder. We all need to do better.

[LisaatEWG]

Gina, Thanks so much for spreading the word about this - it's terrific. Together we can make it happen, I know it!

[Michelle]

Great post, Gina. The whole concept is so scary. it is amazing that our government isn't doing more to protect us. I'll be sure to sign the petition.

[Ken Cook]

Thanks for the shout out to Kid-Safe and EWG. We really appreciate it.