Every day across the country, parents and consumers rely on products containing hundreds of chemicals. They assume the government has done its job and that these products are safe for their intended use. Unfortunately, recent news about bisphenol A in baby bottles demonstrates the fundamental flaws in our nation’s chemical regulatory structure, flaws which are unnecessarily risking the health of our most vulnerable consumers. That is why I introduced the Kid Safe Chemicals Act, legislation that will protect Americans, especially children, from toxic chemicals in everyday consumer products.

While more than 80,000 chemicals are used to produce the products in our home, only 200 are tested by the Environmental Protection Agency. Our families deserve better.

The Kid Safe Chemical Act would ensure that all chemicals used in every day products – including baby bottles and children’s toys – are proven safe before they are put on the market. This legislation would require the EPA to conduct “safety determinations” on chemicals in commerce and would require industry CEOs to guarantee the safety of the chemical products they produce or import. In addition, the legislation would give new authority to EPA to restrict the use of chemicals which fail to meet EPA’s safety standard. I am pleased that Congressman Henry Waxman and Senator Lautenberg joined in the introduction of this legislation.

Under the Kid Safe Chemical Act, parents and consumers could finally be confident that the government is doing its job – protecting vulnerable consumers from unnecessary public health risks.