2011 State Victories for Environmental Health

This blog originally posted at Safer States

As legislative sessions around the country wrap up it's a good time to take stock of the landscape. Even in the wake of federal struggles, economic concerns and industry backed opposition, states continue to take on and pass toxic laws and policies.

So far in 2011, nine new toxic chemical policies have been passed in seven states, adding to a total of over 80 chemical safety laws passed in the last nine years by an overwhelming margin with broad bipartisan support (see the Healthy States report for more details on bipartisan support for toxics reform). In 2011, 99% of Democrats and 86% of Republicans supported these policies. In addition to bills passed, protections also increased through administrative action and rule implementation. In total, 10 states in 2011 have made changes in favor of a healthier, less toxic environment for families and future generations.

Some firsts:

• Connecticut became the first state in the nation to ban bisphenol-A (BPA) from thermal receipt paper.
• Washington became the first state to require manufacturers of children's products to report what toxic chemicals are present in their products.
• New York was the first state in the nation to ban products for children containing the toxic tris flame retardant linked to cancer.