Strengthen America's Toxic Chemicals Standards

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced the "Safe Chemical Act," which would go a long way to bring federal safe chemicals policy into the 21st century and to reduce a significant threat to our health: toxic chemicals.

As your constituent, I urge you to support this legislation and encourage you to work with Sen. Lautenberg to strengthen the bill to keep dangerous chemicals out of the marketplace.

This landmark legislation would do a lot to protect the public from toxic chemicals. It would:

-- Require basic health and safety information for all chemicals;
-- Ensure that chemicals meet health-based safety standard that protects vulnerable groups, including workers and children; and
-- Provide fast action for some of the most notorious chemicals, like formaldehyde, lead, and toxic flame-retardants.

As a supporter of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, which supports the legislation, I urge you to work with your colleagues in Congress to amend the bill to make it harder for potentially harmful new chemicals to arrive in the marketplace, and easier to take known toxins out of the marketplace.

For example, one provision would allow new chemicals on the market without having to meet the new safety standard. If ensuring consumer confidence and protecting public health are top goals in this reform, this seems to be a step in the wrong direction.

I look forward to working with you to ensure this is fixed and the final bill will truly be protective of American families.

I applaud Senator Lautenberg for his leadership and encourage you to support strong reform as this bill moves through Congress.

Parents across America are rallying for real reform and we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get this bill right. Please co-sponsor and work to strengthen key provisions in the Safe Chemicals Act.

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