Legislation To Get Toxic Chemicals Out Of Toys Introduced

Olympia, WA) - Environmental health advocates cheered the introduction Monday of a new bill in the Washington state legislature that will protect children’s health from harmful chemicals in toys and other children’s products. The Children’s Safe Products Bill of 2011 (HB  1319 and SB 5231), introduced by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36) and Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34), requires manufacturers of children’s products to identify and possibly replace harmful chemicals in their products with safer chemicals and materials. If the bill passes, Washington would be the first state in the nation to require manufacturers to find safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in children’s products.  The bills are scheduled for hearings next week Tuesday, January 25 at 10AM in Senate Environment, Water, and Energy Committee and Wednesday, January 26 at 8AM in the House Environment Committee.

“While we can be proud that we’ve led the nation in protecting kids against toxic toys, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels when we know there are still toxic threats lurking in children’s products that are still being sold in Washington,” said Rep. Dickerson.

The Children’s Safe Products Bill continues work started under the toxic toys bill of 2008, which placed strict limits on lead, phthalates, and cadmium in toys and other products, and required manufacturers to report the use of about 60 toxic chemicals in children’s products. The passage of the toxic toys legislation in 2008 led to passage of federal legislation regulating lead and phthalates in toys.

“When it comes to toxic chemicals in toys, we’ve only hit the tip of the toxic iceberg,” said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, campaign director of the Washington Toxics Coalition. “Manufacturers of children’s products shouldn’t be using chemicals that are harmful to children’s health. This bill will help manufacturers identify safer chemicals and eventually make safer products for kids.”

Recent studies have found harmful chemicals in children’s products such as cadmium in drinking glasses and jewelry, toluene in slimy toys, and formaldehyde in children’s clothing. Experts point to the increasing rates of chronic diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure as reason to enact policies to get harmful chemicals off the market.

"A substantial body of scientific research shows that the public is exposed to chemicals that increase the risk of serious health threats, including cancer, asthma, infertility, and learning and developmental disabilities," said Dr. Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, Science Director of the Science and
Environmental Health Network. "For most chemicals, no Government agency has the authority to require safety testing before they are put into widespread use.  It's an uncontrolled experiment, and individuals and families across the country are paying the price."

With the introduction of the Children’s Safe Products Bill of 2011, Washington joins 29 other state legislatures that will be considering legislation in 2011 to protect children and families from harmful chemicals. Despite well-funded opposition from the chemical industry, 18 state legislatures have already passed 71 chemical safety laws in the last eight years by an overwhelming, bipartisan margin – with more to come this year.

"With over half of state legislatures introducing policies that protect kids and families from toxic chemicals, Congress and chemical industry lobbyists should take notice. As long as toxic chemicals such as cadmium and BPA remain in consumer products, states will continue to pass commonsense policies to address this serious public health threat,” said Laurie Valeriano, Policy Director at the Washington Toxics Coalition in Seattle, Washington.

Bills to be considered in the 30 states include: bans on BPA and hazardous flame retardants in consumer products; requirements that children’s product manufacturers use only the safest chemicals; and resolutions urging Congress to overhaul the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – the federal law that allows dangerous and untested chemicals to be used in everyday products and materials.

Despite overwhelming public support for stronger laws on toxic chemicals, Congress has heeded the aggressive opposition of chemical industry lobbyists rather than the support of the American electorate and failed to pass TSCA reform legislation three times in the last six years.  However, the battle will continue at the federal level in 2011, with new TSCA reform bills expected to be introduced. 

“The American public is demanding new chemical safety laws, and state elected officials – both Republicans and Democrats – are responding,” said Andy Igrejas, Campaign Director of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition. “At some point Congress will wake up and realize it is better for industry and public safety to make these changes at the federal level, as well.”

A map of the US showing states that are introducing reform can be found here.

Last November two national health-based coalitions, SAFER States and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, released a report called "Healthy States: Protecting Families from Toxic Chemicals While Congress Lags Behind" (http://www.saferstates.com/2010/11/state-report.html).  This first-ever analysis of votes on state laws aimed at protecting the public from toxic chemicals found that, of more than 9,000 votes cast by state legislators, 73% of Republicans and 99% of Democrats favored stronger protection of children’s health and the environment from dangerous chemicals, with equal support from governors of each party.  The report found that the pace of state policymaking on chemicals has more than tripled in eight years.

For more information or to arrange interviews with experts contact: Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, 206-854-7623, isager-rosenthal@watoxics.org

The Washington Toxics Coalition is a statewide non-profit advocacy group that works to eliminate sources of toxic chemicals. For more information visit them on the web at www.watoxics.org; on Facebook at www.facebook.com/watoxics; and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WA_Toxics.