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The Maine Healthy Childrens' Project is here to bridge the gap between our knowledge of environmental factors that impact developing fetuses, the newborn or young children and the actions we are taking to minimize or eliminate those factors.
The Maine Healthy Childrens' Project is dedicated to helping you:
- learn more about exactly what are these toxic substances in the environment and how they might affect our children's health;
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- understand possible reasons why the incidence of learning disabilities, developmental disabilities and disease among children is on the rise;
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- find out how to join with others to make a difference in protecting the health and future of our children.
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Working together, we can provide a healthy planet, healthy minds and a healthy future for our children! |
ENVIRO-HEALTH NEWS
For immediate release, Wednesday, April 16, 2008
For more information, contact:
Amanda 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 www.cleanandhealthyme.org.. |
Toxic chemicals should not be found in Maine homes or children. Unfortunately, studies show that Maine children are routinely exposed to hazardous industrial chemicals that leach out of products they encounter every day: plastic containers, toys, jewelry, baby bottles and water bottles, shampoos, lotions and thousands more products.
The legislative bill on which we have been working hard on LD 2048 - "An Act to Protect Children's Health and the Environment from Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products" (sponsored by Representative Hannah Pingree) will have a public hearing on February 28th at 1 pm at the Natural Resources Committee. LD 2048 would stop the unrestricted exposure of our children to known unsafe chemicals. We can take advantage of the best scientific research compiled by authoritative government agencies to phase out the worst chemicals that endanger our children, and create new economic opportunities for innovative Maine companies. The opposition has already unleashed its efforts to quash the bill. We must get calls and e-mails to legislators right now, as soon as possible. |
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Dear Friends: Thank you for your support and endorsement of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine. We have had a busy fall, as I'm sure you have too, and are looking ahead to the new legislative session. I have a few new things to share with you:
Let's work together on a new bill: Help us protect Maine families and children by setting up a framework to identify and phase out unnecessary dangerous chemicals in products intended for children! It's called: An Act to Protect Children's Health and the Environment from Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products and is sponsored by House Majority Leader, Representative Hannah Pingree, North Haven. Toxic toys from China are the tip of the iceberg; federal agencies do not adequately protect our kids. Toddlers have higher levels of toxic chemicals in their blood than do older children or adults. Even small amounts of some toxic chemicals can have serious implications when introduced at critical times during childhood. We hope you and your organization will "sign-on" to support this bill and help speak out in favor of it. Further information will be available in coming weeks. I (Evelyn) will be calling/emailing you all about the bill and hoping you'll be willing help advocate for its passage.
SAVE-THE-DATE: March 4th, 2008 at the State House will be the Environmental Health Advocacy Day for the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine. We will meet there, share skills and information, and talk with our elected officials about the above Children's Health bill and other related topics. Please put the date in your calendar and consider joining with us for the day!
CONFERENCE PLANNED FOR MARCH: March 14th, 2008 from 8:30-4pm at Abromson Center of the University of Southern Maine, Portland, a conference
entitled: TOXICS AND TOMORROW'S CHILDREN. Organized by many of the partners of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine, the conference will bring together health and scientific experts, policy perspectives and activists to address the most pressing issues of toxic chemical exposure and children's health. Key speakers include so far: Dr. Phil Landrigan, MD, MSc., Director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment; Charlotte Brody, RN, Executive Director of Commonweal and founder of Health Care Without Harm. For more information: Physicians for Social Responsibility of Maine 772-6714, psr_maine@yahoo.com attn: Melissa Boyd.
Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to being in touch frequently in coming months.
Evelyn deFrees
Learning Disabilities Association of Maine Project Manager, Environmental Health
Home office:
254 Lawry Road
Searsmont, ME 04973
207-342-5909
Introducing a New Resource
Healthy Homes and Families
How to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
at Home
We are proud to announce a new resource
from LDA of Maine. Our new booklet, “Healthy Homes
and Families” which we developed in order to help families
avoid sources of exposure to toxic chemicals in their own
homes and backyards is now available.
As you are aware, 127,000 Maine children
and adults suffer with learning disabilities and many more
from attention disabilites such as ADHD. The National Academy
of Sciences reports that over a quarter (28%) of learning disabilities cases
are caused in part by environ-mental exposure to toxic chemicals. We want
to
share information which will help families take precautions to protect their
children’s health. Comments and questions from organizations and individuals
around the state at our meetings and presentations during the last years were
the inspiration for this booklet.
“ Healthy Hmes and Families” describes
common-sense actions we can take around our homes and backyards,
first explaining the kind of threat and
then listing safer alternatives for the same activity or product. The booklet
is written with Maine households in mind—all the information about recycling
and about products is based on what is available in-state right now. At the
back of the booklet, and throughout the text, there are references to on-line
resources
which will help readers continue their own research on these topics.
As members of the Alliance for a Clean
and Healthy Maine, the Learning Disabilities Association
works to eliminate sources of exposure to toxic chemicals
in
Maine and protect the health of Maine citizens. Learn more about the Alliance
for
a Clean and Healthy Maine through the following link http://www.preventharm.org/camp.part.shtml We
welcome your support.
Healthy Homes and Families
How to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
at Home
We are proud to announce a new resource
from LDA of Maine. Our new booklet, “Healthy Homes
and Families” which we developed in order to help families
avoid sources of exposure to toxic chemicals in their own
homes and backyards is now available.
As you are aware, 127,000 Maine children
and adults suffer with learning disabilities and many more
from attention disabilites such as ADHD. The National Academy
of Sciences reports that over a quarter (28%) of learning disabilities cases
are caused in part by environ-mental exposure to toxic chemicals. We want
to
share information which will help families take precautions to protect their
children’s health. Comments and questions from organizations and individuals
around the state at our meetings and presentations during the last years were
the inspiration for this booklet.
“Healthy Homes and
Families” describes common-sense actions we can
take around our homes and backyards, first explaining the kind of threat
and then listing safer alternatives for the same activity
or product. The booklet
is written with Maine households in mind—all the information about
recycling and about products is based on what is available in-state right
now. At the back
of the booklet, and throughout the text, there are references to on-line
resources which will help readers continue their own research on these topics.
As members of the Alliance for a Clean
and Healthy Maine, the Learning Disabilities Association
works to eliminate sources of exposure to toxic chemicals
in
Maine and protect the health of Maine citizens.
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