Congress is (finally) finalizing the Consumer Product Safety Comission Reform Act (S.2663). In a stroke of brilliance, Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced amendment that would ban phthalates in children's toys and childcare articles. But according to the Center on Environmental Health and Justice, the bill is now in conference committee in the House, it is not clear if the amendment has support from Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), who will be the deciding votes.
So, they need to hear from us! In case you haven't heard, phthalates are harmful chemicals frequently used in children's toys such as teethers, bath books and rubber ducks (among many, many other everyday products). When in contact with children's mouths, phthalates can leach out of the products and into their bodies. Phthalates are linked to birth defects, early puberty and testicular cancer.
There is no need for these dangerous chemicals to be in products for our children. You can take action by sending letter to your congressperson (don't worry, it's easy, there is a template).
Want to do more about this? The Breast Cancer Fund has a template for action on their site that gives you the names and contact information for the representatives that will have the deciding votes. You can send them a letter (they include a template) or call directly. These actions sometimes have a greater impact then emails, so it would be great if these folks could see how much support there is for this amendment from parents.
