Oregon passes Toxic-Free Kids Act
More and more Americans are becoming aware of the potential harmful toxins in products made for children, and some states have started to take steps to alleviate parents’ concerns. Now, Oregon is one of those states. The state of Oregon recently passed the “Toxic-Free Kids Act”. The purpose of the law is to make the products children come in contact with on a daily basis, safer than ever. The legislature has created a list of 66 “chemicals of concern”. The list includes chemicals such as formaldehyde, BPA, toluene, ethylene glycol, and many others. In fact, the list is identical to a list recently created by the state of Washington for their banned chemicals law. While “the law will require the manufacturer of a product, intended for use by children 12 years and younger, to submit a biennial report, detailing the presence of any listed chemicals”; for many it’s not strong enough. When news of the act passed, Jennifer Gibbons of the Toy Industry Association said the act “unfortunately does nothing to strengthen product safety.” Without a doubt work remains done to ensure our children’s products are free of harmful chemicals, this seems like a good first step. Let’s hope the state of Oregon, and others, don’t stop here.
To learn more about the Toxic-Free Kids Act, follow the link: http://bit.ly/1fQPrMc