I have avoided getting political since I feel that embracing a more sustainable lifestyle has no political affiliation or ideology. My reason for writing this blog was to circumvent the larger overwhelming problems on a global scale and just take it local. Well, as they say, all politics is local. We can do some very tangible things in Reading to make a very large impact when it comes to our health.
My reader friends, you all know that my newly discovered information on the toxic chemicals that are contained in everyday products have got me a bit angry. Which can be a good thing. Angry people enact change. Please take some time to listen and read to some of the stories. Let's see if I can get you riled up enough to take some action :)
Here's a report on
Bisphenol A, a type of chemical that is found in some plastics and as it turns out, most cans in the US. I do have to give a little chuckle at the title of the piece,
Sex Hormone 
in a Can.....can you get anymore tabloid than that! But hey, if it gets folks to pay attention, the facts are startling. Bisphenol A can activate the body's own estrogen and cause a myriad of problems. There is a huge debate on the daily human dose levels that are acceptable and at which point damage is done. Our neighbor to the north, Ontario, will probably be
banning Bisphenol A in baby bottles. Just this morning CNN has reported that
Bisphenol A in baby formula cans may also be a problem. I guess the question is do we want to wait and find out or take steps to limit our exposures to this chemical. At the very least we should be made aware which products contain this chemical.
Unfortunately, most chemicals that are used in products never.....I mean never have been tested. An amazingly retro (meaning actual journalism) investigative piece
Are your products safe? You can't tell in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, found some startling information on the chemical in everyday products. The newspaper reviewed more than 250 scientific studies written over the past 20 years; examined thousands of pages of regulatory documents and industry correspondence; and interviewed more than 100 scientists, physicians, and industry and government officials. There findings (get ready to get mad) include: no screening of chemicals despite spending millions, U.S. testing is outdated, Europe and other country bans hundreds of products while the US sits; and the lack of U.S. regulations gives the consumer no informed choice.
Hmmmm ...it seems that the government and the companies that manufacturer these compounds don't want us to have the facts on what is in our products. It seems that a concerted effort is made to delay and misinform us. We think that the federal government is protecting us, when in fact they are not. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission are inept and by design, fail to serve the interest of the population. Several examples would be that the FDA does not regulate cosmetic nor personal care items. That is why the cosmetic industry does not have to disclose what is actually in their products or if an ingredient causes cancer or reproductive problems. There are no regulations at all....none. The only way we can know about what is contained in our cosmetic products in through non-governmental organization like the folks who put together the
skindeep website, the Environmental Working Group.
Another example would be the Consumer Product Safely Commission...they agency that has been listing the recalls for the toxic children's toys. The reality is that there are no regulations that specifically outlaw toxic chemicals in everyday products with the exception of lead in paint in children's toys. Thank goodness at least for the minimal! This agency budget had been severely underfunded and most decidedly their policies had become more and more non-regulatory in action. Due to concerns about the safely of toys and such, the Congress finally decided to take a stand and substantially expand the budget and regulatory power of the CPSC. The reaction of the agency head, Nancy Nord?
She said "thanks but no thanks" to it! Am I kidding you.....I am not. Perhaps she was distracted by the
investigations into trips to China that were sponsored by lobbying groups and lawyers representing the makers of products linked to consumer hazards.
The European Union is has taken a much more proactive stand against toxics in everyday products. According to the research of
Mark Schapiro in his book,
Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power, the EU is now the largest economy in the world and they have taken the view of "precautionary principle" in regards to chemicals. They look upon the "accumulation of evidence" and act before harm is done while the U.S. must have "complete scientific evidence" along with a cost/benefit analysis in order to enact a change in regulation. As a result, the EU has banned outright many of the most toxic substances and has used scientific innovation to come up with alternatives. The U.S. continues to be the go-to market for all the products that were rejected from other countries. So as a result, the U.S. gets the worst of the worst that the world has to offer since we have no protections what so ever.
According to Mark Schapiro, the non-policies of the U.S. in regards to environmental standards are hurting our ability to remain competitive in the global economy. Other developing countries are using the EU model for regulation and in fact, China will be banning the most toxic of substances from their electronics to be sold in China. However, it will be O.K. to sell the products containing mercury, cadmium, chromium, and flame retardants in the U.S. Folks...if China is banning these in China....what does this say about us?
Well, all is not lost. States are picking up the slack in federal policies. California has taken the first step to align their policies with the EU by
banning phthalate in all children's products! States are suing
the EPA for data on toxins in the environment.
Washington has passed a measure phasing out the class of fire retardants PBDEs. Brilliant! Great start!
So here's where I bring it on home, what about Massachusetts you ask? Great news....we have a bill in play right now that
would help move things along in regards to toxic chemicals. It is called
"An Act for a Healthy Massachusetts: Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals." It aims to reduce our exposure to many of the chemicals that I have been talking about by mandating an alternative be used. This is direct response to the EU and it will align Massachusetts much more closely with the policies of the EU and make the state much more competitive in the global economy. What kind of substances are we talking about? How about lead, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, dioxins and furans, hexavalent chromium, organophosphate pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), 2,4, dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4, D).
The great news is that there is a tremendous amount of
support for the bill in the Massachusetts legislature (including Rep. Patrick Natale ...way to go!) and many others including the
Massachusetts PTA . What is not so great is that our Reading representatives Richard Tisei and Brad Jones do not support the bill. Senate Republicans (including Tisei) said they "needed more time to analyze the impact of the bill on businesses, but they were generally supportive of the bill in tone." Well since this bill has been floating around for years, the clock has already been ticking and for the impact, the EU has already implemented these measures and the effects can be clearly seen. Alternatives do not make companies less competitive, it makes them more innovative and appealing to the global marketplace! So any delay in voting upon the measure is clearly not in the long-term interest in businesses and certainly not in the interest of the citizens of Reading! It is really time to stop all this nonsensical "bad for business" model for the environment and health issues. It is simply false.
Ready to go local! Let's see if we can get Tisei and Jones to change their non-support and get them working for the health of Reading on this one. We all need to contact them and let them know that they absolutely need to support the Safer Alternative to Toxic Chemical Bill...no delays for "studying". Massachusetts can be on the forefront of policy change in this country and once again take the lead in philosophical ideology like we did back in the day! If you are in Patrick Natale's district (precincts 2, 3 and 5) please give him a shout out for doing the right thing.
I will sweeten the pot. If you are the first to have a letter published in the Daily Times Chronicle or the
Reading Advocate supporting the Safer Alternatives Bill I buy you and your family a dozen eggs and a chicken from 7 Acres Farm. If you are the first to get it published in the
Boston Globe.....a big fat turkey! I know that you would do it anyway, but why not have fun with a little contest. A bonus would be to call out Tisei and Jones on their "support but non-support". Just send me your "publishment accomplishment" ;) by email and I will arrange it with 7 Acres. Really, I mean it.
If you are a bit shy about writing to the newspapers just contact Tisei and Jones directly. Feel free to use an
example letter or cut and paste parts of this post. Here are the details :
State Sen. Richard TiseiRichard.Tisei@state.ma.usState House
Room 308
Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: (617) 722-1206
Fax: (617) 722-1063
District Office 979 Main Street
Telephone: (781) 246-3660 Fax: (781) 246-2873
State Rep. Brad Jones
E-Mail: Rep.BradleyJones@hou.state.ma.us
State House
District Office
Room 124
Boston, MA 02133 Telephone: 617-722-2100 Facsimile: 617-722-2390
District Office 249 Park Street
North Reading, MA 01864
978-664-5936
978-664-5936
RepBradJones@Comcast.net
State Rep. Patrick Natale
State House
Room 167
State House
Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: 617-722-2810
Facsimile:
E-Mail: Rep.PatrickNatale@Hou.State.MA.US
I know our state reps. are good folks and really have done much good for the Town of Reading, but we can do even better. Even if you are not a Reading Townie you can still get involved. Learn about the local movements on the health and environmental fronts. Let's get informed, demand some changes and put democracy to work!
Peace,
Eco Reading
the wonderful people of Reading who do good for all of us. So many folks work extra hard to ease the effects of global warming, create plans for our outdoor enjoyment, keep the magic of the holidays alive (and green on the green), and so many other ways. Many many many people are trying to make Reading more eco and healthier for all of us. I just want to be a good neighbor and say thank you and really we all appreciate the hard work and dedication. Everyone that puts in extra hours to help us....bravo and thousand thanks.
the wonderful people of Reading who do good for all of us. So many folks work extra hard to ease the effects of global warming, create plans for our outdoor enjoyment, keep the magic of the holidays alive (and green on the green), and so many other ways. Many many many people are trying to make Reading more eco and healthier for all of us. I just want to be a good neighbor and say thank you and really we all appreciate the hard work and dedication. Everyone that puts in extra hours to help us....bravo and thousand thanks.
