Good health is precious. Before I retired, I worked as a registered nurse for more than 30 years and witnessed the suffering people experience when their health fails. Young, old, cancer, and other chronic diseases have touched all our lives in some way.
I have raised three generations of children, and have an been active school board member for more than two decades. I wish for good health for all children, but I am fearful that it is becoming more difficult to ensure our children’s good health due to the daily exposure to toxic chemicals in our homes. It is frightening and sad to know that a child could suffer permanent damage because no one was aware that products we use in our home may contain chemicals that are harmful to the ones we love.
From baby bottles made with bi-phenol A to carpets containing formaldehyde, dangerous chemicals are in our homes, schools, and the products that we use daily. Every week new science is linking toxic chemicals to increases in serious health problems among Americans. A number of scientific studies show that the national rates of asthma, diabetes, childhood cancers, infertility, and learning and behavioral disorders have been rising steeply over the last forty years. Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 212 industrial chemicals in the bodies of most Americans including at least six known carcinogens.
While these health problems have been rising, the laws that are supposed to protect us from toxic chemicals have not been changed for over 35 years. The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) was passed into law in 1976. Th bottom line is that despite popular belief, our federal law does not require chemical companies to prove that the chemicals they manufacture are safe before they end up in the products we use every day. Companies are allowed to keep basic safety instructions secret, – it’s nearly impossible for us to make informed choices when we buy and consume products containing chemicals.
We need to update our laws so that “we the people” know that chemicals are used in making the products we use in our homes. Our own government should have the power to stop companies from using those chemicals that pose the greatest risk to our families.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
This year the U.S. Senate will vote on the Safe Chemicals Act, a bill in Congress that would protect American families from toxic chemicals. Our own senator Boozman will be a key vote on this issue because he sits on the committee that will vote on the bill. As he participate in the committee’s discussion of this issue, we hope he will put Arkansas Children and families first.
Over the year we have seen Congress fail Arkansas families in so many ways, let’s hope they can work together to pass a strong bill that protects our little ones and provides greater security to families from the dangers of toxic chemicals. Join me in calling Senators Boozman and Pryor in support of this bill.
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Maxine Nelson, a community activist from Pine Bluff, is president of the Arkansas Community Organizations, a non-profit, grassroots organization that addresses issues affecting low-to-moderate-income individuals and communities. She also is a longtime member of the Watson Chapel School Board.