Urge EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to stand up for real reform!

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has made a commitment to reforming the badly broken federal toxics law – the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Urge EPA to stand up for real reform- not a watered down version supported by the chemical industry!

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Urge EPA to Support Real Chemical Policy Reform!

Your message to friends:

Dear Friend,

I just took action to support toxic chemicals policy reform so we can all raise healthier families. Do you want to join us in this critical fight? This message from MomsRising.org has more facts, information, and a link so you can take action.

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With the help of a 20 foot tall rubber ducky, lots of parents, MomsRising, and a diverse coalition of public health and environmental organizations, legislation is finally being drafted right now in Congress to reform the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in order to make sure our toys and products are safe BEFORE they hit store shelves.

Yes! We're on our way to real toxic chemical reform and to safer ways to raise our children. We're gaining MOMentum.

But unfortunately, as this much-needed safer chemicals legislation is finally being drafted, the chemical industry lobbyists are also mobilizing--and not necessarily with the best interests of our families and kids in mind.

That's why it's critical that we each take a moment right now to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support the strongest possible version of toxics reform legislation, including taking immediate action on the most dangerous chemicals.

Don't let the lobbyists from the chemical industry be the only voices heard on this matter. Keep the MOMentum going!

Tell EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that chemical policy reform should meet the needs of real people and kids, not just the chemical industry:  http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/LJacksonEPA/#1?referring_akid=1980.1600629.owDXm0&source=taf

Okay, what's a 20 foot tall rubber ducky have to do with anything here?

"You Can't Duck Real Reform!" That's the message MomsRising members and their kids (along with 20 foot tall rubber duckie) sent the chemical industry with a rally outside their annual meeting in Baltimore last week. We were representing MomsRising members across the country who have sent more than 50,000 letters in the last month to Congress urging immediate reform to protect our kids from toxic chemicals. [1]

And now the chemical reform legislation that we've been requesting is being drafted--and not a moment too soon. Our nation's chemicals policy needs to be reformed right now (yesterday, in fact):

* American babies are now being born polluted with more than 300 industrial chemicals. This is a big problem because pregnant woman, developing fetuses, and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals. 

* Under the current law, the EPA has been able to require testing on only about 200 of the 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since  the law passed in 1976.

* In the last 34 years, only 5 chemicals have had their use restricted by the EPA. In the last 18 years, no chemicals have been restricted.

And, keep in mind that all of the above is happening as rates of asthma, diabetes, childhood cancers, breast cancer, infertility and learning and developmental disabilities associated with health-harming chemicals keep increasing. [2]

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 is supposed to give the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the power to regulate toxic chemicals, but it just does not work. The EPA must publicly support a strong version of the reform bill that meets the needs of real families including immediate action on the worst chemicals in order to make sure real reform happens, and not "reform lite" which continues to put our kids at risk.  

Urge EPA to support real reform today! http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/LJacksonEPA/#1?referring_akid=1980.1600629.owDXm0&source=taf

This reform is critically important. Some chemicals are highly toxic, even at very low levels of exposure, and they've been linked to a wide range of serious human health problems, including infertility, early onset of puberty, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and certain cancers.[3] Our families are exposed to many of these chemicals because they are in the products we use everyday, including furniture, electronics, paper packaging, and textiles. Real TSCA reform will address these chemicals first.

*Please also forward this email to friends and family so they can have their voices heard too. The more people who speak up for real chemical reform, the more likely we are to be able to counter the chemical industry lobbyist and make real change for safer products.

Here's that action link again so you have it handy to share with others: http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/LJacksonEPA/#1?referring_akid=1980.1600629.owDXm0&source=taf

Together we can build a safer and healthier nation for our children.

[1] "Advocates Gather in the Inner Harbor to Rally for More Oversight of Chemicals," Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bal-chemical-rally-0330,0,2427321.story

[2] "Shaping Chemicals Policy Reform: Public Health Advocates vs. the Chemicals Industry," Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families: http://www.saferchemicals.org/resources/keydifferences.html

[3] Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Factsheets on Toxic Chemicals: http://www.saferchemicals.org/resources/chemicals/

Add a short note (optional, up to 500 characters):

Dear Administrator Jackson,

As one of a million members of MomsRising.org, I thank you for your efforts over the past year to call attention to the need to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). After decades of virtually no action to reduce use of and exposure to deadly toxics, we need strong reform that will make a real difference.

As you know, there are thousands of chemicals in use today that lack even basic safety information.  We need a new law that gives EPA the power to ensure that the public, state governments and businesses that make, use, buy and sell chemicals and chemical products get access to information about these chemicals as quickly as possible.  The public has a right to know about the chemicals they are exposed to in their homes, their workplace and the marketplace.  And businesses across our economy need far better information on which to base the thousands of decisions they make about chemicals made every day.

However, while we are in the dark regarding the safety of many chemicals, there are others we already know are unsafe – including mercury, lead, formaldehyde, asbestos and glymes -- yet they are still in widespread use, and people continue to be exposed, because your agency lacks the authority it needs to control them.  That makes no sense.  True reform will give EPA the power to act quickly, without further delay, to reduce widespread use of and exposure to dangerous chemicals like these.

I urge EPA to support the inclusion of provisions in TSCA reform legislation that will ensure swift action is taken to reduce exposure to the worst chemicals. The chemical industry is opposing provisions that lead to swift action to reduce exposure to unsafe chemicals; That's no surprise, they have been fighting those kinds of policies at the state and federal level for decades.  But I hope EPA will stand up to this transparent attempt to prevent real reform by publicly supporting this measure that will protect the health of American families.

I urge you to support provisions in TSCA reform that will end the delay and ensure that prompt action is taken to reduce the use, and the public’s exposure to, those chemicals that we already know are unsafe.

Real reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act is critical to protect the health of the public and protect the environment.  I hope EPA and the Obama Administration will stay strong and work for real reform.

Sincerely,

Right now legislation is being drafted in Congress to reform TSCA. It is critical EPA supports the strongest version of this legislation, one that includes taking swift action on chemicals we already know to be dangerous- and not the watered down version proposed by the chemical industry. Urge Lisa Jackson to stand up for real reform!