Report back: Delivering your signatures to the White House!
Posted May 19th, 2011 by Donna NortonGood news! Today I had the opportunity to represent MomsRising at a meeting with White House officials about cancer prevention. Your signatures were delivered along with those from other organizations who are also members of theSafer Chemicals Healthy Families Coalition.
We talked about how concerned parents are about the chemicals that our children are exposed to every day. And we delivered over 73,000 signatures on a petition asking the President to make chemical policy reform part of his cancer prevention plan.
Then I told Jon Carson, Nancy Sutley and other White House officials about the tens of thousands of petitions and letters MomsRising members have sent to the President and Congress asking for stronger regulation of toxic chemicals. I noted that MomsRising has received hundreds of passionate letters from concerned parents about toxics and I read them this letter from a MomsRising member, Lisa from California, which eloquently explains why we need better chemical reform:
“I want comprehensive chemical reform because I am not a chemist. I want to make sure that the products I buy for my son and daughter are safe and healthy. I don’t want endocrine disrupters leeching into our food, poisoning our garden, in our cups and our toys. I shouldn’t have to be on the alert for BPA, PVC, phenols and parabens in our products, but right now I have to be. I want to assume that stuff I buy is safe. Please help me to do that.”
This inspired a lively conversation about how to move toxic substances reform and chemicals work more broadly. Jon Carson and Nancy Sutley of the White House emphasized the critical importance of the grassroots in moving this reform forward. They emphasized how committed the President is to chemicals policy reform. We finished up by discussing how to move this agenda forward– together.
2 Comments
June 22, 2011 at 4:09 pm by Tyler WoodI recently learned that most dry erase markers used on whiteboards in schools contain two harmful chemicals such as toluene or xylene (which should be kept out of the reach of children). Xylene is the chemical that gives whiteboard markers that unique smell. They give me a headache and now I know why.
According to Wikipedia: Exposure to high levels of xylene for short periods can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, difficulty in breathing and other problems with the lungs, delayed reaction time, memory difficulties, stomach discomfort, and possibly adverse effects on the liver and kidneys. It can cause unconsciousness and even death at very high levels. Xylene or products containing Xylene should not be used indoors or around food.
There are many articles on this topic and many that argue that these types of pens should not be allowed in schools due to their toxicity.
The good news is that there is a website that sells a safe dry erase marker at an affordable price- the AusPen. Parents can purchase a six-pack for $8.95 at http://www.ecosmartworld.com/order-auspen
In addition, Expo – one of the standards in dry erase markers, has come out with a low odor Certified AP (Approved Product) Non Toxic version of their dry erase markers available through Staples at an affordable price.
I think it would be a great idea to suggest to parents that they purchase one of these safer alternatives when they purchase their student’s class supplies and urge schools to discontinue using the toxic version dry erase marker! Our children deserve better!
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June 22, 2011 at 3:13 pm by Daniela KunzFrom pesticide grade disinfectant/cleaning products, to personal care and cosmetics loaded with very toxic chemicals and our health in peril, especially the one of our most vulnerable ones – our/your children/future grandchildren – I want no more products on the shelves that harm us and our planet. Our Health Crisis is at an alltime high and needs to be addressed and corrected now.
I urge you for the sake of your own families too – and for all of us – to do what is right to do for the health of us all. We have been urging you for a long time to step up and protect our health and we are still being endangered haphazardly so each and every day.
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