We feel fairly safe in America today, knowing that federal regulators oversee our food, medication, modes of transportation and even the safety of our workplaces. Lots of regulations are in place to ensure our safety nearly every step of the way, and most of us assume that the products we’re sold in our own country are safe. But that’s apparently not the case. From the beauty products we use on our bodies to the carpets on which we walk, we’re surrounded by chemicals that are negatively impacting our health ”“ and the feds aren’t vetting them all.
The nation operates under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, adopted in 1976, which exempted 60,000 industrial chemicals right off the bat, assuming they were safe until proven otherwise. Today, there are about 80,000 chemicals in use, and the Environmental Protection Agency has ordered safety testing on a mere 200 of those, which led to a ban or restriction on just five. That leaves a lot of chemicals ”“ to which we are exposed regularly in our daily lives ”“ that are presumed “safe” without evidence. And the more health studies that are done, the more obvious it becomes those chemicals are not safe.
Though we may not think of it readily, there are a great deal of chemicals that are in products we use everyday, either actively or passively: Perfume, cosmetics, furniture, food and drink containers, cleaning products, and stain- or water-resistant coatings. Many of these chemicals are hormone disrupters that can have serious effects on the human body ”“ particularly young children and developing fetuses.
Phthalates, an industrial chemical used to soften plastic and often added to personal care products, have been found to cause genital defects in newborns, lower sperm counts, premature puberty in females, and liver and kidney damage.
Flame retardants found in plastic electronic casings and furniture have been found to cause learning difficulties, while perfluorinated chemicals ”“ PFCs ”“ in our microwave popcorn bags, fast food wrappers and vehicle seats have been found by an EPA panel to be a “likely human carcinogen.” BPA, or Bisphenol-A, a plastic hardener often used in food containers, has been found by many studies to cause cancer as well.
BPA in reusable food and beverage containers was banned in Maine beginning Jan. 1, following a trend set in 2008 when the Legislature passed the Kid-Safe Products Act to move toward phasing out chemicals that are proven to be harmful.
Maine has done well in stepping up where the federal government has not, but it shouldn’t be up to the states to decide what chemicals are safe. In order to make it easier for industries that operate across state lines, and of course to ensure the health and safety of all residents, chemical regulation should be done at the federal level.
The Alliance for Clean and Healthy Maine is urging our senators to step up to that plate and co-sponsor the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, which would update the Toxic Substances Control Act. The bill would require chemical manufacturers to submit safety data on all the chemicals they produce, allowing the EPA to prioritize chemicals, based on risk, for phasing out. Increased public information on the chemicals would be required as well.
At this point, the bill has only Democratic support, and it’s true Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins could give it a considerable boost by signing on. Public health and safety demands that these changes be made ”“ and rather than this being a hit on the economy by requiring manufacturers to conduct safety testing, it could be a boon by encouraging innovation of new, safer alternatives. As well, the ban would be nationwide and imports would be held to the same standard.
We join the Alliance in asking our senators to cosponsor this bill so that others might see its value, too. It’s been said, of course, that there is too much regulation on businesses, and in some cases, that might be true. In this case, however, the American public is being regularly exposed to dangerous chemicals that we cannot avoid and we have no reliable information about. With our current law, not even asbestos ”“ a known carcinogen ”“ is banned. It’s clear that it’s well past time for an updated way to address the chemicals in our lives.
The federal government has turned a blind eye to this industry for too long, but this bill will serve all Americans by determining which chemicals are actually dangerous and getting them off the market. The issue is set to come out of committee in late April, so now is the time to contact your senators if you feel chemical safety should be a priority.
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