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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Legislation to Rein in Toxic Chemical Use Passes in Senate
Precedent-setting Safer Alternatives Bill Will Prevent Illnesses
(Boston, MA) Today the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation that will safeguard public health by replacing toxic chemicals with safer alternatives. Supporters of An Act for a Healthy Massachusetts: Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals (The Safer Alternatives Bill) praised the Senate's action that takes the bill one step closer to becoming law. The bill would also help Massachusetts expand trade with foreign markets that have recently tightened toxic chemical standards such as the European Union.
Led by Senator Steven Tolman (D-Brighton) and Senator Pam Resor (D-Acton), efforts to move the bill forward in the Senate gained momentum in the wake of last year's product recalls over hazardous ingredients such as lead in children's toys and lipstick. It is supported by the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow (AHT), a coalition of over 160 organizations -health, labor, scientific, environmental, faith and community groups - working to promote the use of safer alternatives to toxic chemicals where feasible. Legislative sponsors and advocates from AHT proposed the legislation in response to mounting scientific evidence that indicates toxic chemicals are contributing to a chronic disease epidemic.
"The Senators have realized that this is a business friendly way to protect our health from toxic chemicals. It gently weans companies off outdated toxic chemicals by providing safer and more competitive alternatives," said Lee Ketelsen, Clean Water Action Regional Director. "We owe President Murray, and all Senate champions, our thanks for their leadership in protecting the health and economy of Massachusetts."
"Asking manufacturers to make safer products is nothing extraordinary especially when proven, effective alternatives to toxic chemicals exist," said Senator Pamela Resor (D-Acton), Co-Chair of the Environment Committee. "Massachusetts is poised to be the leader in the nation for promoting toxic substitution with the important research being done at the Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at UMass Lowell. If we can keep toxics out of everyday products, then we will be safeguarding the health of our environment and our children."
"This legislation will put Massachusetts at the forefront of responsible chemical policy and safeguard the residents of the Commonwealth from the very real and unseen dangers of toxic chemicals, "said Senator Steven Tolman (D-Brighton), lead Senate sponsor of the bill. "These chemicals have, unfortunately, become a part of our everyday lives and have been proven to be the root cause of many of the health disorders affecting the people of this state."
The Safer Alternatives Bill will require evaluation of designated "Priority Toxic Chemicals" which are used in Massachusetts and are linked to chronic illnesses, and then mandate safer alternatives to these chemicals where feasible. The bill will provide for transition assistance to businesses and increase the international competitiveness of Massachusetts businesses.
"We applaud the action of those Senators who took a stand to defend public health and we are hopeful that members of the House do the same," said Erin Boles, Associate Executive Director of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. "This is a great day for families across the state who are struggling with cancer and other illnesses linked to toxic chemicals - today's vote in the Senate gives us all hope for a healthier tomorrow."
A majority of House members supports the bill, including lead sponsor Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) and Representative Frank Smizik (D-Brookline), Co-Chair of the Environment Committee.
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December 11, 2007 Lead, Cadmium, and Other Harmful Chemicals Found in Popular Children's Toys - Holiday Favorites, Including Hannah Montana & Circo Contaminated with High Levels of Toxic Chemicals The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow and national allies released the results of the testing of 1,200 popular children's toys for toxic chemicals at www.HealthyToys.org the nation's first toy database of its kind. The Alliance and allies compiled test results and developed this site to better inform consumers about the products they will be purchasing this holiday season, and to encourage parents to urge the government and manufacturers to phase out harmful chemicals from toys and other products. Approximately 10% of the testing was conducted in Massachusetts. Read details from the report (PDF). "The scandal around lead in toys is just the tip of the iceberg, and highlights our toxic production system," said Beth Rosenberg, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health & Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine. "The way we produce the goods and products that we use every day is simply not safe." A bill that would comprehensively address the problem is on the table. Massachusetts lawmakers are currently considering An Act for a Healthy Massachusetts: Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals. The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Steven Tolman (D-Brighton) and Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington), would replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives where feasible. The Mass. Senate has twice scheduled a vote on the bill, but the vote has been delayed by business groups and manufacturers that argue the legislation will have a negative impact on their operations. As the Senate is now in recess until January, the bill will be voted on in 2008. "Christmas shopping for my son should be a fun and enjoyable experience, and yet we're all worried about buying toys that contain lead or other harmful toxins," said Tricia Wajda, mother of a 16 ½ month old boy in West Roxbury. "I am overwhelmed by the level of uncertainty that consumers and parents are experiencing. And I am angry that replacing harmful toxins - or even questionable materials - with safer alternatives is not the status quo." With millions of toys on the market it was impossible to test them all; however, visitors to HealthyToys.org can nominate other products to be tested. The most commonly requested items will be tested each week leading up to the Holidays. *** ATTENTION JOURNALISTS: B-Roll, hi-resolution photos and best/worst lists are available at http://www.HealthyToys.org/press.resources.php To arrange one-on-one interviews with experts please call Jennifer Bonkowski at 617/338-8131 x204 or Cindy Luppi at 617/338-8131 x208, 617/640-2779 (cell). ***
November 27, 2007 The Massachusetts Department of Public Health proposes new regulations that would ban the sale of toy jewelry with "dangerous levels" of lead The Arc, as a member of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow is urging MDPH to expand and improve these proposed regulations that do not go far enough to adequately protect the health of Massachusetts children. The American Academy of Pediatrics testified in September, 2007, before Congress on lead in children's products and provided recommendations for health protective regulations. Please see excerpts from the testimony below, or read the full testimony (PDF). On behalf of AAP, Dana Best MD, MPH, FAAP concluded: "There is no known "safe" level of lead for children. No study has determined a blood lead level that does not impair child cognition. Since any measurable lead level causes lasting harm, prevention of exposure is the only treatment. Lead exposure is an important, unnecessary, and preventable poisoning." We urge that MDPH, which has the legal authority to do so, adopt regulations that: - Require that all products intended for use by or in connection with children must not contain more than trace amounts of lead
- Define a "trace" amount of lead as no more than 40 ppm lead. (Soil with higher than 40 ppm is considered lead-contaminated.)
- Define "children's product" broadly to cover all those products used BY or in connection with children under the age of 12
| This Boston-based story was generated by our fellow Alliance for Healthy Tomorrow colleagues at Clean Water Action. Click here to see the results of random lead tests that were conducted on toys, or parts of toys, composed of PVC/vinyl, a material not typically thought by consumers to contain lead. The toys were selected randomly from a variety of recognizable retail stores in Massachusetts. |
 550,000 More Chinese Toys Recalled for Lead
By Jad Mouawad
New York Times Amid a fresh wave of toy recalls yesterday, a consumer advocacy group said it had found hazardous levels of lead in many toys made out of vinyl plastic, potentially expanding the scope of testing and recalls of contaminated toys. A random testing of more than 50 plastic toys found high lead content in 11 of them, according to Mike Schade, a campaigner for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, which helped organize the testing. Ten were made out of polyvinyl chloride, also referred to as PVC or vinyl. Three contained “extremely high” lead levels — a Go Diego Go backpack, a Superfly monkey and a pair of Circo Lulu boots. Tests of the backpack found lead levels as high as 4,600 parts per million. The standard for lead in paint set by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is 600 parts per million. Millions of Chinese-made toys and products have been recalled this summer because of lead contamination in their painted coatings. In separate announcements yesterday, Target and RC2, the maker of Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys, recalled 550,000 toys. Last month, Toys “R” Us stopped selling vinyl baby bibs at its stores nationwide, and offered customers refunds for about a million bibs, after tests confirmed that at least some of the items, which were made in China, were contaminated with lead. The coalition of environmental and consumer groups that organized the testing is calling for a recall of all toys containing PVC. Other toys that the group said it found contained lead also include a Wal-Mart Neon Writing Slate and a Spider-Man pencil case. Their findings will be made public today. “It’s absolutely astonishing to us that lead continues to be found in children’s toys despite the fact that consumer and environmental groups have been warning the government about this issue” for more than 10 years, said Mr. Schade, whose group coordinates a national campaign to phase out vinyl plastics from consumer products and packaging. In recent months, recalls have shaken the American toy industry, led to a surge in testing, prompted Congressional hearings and raised calls for more stringent testing rules. In the spring, pet food was also recalled because it contained melamine. More than 20 million pieces of children’s jewelry also have been recalled because of lead in the last three years. RC2 said yesterday that it was recalling 200,000 toys because the paint contained levels of lead that violate federal standards. RC2 recalled 1.5 million railway toys in June because of similar problems. The company said that since those recalls it had tested 1,500 toy styles from its popular Thomas & Friends line and the results of those tests prompted yesterday’s announcement. The chief executive, Curtis Stoelting, apologized for the “burden that recalls creates for parents.” The toys being recalled are five products from the Thomas & Friends product line: a black cargo car, a Toad vehicle, an olive green Sodor Cargo Box, a green maple tree and signal base accessories. Target also said yesterday that it was recalling 350,000 gardening toys because of excessive lead levels. The toys, the Happy Giddy gardening tools and Sunny Patch children’s chairs, were sold from August 2006 to this August in Target stores nationwide. The company had disclosed recently that two other products it sold — David Kirk Happy Giddy children’s garden trowel and Sunny Patch Safari children’s chair — were found to contain hazardous levels of lead. Acute exposure to lead, by chewing on a lead toy, for example, or repetitive exposure to lead by handling toys that contain it, can lead to severe neurological and behavioral problems. Lead was banned in paint on toys and other children’s products in the United States in the 1970s, but the problem has arisen again as more toys are imported from China. Eighty percent of toys sold in the United States are made in China, mostly through outsourcing arrangements to vendors.
August 8, 2007Chinese Factory Is Identified In Tainted-Toy Recall
By Nicholas Casey and Nicholas Zamiska
Wall Street Journal
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Test Kits May Miss Mark
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Mattel Inc. late yesterday identified the Chinese factory involved in the company's big toy recall last week, ending nearly a week in which critics complained that Mattel's unwillingness to do so highlighted a regulatory failure. Mattel said the plant is Lee Der Industrial Co., located in Guangdong province. Mattel, of El Segundo, Calif., last week recalled 1.5 million Chinese-made toys believed to contain lead paint. The toys included items involving popular characters like Elmo and Dora the Explorer. Prince Diego action figures, left, were among the models recalled. Under current U.S. law, when companies bargain with the government before agreeing to a voluntary recall, they don't have to disclose the identities of the manufacturers involved. Mattel had argued that it didn't want to name the factory before completing an investigation. Late yesterday, Mattel said its investigation is continuing, but added that the company is no longer accepting shipments from the factory. The lack of public information, however, created a guessing game for others that may have a stake in the factory's identity, including other manufacturers, consumers and Chinese workers. "Everyone is trying to find out which paint supplier is getting into trouble, because once they know, they can try to stay away from that supplier," said Lawrence Chan, the chairman of the Hong Kong Toys Council, an industry group. He said toy company officials are also interested in identifying not only the factory that produced the toys for Mattel, but the paint supplier as well. Mattel's actions weren't unusual among toy recalls. In at least 25 lead recalls involving children's products this year, retailers and toy makers declined to publicly identify factories where problematic toys were made in recall notices released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Instead, the toy industry said it circulates such facts through informal channels to a select few in its own ranks, people familiar with the matter said. The CPSC said it must agree to negotiate with companies in public disclosures, or face legal delays in getting the word out to consumers. "At times there may be elements that are not included to expedite the announcement," said Scott Wolfson, deputy director of public affairs at CPSC. He said the commission won't negotiate out the publication of vital facts such as the product involved, the hazard, the company performing the recall and how to remedy the problem. Ed Mierzwinski, consumer-program director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said prompt disclosure of the supply chain is an important tool the government could use in getting the word out in the industry about sources of contamination. "Unfortunately, this law hangs over [the commission's] heads," he said. Former officials express aggravation with the process that leads to a voluntary recall. "It was perhaps the biggest burden during my tenure with the agency after our lack of funding," said Pamela Gilbert, who served as the commission's executive director under President Clinton from 1995 to 2001. Ms. Gilbert said the agency faced at least one major lawsuit during her term by a company alleging the commission improperly disclosed information. Some worry Mattel's public disclosure of the factory could result in layoffs for Chinese workers at the factory, as other customers seek to distance themselves from the company's tainted products. Jenny Chan, chief coordinator of Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, an activist group in Hong Kong that advocates for workers' rights in mainland China, said although she thinks Mattel should publicly disclose a list of its suppliers, she frets that in this case, workers at the factory could lose their jobs.
NEW DPH COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH AHT MEMBERS TO DISCUSS TOXIC CHEMICALS IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS
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From left to right: Ellie Goldberg, Mass. PTA; Tolle Graham, MassCOSH;
Deborah Shields, Mass. Breast Cancer Coalition; Eric Weltman, Mass. Public Health Association; Kristin Golden, Dept. of Public Health; Lee Ketelsen, Clean Water Action; Commissioner John Auerbach, Dept. of Public Health; John Thomas, The Arc of Mass.; Leise Jones, Clean Water Action.
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Commissioner Auerbach listened as AHT representatives relayed concerns around toxic chemicals found in consumer products and medical devices and discussed examples of regulatory actions taken by other states and countries. Scientific studies increasingly link many toxic chemicals to a range of chronic diseases and disabilities, including cancers, asthma, learning and developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s. AHT urged the Commissioner to use his authority, under Massachusetts General Laws Chapters 94 and 94B, to protect residents of the Commonwealth from exposure to hazardous substances in consumer products. This under-utilized authority could greatly reduce the exposure of developing infants, children, and adults to toxic chemicals, while boosting the availability of safer products. AHT believes DPH can and should promulgate regulations to prohibit the sale of specific consumer products with toxic components while encouraging their replacement with the safer alternatives. Commissioner Auerbach said that he would carefully consider a detailed list of consumer products and medical devices containing toxic chemicals, drafted by AHT, for regulatory oversight. August 2, 2007 - Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys, including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters because paint on the toys contains excessive amounts of lead.
The worldwide recall involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products. Owners of a recalled toy can exchange it for a voucher for another product of the same value. To see pictures of the recalled toys, visit http://www.service.mattel.com. For more information, call Mattel's recall hot line at 800-916-4498.
July 24, 2007 - Household Hazards, a report released today by Women Voices for the Earth, an AHT affiliate, details specific ingredients in household cleaners that could pose harm - particularly to children, women and workers - and calls for greater regulation of cleaning products sold on store shelves. Download or view a PDF copy of Household Hazards by clicking on this link.
May 10, 2007 - State House News Service
MOTHER'S DAY CARDS USED TO HIGHLIGHT TOXIC HOUSEHOLD GOODS
Environmental and public health activists are celebrating Mother's Day three days early today, with a twist: calling on lawmakers to pass a bill replacing household goods containing toxic components. Over 150 families are distributing more than 24,000 Mother's Day cards to legislators and Gov. Deval Patrick, with 8,000 to the House, Senate, and the Corner Office. "Toxic chemicals are actually common ingredients in household goods," ranging from pesticides to children's toys and foam couch cushions, said Cindy Luppi, a member of Clean Water Action, one of the groups in the coalition calling itself the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow. Children are particularly vulnerable since they breathe more rapidly and their organs are still developing, she said. "They're the most vulnerable among us and we're gathering today to call for a safer alternative," she said.
Erica Streit-Kaplan, a Newton mother of a two-year-old, said she was faced with a dilemma when her daughter was born: She received a set of bath toys made out of a vinyl compound. She didn't want to throw the set away or give it to her baby. "So the only real alternative is that we shouldn't be providing things that are dangerous," she said after speaking to about 70 people in the Great Hall. Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Brighton) and Rep. Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) are sponsoring legislation that calls for a systematic review of safer alternatives through the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell. The bill (H 783), a re-file that's carrying 108 co-sponsors, would also help Massachusetts businesses comply with the proposed standards, as well as with standards in the European Union, which recently started to implement a similar program. The European Union makes up 37 percent of the Massachusetts trade market, according to the legislation. "That's what this is all about," said Rev. Dr. Tina Saxon of the People's Baptist Church in Boston. "Trying to get the manufacturers to make safer products."
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Freshman Legislative Reception
February 13, 2007, in Nurses Hall (fittingly) at the State House, the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow held its first Freshman Legislative Orientation to welcome new state legislators and introduce them to our work, budget and policy priorities.
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| Pictured, from left to right: Jen Baker, Policy Advocate, Environment Massachusetts; State Representative Steven D’Amico (Seekonk); State Representative William Brownsberger (Belmont); Elizabeth Saunders, Campaign Coordinator, Clean Water Action; John Thomas, The Arc of Massachusetts. |
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