Vermont Passes New Legislation limiting Lead, Phthalates and Mercury!

As Vermont's legislative session closed, I held my breath and hoped that all or most of the environmental health bills would pass.

And happily, most of them did.

The bill that I had been most involved in, S.152, the Lead in Consumer Products bill, passed both the House and the Senate. Some of the provisions were weakened over the process, but the bill is one of the strongest lead product safety bills in the country. The bill sets new standards to be phased in on lead in children's products. No, the levels are not zero, but they are a good start in protecting our kids from lead exposures from children's products such as toys, bibs, diaper bags and pads. It also phases out lead in wheel weights and non-residential paints and primers and according to VPRIG, "Sets a standard on lead in plumbing fixtures and related supplies (we will be the 2nd state in the nation to have this protective standard on plumbing)". In a most helpful provision, it requires warnings to be posted for jewelry for adults, and salvage building materials that may contain lead. As you might remember, this would have helped our situation with the salvage antique doors in our home. The warnings about adult jewelry will also help us make better decisions as to what we want to buy and wear, and what we want our children exposed to by trying on all of our jewelry (hello, mothers of girls!).

Also passed by the House and Senate was H.352, the Lead in Housing bill. A few key provisions were lost in the "compromising" process, but I agree with VPRIG that this bill is a good step in the right direction. The bill requires the Vermont Department of Health to report to the legislature the lead rates of Vermont children, sets goals for higher participation in the screenings, and requires the Department of Health to keep better records of lead screening rates to report to health care providers.

To protect our families from the mercury contained in older thermostats, H.515 increased the manufacturers responsibility for the disposal of mercury containing thermostats. The bill sets up goals for recycling thermostats, gives a $5 amount to homeowners or contractors to recycle them, and sets up a reporting system about the progress of the recycling program.

And lastly, a bill that was threatened when lobbyists from Exxon Mobil flew in to little ole' Vermont to fight it, survived. S.261, Phthalates in Children’s Products, was passed by the House and Senate. This bill restricts the use of phthalates in toys and child care products for children under 3. Of course, it would have been better if it were to protect all children (heck, all people! Why is it okay for adults to be exposed to phthalates? Isn't the current older generation the one with the highest cancer rates ever?), it is an important first step in minimizing the risk from these toxic chemicals. As of July 1, 2009, phthalates will be banned from any children's product that is designed to go into a child's mouth, including toys.

The last step for these bills is to be signed by our Republican Governor (I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's an election year. Does he really want to be the guy who vetoed any of these bills? I don't think so-)

I want to thank Charity Carbine, of Vermont Public Interest Research Group for her tireless efforts in support of these bills, and the entire VPRIG staff for looking out for Vermont families. A huge thanks also goes out to our Assistant Attorney General, Elliot Burg, who worked diligently on the Lead in Consumer Products bill, and I'm sure many others. In the absence of federal legislation, it is up to the states to take on a leadership role, and Vermont has begun that process.




Source: VPRIG legislative report