This week, history was made. The EWG presented a petition to Congress that was signed by more than 85,000 people (I am proud to say that I was one of them). The result is the Safe Chemicals Act. This new legislation aims to reform our toxics law and force companies to show that their chemicals are kid-safe before they are put on the market.
This new law would empower the EPA to regulate toxic chemicals, and it also establishes new research programs to help us better understand the risk toxic industrial chemicals pose to both children and adults. It's the kind of smart regulation we need to keep everyone safe.
The legislative process can be brutal for a law like this. EWG Action Fund needs our help right from the beginning to make sure the Safe Chemicals Act is as strong and protective of children -- and all of us -- as possible.
The EWG need to raise $12,000 in the next 72 hours to have the resources to maintain the first rate team of scientists and organizers they will need to pass legislation. Even as little as $5 from you, combined with thousands of other contributions, will help them win that many more votes in Congress. Get involved right away.https://donate.ewg.org/t/1876/p/d/als/ewgcontrib/public/index.sjs?donate_page_KEY=5760&track=AFAFKSCCIntroNG&utm_source=scaintrong&utm_medium=email&utm_content=first-link&utm_campaign=afappeal
Making industrial chemicals safer is something we can all get behind. However, if we want safer chemicals and a safer environment then we must use nonanimal methods of testing.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read on www.reformtoxicitytesting.org/ many toxicity tests are based on experiments in animals and use methods that were developed as long ago as the 1930’s; they and are slow, inaccurate, open to uncertainty and manipulation, and do not adequately protect human health. These tests take anywhere from months to years, and tens of thousands to millions of dollars to perform. More importantly, the current testing paradigm has a poor record in predicting effects in humans and an even poorer record in leading to actual regulation of dangerous chemicals.
The blueprint for the development and implementation of nonanimal testing is the National Academy of Sciences report, "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy in 2007." This report calls for a shift away from the use of animals in toxicity testing. The report also concludes that human cell- and computer-based approaches are the best way to protect human health because they allow us to understand more quickly and accurately the varied effects that chemicals can have on different groups of people. They are also more affordable and more humane.
These methods are ideal for assessing the real world scenarios such as mixtures of chemicals, which have proven problematic using animal-based test methods. And, they're the only way we can assess all chemicals on the market.
Thanks for the great information! I will check out the reading that you have suggested. I appreciate it!
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