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| Rep. Dickerson with granddaughter on Children's Day |
Never
call a Mary
Lou Dickerson bill “dead” until the final gavel falls. Such was the lesson taught, yet again, by the
Friday afternoon House passage of the Toxic-Free Kids Act (House
Bill 2821).
If
the Senate follows suit, Washington could soon become the first state in the
nation to ban children’s products made with a toxic flame-retardant known as
“TRIS.” With apologies to the cereal
ads, “TRIS is not for kids.”
Concerned
moms and dads joined experts ranging from nurses and doctors to firefighters in
calling for the ban, because TRIS has been linked to cancer and other health
problems—and the biggest risks are to the youngest kids. What is more, there
are plenty of safe alternatives to TRIS.
Mary
Lou and House Democrats are no strangers to leading the nation on children’s
safety. Our Children's Safe Products Act of 2008, was the first state law in the nation to ban
lead, cadmium and nasty phthalates in toys and other children's products—but
Congress soon followed our lead by passing the Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act to regulate lead and phthalates in toys.
Will
the Senate join the House in passing the Toxic-Free Kids Act before the special
session ends? Stay tuned...
To read this story in Spanish, please click here.
To read this story in Spanish, please click here.
