Clean and Healthy New York

Naptime Nightmares? Toxic Flame Retardants Found in Day Care Nap Mat

Advocates call on New York State Legislators to Protect Children from Toxic Chemicals

Children’s nap mats from California, New York, Washington, Alaska, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut contain harmful flame retardant chemicals, according to independent testing commissioned by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH). The flame retardant chemicals found in the nap mats, which are used in daycares nationwide, have been linked to cancer, genetic damage, impacts on fertility and reproductive health, allergies, hormone disruption, and other serious health problems.

A full copy of the report is available here: http://www.ceh.org/flame-retardants

Safeguarding Kids’ Health while Protecting the Great Lakes

 

Clean and Healthy New York and Child Care Council, Inc. recently announced a new partnership to educate child care providers in the Great Lakes basin about common toxic chemicals and how to choose safer products. Clean and Healthy New York received a two-year Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant for “Toxics Reduction through Day Care Provider Engagement” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Using the framework of the award-winning Eco-Healthy Child Care^® program run by the national Children’s Environmental Health Network, the two organizations will reach out to all the child care providers in New York state’s Great Lakes basin, offering trainings and on-site technical assistance. The program goals are protecting children’s health by making their daily environment safer, while reducing use of chemicals prioritized by U.S. EPA through the agency’s Chemical Action Plans. 

“Toxic chemicals, sadly, are nearly everywhere, including the child care setting,” said Katie Kelly, Program Coordinator for Clean and Healthy New York. “The good news is they don’t have to be, but avoiding them can be a challenge. This project is designed to protect children today in the child care setting while improving their environment for years to come by keeping toxic chemicals out of the Great Lakes basin.”

Assembly hearing on flame retardant chemicals in children’s products brings out many supporters for a ban, only one opponent- UPDATED with video

Guest blog by Kathy Curtis, CHNY Executive Director

Following last week’s implosion of the chemical industry front group “Citizens for Fire Safety,” the American Chemistry Council (ACC) made its public debut representing the only opposition to banning a cancer-causing chemical in children’s products. ACC’s Stephen Rosario and North American Flame Retardant Alliance’s Jackson Morrill were the first speakers at yesterday’s Assembly hearing on flame retardant chemicals in children’s products. Not only were they the only speakers present to fail to submit written testimony, they appeared to be profoundly unprepared.

They opened their statement by disavowing Citizens for Fire Safety (CFFS), even though the CEO of Albemarle (one of the three CFFS co-founding chemical makers) is on ACC’s board of directors. They also said they would not talk about the recent Chicago Tribune series that exposed CFFS as an industry front group that distorted science, gave misleading testimony, and exaggerated the effectiveness of their products.

Giant Rubber Ducky Lands In Albany

Parents, Advocates Tell the NYS Senate: Don't Duck Reform – Protect Kids from Toxics

In the wake of the May 22nd National Stroller Brigade for Safe Chemicals, parents, toddlers, and advocates gathered in front of a 25' Rubber Ducky and urged the New York State Senate to protect children from toxic chemicals. They called on the Senate to introduce and pass legislation that would identify chemicals of high concern, select priority chemicals from the high concern list, require children's product makers to report their use, and ultimately phase them out.

Concerns have been raised within the scientific community about the role of synthetic chemicals in the rise of many common diseases and illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, learning disabilities, inability to have children (including both female infertility and damage to sperm), hormone disruption, obesity and diabetes, to name a few. A number of these chemicals are used in products children touch every day.  Yet product makers don't disclose the chemicals in their products, and the scientific information is complex.

“As the mom of an adult with autism and developmental disabilities, I can’t help but wonder what she was exposed to in her crib and what toxic toys we might have bought her,” said Julia Walter, who is trained as a special education teacher. “People think of children with autism – they forget this is a lifelong condition.”

“At this point, I feel like I would have to be a toxicologist with a full chemistry lab in my basement just to understand what's in my children's toys, furniture and car seats,” said Sarah Howard, mother of two. “Parents have enough on their plates – they shouldn't have to worry about whether their baby's nursing pillow is leaching dangerous chemicals.”

The last few weeks have seen startling revelations about the tactics some chemical companies have used to keep toxic chemicals in common children's products and other household furnishings. The Chicago Tribune revealed in a four-day, front-page series that makers of “flame retardants” - including those used in nursing pillows, car seats, strollers, changing pads, couches and more – have used “Big Tobacco” tactics to keep their chemicals in use.  The series documents the failure of these chemicals in household products to prevent fires, and illuminated the health problems posed by many of them. The three chemical makers – Albemarle, Chemtura, and ICL – have used a front-group called Citizens for Fire Safety Institute to distort both fire science and toxicological studies.

The Fight for Toxic-Free Fire Safety

Kathy Curtis spoke to the International Association of Fire Fighters at their Redmond Symposium in New York City in August, 2011. You can see her speaking here (thanks to IAFF) and view her powerpoint presentation below.

 

Click here for the power point presentation.

A Tale of Two Cities

Or: A recap of Assembly Hearing in New York City and the  Healthy Economy and Environment Conference in Albany yesterday. 

By Kathy Curtis, Executive Director

The Assembly Environmental Conservation, Consumer Affairs and Protection, and Health Committee Chairs hosted a hearing at 250 Broadway about toxic chemicals in children's products. Numbers in the room showed an outpouring of support for child-safe products: doctors, moms, businesses, lawyers and others outnumbered opponents by more than 3 to 1. Some of the opponents were no surprise: the American Chemistry Council and the Business Council of New York State.

The Mattress Matters: Toxic chemicals in crib mattresses

A report from Clean and Healthy New York finds a significant portion of the crib mattresses in the U.S. market contain one or more chemicals of concern. The report titled The Mattress Matters: Protecting Babies While They Sleep, also finds that a number of mattress makers have made significant strides in reducing chemicals of concern.

Specifically,  the report found:

52% of mattress models surveyed were made with conventional materials, including chemicals of concern. 

Healthy Homecoming Party kits: Help spread the word

Hosting a Healthy Homecoming party is an inspiring way to share practical tips on using safer alternatives to toxic chemicals and reducing pollution. The information in these kits will help you and your guests learn which products to avoid and why relying on toxic chemicals is not only dangerous, but also unnecessary.

Each kit focuses on a different topic, but all contain the same underlying message: manufacturers and governments need to get toxic chemicals out of their products, and our lives. Healthy Homecoming parties are a great way to spread the word to your friends, group members, co-workers and family.

Help us push for chemical policies that fully protect our bodies and environment from toxic chemicals!