In 2008 we helped introduce the following bills into the legislative process with the Connecticut General Assembly:
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Sarah Uhl (Clean Water Action) and Phil Sherwood (CT Citizen Action Group) speak with State Representative David McCluskey (D, West Hartford) at a toy testing event held by the Coalition at the Legislative Office Building (Feb. 2008).
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H.B. No. 5650 -An Act Concerning Safe Child Product Safety: Phases out lead and asbestos from children's products and requires our state agencies to develop a list of hazardous substances in children's products and safer altneratives. The bill also enables Connecticut to be part of a multi-state clearinghouse on toxic chemicals. Lead sponsor: House Speaker James Amann ---PASSED!
H.B. 5601– An Act Banning Children's Products Containing Lead, Phthalates, and Bisphenol A: Phases out lead, phthalates, and bisphenol A from products. Lead Sponsor: Environment Committee Co-Chair, Representative Richard Roy (D, Milford). View the full list of co-sponsors at the end of this page ---DID NOT PASS
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Pictured above: Senator Don Williams, President Pro Tempore, addressing the Coalition
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H.B. 5805- An Act Concerning Toxic Substances: Phases out toxic brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) from consumer products, and bans alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs). ---DID NOT PASS
H.B. 5145 An Act Concerning Environmental Justice Communities and the Storage of Asbestos-Containing Materials: Recognizes distressed municipalities and low income neighborhoods and environmental justice communities, and requires enhanced public outreach and ability to negotiate for environmental benefits to offset some of the proposed environmental hazards. Lead sponsors: The CT Coalition for Environmental Justice and Representative Hennessey (D, Bridgeport) lead the campaign, with dozens of legislators co-sponsoring the bill. ---PASSED!
Municipal Resolutions
Every day Connecticut citizens are exposed to toxins that can damage their health. Toxic cleaning chemicals and lawn pesticides have attracted the attention of coalition members because of the significant harm to health - especially children's health. Children exposed to home and garden pesticides are more likely to get sick with leukemia. Toxic cleaning chemicals can trigger asthma and some are linked with infertility.
To protect our children and our health, please join us in asking your municipality and your schools to pass resolutions that would replace toxic pesticides and cleaning chemicals with safer alternatives. For more information, contact Sarah Uhl, suhl@cleanwater.org, 860-232-6232.
Several Connecticut towns have already initiated the transition to safer alternatives in their schools, municipal buildings, parks and/or playing fields. Essex, Cheshire, Portland, and Waterbury are showing that we can take care of buildings and grounds without threatening our health, our children's development, and the environment.
Governor M. Jodi Rell helped encourage a statewide transition to safer alternatives by issuing Executive Order #14, recently signed into law as Public Act 07-100. This policy requires that all state agencies buy and use cleaning and/or sanitizing products that meet criteria for low toxicity, when practicable, but schools and municipal buildings are not covered. For this reason, municipalities like Berlin and Hartford have decided to make the switch on their own.
Learm more by reading our packet of materials on this site to help you ask your town and school administrators to pass a resolution or formally approve a policy of using only safer cleaning and safer lawn care products! If you have questions or need additional information, contact Sarah Uhl at suhl@cleanwater.org, 860-232-6232.
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
The Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut is a leading member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of women’s, public health, labor, environmental health and consumer rights groups. The Campaign’s goal is to protect the health of consumers and workers by requiring the health and beauty industry to replace chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems with safer alternatives. We know that this is do-able: The new European Union standards prohibit the use of known or suspected carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive toxins in cosmetics.
We are asking personal care product companies to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics , a pledge to remove toxic chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives in every market they serve. The good news: so far, over 600 companies have signed this voluntary commitment to modern safety standards. These innovators, including some of the largest companies in the natural products market, are making safer products today and striving to make even safer products in the future. These Connecticut companies have signed on to the compact:
The bad news: none of the cosmetic industry giants have taken this step, and – even worse – many of these companies are actively opposing proposed policies at the state and national level to upgrade safety standards in this country.
Bottom line: we need YOUR help to convince Avon, Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Revlon and other personal care companies to sign the Compact.
Please join us in our efforts to give the cosmetics industry a makeover! For more information and to take action, visit: http://www.safecosmetics.org
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