Shrek glasses, hold the cadmium please...

Shrek glasses with cadmium?! Canned food contaminated with the sex hormone bisphenol A?! Cancer-causing formaldehyde in furniture?! If you've followed the stories in the media in the last few months, it's probably not news to you that current law isn't protecting us from harmful chemicals.

Fortunately, the Toxics Chemical Safety Act was just introduced in Congress. It aims to protect our families from harmful chemicals by overhauling our outdated chemical laws. The current draft of the bill is a good first step, but it's missing some key provisions, like phasing out the worst chemicals first and ensuring that chemicals are tested for safety BEFORE they are allowed on the market.

A critical committee vote on the bill could happen any day and your representative needs to hear from you!

Call your representative using the congressional swtichboard at (202)224-3121 and tell him/her to put health first by getting rid of the worst chemicals first! Don't know who your Congressional representative is? No problem--go to the House of Representatives website, type in your zipcode and you'll get an instant answer!

Sample Message:

"Hi my name is [[First_Name]], and I live in Representative (Your Representative's) district. I am really concerned about toxic chemicals in consumer products and their impact on my family's health. Please vote to strengthen the Toxics Chemical Safety Act by making sure chemicals are safe before they are allowed on the market and getting rid of the worst toxic chemicals, like lead and toxic flame retardants, first."

The reasons to support a stronger Toxics Chemical Safety Act keep mounting. Chemicals found in products we use everyday have been linked to negative health effects including cancer, early puberty, learning disabilities, and sexual dysfunction.

A few weeks ago, the President's Cancer Panel released a damning report underlining the acute need for stronger toxics laws. The report specifically recommends removing cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins from our food, water, and air that "needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation's productivity and devastate American lives."

Please call your representative today! If you don't know your rep's number, call the House of Representative's Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you. 

 

We've got a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the way chemicals are regulated. Congress is listening but we've got to push for stronger reform. Your representative needs to hear from you today!  Make the call right now, and then log you call online to let us know how it goes! We'd like to keep track of responses.