Contact: Stephenie Hendricks 415 258-9151 stephdh@earthlink.net
Congress Begins To Confront Toxic Chemicals:
The House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Meets to Discuss the Toxic Substances Control Act
Thursday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn Building
On the heels of a new report by Congress’s watchdog identifying chemical policy as a “High Risk Area” in need of reform, Congressman Bobby Rush will kick-off the debate on Thursday over whether and how to reform the 33-year-old law that is supposed to protect the public from toxic chemicals. The failures of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act have been linked to several hot-button issues over the past few years, including the recall of toxic toys and moves by major retailers to pull some baby bottles off their shelves because of chemical leaching.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued January 22 highlighted chemical regulation as an area needing urgent attention - in the same category as fixing the financial system and regulating medical devices. It builds on several GAO investigations in recent years detailing major flaws in the Toxic Substances Control Act and highlighting progress in chemical safety in Europe and the states.
In the absence of a federal leadership California, Maine and Washington passed chemical reforms last year. In 2008 Senator Frank Lautenberg and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman introduced the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act and have vowed to introduce a new version this year. The legislation would require health information for all chemicals – similar to what Europe now requires- and ensure chemicals meet a children’s safety standard in order to stay on the market.
The hearing witness list reflects an emerging constituency for reform. The United Steelworkers represents workers in both chemical manufacturing and using industries. Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente has found its own efforts to reduce chemical exposures in the health sector thwarted by current policy. The Learning Disabilities Association represents parents and health professionals that want action on the numerous chemicals linked to impaired intellectual development. The Environmental Defense Fund has tracked the gap between current policy and science in this area while WE-ACT focuses on the disproportionate chemical burden that is placed on minorities.
Available for Interviews
Cecil Corbin-Mark, a witness for Thursday’s Hearing. Director of programs for WE ACT for Environmental Justice (WE ACT).212.961.1000 ext. 303, Cecil@weact.org. Cecil can address environmental justice and chemical exposure issues.
Richard Denison, PhD., a witness for Thursday’s Hearing. Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense 202-387-3500, rdenison@edf.org. Richard has more than 20 years of experience in the environmental arena, specializing in chemicals policy, hazard and risk assessment and management for industrial chemicals, and responsible development of nanotechnology.
Maureen Swanson, MPA, a witness for Thursday’s Hearing. Healthy Children Project Director, Learning Disabilities Association of America, 724-813-9684, mswanson@ldaamerica.org. Maureen can address the link between chemical exposure and neurodevelopmental issues with children.
Michael Wright, a witness for Thursday’s Hearing. Director of Health and Safety, United Steelworkers 412-562-2580 office 412-370-0105 cell, Mwright@usw.org. Michael can address worker exposure issues.
Andy Igrejas, policy analyst and coalition coordinator. aigrejas@environmentalhealthfund.org 202 549-3958. Andy can give background on TSCA’s failures, models for effective reform, and the emerging constituencies that are coming together to demand reform.
Daryl Ditz, Center for International Environmental Law, dditz@ciel.org (202) 742 5849 office, (202) 494 2014. Daryl is an expert on Europe’s REACH law and is advocate for federal reform of TSCA.
Joan Blades, President and Co-Founder, MomsRising.org. To schedule an interview, contact: Gretchen Wright or Lisa Lederer at 202.371.1999.
Kathleen A. Curtis Policy Director, Clean New York, a project of Women's Voices for the Earth.
Cell:
(518) 708-3922
, Office: 518.355.6202, www.clean-ny.org, clean.kathy@gmail.com
Pam Miller Founder and Executive Director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics.
Pam can address the drift of POPs chemicals from lower hemispheres, putting Indigenous peoples in the Arctic at great risk for illness from chemical contaminants and can also address the several hundred toxic waste dump sites, now leaking chemicals due to global warming, and contaminating water, soil and air near communities. 907.222.7714.
Ted Schettler, MD, MPH Science Director, Science and Environmental Health Network. Ted is co-author of Generations at Risk: Reproductive Health and the Environment, which examines reproductive and developmental health effects of exposure to a variety of environmental toxicants, and also co-author of In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development. ted@sehn.org.
Resources
GAO Report Highlights High-Risk Areas
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09271.pdf
EPA Science: New Assessment Process Further Limits the Credibility and Timeliness of EPA's Assessments of Toxic Chemicals
GAO-08-1168T September 18, 2008
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1168T
Dr. Denison’s Blueprint for TSCA Reform
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=12814
Contaminated without Consent
www.contaminatedwithoutconsent.org
Healthy Child, Healthy World
www.healthychild.org
Is It In Us?
isitinus.org
The Louisville Charter
www.louisvillecharter.org
MomsRising
www.momsrising.org <http://www.momsrising.org>
Principles of Environmental Justice
ej4all.org/environmental.principles.php
Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Developed by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative
February 20, 2008 (revised July 1, 2008)
www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/LDDIPolicyStatement.pdf
