[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 149 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     KID SAFE CHEMICALS ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2005

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to introduce the 
``Child, Worker and Consumer-Safe Chemicals Act of 2005,'' also known 
as the ``Kid Safe Chemicals Act.'' I am particularly pleased that 
Representatives Solis, Slaughter, and Pallone are joining me in this 
effort to create a non-toxic environment to protect the health of 
children, workers and others.
  The legislation we introduce today is companion legislation to an 
important bill that was introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this 
year. Senators Lautenberg and Jeffords introduced S. 1391 with Senators 
Boxer, Clinton, Corzine, Kennedy and Kerry to address the major problem 
of inadequate chemical regulation in this country.
  The United States' current regulatory approach to chemicals is in 
dire need of being modernized. As Congress begins to take up this 
issue, the European Union is starting to resolve a multi-year process 
to achieve the same goal and is developing what may become the state-
of-the-art approach to chemicals regulation. While this issue is 
proceeding overseas, we cannot sit upon our hands here in the United 
States. It's clear that our system must be modernized, and I have no 
doubt that it will be modernized. Our goal is that Congress begin this 
process sooner rather than later.
  The Kid Safe Chemicals Act responds to the growing body of scientific 
literature which identifies chemical exposures as a factor in the rise 
of disorders and diseases such as birth defects, asthma, neurological 
and developmental disorders, infertility and certain types of cancer.
  Study after study reveals alarming evidence of our exposure to 
industrial chemicals and pollutants. Bio-monitoring studies report the 
presence of hundreds of synthetic chemicals in our bodies--even in the 
bodies of infants and fetuses. These chemicals are not household names: 
bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants, phthalates, and perfluoro 
compounds. Yet we are exposed every day--on the job, through our food 
and water, and in our homes. Computers, cosmetics, even children's toys 
can contribute to our collective ``body burden'' of chemical 
contamination.
  Tens of thousands of chemicals have never been properly assessed for 
their potential health and environmental risks. The problem can be 
traced to the 1976 federal law that was meant to empower the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action on such threats. 
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been in place for 29 years, 
but has failed to protect Americans from dangerous chemicals.
  A July 2005 report by the Governmment Accountability Office 
documented the abysmal results of this federal policy. Of the 62,000 
chemicals on the market when the law took effect, the EPA has used its 
authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act to evaluate less than 
two hundred, and invoked its power to regulate just five groups of 
chemicals.
  This system is badly broken.
  The Kid Safe Chemicals Act will reform our failed approach to 
chemical regulation and put us on track to reassert U.S. leadership. 
This legislation will protect kids by recognizing their special 
vulnerabilities and requiring manufacturers to provide health and 
safety information prior to distributing a chemical in consumer 
products. This will end the false presumption that we have relied upon 
for too long--that a substance is safe until proven dangerous.
  This legislation is endorsed by the American Public Health 
Association, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and over a dozen 
pediatricians, other physicians and researchers from the National 
Centers for Children's Environmental Health. This legislation is a 
strong starting point in a debate our country needs to have. I am proud 
to introduce Senator Lautenberg's legislation in the House and look 
forward to working with colleagues in both chambers to act upon it as 
soon as possible.

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