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Congress approves phthalate ban
Good news for parents and children everywhere: Congress has agreed to a ban on three dangerous phthalates in products made for children under 12. The decision came in spite of the chemical industry's desperate (and well-funded) attempt to shut the provision down. Exxon-Mobil alone spent a significant portion of its $22 million lobbying budget on the project, according to Lyndsey Layton at The Washington Post.
The provision, which would also require extensive testing of three other types of phthalates before potentially banning them, is a part of a major piece of legislation overhauling the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Although President Bush has said that he disagrees with the phthalate ban (no surprise there), I'm willing to speculate that it would probably be hard for him to veto the entire bill, since its purpose is to protect American consumers.
This is, of course, a major step in the right direction, but is it a harbinger of major change to come? Andy Igrejas of the Pew Charitable Trusts told Layton,
"The debate over this one set of chemicals is a referendum on a broken system. Congress saw just how screwed up the system is in protecting people from chemicals, especially children."
Meanwhile, Layton writes that the ban "signals an important crack in the chemical industry's ability to fend off federal regulation and suggests that the landscape may be shifting to favor consumers." Here's hoping they're right -- we're about due for a landscape shift.
Photo by Nat.
There has been a dangerous trend for regulatory agencies to forgo their directives to protect the American public in favor of protecting the interests of corporations. Taxpayers everywhere should wake up and insist that their regulatory agencies work for them, not corporate America. These same taxpayers, many of whom are against government bureaucracies - a view encouraged by the current administration -- are assuming that government agencies are protecting their interests.
Yes! It will be great when we don't have to be so INTENSLY focused on reading labels (hoping that all in'greek'dients are really included) and trying to figure out what each in'greek'dient really is due to lack of trust in our "protective" governmental agencies policies. This could be a first step to truth and honesty. What a concept!
I am very dissapointed to know that our president who should stick to the motto " For the people" would be against something GOOD for our little ones. Just completely shocked. Unbeleivable.
Please e-mail me on which 3 phthalates were banned. Either structural formulas or IUPAC names are OK.
All I wanted to say, (sigh of happiness) is THANK YOU!