House Passage of Landmark Children's Safe Products Act Hailed by Health and Environmental Organizations, Parents, and Toy Store Owners

Bills Provide Michigan Consumers with Right-To-Know about "Toxic Toys"

 

May 13, 2009

 

The state's leading health, medical, health-affected, and environmental organizations as well as thousands of parents celebrated today's Houase passage of the Children's Safe Products Act (HB 4763-4769) as a first step toward protecting children from toxic chemicals in children's products.

"Toxic chemicals simply do not belong in toys, nor in our children,' said Ken Fletcher, Director of Government Affairs for the Michigan Nurses Association, a member organization of the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health. "Exposure to toxic chemicals from chlidren's products is unnecessary and preventable. I want to thank the Michigan House for taking the first step toward enpowering parents to avoid this risk."

The Children's Safe Products Act (HB 4763-4769) require manufacturers and importers who use the small subset of chemicals known to be highly hazardous and present in children ("chemicals of highest concern") to publicly disclose (in 2012) which of these chemicals they use in children's products sold in Michigan. Parents and other consumers would have easy access to this information from the Michigan Department of Community Health.

"We need to help all of our children grow up in a safe and healthy environment," said Sarah Barba, teacher and mother of two turned safe toys activist once she found out she was exposing children to a piece of toxic plastic corn. "These bills would help protect children from the threat of toxic toys by giving parents the information we need to make responsible choices."

Research published at HealthyToys.org revealed that more than 1/3 of the over 1,500 toys tested in 2008 (mostly in Michigan) contained significant levels of chemicals of concern, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, all of which are known neurodevelopmental toxicants. "Learning and developmental disabilities have risen dramatically the last few decades--at tremendous cost to the state and our children's quality of life," said Dr. Bill Weill, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University. "We must protect vulnerable children from these unnecessary exposures to known toxic chemicals."

The Children's Safe Products Act does not ban, restrict, phase-out, label or otherwise regulate any particular chemicals. The legislation also does not directly impact Michigan's businesses since retailers and industrial users are exempt, as are small toy manufacturers.

"This legislation will help responsible toy businesses in Michigan," said Susan Kelke, owner of Root & Sprout in Birmingham, Michigan. "Since Michigan's toy manufacturers are almost exclusively small, the main impact on Michigan businesses like my own would be to have access to more information from toy importers. This legislation should help encourage Michigan-manufactured products, which tend to have fewer chemicals of highest concern compared to imports."

In other states--such as Minnesota, Maine, Washington, and California--very similar legislation passed with broad, bi-partisan support. In Michigan, the vote was generally closer (64-44) and more partisan, despite bi-partisan support for the Healthy Michigan, Heathy Kids platform upon which the bills were based. "We're disappointed that some Representatives chose partisan politics and special interests above the empowerment of parents and well-being of Michigan's children," said Abby Rubley, Policy Director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. "There is simply no reason to put partisan politics above our children."

The House legislative effort was led by Committee on Great Lakes and Environment Chair Rebekah Warren along with Representatives Jennifer Haase, Kate Segal, Douglas Geiss, Judy Nerat, Diane Slavens, Gary McDowell, and Mark Meadows. "The children, parents, and environment of Michigan owe a debt of gratitude to Chair Warren and the other legislative leaders who are standing up for the public interest in face of opposition from toy importers and their special interest allies," said Cyndi Roper, Director of Clean Water Action - Michigan.

"We look forward to moving swiftly forward with strong bipartisan support in the Senate," said Mike Shriberg, Ph.D., Policy Director for the Ecology Centerand the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health. "We need to help protect Michigan's children and empower Michigan parents now."

 

The Ecology Center is a Michigan-based environmental organization that works for a safe and healthy environment where people live, work, and play. The Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health is a Network of health professionals and environmental groups dedicated to a safe and less toxic world for Michigan's children. To learn more about the Network, please visit: www.mnceh.org

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For more information, please contact:

Gen Howe, Ecology Center: 734-761-3186 x115

Mike Shriberg, Ecology Center: 734-761-3186 x108

 

 

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