Hidden Hazards in the Nursery

Popular baby products, including nursing pillows and car seats, contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and other health effects, according to a new report authored by the Washington Toxics Coalition and released today by Clean and Healthy New York. Children and families are exposed to these Tris chemicals when they escape from products and contaminate house dust and indoor air.

“Appallingly, this is just one study in a long line documenting toxic chemicals in the products families rely upon.  No parent would deliberately expose their baby in this way.  Product makers need to stop simply moving darting from one toxic chemical as it is banned to another,” said Bobbi Chase Wilding, contributor to the study and Deputy Director for Clean and Healthy New York. “Further state action is needed to end this toxic shell game. ”

Assembly Schedules Hearing on Toxics in Kids Products

The New York State Assembly committees on Environmental Conservation, Health, and Consumer Affairs and Protection are holding a public hearing on the Child-Safe Products Act, and the broader subject of toxic chemicals in children's products. The public is invited to attend and speak - and our Assemblymembers need to hear from parents and others concerned about children's health.

Join JustGreen Partners as we call for the Child-Safe Products Act to be made into law!

Where: 250 Broadway, New York, NY - Assembly Hearing Room

When: 10 am, Monday, December 5, 2011

To testify: Fill out this form, and call Steve Liss at 518-455-5787.

Full details about the hearing can be found here.

NYS Senate and Assembly Pass Law to Protect Babies from Cancer-Causing Chemical

Advocates Laud Passage as First in the Nation, Call on Governor to Sign the "Tris-free Children and Babies Act" 

Chemical Facing Ban Was Recently Found in 17% of Foam Baby Products Tested

(Albany) Organizations in the JustGreen Partnership hailed passage of S. 4085a/A. 6919a in the Senate today, following the Assembly's earlier passage of the bill.  The "Tris-Free Children and Babies Act" would prohibit the sale of products containing a cancer-causing chemical called "TCEP" if they are meant for young children and babies.  TCEP is no longer produced in Europe and has been identified by Canada as posing a risk to human health.  In a recent scientific study,  TCEP was found in 17% of foam baby products tested. (Including the padded seat cushion shown here.) These products include those on which babies spend the vast majority of their time, including nursing pillows, car seats, crib positioners, baby carriers, high chairs, and booster seats.   

"It takes forward-thinking leaders like Assemblyman Sweeney and Senator Grisanti to pass the first state-level tris ban in the nation," said Kathy Curtis, Policy Director for Clean New York and co-coordinator of the JustGreen Partnership. "Until comprehensive, sensible chemical policy is a reality, we're glad we can depend on them to protect the health of New York's babies and children," Curtis added.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Baby Products

A study of products designed for newborns, babies, and toddlers – including car seats, breast feeding pillows, changing pads, crib wedges, bassinet mattresses and other items made with polyurethane foam – found that 80% of products tested contained chemical flame retardants that are considered toxic, according to a peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Science & Technology Journal.  Other retardants discovered had so little health and safety data on them it is not possible to know their effects at this time. The same flame retardants found in some of the products are also found in children’s bodies and widely dispersed throughout the environment and in food.

On the Money: BPA Found on Receipts, Dollar Bills

A new study was released today giving new meaning to the phrase “toxic assets.”  On The Money: BPA on Dollar Bills and Receipts set out to investigate how widely stores use thermal receipt paper containing bisphenol A (BPA), and whether this hormone-disrupting chemical is escaping onto the money next to these receipts in people’s wallets.   

Researchers found that half of the thermal paper receipts tested had large quantities of freely available BPA; 95% of the dollar bills tested positive for lower amounts.  Unlike BPA in water bottles and other products, BPA on thermal paper isn’t chemically bound in any way: it’s a powdery film on the surface of receipts.  Data from this report indicate that this highly toxic chemical easily transfers to our skin and likely to other items that it rubs against.

Advocates, Lawmakers Laud Governor for Signing Bill to Protect Children from Toxic Bisphenol A

BPA Bill Passes Assembly & Senate Unanimously

It's No Silver Lining - BPA in Can Linings Leaches into Common Foods

Eating common canned foods is exposing consumers to levels of bisphenol A (BPA) equal to levels shown to cause health problems in laboratory animals, according to a new study released today by The National Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of public health and environmental health groups. The study, No Silver Lining, tested food from 50 cans from 19 US states and one Canadian province for BPA contamination. Over 90% of the cans tested had detectable levels of BPA, some at higher levels than have been detected in previous studies.

The canned foods tested were brand name fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, soups, tomato products, sodas, and milks, which together represent “real-life” meal options for a wide range of North American consumers. The cans were purchased from retail stores and were chosen from report participants’ pantry shelves, and sent to an independent laboratory for testing. One can of DelMonte green beans had the highest levels of BPA ever found in canned food, at 1,140 parts per billion.

Hazardous Chemicals in Health Care Professionals

Physicians for Social Responsibility, along with JustGreen Partner Clean New York, SAFER States partners in nine other states, Health Care Without Harm, American Nurses Association and the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign, released a new biomonitoring report, Hazardous Chemicals in Health Care: A Snapshot of Chemicals in Doctors and Nurses.  

20 doctors and nurses from ten states donated blood and urine samples which were tested for six categories of chemicals (62 individual chemicals in all) and the results were disturbing - though sadly, not surprising.  Each of the 20 participants had at least five of the chemical categories, and at least 24 individual chemicals.  All participants had the same four categories and the same 18 individual chemicals in their bodies.

Declare Your Independence from Toxic Chemicals!

From www.saferstates.com:

This summer, declare your independence from toxic chemicals and then become part of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign!

The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign is a national effort to create the strongest, most comprehensive solution to fix the law that is failing to protect our families from toxic chemicals that harm our health and the environment.

If you believe you have the right to be healthy, the right to work in a safe environment, and the right to know what chemicals are in your body, this is the national campaign you’ve been waiting for!

Massachusetts Issues Public Health Warning on BPA

Earlier this week, Massachusetts public health officials issued a public health warning to inform consumers about the risks of Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure, after an exhaustive year-long literature review. They are also still considering a ban on some BPA-based products.

The Department of Public Health (DPH) warning has caught attention nationwide, and provides additional support as we continue our efforts in New York and nationally to protect families and phase out BPA.

Supporters view the warning as an important first step for MA, but caution that products in stores should still be BPA-free.

Maine Identifies Toxic Chemicals

From www.saferstates.org:

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention last week released a list of chemicals of "high concern" for their effects on human health, including phthalates andbisphenol A.

Release of the list, which was mandated by the state's 2008 Kids Safe Products Act, is an essential step in protecting residents from toxic chemicals in consumer products. Environmental Health Strategy Center Executive Director Michael Belliveau said the historic step should send a message to manufacturers and the market that these chemicals must not be used.

Endocrine Disruptors Threaten our Reproductive Health

From www.saferstates.com:

The alarming health threat posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals including phthalates and bisphenol A was clearly distilled Sunday in a column, It's Time to Learn From Frogs, by the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof.

Kristof, who often writes about global conflict, was drawn to the subject after viewing a documentary about polluted waters and the resulting reproductive deformations in frogs, fish and other wildlife living in the ecosystem.

Kristof brilliantly connects these environmental happenings with a similar cause-and-effect playing out in humans.

Advocates call on County Exec. Levy to Protect Babies from BPA

Suffolk County residents gathered today with children’s health advocates from across the state at a hearing for the Toxin-Free Toddlers and Babies Act, to call on County Executive Steve Levy to sign the important initiative to safeguard children’s health.  Earlier this month, the Suffolk County Legislature took the groundbreaking step of unanimously passing the bill, 18-0, sponsored by Legislator Steve Stern (D-Huntington, 16th L.D.) (Intro. 1017), becoming the first jurisdiction in the nation to restrict the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in children’s products.  

“We applaud County Executive Levy for his strong leadership in cancer prevention and protecting public health.  We look forward to him signing this bill,” Legislator Stern said.

Cancer Causing Chemicals Contaminate Baby Bubble Baths

Despite label claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to a new report and product tests released today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the JustGreen Partnership. The chemicals are not disclosed on product labels because contaminants are exempt from labeling laws.

The Campaign study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children, such as shampoos and soaps. Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known to cause cancer in animals, and are listed as probable human carcinogens by the US EPA. Formaldehyde can also trigger skin rashes in some children.

Suffolk County Poised to Pull Toxic Baby Bottles

Bisphenol A: Endocrine Disruptor Extraordinaire

Bisphenol A (BPA) was first synthesized before 1900, and has been known to act like estrogen since the 1930s.  Like so many now-commonplace chemicals, BPA's use began to rise starting in the 1950s.  Today, over 6 billion pounds of BPA are produced each year, making it one of the most highly produced plastics in the world.  BPA is used to make hard plastic (polycarbonate) used in baby bottles, toddler sippy cups, polycarbonate water bottles, eye glasses, CDs and DVDs, children's toys and more.  As an epoxy, BPA is used in food and beverage can linings, high-durability industrial paints, dental sealants, and glues.

Federal Chemical Policy Failures

Major shortcomings in the outdated federal law designed to regulate toxic chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), has left the public unprotected from chemical exposure. Passed by Congress in 1976, TSCA empowers the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate chemical usage based on the risk to human health. 

Since then, only an estimated 2 percent of the 62,000 chemicals in commerce at that time have been reviewed for human health risks; now it is estimated that more than 80,000 chemicals are in use today.  Many newer chemicals have also avoided full review.