Statement
Statement in Support of the Protecting America’s Families from Toxic Chemicals Act by Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
July 24, 2014
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
MomsRising joined Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families in a press conference on July 24, 2014 to support the introduction of Sen. Jeff Merkley’s Protecting America’s Families from Toxic Chemicals Act.
Good afternoon, my name is Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner and I am the Executive Director of MomsRising. Our million-plus members across the country are extremely concerned about the persistent, biaccumulative and toxic chemicals, otherwise known as PBTs. These potentially lethal substances, which pose the greatest risk to pregnant women and children, need to be scrubbed clean from our environment once and for all. Sen. Merkley’s bill, the Protecting America’s Families from Toxic Chemicals Act, would empower the EPA to do just that.
PBTs build up in the food chain, often concentrating in fatty tissue like breast milk. Tragically, these toxins can remain in our children’s systems for years and years. There is a robust body of research linking many PBTs to serious health problems such as cancer, endocrine disruption, learning disabilities, and behavioral disorders.
As an organization of mothers, we are outraged that PBTs have remained an unchecked threat to our families for so long, despite the growing evidence of their danger. Our families deserve so much better than to risk our health by simply eating meals or using products that we think are safe, but are actually infested with dangerous toxins.
Sen. Merkley’s bill would allow the EPA to take expedited action to identify PBTs and phase these chemicals out within five years. In order to expedite identification, the bill lists 22 chemicals already known to be PBTs, allowing EPA to proceed straight to phasing them out.
PBTs include lead, mercury, flame retardants found in our living room sofas and in electronics, and PFCs which are in many household items used by moms and dads every day, including non-stick cookware surfaces; carpets and carpet treatments; floor waxes; water- and stain-resistant clothing; linens, and grease-resistant food wrappings.
At MomsRising, we hear from moms every day, whose families have been exposed to these terrible toxins simply by using household products or eating food that they had no idea could be harmful to them or their families.
MomsRising member, Lisa, from North Carolina, tells us that she used to cook out of polycarbonate Tupperware products almost daily and used Teflon-coated pans and bakeware for years. She writes, “I feel my entire family has been exposed to entirely too many unsafe/unstudied chemicals in our foods, personal care items, and cleaning products. My son has ADHD, my youngest daughter was born with a calcification in her liver, and my husband had low testosterone before he was forty, I’ve had several unexplained enlarged lymph nodes removed and was diagnosed with thyroid disease. I believe that toxic chemicals could have been a contributing factor to all of these conditions. I am now working hard to make sure we limit our exposure to toxins & chemicals within our household and diets. Please help our family live in a healthier and safer environment.”
Susan from California writes, “I was losing my hair and ended up being diagnosed with mercury poisoning. I was eating tuna probably once a week. I no longer eat tuna, and rarely let my children have it, and I have not had mercury poisoning since. I was also diagnosed with arsenic poisoning, and we still do not know how I got it. Was it in the videotape that I was making from old VCR tapes? Was it in the styrofoam that I was using to make centerpieces? I still do not know.”
Tracie in Utah writes, “Manufacturing companies need to be forced to take responsibility for the ingredients they use. They need to be regulated. They need to be safe. We need to trust that the products we use will not harm us or cause lasting damage.”
At MomsRising we completely agree. We urge Congress to pass the Protecting America’s Families from Toxic Chemicals Act so that the EPA can finally begin to rid these hazards from our food supplies and products, leaving a healthier environment for our children and families.