Toxic-Free Kids

Top Five Reasons To Support The Toxic Free Kids Act

1. Protects All Kids From Harmful Chemicals
2. A Healthy Bill That Invests In Prevention and Saves Money In the Long Run
3. Supported By A Broad Coalition of Doctors, Nurses, Consumers, Parents, Health Advocates, and Environmentalists
4. Stops the Toxic Treadmill
5. Keeps Washington Moving In Right Direction While Continuing Momentum Toward Federal Solution

A few years ago Washington state told manufacturers to stop using PBDEs, a group of harmful toxic flame retardants. The industry’s response? Instead of using safer chemicals, they blindly switched to cancer-causing Tris flame retardants without considering health and environmental impacts. Now our children are exposed to these cancer-causing flame retardants in nursing pillows, car seats, changing
pads, and other items.

The Toxic-Free Kids Act:

1. Bans the use of two cancer-causing Tris flame retardants (TCDPP and TCEP) in children’s products beginning July 1, 2014. TDCPP was used in children’s pajamas in the 1970s and quickly removed when it was found to cause adverse health effects. But now it’s back in children’s products along with TCEP, another cancer-causing flame retardant.
2. Requires makers of children’s products that contain bisphenol A (BPA), formaldehyde, antimony, or tris flame retardants to identify safer chemicals or materials for their products.

The Toxic-Free Kids Act will get Toxic Tris Flame Retardants out of our homes and stop the toxic treadmill problem of manufacturers switching from one harmful chemical to another. It’s a bill that will protect kids and encourage manufacturers to switch to safer chemicals that won’t harm health, the environment, or their bottom line.

By requiring manufacturers to evaluate ways to make their products safer, we can end the toxic treadmill of substituting one bad chemical for another, begin protecting children and the environment, and help businesses avoid costly substitution problems.