Gov. Schwarzenegger’s staff released documents outlining
ways to reduce exposure to dangerous toxic chemicals. This program, if adopted,
would be the first of its kind across the country.
“We are thrilled that the governor is turning his attention
to reducing exposure toxic chemicals,” said Dan
Jacobson legislative director for Environment California.
“For too long we have been exposed to chemicals that are hurting us and our
kids.”
“Maureen Gorsen, director
of the Department of Toxic Substances Control, is rightfully focusing on how we
can prevent pollution in the first place, to avoid the costly cleanups required
after poisons are released into our air and water,” added Bill Magavern, senior representative for Sierra Club
California.
Gorsen will head the administration’s new Green Chemistry initiative.
According to the documents released by California
Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Linda Adams on April 20, 2007,
“I
believe we need to develop a coordinated comprehensive strategy designed to
foster the development of information on the hazards posed by chemicals, ways
to reduce exposure to dangerous substances, approached that encourage cleaner
and less polluting industrial processes, and strategies to encourage
manufactures to take greater responsibility for the products they produce.”
There are currently over 80,000 chemicals on the market in
the U.S.,
the vast majority of which lack even basic information on health effects and
toxicity. We do know that at least 1,400 chemicals have known or probable links
to cancer, birth defects, reproductive impacts, and other health problems such
as learning disabilities. While the incidence of these diseases has been
increasing for decades, a whole host of other obstacles to healthy development
have also been on the rise, including premature birth, low birth weight, early
puberty and childhood obesity. Recent science indicates that these problems,
too, very well may be related to chemical exposure.
“What is needed is nothing short of a complete overhaul of
current toxics policy, replacing ineffective laws with policies that relieve
the public's burden to prove harm after the fact and shift it onto the chemical
industry to demonstrate lack of harm before use is allowed. We will not have
won until we achieve a common-sense chemical policy that puts the public's
health and safety above the perceived right of the chemical industry to put
toxic chemicals into our environment,” said Jacobson.
According to Jacobson the three key components to any
comprehensive chemical policy in California
are:
1- Clean up existing toxic waste sites.
Thousands of abandoned facilities litter the state creating problems for
current and future generations. Chemical manufactures should pay a fee to be
used to clean up existing polluted areas. There should be a priority given to environmental
justice areas.
2- Reform the way we evaluate chemicals.
Our current approach does not work. We have over 80,000 chemicals on the market
and very few of them have been tested for public health.
3-
Ban the use
of chemicals we know are harmful to ourselves and our children.
“We think the governor is taking a bold step. He is
continuing his trend on making California
a world leader when it comes to the environment. If we can set up a program in California to reduce our
exposure to dangerous chemicals it can serve as a model for the rest of the
country,” said Jacobson.
