[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TOXIC CHEMICALS SAFETY ACT

  (Ms. PINGREE of Maine asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, today I want to commend Chairmen 
Waxman and Rush for introducing H.R. 5820, the Toxic Chemical Safety 
Act, a bill that will for the first time require the chemical industry 
to prove that the chemicals in our products are safe.
  In America, we have too long failed to regulate chemicals and 
consumer products--even those that we know have links to cancer, 
learning disabilities, reproductive disorders, and other serious health 
problems.
  Under the old Toxic Substance Control Act, 62,000 chemicals were 
grandfathered in. Only six chemicals have been banned since its 
passage. Not even asbestos--a widely known carcinogen--could be taken 
off the market.
  Maine has always been the leader in toxic chemical regulation, 
passing new laws phasing out mercury, lead, and flame-retardant 
chemicals in everyday products. In 2008, our legislature passed the 
groundbreaking Kid-Safe Products Act that establishes a new statewide 
system to identify and phase out the most toxic chemicals that endanger 
our children.
  It is time for the Nation to follow Maine's lead. It has never been 
more important for Congress to pass the strongest and most effective 
toxic chemical bill possible.

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