Protecting Kids from Toxic Chemicals: Health Voices Advocate for Change

1. Protecting Kids from Toxic Chemicals: Health Voices Advocate for Change Tricia Smith Learning Disabilities Association of America

2. Learning and Developmental Disabilities and Chemicals National Academy of Sciences, 2002: • Toxic environmental exposures directly cause 3% of LDD. • Environmental factors, interacting with genetics, contribute to another 25% of LDD.

3. Chemicals “highly suspected” of contributing to LDD • Editorial, April 2012 by Dr. Linda Birnbaum, Director of NIEHS, Dr. Phil Landrigan and Dr. Luca Lambertini of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine • “A Research Strategy to Discover the Environmental Causes of Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities” • Lists “Top 10 Chemicals and Categories of Chemicals…already suspected of causing developmental neurotoxicity.”

4. “Top 10” Chemicals Suspected of Harming Brain Development • Lead • Methylmercury • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) • Organophosphate pesticides • Organochlorine pesticides • Automotive exhaust • Endocrine Disruptors • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons • Brominated flame retardants • Perfluorinated compounds

5. Toxic Chemicals Interacting with Genetics • Autism Research: Genetic and Environmental Factors (EARLI Study, SEED Study, Symposium on Environmental Epigenetics and Autism) • Evidence from California study of twins and autism: 38% genetic risk factors; 58% environmental risk factors in development of autism in twins • From “alternative” to “mainstream” thinking and research

6. How We Talk About Chemicals and Brain Development • Learning and developmental disabilities affect one in six American children. Autism and ADHD are increasing rapidly. • Mounting scientific evidence shows that toxic chemicals, interacting with genetics, can harm brain development. • Toxic chemicals are in everyday products: flame retardants in couches, non-stick chemicals in cookware, Bisphenol A in can linings and plastics, etc. • The developing fetus, babies and young children are especially at risk of harm from toxic chemical exposures, even at very low levels.

7. Policy Matters: Failed chemical law and how to fix it. • Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) • Covers 80,000 chemicals used in products, materials. (Does not cover pesticides.) • No requirement to show chemicals are safe to human health before going on market. • EPA couldn’t even get asbestos banned under TSCA. • Even chemical industry says TSCA needs to be revised.

8. What We Want: We need a federal law that requires: • Testing of all chemicals to show safety as a condition for entering or remaining in use. • Quick action to replace worst chemicals with safer alternatives • Protection especially for the most vulnerable: pregnant women, children.

9. Safer Chemicals Healthy Families Coalition • National Coalition of 450 health, environmental & environmental justice groups, businesses, unions working together to promote safer chemical laws. • LDA a leading member of SCHF coalition, along with health groups on cancers, infertility, autism, birth defects. • SCHF members are highly regarded experts and advocates in DC and in the states; Legislators request our input and support.

10. Major Medical Associations Call for Revising TSCA • American Medical Association • American Nurses Association • American Academy of Pediatrics • National Medical Association • American Public Health Association • American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists

11. Chemical Safety Improvement Act • CSIA introduced May 2013 by Sen. Vitter (R-LA) and the late Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) • Good News: Bipartisan agreement in Senate that we need to revise Toxic Substances Control Act. • 22 Co-Sponsors of CSIA, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats – this bill could move! • Now for the bad news….

12. CSIA Fails to Protect Kids from Toxic Chemicals! • CSIA creates endless red tape for EPA to wade through before assessing chemicals: delay, delay, delay. • No deadlines for testing chemicals to determine toxic or safe: delay, delay…. • CSIA fails to require that chemicals be found safe to level protective of developing fetus and children.

13. How do we make CSIA better? • Safer Chemicals Healthy Families coalition working to promote stronger, effective CSIA. • Major health professional associations urge better bill: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Assoc., National Medical Assoc., others. • Meetings with Senators; National rally in DC for safer chemicals, October 29th • Some Senators promising to strengthen the bill.

14. Why LDD Voice Matters • Concern over threats to brain development & learning a very compelling message. • Protecting developing fetus, children also a compelling message. • Legislators often haven’t heard LDA’s concerns on chemicals: a “fresh” perspective • Health groups, nurses, parents, teachers have a high degree of integrity

15. Key Policy Messages • Parents can’t protect children from toxic chemicals by ourselves. • We need Congress to pass a strong law that protects our kids from toxic chemicals without further delay! • Testing chemicals before they go into products is common sense. • The portion of disease and disability linked to toxic chemicals is preventable!

16. The Time to Get Involved is Now • Senators are working right now to strengthen and fix the Chemical Safety Improvement Act. • Join the health and environmental justice voices calling for Congress to protect kids from toxic chemicals! • Meetings and events in DC and Arkansas: We Need You. • Contact: Tricia Smith …tsmith@abhs.org • Safer Chemicals …saferchemicals.org