Parents and kids, all decked out in superhero capes, joined other advocates who want the U.S. Senate to pass legislation to update the nation’s chemicals policies to reduce exposure to toxins that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, asthma and other serious illnesses and conditions.

MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground grassroots organization of more than one million members fighting for economic security for families, joined Safer Chemicals Healthy Families to push for Senate passage of the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S.847).

The Safe Chemicals Act would allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to curb certain toxic chemicals and join 174 other countries that have ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.  To date, the U.S. is the only superpower that has not ratified the treaty, which would eliminate dangerous chemicals, including dioxins, PCBs and flame retardants in food, water and everyday products.

“The health of our families and our communities is at stake,” said MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “These dangerous chemicals are literally poisoning us and our kids, and low-income communities and communities of color suffer the most. It’s time to take action, assert some mom-power and say it’s time we eliminated these known poisons from the food, water and products we use.”

MomsRising also hosted a mini toxics blog-a-thon on its web site and MomsRising members who participated in the Day of Action posted photos of their kids at the Day of Action events on the organization’s Facebook page.  Members and their friends who couldn’t join an event (and even those who could) were asked to  replace their Facebook and Twitter profile pictures for the day with a picture of the letter M (for Mom) wearing a cape.