[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S12324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY:
  S. 2828. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize 
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct a 
research program on endocrine disruption, to prevent and reduce the 
production of, and exposure to, chemicals that can undermine the 
development of children before they are born and cause lifelong 
impairment to their health and function, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, there are approximately 80,000 known 
chemicals in our environment that are potentially harmful. Many of 
those chemicals are not tested to determine if they are damaging to our 
health. This includes products Americans use every day such as 
household cleaners, cosmetics or personal care products.
  The increased rate of disorders affecting the human endocrine system 
is alarming. Children developing in the womb may be particularly 
vulnerable. We can see the effects in our environment. Some fish in our 
lakes and rivers are developing gender mutations. We know there may be 
connections between these effects and the chemicals around us and it is 
time to learn more about it. That is why I am proud to introduce the 
Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act.
  The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act simply authorizes the 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct a 
research program on chemicals that may pose a risk to our health. This 
will streamline research efforts so more useful and complete data will 
be available to Federal agencies with the responsibility of regulating 
chemicals. This bill allows agencies to fake action based on findings 
and to report to Congress with what actions were taken.
  This bill promotes action based on hard, scientific evidence. I urge 
my colleagues to support this bill.
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