Our Kids Deserve To Be Safe!

The "10 Americans", video features Ken Cook, President of the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Ken has a great sense of humor and engages the audience with information that's not too technical but extremely important.

The video presents a picture of the current state of our children's health and provides an explanation why we need to unite and work to change the policies that contribute to the devastating health affects and increasing rates of chronic children's illnesses we are witnessing today.

As you are aware, people are now polluted with hundreds of industrial chemicals, and yet we have little or no understanding of what this means. Recent studies have shown that babies are born with as many as 300 industrial chemicals in their bodies. Some of these chemicals have been linked to a variety of adverse health effects including asthma, allergies, autism, ADHD, childhood cancer, obesity, infertility, and birth defects.

Each of these diseases carries enormous cost to American taxpayers. It's estimated that childhood cancer, asthma, neurodevelopmental disorders and lead poisoning cost our nation $54.9 billion annually. The burden placed on families whose children are affected by chronic diseases and developmental disabilities is immeasurable.

Despite increases in adverse health effects and soaring costs, the government currently has almost no authority to protect people from even the most hazardous chemicals on the market.

The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) is more than 30 years old and almost completely ineffective. It is the only major environmental law that has never been amended, and is so weak that using TSCA, the EPA was not able to ban asbestos, one of the most deadly materials known to man. Recent concerns about chemicals in baby bottles and children’s toys are a direct result of a failed TSCA that does not give the EPA the tools it needs to protect the public health and ensure orderly regulation of chemicals that present legitimate health threats, particularly to children.

Recognizing the consequences of inaction, government leaders, professionals and children's health experts are calling for reform of current chemical safety standards. http://www.ewg.org/files/EWGKidsafe_support.pdf

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act would reform the TSCA and ensure that chemicals are safe for the fetus, babies and children before they are put into the products we consume and use every day.

Kid-Safe requires:

· chemicals to be proven safe for infants, children and other vulnerable populations in order to get on the market, or stay on the market;

· expedited EPA to review of chemicals found in people, particularly those found in cord blood;

· health and safety data on chemicals to be made publicly available.

We are currently adding to a list of supporting organizations in preparation for the re-introduction of Kid-Safe next session. http://www.ewg.org/files/KSCALetterSignatures_updated_0.pdf

Please review the Kid Safe Bill and the Kid-Safe Fact Sheet

Like many other parents, I share the view that our babies should not be born pre-polluted and have joined the EWG team to help build support for this critically important bill.

Through the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act we can respect and protect the most vulnerable and give our children a safer and healthier future.

If your organization would like to support this bill you may email Bobbie Manning at bmanning83 at verizon dot net. Bobbie is an Environmental Health Outreach Coordinator for the Environmental Working Group.