Wow -- are we ever getting noticed in the halls of Congress these days! MomsRising.org members have made it clear that we expect our government and business leaders to make sure all toys and children's products are safe.

Congress is listening. In response to parent outcry, a bipartisan Congressional Committee is now considering including a ban on phthalates--a toxic chemical which is often used to soften toys and children's products like soft rubber duckies, teethers, and bath books--in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act.

Here is another opportunity to tell Congress to ban toxins from toys now. Email a letter directly to your Congressperson supporting a ban on phthalates:

http://www.momsrising.org/bantoxics

When kids put toys made with phthalates into their mouths, these chemicals can leach out of the toys and enter their bodies. This isn't good. Phthalates have been linked to a number of serious health problems including birth defects, early puberty and testicular cancer. They have no place in our children's toys, especially since safe alternatives exist.

Congress has until June 10th to include a ban on phthalates to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act. They need to act fast to make the amendment, so please forward this email to friends and family so they can urge their Congressperson to also take action.

WAIT, ONE MORE THING! -- We need your financial help to keep working on getting toxic chemicals out of children's products! MomsRising is a bootstrap, mom-run organization, and right now this work to get toxics out of toys is funded solely by our members. We can't keep up the good work without your help.

Nanette, a mother of four, just donated $50 to this effort because she was appalled by the fact that companies had been getting away with using harmful substances in toys for years, and wants to help stop that practice.

*Donate $25, $200 or what you can to this campaign now by clicking here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KE...

With your help, we're making progress getting toxics out of children's products and we want to keep up the good work. Your messages so far have energized Congress to finally introduce legislation to prevent toxic toys and childcare products from reaching our children, including:

- Congress is currently considering a ban on phthalates;

- Legislation has also been introduced in the last few weeks to ban BPA in baby bottles and other child care products!

- And, last week Congress just introduced the Kid Safe Chemical Act that would shift the burden on industry to demonstrate that the chemicals they are using in children's products are safe.

But our work isn't done. We now have an incredible opportunity to work this year to end the threat of toxic products to our nation's children. Your support of this campaign for healthy children's products by donating $25, $200, or what you can is truly critical to our work together.

Click here to donate too http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KE...

All children need a healthy start in life including access to healthcare; parental care at critical moments like the first months of lives and when they are sick; high quality child care; and children's products that are healthy, not harmful. Thanks for joining with us on the path to make this dream a reality.

Thank you! Donna, Kristin, Joan, Katie, Nanette, Ashley, Mary, Anita, and Roz

P.S. For information about how to reduce your child's exposure to toxic chemicals see,

[1] http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toy...

[2] www.healthytoys.org

P.S.S. For more information about phthalates, click here http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=4132341

Also, after our alert last week about toxic flame retardants in car seats, many of our members asked us how to find safer products for their cars. Here's a great resource we found to pass along to you: http://www.healthycar.org/home.php