Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

August 6, 2012

Letters to the editor:
Enact safeguards against chemicals

A reader says it's time to eliminate BPA from children's products.

Fifty years ago, Rachael Carson alerted the world to the dangers toxic chemicals posed to ourselves and our environment. Significant progress has been made since then to reduce our exposure to these chemicals, but more remains to be done.

The use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food containers, particularly in containers containing food for young children, is a prime example. BPA is a plastic-hardening chemical, commonly added to consumer products, that has been linked to cancer, learning disabilities, obesity and other health problems.

BPA has been removed from some products, but not all.

Much of our BPA exposure comes from the food we eat. BPA finds its way into our food by leaching out of the meal can or glass jar lids.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of BPA and most baby foods on the market today contain BPA, even the organic brands.

Maine has already removed BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups.

Maine's Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) is now considering a ban on BPA in food intentionally marketed to children under the age of 3. If approved, a bill will be sent to the Maine Legislature.

We know BPA is dangerous, we know our children are being exposed, and safer alternatives already exist. It's time to eliminate BPA from children's products.

Robert Shafto

Falmouth

As a mother who has been waiting for Congress to help protect my family from toxic chemicals, I am thrilled to learn that the Safe Chemicals Act has been voted out of committee and is headed to the Senate floor, the first time in over 36 years that Congress will vote on overhauling our nation's broken chemical safety law.

I would like to thank Sen. Olympia Snowe for demonstrating public support to fix our broken chemical safety system, and pushing for action in the Senate this year.

She listened to us during our recent bus trip to Washington and honored her commitment to overhaul our broken chemical policy.

I know too many people, including my parents, who've died from cancer, and I want to keep my children safe from toxins in products we use each day; we can't shop our way out of this problem.

If it weren't for Maine, we might not have gotten this far. Sen. Snowe sent a letter to the Environment and Public Works Committee Chairs to express her support for the vote, and mentioned the support she has seen in Maine for reforming chemical safety laws.

This is an exciting moment for all of us who want toxic chemicals out of everyday products. Now I hope our senators will help lead the way towards passing the Safe Chemicals Act in the U.S. Senate.

Lalla Carothers

Cumberland

Romney's priority appears to be lopsided wealth

Mitt Romney tells us that his business experience qualifies him to be our president in these troubled economic times.

If success is defined as making money for his investors and for himself, then Romney has been successful. However, Romney's goal at Bain Capital was decidedly not to create jobs. Nor was his goal to create new productive enterprises.

His goal purely and simply was to make money. It made no difference to Romney how that goal could be reached. He could buy a company and sell off its assets, leaving the company too burdened with debt to survive, or he could close the company. He could move a company's operations to a foreign country. Nothing mattered to Romney except making money.

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