Monday, April 20, 2009

Kid-Safe Chemicals Act

The evidence is clear. We are 'pre-polluting' our children.
Flame-retardants, BPA, rocket fuel, pesticides, herbicides, PFOA (Teflon), mercury, and the list goes on. These and over 200 other chemicals were found in samples of umbilical cord blood of 10 babies in 2004. What's even more disturbing is that many of the chemicals found had been banned 30+ years before these babies were born. Yet they were given the 'gift' of such a huge body burden before they were held in their parent's arms. And they will continue to receive a whole host of chemicals from mom's breastmilk and then of course from the air they breathe and water they will drink.

It's time to act. Of course it has been time to act for too long, but now we have new legislation on the horizon that may actually turn this around and prevent this from happening to the grandbabies of these 10 babies who were tested. It may already be too late for their babies. But it doesn't mean we stand in our tracks and feel helpless.

Sign the declaration to put pressure on congress to push the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act forward. It's really frighteningly simple in what it's calling for: require that new chemicals are not put on the market until proven safe for children. It is what we would hope is happening already. But it is not. That is why this piece of legislation needs you behind it. On the Environmental Working Group's website (such a fantastic organization! If you have the time, check out all the other amazing resources they have available) they have a powerful 20 minute video of Ken Cook's talk on the research and results of the cord blood samples, a factsheet on the bill, status of the bill and a letter to congress.

Please spread the word on this. As Ken Cook says in conclusion to his talk, "we need a thunderstorm to roll into Washington to let them know that all babies deserve to be born toxic-free." You and I are that thunderstom.