The United States passed a legislation on Tuesday May 20th 2008. The ‘Kid Safe Chemical Act’ will ensure that all chemicals used in every day products, including those used in baby bottles and children’s toys, are proven safe before they go out into the market.
Some of the highlights of this fantastic new legislation are as follows:
1. Require basic data on industrial chemicals- chemical companies will have to back up their chemicals with credible evidence.
2. Place the burden on the industry to demonstrate safety- research will be made on all the chemicals introduced over the last 15 years to determine their safety.
3. Restrict the use of dangerous chemicals in newborn babies- hazardous chemicals found in human cord blood will need to be removed from the product.
4. Use new scientific evidence to protect health- EPA is required to follow and use new testing methods as they emerge.
5. Establish national program to assess human exposure- the federal government’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (aka CDC) will need to expand their analysis in the population to see which chemicals are most hazardous to overall health.
6. Expand the public right to know on toxic chemicals via a website thet we can all check and research ourselves.
7. Invest in long-term solutions for “green chemistry”.
Is the Canadian government going to do the same now? Let’s hope so.
For the full report on this legislation, please go to http://lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=298072&
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