If there is one group you can’t mess with, it’s a group of moms. I learned that lesson early on, as a defiant kid trying to get out of my chores. My mom always won (and it was probably for the best).  That message rang true at this week’s National Stroller Brigade, which brought together around 200 moms, cancer survivors and nurses in support of safer chemicals.

Lisa Allen, mom of two from Chesapeake, Virginia said it best in her interview with CNN, “As a mom, it’s overwhelming, we do the best we can but we still need help. We’re hoping that our Senators will help us to protect our children.”

Here are some highlights:

• The rally was a great success, featuring public health hero Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Dick Durbin, and Senator Chuck Schumer. Media outlets from across the country showed up to share the Stroller Brigade story.

• Polly Schlaff, a brave mom from Western Michigan, shared her story with crowd putting moral urgency on addressing toxic chemicals.

• Those who traveled as far as from Alaska and Idaho were rewarded with face-to-face meetings with their Senators.  In all, we talked face-to-face with 22 Senators and had 53 meetings overall.

• Nurses from Maryland had a wonderful meeting with Senator Cardin’s office, and heard later in the day that he will co-sponsor the bill.

• Christine from Louisiana shared her story of living in “Cancer Alley” with Sen. Landrieu’s staff, who were warm and receptive.

• A group of dedicated Maine moms drove over 12 hours to attend the event and share their stories with Senators Snowe and Collins personally.

• The online participation during the day inspired three moms to organize local stroller brigades in their community.

• The following day, several Senators dedicated their floor speeches to the issue of toxic chemicals and mentioned the Stroller Brigade. View Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s speech here.

It was an incredible moment for me to meet so many of you face to face, but something else happened that I didn’t anticipate. Regardless of where you live, your political beliefs, or religious background, you all connected with each other and were energized in our collective quest to address toxic chemicals in this country. I think I underestimated the power of connecting with people who share a similar goal and passion.

Lori Alper, a Massachusetts mom and prominent blogger describes this well in her blog. In a world where we tweet, Facebook, and email each other everyday, you can’t put a price tag on the ability to sit down and connect face to face. The energy and enthusiasm that has transpired from the past few days was conveyed on Capitol Hill and will continue as you all travel back to your homes and communities.

Thanks for a wonderful few days. All of us at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families look forward to working with all of you on our goal towards common sense limits on toxic chemicals.

Press highlights:

• CNN
• Front page of the Chicago Tribune
• Los Angeles Times
• Over 300 TV and Radio stories in every media outlet in the country, here is one from Ohio.
• Huffington Post
• Numerous state press featuring our speaker Polly Schlaff

Originally posted on http://FlourSackMama.com, May 13, 2012

I can still hear the shuffle of the little wooden drawers on my mother's vanity as she searched hastily for eye shadow and lipstick. She'd already arisen early to cook everyone pancakes and bacon, or biscuits and sausage gravy.  Then she'd walked to the farrowing house to tend sows with newborn piglets.  Back at home, she had time for a quick shower and an abbreviated beauty routine that included fluffing up her short, curly hair with a plastic, purple pick.  She loved powders and creams with the sweet smells of roses and honeysuckle. 

Upstairs in our white stucco farmhouse, I always took far too long primping for church.  Mom would start the warning calls at something like an hour, then 20 minutes, then her voice echoed up the boxed stairwell that I had just a few minutes until we really needed to go.  I don't know where she found the patience, but she never left me behind, even on mornings when she was supposed to teach Sunday school.  Finally, we'd be driving down the dirt road, my juvenile delays  making us at least five or ten minutes late.

One of the few things I felt I could do for Mom after her death was to lock myself in her bathroom, away from the din of mourners, and locate her favorite makeup.  I carefully opened every wooden drawer to determine which eye shadow she'd been using regularly, which foundation color, what she'd used to brighten her cheeks.  I picked through the not-quite-right lipstick colors that hadn't been touched to find the pink one with the soft curve that showed she'd been applying it day after day.  I zipped the little cosmetics bag and readied it for a visit to the funeral home, ahead of the open casket service we'd be having.  I was a young, married adult at the time and it would be years before my children were born.

More than a decade after her death to cancer, I'm still having new realizations about what Mom taught me. Of course, she loved me and all of her family with the fiercest, sweetest kind of unconditional love. Her relentlessness in getting me to the First Baptist Church on Sunday mornings must be why I still call myself Christian. Her work ethic on the family farm, her devotion to my father, and her commitment to community were all unquestionable.

Mom's relationship to cancer was complicated, her exposures to possible carcinogens were many (no, she never smoked), and it will never be clear exactly what caused her death.  The perspective of time has helped me see that Ruth Ann Brock's death at 65, grievous as it was, is not the real tragedy here.  She would say that she lived a blessed life.  Her love for children, evident as she reared four of her own plus taught others in 4-H and church, would prompt her to say those youngest lives lost and those parents who died leaving young children behind -- those are the tragedies.  I would add that a half-million lives lost in our country every year to cancer is a number so large most of us can't process it.  We're numb to the reality that we all know a relative, friend or colleague who's had cancer.

In recent years we've all had access to more health and wellness information than ever, including findings from unprecedented research about cancer.  It's now common knowledge that most cancers are a product, not of genetics, but of environment, which means lifestyle factors as well as everything that surrounds us, including the very air we breathe.  I think my mother would be astounded to learn that I scan everything in the ingredient list of a cosmetic product and try to match it against a list of chemicals of concern.  She'd be amazed at how much money I've spent on a simple bottle of shampoo in my effort to keep my daughters from breaking out in hives today or developing cancer years down the road.  She'd understand our goal to reduce some fats and sugars in our diets, but she'd probably be shocked to learn about Bisphenol-A (BPA) concerns with canned vegetables and pesticide residue concerns with fresh fruits.  She'd be puzzled to learn that cleaning products she thought were good to use in the house could possibly contribute to illness.

The saddest lessons I've learned from my mother's cancer death are the things she didn't say and do.  She didn't have enough access to information, she didn't question authority, and she didn't set aside time to care for herself.  With the internet and respected groups like Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, I'm thankful for today's access to the latest information about preventing cancer and other serious illnesses.  I'm willing to politely question what those in positions of authority are doing to improve the status quo.  And I admit that as a busy mother of two young kids, I'm still struggling to find time for myself, despite having a supportive husband.

Mom was a clean-living sort of person  living in a beautiful rural setting, yet she was surrounded by potentially cancer-causing substances and didn't know any better.  We know better.  We have the chance with the Safe Chemicals Act to set a higher standard for safety in thousands of everyday substances and to eliminate the worst toxic chemicals of concern from our household environments.  I owe it to the grandchildren my mother never met to promote a healthier future for them.

Please find out more for yourself about the Safe Chemicals Act and how it could help save lives.  Please consider how you can support the National Stroller Brigade for Safe Chemicals that's headed to the the US Capitol on May 22.  Hundreds of people, including nurses, cancer survivors and concerned parents, will be asking Congress for common sense limits on toxic chemicals.  I'm honored that through a sponsored trip with the Safer Chemicals coalition, I can have a small part in this historic event.  I'll make an extra effort to be on time, and I hope my mother would be proud.

Read our press statement here.

Several years ago I had a front row seat to the deceptions and distorted science of the bromine chemical industry, which the Chicago Tribune documented so well this past week.

Then, former Maine Speaker of House Hannah Pingree proposed legislation to ban all brominated flame retardants.  The PBDEs in our couches and TVs had turned our homes into virtual Superfund toxic waste sites, contaminating everything from breast-feeding babies to harbor seals with brain damaging chemicals.

The chemical industry followed the tobacco industry playbook, buying the national fire marshals’ loyalty and running TV, radio and print ads claiming that babies would burn up if the bill passed.  Their heavy-handed tactics backfired.  The Maine fire services united with health advocates, and the Maine Legislature banned PBDEs, the most notorious flame retardants, by an overwhelming margin.

It turns out that Rep. Pingree’s original call for a more sweeping phase-out was right.  The PBDE replacements aren’t safe either.  Chemtura replaced the Penta mix of PBDEs in couch cushions with a different mix of new and old brominated flame retardants under the brand name Firemaster 550.

The final Tribune investigative report today exposes the badly broken chemical safety system that plagues public health in the United States:

“At a time when consumers clamor for more information about their exposure to toxic substances, the chemical safety law allows manufacturers to sell products without proving they are safe and to treat the formulas as trade secrets. Once health effects are documented, the law makes it almost impossible for the EPA to ban chemicals.”

Under EPA’s flawed new chemicals program, the agency gave secret approval to TBB, now known to be a key chemical ingredient to Firemaster 550, despite red flags about its safety raised by its own scientists.  Now, TBB is routinely found in household dust and the environment, and scientific concerns about its toxicity are growing stronger.

When the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) was passed, 62,000 existing chemicals were grandfathered in, including the brominated phthalate TBPH used in Firemaster 550.  That means no mandatory health and safety testing or safety decisions are required.  The agency must demonstrate harm and justify costs.  While the chemical industry gets a free ride, we get preventable disease and disabilities.

No wonder the chemical industry has lobbied so hard to maintain the status quo in opposition to the Safe Chemicals Act and meaningful TSCA reform.

The toxic flame retardant scandal should be a wake up call for Congress.  Similar toxic disasters in the past – like thalidomide in the 1960s, PCBs in the 1970s and Bhopal in the 1980s – spurred badly needed chemical reforms in their day.

It’s time to stop playing with fire and fix our broken chemical safety system.

Tell your story and help us build momentum as we approach a potential vote on safer chemicals in the U.S. Senate. Let us know how you honor the lessons of YOUR mother. Find out how to participate at the end of this post.

By Cindy Luppi, New England Director, Clean Water Action

April is here and for many, the top thing on our minds is the early days of spring—whether we can shelve our winter coats, maybe how close we are to Opening Day.

For me, April always reminds me of my grandmother, Aubine. She was born in early April, over 100 years ago in a small town in northern Maine. When I think of her, I think of the popcorn balls she would make for the holidays...of the walks we took together...of being on drying duty as she washed the dishes after a family dinner.

She taught my sisters and me many things over the years, but the single over-riding lesson was crystal clear: you take on the hard jobs, and you don't shy away from the things that most need doing. That's how she lived her life, from start to finish—including working as a young girl with her family to carve a fishing camp out of the Maine wilderness. That lesson reinforces my commitment to keep on pressing for the updates to our laws that will protect us all from exposure to toxic chemicals. This campaign has been tough at times.

It has effectively united a diverse cross section of the U.S. public from health groups to forward-thinking businesses to environmental justice advocates, all pressing for a bill introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg, the Safe Chemicals Act. Whenever we collectively take a step forward, though, it sometimes seems like the chemical industry is relentless in battling back. We help release new peer-reviewed studies that reveal solid evidence that toxic chemicals are damaging our health; the chemical industry lobbyists claim the research is unpersuasive. We deliver over 100,000 petition signatures from concerned families across the country urging reforms; partisan legislators turn a blind eye because they don't want to give the Environmental Protection Agency the tools they need to assess the safety of chemicals.

Here in Massachusetts, the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow has been mobilizing for nearly a decade to advance reforms as well.

Some days it can seem like it's simply taking too long or that our efforts aren't making enough headway. On those days, when it would be easier to throw in the towel out of sheer frustration, my grandmother's lessons eventually kick in and I can reconnect with my core motivation to stand up for disease prevention and for the smarter laws that will protect our health.

How about you? What lessons do you draw on from your mother or grandmother that you apply to this campaign? SAFER States and Safer Chemicals Healthy Families would like to know! In honor of Mother's Day, we're launching a project called "Lessons from our Mothers" that we'll continue through the rest of April and May. We’re asking you to tell your story—what did your mother teach you that you draw on in the effort to pass the Safe Chemicals Act or local reforms in your state? Did she teach you that persistence counts? Or that you go to the wall to protect your children? That the burden of cancer or other chronic diseases exacts too high a price and should be prevented wherever possible? That you stand up to bullies?

By the way, do you wonder how my grandmother's story played out? She and her family not only established their fishing camp but it was so successful that she and her siblings were sent to college on the proceeds--something very rare in rural Maine in the early 1920's. I have no doubt that our collective efforts to pass the Safe Chemicals Act nationally and the Safer Alternatives Bill here in Massachusetts will ultimately be just as successful.

Tell your story and help us build momentum as we approach a potential vote on safer chemicals in the U.S. Senate. To participate, simply submit an op-ed to your local paper or post a blog to your organization’s website, and let us know how you honor the lessons of YOUR mother. Send us a copy and we'll re-post a number of your stories here. To submit: send your story, short bio, name as you'd like it to appear and photograph (at least 250px width by 250px height) to info@saferstates.com.

by Lindsay Dahl, Deputy Director

Between the day-to-day phone calls, interactions on Facebook, email and Twitter, I feel like I’ve come to personally know many of you. We’ve talked about your children, struggles with fertility, the stress your family faces as you raise a child with a learning disability, heard your stories of being a young college student battling cancer. 

It’s these powerful stories and connections that makes this coalition incredibly powerful and it’s time we come together in Washington D.C. to share those stories with Congress. 

The success of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families stroller brigades in the last six months has inspired us to pull together a coalition-wide event here in Washington D.C. I'm excited to announce the National Stroller Brigade for safe chemicals, taking place May 22nd, 2012.

We know that in-person events have a big impact. The National Stroller Brigade will not only feature the moms who led stroller brigades in their home towns, but also the many health spokespeople we work with. Congress needs to hear directly from those on the front lines.

The rise in childhood and young adult cancer is simply unacceptable. Learning and developmental disabilities are on the rise in alarming rates. Some are calling puberty at the age of ten “normal.” 

We know that this country is on the wrong track when it comes to our health. Toxic chemicals are only one piece of the equation, but chemicals are the piece we can do something about.  

Please join us for this big event to show Congress that whether you’re a young adult, parent, nurse or cancer survivor, we’re demanding action on toxic chemicals.

Event Details 

Who: You!

When: May 22nd, 2012 – 9:30 AM

Where: U.S. Capitol Lawn, Washington D.C.   

Between Constitution Avenue NE and 1st Street NE   Senate side of the East Front Lawn of the Capitol.

Rain location: Capitol Visitors Center, Room 210/212, First Street NE Washington, D.C. 20510. Entrance across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court

What:  Press conference at 10:00 AM, “Stroller Brigade” and meetings with Members of Congress to follow.  

To register please sign up here: RSVP for Safe Chemicals Brigade 

If you can’t participate in D.C. for the event fret not -- we will have several ways to participate online or at your U.S. Senator’s office in your district. 

by Lindsay Dahl, Deputy Director

Judging our art contest was kind of like being an American Idol judge during the finale. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that stressful, but let me say that the talented artists blew us away.

While my personal artistic abilities fall short of fitting in the lines of my niece’s Harry Potter coloring book, I take inspiration from the images of a ‘safe and healthy future.’

Art submissions came in from children across the country, ranging from ages one to 18. To view all of the art, please watch our video below. 

Our team of judges spent careful time and consideration judging the art based on the following criteria: overall composition, creativity and how well the art reflected our theme and work. 

As organizers, we get to be creative. We need to be creative as we engage our members, the public and our elected leaders. So while I may not be able to draw, paint or sculpt, I take inspiration from the many young people that took time to share their art with us. 

I am proud to announce the winners of our Art Contest: 

First Place:

Lillie, age 1, North Carolina: “Lillie loves to pick up shells. Our family hopes the future will have clean blue skies, beaches, and seafood that we all can enjoy!” – Libby, Lillie’s mom.

Angelina, age 10, California: “I hope the ocean will always be as blue as in my painting, but sometimes I can't swim because chemicals washed into the ocean.”

Christopher, age 15, California: “My painting is about the shocking contrast between clean and dirty environments that are often so close together, like in and outside of Los Angeles.”

Second place: 

Haven, Rhode Island: “Our family dreams of blue skies and clean air for the future of all kids.” – Katie, Haven’s mom

Jackson, Virginia: "Well, I was thinking of doing a super hero as my theme so I was thinking about what could mix with non-toxic chemicals that could be safe to the environment/earth and the moment I thought about the word "safe" Safety Man came to me."

Shannon, New York: “Coexisting with nature doesn't necessarily mean ditching technology. We must balance our need for technology and our need to protect nature.”

Honorable Mention:  Jorge, Illinois

Thanks for participating in this new venture and campaign. I hope you had as much fun as we did. 

New York is famous for many things. Pizza. Snowy winters. And a chronically dysfunctional state legislature. It’s true, we’ve been known to produce our fair share of scandalous politicians, but good news is coming from our state these days. 

In the last few months the NY State Legislature has taken amazing advances to protect our resident’s health from toxic chemicals. We know this is a big deal for a lot of reasons. First, New Yorkers deserve to be protected from toxic chemicals in their homes. But the implications for our work spread far beyond the reaches of our state. 

We are helping drive reform of our federal laws, by applying state pressure. So what’s happening? 

So far, the Assembly has already passed a cadmium ban and acted to restrict two toxic chemicals from household couches and children’s products. We’ve also advanced comprehensive legislation to broadly regulate chemicals in children’s products. And with more than half of the session remaining, legislation is likely destined for the governor’s desk.

"Product testing continually reveals toxic chemicals in everyday products; lead in lipstick, tris in baby care products, cadmium in children’s jewelry, BPA in toys, and ethoxylates in paint are but a few examples."

Why such a flurry of activity, and so early in the legislative session?  

Perhaps the message from the electorate is finally getting through to elected officials. Maybe the slow but steady state-level momentum over the previous few years has reached a critical mass and created different expectations about what’s achievable. 

Product testing continually reveals toxic chemicals in everyday products; lead in lipstick, tris in baby care products, cadmium in children’s jewelry, BPA in toys, and ethoxylates in paint are but a few examples. It is increasingly clear that, while chemical makers continue to play defense, just about everyone else wants more hazard information, disclosure of use, and assurance of safety.  It could be that product makers realize it makes good business sense to capitalize on this wave of consumer concern, rather than jeopardizing the public trust by defending the status quo. 

It’s likely that New York’s unprecedentedly swift toxics policy advancement is attributable to broad, diverse support for disease prevention. It’s because of people like you. Environmental health is no longer a niche issue, but enjoys nearly-universal backing; from businesses, health care professionals, scientists, educators, legal and economic experts, health-affected constituencies, workers, environmental justice leaders, and, well, just about everybody but the chemical industry. People are sick and tired of bearing the brunt of one small segment of the economy’s externalized costs. Polling shows us that old, young, rich, poor, conservative and liberal people support stronger chemical regulation, regardless of their degree of education, racial makeup, or geographic location. 

It’s not surprising that New York and other states continue to enact laws to protect their residents. Although efforts to pass the Safe Chemicals Act in Congress shows promise, particularly in the U.S. Senate, Congress has yet to enact needed federal reform. In response to chemical industry claims that reform can only be addressed at the federal level, Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh said it best: “When I’m a Congressman, I’ll work on federal chemicals legislation. But as long as I’m a state legislator, I’ll work on state legislation to protect people from toxic chemicals.”

by Lori Popkewitz Alper 

This was originally posted at Groovy Green Livin where Lori is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief. Lori was recently featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer advocating for all moms and dads in the fight against BPA!

Everything from the food we eat to our cleaning products, furniture, personal care products and our yards can contain toxic chemicals. No one wants to be exposed to these harmful chemicals, but where do we begin? How do we sort through all the information? Sometimes it just makes sense to combine forces to find an answer.

The astonishing and knowledgeable women of the Green Moms Carnival have once again joined together to share their wisdom, tips and stories, helping to shed some light on a confusing and overwhelming issue: how to keep toxins out of our home.

TIPS FOR KEEPING TOXIC CHEMICALS OUT OF YOUR HOME

Brenna of Almost All the Truth has written an in-depth  post about Keeping Our Homes Free of Unwanted Toxins. She talks about making changes and doing it one small step at a time.

Shane from Environmental Booty shares 3 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to Harmful Chemicals in Your Home. Shane had the opportunity to meet the Deputy Director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, Lindsay Dahl!

Margie from Healthy Child Healthy World shares Eight Steps to Purging Toxic Chemicals From Your Home. Healthy Child Healthy World’s motto says it all: “No one can do everything but everyone can do something”.

Abbie aka Farmer’s Daughter has a few ideas to Keep Toxins Out of Our Home.

Amber from Strocel.com shares Eight Tips for Avoiding Toxins that she gathered from talking with other green minded folks.

Stephanie from Good Girl Gone Green put together a great list of 5 ways to Help Create a Non-toxic Environment.

Kathy aka Safe Mama has a few good tips for Keeping Toxic Chemicals Out of Your Home.

According to Erin from Green Kids Guide there are  three primary ways that toxins enter our bodies. She shows us how to Keep toxins out of your body with the 3 points of entry.

NON-TOXIC CLEANING

Diane from Big Green Purse shares Clean and Green Dry Cleaning Methods Reduce Your Exposure to Toxic Chemicals.

Lisa from Condo Blues makes her own green cleaners and adorable labels. She explains why her Homemade Green Cleaner Labeling Privileges Have Been Revoked.

Karen from Best Of Mother Earth shows us how we can have a Self Cleaning Bathroom when we avoid using toxic cleaners.

Wondering where to start once you decide to make your home green and healthy? Tiffany over at Nature Moms has a few suggestions in her post:  Green Housekeeping and Protecting Your Family from Hidden Household Dangers.

Micaela from Mindful Momma shares some info on the 3 Most Toxic Cleaning Products.

Charise from I Thought I Knew Mama has 5 Green Living, Spring Cleaning Tips to share.  You’ve got to stop by to check out the adorable baby photo.

Have you ever noticed that horrible smell when you self-clean your oven? Suzanne of Mommy Footprint shares a very interesting post on Self Cleaning Ovens – Toxic For Humans or Only Birds?

Being green and toxin free doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive. Michelle from Simplify, Live, Love shows us how to Decrease Toxins with 4 Frugal Cleaning Ingredients.

NON-TOXIC PRODUCTS

Beth at My Plastic Free Live sheds some light on how BPA-Free Does Not Mean Safe.

Did you know that many plastic food containers contain antibacterial chemicals like Triclosan? Beth from My Plastic Free Life talks about how to Get the Antibacterials Out of Your Plastic!

Have you been wondering if Toxic Chemicals are Lurking in Your Furniture and Building Products? Anna from Green Talk shares what to look for when you bring new products into your home.

Do you love or hate that new car smell? CelloMom let’s you in on what’s behind that smell in her post:New car smell: good, bad or ugly?

Have you heard of a Soda Stream? Mary from In Women We Trust talks about how you can create aToxic-Free Home with a Soda Stream.

Micaela aka Mindful Momma has a few suggestions for Non-Toxic Healthy Art Supplies.

Katy from Non-Toxic Kids participated in a body burden study and discovered that she had a high rate of Deca, a flame retardant.  She explains what Deca is and how to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to Deca (a flame retardant).

Betsy from Eco-Novice sheds some light on Avoiding Toxins in Baby Products. Betsy has a three month old and this is her third child. She has lot of tips to share about what she’s learned along the way.

Danika from Your Organic Life talks about the whys and hows of buying second hand furniture in her post: Buying 2nd-Hand Furniture that’s Off-Gassed from Model Homes.

INSPIRATION FOR NON-TOXIC LIVING

Carolyn of Women of Green shares a podcast with Liberty Phoenix, the sister of River and Joaquin Phoenix. Liberty’s story is heart-wrenching: she experienced the death of her baby due to toxic out-gassing in his nursery and started a green building store so no other parent would have to ever experience what she did.

I was and continue to be inspired by the untimely loss of a 5 year old boy in our community to cancer. His family’s strength and perseverance inspired me to find ways to Keep Toxic Chemicals Out of My Home.

Harriet aka Climate Mama focuses on Keeping our Air Clean and Our Children Safe while shedding some light on the Clean Air Act.

Whew! That was a lot of good information. What are your tips for keeping toxins out of your home?

This post was originally published at the Huffington Post on March 20th, 2012.

You may have seen the March 15 front page article in the New York Times Home Section, "Is it Safe to Play Yet? Going to Extreme Lengths to Purge Household Toxins." The article provides a useful overview and some genuinely expert commentary on the scientific facts around toxic chemicals in the home. However, with the Times trademark tone of bemused snark it paints a picture of overzealous wealthy parents going to extremes, implying there's nothing to do but spend $400 on a bassinet or make your own cleaners from baking soda, and isn't that just ridiculous.

But it would be a serious moral mistake to dismiss the impact that chemicals have on chronic disease in this country, a serious business mistake to dismiss the global trend toward safer products, and a serious political mistake to think this issue is just for the Whole Foods crowd.

Thousands of studies published in mainstream, peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals over the last 15 years point to a few sobering conclusions: Chemicals to which we are all exposed contribute to the rising rates of chronic disease in this country and around the world, including cancer, learning disabilities, infertility, asthma and other conditions from which millions of Americans suffer. Many chemicals turn out to be toxic at very low doses, especially those chemicals that mimic hormones, which are designed by nature to be biologically active at low doses. All Americans, including pregnant women, are carrying these chemicals -- including ones that did not exist 50 years ago -- around in their blood and fatty tissue. No one in the federal government has a handle on the problem or the authority to restrict chemicals in common sense ways.

Read the rest of the original article at the Huffington Post.  

Please like, share and leave comments on the original article to help show public support for passing the Safe Chemicals Act!

by Mike Schade - PVC Campaign Coordinator- Center for Health and Environmental Justice (CHEJ)

CHEJ has been at the frontlines of fighting dioxin pollution for decades and is a valued member of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. 

We Did It!

After nearly 30 years of delays and interference from the chemical industry, the EPA finalized a critical portion of their report on the noncancer health hazards of dioxin.  Dioxin is widely recognized as one of the most persistent toxic chemicals on the planet.  Dioxin’s so toxic it’s been targeted for international phase out by over 170 nations across the world, except the United States.  The production and disposal of chlorinated chemicals and materials such as PVC plastic and TCE are key sources of dioxin in America.

"...the agency [EPA] set a safety level or “reference dose” for dioxin.  This is a big deal as infants and young children are being exposed to unacceptable levels of dioxin"

What’d They Find? 

For the first time ever, in EPA’s new dioxin noncancer report, the agency set a safety level or “reference dose” for dioxin.  This is a big deal as infants and young children are being exposed to unacceptable levels of dioxin higher than EPA’s new safety level, which may be causing adverse health effects.

No wonder the chemical industry didn’t want EPA to release this report! 

The release of the EPA’s health report received praise from environmental health groups across America.  The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)’s founder and Executive Director, Lois Gibbs, has been working on dioxin for over 30 years ever since she and her neighbors organized to be relocated from the dioxin-contaminated Love Canal community. She had this to say: 

“We applaud EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and the Obama Administration for finalizing this important health report on dioxin, one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet.  After twenty seven years of delays, I quite honestly never thought this report would ever see the light of day.  Today the American people won a major victory against the chemical industry, who has been working behind closed doors for decades to hide and distort the truth about the dangers of dioxin.  The science is clear: dioxin is toxic to our children’s health and development.”

To finish the job, EPA is now working on finalizing the cancer portion of their dioxin health assessment.  We’re calling on EPA to now set a clear timeline to finish the cancer section, finalize their proposed cleanup goals for dioxin contaminated sites, and come up with a comprehensive plan of action to reduce dioxin emissions and exposures.

How We Did It:

EPA has been under enormous pressure by a broad coalition of organizations to release the dioxin report ever since President Obama entered office.  Because of the work we did together this report was a success:

• In January, we delivered a letter to EPA Administrator Jackson signed by over 2,000 organizations and individuals. 
• Over the past few months a broad coalition of organizations wrote to EPA (many of which are members of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign) urging the agency to finalize this report.
• In January, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), sent EPA a letter urging the agency to finalize this dioxin assessment.  In April, Rep. Markey and 72 members of Congress sent a letter to EPA calling on the agency to release the report.

"We’re calling on EPA to now set a clear timeline to finish the cancer section, finalize their proposed cleanup goals for dioxin contaminated sites, and come up with a comprehensive plan of action to reduce dioxin emissions and exposures."

The Chemical Industry Delay Game:

At the same time, for nearly 30 years, the chemical industry has worked tirelessly behind closed doors to prevent EPA from releasing their health report on dioxin, and launched an aggressive campaign in recent months to press EPA to back off, just like they’ve done on many other chemicals of concern.  On one hand the chemical industry would publicly say they support EPA’s efforts to assess the toxicity of dioxin, and then at the same time they’d push for more studies, more reviews, and even more delays.

Hmmm that sounds kind of similar to their tactics on TSCA reform, no?  

Simple Steps to Reduce Dioxin Exposure:

Dioxin is building up in our bodies as a result of the food we eat.  To help reduce our exposure, we’ve prepared these top seven tips for reducing exposure to dioxin in food:

1. Eat less animal fat — buy lean meats and poultry – and cut off the fat before cooking.
2. Eat fat free dairy products – or as low as you can – for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.
3. Fish is a healthy food choice – but fish are also affected, so avoid fatty fish (such as salmon) and cut the fat off before cooking and eating.
4. Purchase food products that have been grain or grass fed.  Farm animals fed food with animal products that includes other animal’s fat increases the amount of dioxin ingested by livestock and increases the amount of dioxin that is in the consumer meat product.
5. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
6. Breast feed your babies – breast milk is still the healthiest food for your baby.
7. Call your Senators and ask them to support the Safe Chemicals Act, which would take an upstream approach to preventing dioxin from being created in the first place.

Resources to Learn More:

• EPA’s new dioxin health report. 
• Fact-sheet on the hazards of dioxin. 
• Frequently asked questions about dioxin in food.
  • History of dioxin delays.