Pediatricians want tighter regulation of chemicals

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Pediatricians want tighter regulation of chemicals

Pediatricians say the U.S. should more tightly regulate chemicals in consumer

products because studies show children are at risk.

By Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune April 24, 2011

Reporting from Chicago—

Alarmed by studies showing children are vulnerable to toxic chemicals in scores

of consumer products, the nation's largest pediatricians group is joining a

campaign to overhaul how the U.S. regulates hazardous substances.

In a policy statement to be issued Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics

condemns a 1976 federal law that largely relies on chemical manufacturers to

raise concerns about their products. Unlike the system for guaranteeing the

safety of pharmaceuticals or substances added to food, the Toxic Substances

Control Act limits the authority of federal officials to order tests on or ban

industrial chemicals.

Before chemicals are allowed to be sold, the group says, testing should consider

how they can affect children and pregnant women. Decisions to limit or ban

substances should be based on " reasonable levels of concern " instead of waiting

until it becomes clear that exposure triggers deaths and disease, the group

says.

Under current law, the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges it knows

little about thousands of chemicals produced in volumes of 1 million pounds a

year or more. But a growing amount of independent research is raising concerns

about dozens of substances used for decades with little or no government

oversight.

" We share the frustration of a lot of people that these chemicals are being

addressed with sort of a flavor-of-the-month approach, " said Dr. Jerome son,

a Washington, D.C., pediatrician and lead author of the academy's statement.

" The lack of strong federal oversight means there isn't enough reliable

information to give our patients good advice. "

Studies show that children are absorbing a vast array of harmful substances,

sometimes merely by sucking on rubber toys, drinking from plastic bottles or

playing on treated carpets. Because they are smaller than adults and their

bodies are still developing, they face greater risks from exposure to toxic

chemicals.

But when a risk is identified, there is virtually no way for consumers to figure

out which products are made with the chemicals at issue. Manufacturers aren't

required to disclose their ingredients, and government officials say

confidentiality rules often prevent them from sharing more information with the

public.

In recent years, enough questions have been raised about some hormone-disrupting

chemicals that big retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have told suppliers they

won't carry products containing the substances.

Congressional Democrats recently reintroduced legislation to make it easier for

the EPA to take chemicals off the market and ensure substitutes are safe, but

action is not expected this year.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-na-kid-chemicals-20110425,0,572593.story