Something good is happening today. A hearing for the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection is scheduled this morning to discuss both national and international efforts to protect the health of the public and the environment from persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals. Also on the agenda is the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and how it can be strengthened.

The TSCA is a weak piece of legislation dating back to 1976; it’s in dire need of updating. Evidence of this is borne by the fact that there are roughly 80,000 industrial chemicals used in commerce today and only 200 of the 80,000 have been tested for safety- this is less than 1%! Evidence is mounting that exposure to many of these chemicals is linked to a host of diseases on the rise, such as autism, various cancers, asthma, and reproductive disorders.

Here are links to two other recent main stream news items addressing this issue:

“Do Toxins Cause Autism?” By New York Times Op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof, posted on February 24th, 2010.

Chemicals: Innocent or Guilty? CNN video of Dr. Sanjay Gupta discussing the current state of the United States chemical policy, posted February 10th, 2010.

Concerned about the toxics policy on the United States? Contact your representative and let them know!

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