A few weeks ago I posted over at Non-Toxic Kids about the new Kid-Safe Chemical Act. This promising legislation would update a 30 year old law that has allowed thousands of chemicals to be used in countless everyday products from baby lotions, shampoos, cosmetics and toothpastes with no research or testing of their safety.
The Environmental Working Group listed these important provisions for the bill, all aimed at making products safer for our kids.
The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act:
“*requires that industrial chemicals be safe for infants, kids and other vulnerable groups;
*requires that new chemicals be safety tested before they are sold;
*requires chemical manufacturers to test and prove that the 62,000 chemicals already on the market that have never been tested are safe in order for them to remain in commerce;
*requires EPA to review “priority” chemicals, those which are found in people, on an expedited schedule;
*requires regular biomonitoring to determine what chemicals are in people and in what amounts;
*requires regular updates of health and safety data and provides EPA with clear authority to request additional information and tests;
*provides incentives for manufacturers to further reduce health hazards;
*requires EPA to promote safer alternatives and alternatives to animal testing;
protects state and local rights; and*requires that this information be publicly available.”
You can support this legislation by visiting the Organic Consumer’s website and sending a message to your Congressperson. This is a quick, easy way to support this bill. The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act would finally help our country shift in its mentality from protecting mega-corporations and manufacturers, to looking out for its most vulnerable population– its children.
photo: jspace3 at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
This bill is long over due. I do agree it is time to make some serious changes. Our poor children are being subjected to chemical levels far beyond their body size since no testing is done to see how the chemicals are effecting “little ones”. The test are alwasy done on the “average” adult size. Well we all know a child’s body weight is much less therefore cannot handle the same amount of chemical interaction as an adult.
YES YES YES to all the Bill is for!!!!
Linda, hear, hear! There is so much to be done. You are right, they test on adult men most of the time. Thanks for commenting and let’s hope this bill gets lots of support.
To simplify your lives, step away from the premixed chemicals for cleaning. Buy large bag (costco has) of baking soda, gallon of vinegar, either apple cider (more uses) or white. Nearly everything can be cleaned with these ingredients. You can scrub with baking soda, soak diapers in vinegar water, damp mop your floor with vinegar water. If you need more soapy stuff, coconut soaps such as dr.bronner’s work. The one commercial product I do like, is Bac-Out, which I also used on diapers and other baby stains.