Our new report, ““The Health Case for Reforming Toxic Substances Control Act” charges on to the scene
The Health Case for Reforming Toxic Substances Control Act” received quite a bit of media attention on Thursday. Groups ranging from Non-Toxic Kids to iStockanalyst.com took an interest, probably because our analysis provides a roadmap for improving individual health and reducing our nation’s health care costs.
The best headline had to be “Memo to Capital Hill: Want to Save the County $5 billion? Thought So.” – the title of Christopher Gavigan’s excellent blog in the Huffington Post. A close second place goes to Cameron Scott blogging for Change.org: “Chemical Romance? It’s Time to Break Up.”
Report co-author Gina Soloman’s heartfelt post, describing how one patient’s awful experience with chemical exposure inspired her to change her career, appeared in both the Huffington Post’s blog and on National Resources Defense Council’s Switchboard blog.
“…my motivation isn’t just the health care cost savings. I’m fighting for my patient. She shouldn’t have had to suffer because of a flawed chemical safety system. If doctors have the data they need on chemical toxicity, they can advise their patients. Then we can prevent what we cannot cure.”
Field Director Charlotte Brody made the issue personal, too, in her blog that was posted on WebMD. Charlotte compares chemical regulators to lax parents, who avoid asking the tough questions because they would rather not know the answers.
The most flattering quote comes from the Non-Toxic Kids blog, which hails the campaign as heroes:
The Toxic Substance Control Act is old, outdated, and dangerous. It doesn’t protect our families from thousands of chemicals in everyday products that were never tested for safety. We have been calling for TCSA reform for years.
And here comes the cavalry: Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, to give us the facts to support this in their new report, The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Several other parenting blogs covered our report, like green parenting guru Dr. Greene and The Soft Landing.
Our coalition members working on the state level grabbed some key statewide media outlets, like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, KDKA TV, the Baltimore Sun blog, and the Houston Chronicle blog.
Perhaps the most billboard-worthy quote came from Michael Wright, director of the Steelworkers’ Department of Health, Safety & Environment, interviewed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“The industry has to make safe chemicals in a safe manner. We don’t want to make poison, we want to make progress.”
Coalition members in California brought several voices to the debate, including some excellent context from the Breast Cancer Fund:
“This report confirms what we know: by reducing exposure to toxic chemicals, we will reduce disease incidence and the related health care costs,” says Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., president of the Breast Cancer Fund. “And imagine the ‘human savings’-the women who may never have to receive a breast cancer diagnosis, for instance. You can’t put a dollar amount to that.”
And finally, the most no-nonsense pitch for our cause came from South Carolina, where Rachel writes in the Euphoria Baby Green Mama Blog:
“If you’re sick of learning that products in your home contain chemicals that are a threat to your family’s health, speak up on behalf of chemical reform by adding your name to the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families campaign.”
Rachel from South Carolina knows what she’s talking about. If you haven’t already become a fan of our Facebook page or written a letter to your member of Congress, do it now!
