State Legislation

Join Healthy Child Healthy World as a key coalition partner and key strategist to The State Alliance for Federal Reform of Chemicals Policy (SAFER). This is a tightly coordinated campaign, whose long-term vision is to establish a new precautionary federal chemicals policy by 2020.

As the European Union moves ahead with new reforms that modernize toxic chemical policies, momentum builds in 8 States for similar measures that would replace commonly used toxic chemicals with safer alternatives. This bill initially targets 10 of the worst toxic chemicals found in common household products such as dry cleaning, pesticides, solvents, building materials, foam cushions, and electronics.

"The United States is becoming a dumping ground for common household products with toxic ingredients exported here from countries that ban their local sale," said Deborah Shields, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. "If China and Europe can protect the health of their citizens from hazards like formaldehyde in plywood cabinets, why are we lagging so far behind?"

Countries around the globe are taking steps to prevent harm to health from toxic hazards by phasing out the use of toxic chemicals. Because the United States is lagging behind, these countries can continue to sell toxic products here. Late 2006, the European Parliament gave final approval to a sweeping reform of chemical regulations that requires the chemical industry to gather health and safety data on thousands of chemicals used in everyday commerce, and replace the most dangerous chemicals with safer substitutes. The new standards, known as REACH (for Registration, Evaluation, a nd Authorization of Chemicals), will begin in April 2007 and will roll out in stages over the next eleven or more years.

The core strategy of this state-based campaign is to launch and win a critical mass of comprehensive policy reform measures in key states to tip the balance for achieving reform at the federal level.

The ten chemicals initially targeted by the bill are lead, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (Perc), dioxins and furans, hexavalent chromium, organophosphate pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), 2,4, dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4, D).

Currently, coalitions in eight states are part of SAFER:

California(CHANGE)
Connecticut (Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut)
Maine (Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine) / 207-827-6331
Massachusetts (Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow) 617-338-8131 ext. 206 /
Michigan (Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health) / 734-663-2400 ext. 109
Minnesota (Healthy Legacy) / 612-623-3666 | Janelle Sorensen, Environmental Health Consultant, 3949 23rd Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55407 / 612-722-5355
New York (Alliance for a Toxic-Free Future)
Washington (Toxic Free Legacy Coalition)

If you reside in one of these states, use the contact information to get more deeply involved.