ADVOCATES LAUD VERMONT LAWMAKERS FOR APPROVING BILL TO PROTECT KIDS FROM CHEMICALS

Say, “Now let’s to do the same for Connecticut’s kids”

HARTFORD – Advocates gathered at the State Capitol to urge leaders in both the Senate and House to follow Vermont’s example and act on Senate Bill 126 AAC Children’s Exposure to Chemicals, which would authorize the Department of Public Health to begin compiling a list of chemicals that are found to pose health and/or developmental hazards in children. On Wednesday, April 30th, the Vermont House approved a bill that is very similar to SB 126 yet according to Coalition for a Safe and Healthy CT Coordinator, Anne Hulick RN, MSN, JD, it goes one step further than Connecticut’s proposal as it requires manufactures to disclose these chemicals in their products.

“The time to act is now,” said Hulick, who added, “This issue is really simple – our kids are being exposed to chemicals that are negatively impacting their health. Period. SB 126 tells Connecticut children that their health is important to us, and that corporate profits do not hold a higher priority than their well-being.”

“We’ve been waiting for more than 30 years for federal reforms to TSCA – our opponents continue to derail these efforts but then convince state lawmakers that these laws should be passed at the federal level,” added Hulick. “In the meantime, childhood cancers have increased, early puberty is becoming more common in girls, and learning and developmental disabilities affect one in six children in the United States. What are we waiting for?”

Senate Bill 126 is currently on the Senate Calendar.

Hulick said that advocates from all over the state have been calling their lawmakers to urge them to support the bill.

"We’ll continue to fight for this legislation and others like it because our kids deserve to grow, learn and play in an environment that is free from dangerous chemicals,” said Hulick. “For as long as babies and children are sleeping on mattresses treated with flame-retardants, wearing clothing treated with formaldehyde, and playing with toys made with BPA – we’ll continue to speak up for them - we won’t go away until this issue does.”

Click here for Jim Calhoun's letter supporting SB 126.