Samantha Englishoe___ _______Vi Waghiyi

For information: Samantha Englishoe, Environmental Health and Justice Organizer with Alaska Community Action on Toxics.

(907) 222-7714; cell: (206) 422-2400, samantha@akaction.org

Indigenous people of the North are disproportionately impacted by chemical harm. Persistent chemicals drift North on wind and water, contaminating their bodies and traditional food supplies. On top of that, military barrels of toxic waste, thought to be buried forever in frozen ice and land, are leaking as climate change melts the permafrost, contaminating soil and water.

On October 22, 2011, the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), the largest representative annual gathering in the U.S. of Native peoples (a statewide gathering of 5,000 people meeting in Anchorage) voted in support of a resolution entitled:

"Action for Protecting the Health of Present and Future Generations by

Preventing Toxic Exposures Through Chemicals Policy Reform."

The resolution calls on "Alaska Senators and Representative to the U.S. Congress to take leadership on chemicals policy reform and use the full power of their offices to transform the 35-year old Toxic Substances Control Act by passing the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011."

The official version will soon be posted on the Alaska Federation of Natives' web site.

It was introduced by the Native Village of Savoonga,

a Yupik community in the northern Bering Sea.

Resolution

ACTION FOR PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS BY

PREVENTING TOXIC EXPOSURES THROUGH CHEMICALS POLICY REFORM

WHEREAS: In 2000, the Alaska Federation of Natives passed Resolution 00-44 in support of the elimination of persistent pollutants that threaten our health and the health of future generations; and

WHEREAS: In 2002, the Youth and Elders Conference of the Alaska Federation of Natives passed Resolution EY-17 in support of the elimination of persistent pollutants that threaten our health and the health of future generations; and

WHEREAS: Toxic exposures continue to threaten our health due to the outdated and ineffective federal law of 1976—the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that was intended to enable chemicals both before and after they enter commerce; and

WHEREAS: Today there are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market, which have never been fully assessed for toxic impacts on human health and the environment, and TSCA is failing to serve as an effective vehicle for the public, industry, or government to assess the hazards of chemicals in commerce or control those of greatest health concern;

WHEREAS: Many of these chemicals ultimately found in toys, everyday consumer goods, or industrial products are suspected or known to be hazardous to human biology and ecological systems;

WHEREAS: Scientific studies, including those by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, demonstrate that hundreds of these same chemicals are being found to be accumulating in human tissues, including breast milk and the cord blood of infants, even though these chemicals have never been produced in the Arctic; and

WHEREAS: Scientific evidence shows that environmental contaminants are linked to a wide array of adverse health effects including cancer, diabetes, learning and intellectual disabilities, asthma, reproductive and developmental damage, birth defects and other serious diseases; and

WHEREAS: Research has demonstrated that Alaska Native and Native American populations are at higher health risk from certain substances that are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulate in the environment, the food web, and in the human body;

WHEREAS: Studies show that developing children, youth, elders, and those with chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable to health effects caused by exposure to persistent and toxic chemicals; and

WHEREAS: The Alaska Federation of Natives is concerned about the elevated impact and greater health risks to Alaska Native and Native American Peoples due to our reliance on traditional, subsistence foods as an integral part of our culture; and,

WHEREAS: The U.S. federal government to date has not acted to reform the failing U.S. chemical regulatory system;

WHEREAS: Policymakers concerned about Alaska have the unique opportunity to correct long-standing chemicals policy weaknesses and implement a modern, comprehensive approach to chemicals policy that better protects the public from exposures to toxic chemicals; and

WHEREAS: The Alaska Federation of Natives is a non-profit corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Alaska. The AFN Convention is the largest gathering on an annual basis with attendance in the thousands;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Alaska State Administration make Alaska a leader among states in innovation and education in the area of safer chemical policy reform; and

NOW THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED THAT: The Alaska State Legislature support legislation that would phase out persistent bio-accumulative chemicals and/or those linked to birth defects, cancer, genetic harm, endocrine disorders, immune and neurological damage and use safer alternatives when available; and

NOW THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED THAT: Alaska Senators and Representative to the U.S. Congress take leadership on chemicals policy reform and use the full power of their offices to urge Congress to transform the 35-year old law, Toxic Substances Control Act, by passing the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011.