CHILDREN’S COMMITTEE APPROVES BILLS TO PROTECT KIDS FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS

Urban says, “Children’s health is of prime importance”

HARTFORD – Members of the Legislature’s Children’s Committee today approved a group of four bills designed to protect Connecticut children from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals exposure. All four bills now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“As we gain information on the negative impacts of toxic chemicals on our growing children, it is imperative that we protect them,” said Representative Diana Urban (D-Stonington), House Chair of the Children’s Committee. “These bills send a message that children's health is of prime importance in Connecticut and we are committed to the well-being of every child.”

The first and most comprehensive bill, House Bill 5354 – AN ACT CONCERNING CHEMICALS OF HIGH CONCERN TO CHILDREN, authorizes the CT Department of Public Health to monitor chemicals that have been shown to be toxic to children’s health and development and provide a report on these findings to lawmakers every two years. The report may include suggestions on how lawmakers can take steps to reduce exposure to the most egregious chemicals. The bill was approved by committee members by a vote of 10 to 2.

“We’ve certainly got a long way to go before these bills become law, but this is a huge step,” said Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut Coordinator Anne Hulick RN, MSN, JD. “The Children’s Committee once again has proven that it’s on the side of our youngest citizens who happen to also be the most vulnerable.”

Hulick added that recent efforts to address this issue on the federal level have been stalled due in a large part because of the strong lobbying by the chemical industry. “With attempts to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act unlikely to happen anytime soon, the responsibility to protect children falls on individual states. Connecticut lawmakers have shown leadership on these issues by passing laws to protect its citizens from BPA in baby bottles and cash register receipts. With cancer diagnoses on the rise and numerous other health and developmental problems increasing – the time to act is now. We can’t sit back and wait, as chemical and toy industry representatives and lobbyists have urged, because our children are paying the price.”

Also approved by committee members during the meeting were House Bill 5305 – AN ACT CONCERNING CADMIUM LEVELS IN CHILDREN’S JEWELRY, House Bill 5035 – AN ACT CONCERNING FIRE RETARDANTS IN CHILDREN’S PRODUCTS, and Senate Bill 46 – AN ACT CONCERNING PESTICIDES ON SCHOOL GROUNDS.

The Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut is made up of more than 50 organizations representing health professionals, workers, nurses, businesses, environmentalists, occupational safety advocates, people of faith, and individuals whose health has been impacted by toxic chemicals.