Kid Safe Products Bill Passed by Maine Legislature!

[Guest guest]

Terry some good news from Maine...hope it gives NJ some encouragement

Sandy Cort

Board Member

Learning Disabilities Association of America

27 Harvest Hill Lane

Auburn, ME 04210

(207)786-2842

SJCort@...

Kid Safe Products Bill Passed by Maine Legislature!

ENVIRO-HEALTH NEWS

For immediate release, Wednesday, April 16, 2008

For more information, contact:

Sears, (207) 939-7333

Maine Legislature Passes Kid-Safe Products Bill

Overwhelming Support for Chemical Policy Reform

Lawmakers in the Maine House and Senate have voted overwhelmingly in support

of LD 2048, a bill aimed at protecting children's health from unnecessary

and dangerous chemicals in everyday consumer products. The bill requires

Maine to adopt a list of priority chemicals of high concern, forces

manufacturers to disclose the toxic chemicals they add to products, and

authorizes the state to require safer alternatives.

" This is huge victory for children's health. The vote shows the

overwhelming public support for safe products completely free of harmful

chemicals, " said Mike Belliveau, Executive Director of the Environmental

Health Strategy Center, a Maine based public health organization. " There

have been gaping holes in our laws that allow for the use of toxic chemicals

in everything from rubber duckies to plastic baby bottles. Maine is now

filling those gaps to ensure all of our products are safe for our children. "

LD 2048, sponsored by House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, continues Maine's

national leadership on safer chemicals, building on past success in phasing

out mercury, arsenic and toxic fire retardants in consumer products. By

directing the State to require safer alternatives to chemicals that are

inherently harmful, LD 2048 rejects chemical industry attempts to defend

" acceptable risk " levels for toxic chemicals. Under the bill's hazard-based

approach, if a chemical can harm the health of children and there is a safer

alternative available, the hazardous chemical should be phased out of use in

consumer products. The bill establishes Maine as a leader in safer chemicals

policy reform, along with Washington state, which passed a similar bill this

month, Massachusetts and California. Twenty-nine states are considering

legislation this year to protect children's health from toxic chemicals in

products

" Parents were alarmed this summer when they discovered common toys contained

lead, a toxin known to harm the developing brain. Upon closer inspection we've

learned that lead is just the tip of the iceberg and that many chemicals

that can harm healthy development are routinely used in consumer products.

Wide gaps in our laws have failed to protect our kids. I applaud Maine

Legislators for ensuring our State will now take action to ensure products

are safe for our children, " said Sandy Cort, a representative of the

Learning Disabilities Association of Maine.

The Senate voted 35-0 today to enact LD 2048. Last night the House voted

129 to 9 in support of the bill. LD 2048 will now be sent to the Governor

for signature. The bill creates a process for the state to take advantage

of the best scientific research to phase out the use of chemicals that

endanger children. LD 2048 will: establish lists of chemicals already known

to harm children based upon independent science; prioritize the worst

chemicals based on children's exposure, require manufacturers to disclose

the use of these chemicals in products, share information with other states

to work collaboratively to fill the gaps in the broken federal safety system

for toxic chemicals, and authorize Maine to phase out the use of dangerous

chemicals when safer alternatives are available, effective and affordable.

The Maine Legislative votes came on a day when bisphenol A, a chemical

widely used in consumer products such as plastic baby bottle and known to

harm children came under fire from government scientists in the US and

Canada. The National Toxicology Program reversed its previous opinion by

declaring that bisphenol A may be linked to a number of serious reproductive

and developmental problems that are common in the US population including

breast cancer and early puberty. Health Canada has labeled bisphenol A a

dangerous threat. The designation as dangerous could pave the way for the

chemical to be listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection

Act, which would allow for specific measures to curb its use.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of toxic

chemicals because their bodies are developing rapidly, and their systems are

especially susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals, even at very low

doses. Children inevitably put toys in their mouths and ingest contaminated

house dust, increasing their exposure.

LD 2048 is widely supported by an unprecedented coalition of Maine parents

and organizations. Supporters include Maine Medical Association, the Maine

Chapters of the Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American

Nurses Association, and American Lung Association, local toy stores and

Maine based manufacturers including Red Dragon Toys, The Briar Patch Toy

Store, Interface Fabric, and Tom's of Maine, the AFL-CIO, the Roman Catholic

Diocese of Maine, and the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine whose

members include the Environmental Health Strategy Center, the Learning

Disabilities Association of Maine, the Maine Conservation Voters Education

Fund, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Labor Group on Health, the Maine

Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Maine Peoples Alliance, the

Maine Women's Policy Center, the Natural Resources Council of Maine,

Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Toxics Action Center.

For more information, visit http://www.cleanandhealthyme.org

END