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« Scientists: Lead contamination in drinking water is never safe. | Main | On silky hair and toxic humans »
Here come the plastics ambassadors!
Good news, everyone! The Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council and the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. are rolling out a new 'plastics ambassador' program.
You'll be happy to know that this is part of the industry's plan to 'aggressively respond to the onslaught of misinformation about their industry.' Because, in their minds, the general public (yes, that's you) 'does not intuitively understand that [they] are, in fact, a sustainable industry.'
Which is exactly where the new Plastics Ambassadors come in! Their job is to help you understand that the plastics industry is sustainable and good for consumers (right, you again). The ambassadors will 'unify and amplify' the voice of the industry. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for that all that unity and volume! It'll be like the "Wonderful World of Chemistry" exhibit at the New York World's Fair in 1964, all over again (no, I wasn't alive, but it's worth checking it out - if only to see the Dupont 'Happy Plastic Family Dance.' No really.)
One of the industry's goals is to 'promote policies that allow decisions about health, safety and the environment to be based on the best-available science.' Which is funny, because we also support science-based decisions. It's just that we support the neutral scientific studies with no industry ties. The kind we hope EPA and FDA will include in their chemical assessments going forward. So naturally we are thrilled with President Obama's clear emphasis on the importance on the role of science in policy making.
If you happen to encounter a plastics ambassador in the coming months, be sure you're ready. EWG has some great resources on plastic and how to use it safely:
- Tips on avoiding BPA
- What's the best baby formula?
- Plastics 101 with Dr. Greene: Know Your Plastics
[photo courtesy of Flickr commons]
« Scientists: Lead contamination in drinking water is never safe. |
I wonder if they'll be stopping by Fake Plastic Fish. I hope I don't accidentally step on them. They look like little bugs. Creepy little bugs.
How does 'It's just that we support the neutral scientific studies with no industry ties.' jive with TSCA's central policy, "adequate data should be developed with respect to the effect of chemical substances and mixtures on health and the environment and that the development of such data should be the responsibility of those who manufacture and those who process such chemical substances and mixtures..." and KSCA's tenet that, "it is the policy of the US to minimize toxic substances in the environment of children, workers, and consumers by holding chemical manufacturers responsible for providing robust health and safety data for each chemical produced by the manufacturers prior to distribution of that chemical substance in commerce..."?
Basically, under KSCA, chemical toxicity data will still be primarily generated by chemical manufacturers and evaluated by the EPA under processes that are comparable to those today. Only the biomonitoring collection will be carried out by a third party.
A woman came to my son's grade school spoke to a whole-school assembly about the greatness of plastic. She even did tricks with plastic!