The JustGreen Partnership

Environmental Disease and Disability Impacts NY's Children

JustGreen Partnership — 2013-12-11T10:57:03-05:00

A new report demonstrates the extensive impact of environmentally triggered disease and disability on New York State’s children. The findings are deeply concerning.

Children in New York suffer today from a wide array of chronic diseases. Many of these diseases are on the rise. Evidence is strong and growing that environmental factors contribute to them.
There are more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals in the market place that have never been tested for their toxicity. The CDC continues to find measurable levels of these chemicals in our bodies.
Disease of environmental origin in children is preventable. Prevention of these diseases improves children’s lives and has the potential of generating huge cost savings.
Each year, diseases of environmental origin in New York’s children cost an estimated $4.35 billion. A very high proportion of these costs fall on the State’s Medicaid budget and thus on the taxpayers. Many of these diseases are preventable.
More than 180,000 of New York’s children have a learning disability and more than 660,000 have a developmental or behavioral disorder – attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism or mental retardation. Lead, pesticides, plastics, PCBs and mercury are among the known environmental causes.
Each year more than 17 million pounds of pesticides are applied across New York State. Endocrine disrupting pesticides cause acute poisonings and are also linked to learning disabilities and childhood cancer.
Each and every case of neurological impairment, cancer, and other environmentally triggered disease and disability has a profound impact on the individual child, their family and community.

“A statewide network of Centers of Excellence in Children’s Environmental Health will address these problems, and it will reduce costs. If these Centers of Excellence succeed in lowering the costs of environmental disease in New York’s children by only 1%, they will pay many times over for the $1 million budget allocation that we are requesting,” states Dr. Philip Landrigan, MD, MSc., Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Public Health.

Stephen Boese, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of New York State said, “We have suspected for years that the increasing rate of neurological impairments in children is associated with the increasing prevalence of largely unregulated chemicals in our homes, schools and communities. This important report demonstrates the enormous toll that these chemicals take on our children, their families, communities and all of New York State. It is high time for our state policy makers to enact common sense legislation that will protect our children.”

The Just Green Partnership (JGP) urges state policy makers to address this growing crisis in children’s health and enact the Children’s Environmental Health agenda.

"This report shows that New York needs to adopt a Children's Environmental Health Agenda, which includes the Centers of Excellence and the Child Safe Products Act. Our leaders must show the political will to make 2014 the year of children's environmental health and comprehensively address toxic chemicals in things children use every day," said Bobbi Chase Wilding, Deputy Director of Clean and Healthy New York.

“Establishing a statewide system of Children’s Environmental Health Centers is an efficient and effective approach to stem the tide of the chronic diseases caused by environmental factors in New York’s children," said Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst). “Children are more sensitive to and at an increased risk from chemical exposure. Parents should not have to research whether a product contains chemicals that make it unsafe for children. Currently, New York prohibits the use of dangerous chemicals on a chemical-by-chemical basis. We must act to protect children from unnecessary toxic chemicals in products designed for kids. The Assembly has passed legislation in 2012 and 2013 to apply a regulatory framework approach to children's products containing toxic chemicals. I am hopeful the Senate will follow the Assembly's example in the upcoming session. It’s time to put health concerns first,” said Sweeney.

“Securing funding for our Children's Environment Health Centers will help prevent children from being negatively impacted by environmental factors. We must all work together to help to prevent these harmful impacts and I look forward to working with the Just Green Partnership on this topic, as we continue to have a robust discussion on protecting our children from harmful chemicals,” said Senator Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo).

The JustGreen Partnership issued the following recommendations in response to the report released today:

Re-establish funding for the statewide network of Centers of Excellence in Children’s Environmental Health to prioritize prevention before health problems arise, and reduce the burden to the state from the extensive costs associated with the treatment, support and care for children impacted by environmental disability and disease (A.7885 – Sweeney). The Centers provide services across New York State, for children, parents, educators, health providers, legislators, children’s agencies and schools, community advocates and media professionals. Each Center comprises a team of health professionals who provide a range of services:

evidence-based guidance on questions pertaining to environmental factors and children’s health; educational outreach;
timely messaging on acute health events (for example natural disasters or wide-scale exposures);
collaboration on community-level issues involving multiple stakeholders. The Centers also provide clinical care (diagnosis, treatment and referrals) when indicated for diseases of environmental origin.

Enact the Child Safe Products Act, which will better regulate the use of toxic chemicals in children’s products. It will set up an infrastructure within state government to identify chemicals of concern, prioritize them based on the likelihood for children to be exposed to them, and require disclosure by children’s product manufacturers as to whether their products contain chemicals of concern. The bill will phase out priority chemicals in children’s products starting on January 1, 2018. A.6328 - Sweeny/S.4614 – Boyle.

“It has been proven time and again that dangerous chemicals in the environment can trigger diseases in our children - and some of the statistics are alarming. That is why we must work tirelessly to pass the Child Safe Products Act which will help us regulate the use of toxic chemicals in our children’s products,” said Senator Phil Boyle (R-Bayshore). ”Children are the most vulnerable members of our society and we must fight to protect their health by regulating products which can harm them.”

“Prevention is the center core to reducing the physical, emotional and financial stress of disease. The NYS Children’s Environmental Health Centers has the expertise, community relationships, and ability to understand our susceptibility to disease resulting from environmental factors.” Karen Joy Miller, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Inc.

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Dr. Philip Landrigan is the principal author of this report, along with his colleagues at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Landrigan is the Dean for Global Health and the Ethel H. Wise Professor and Chairman at the Department of Preventive Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics, and Director of the Children's Environmental Health Center.

New Study: Major Retailers Selling Toddlers’ Upholstered Furniture with Harmful Chemicals

JustGreen Partnership — 2013-11-20T11:00:00-05:00

Albany, NY – Independent testing commissioned by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and released in New York by the JustGreen Partnership found harmful flame retardant chemicals in children’s chairs, couches and other kids’ furniture purchased from Walmart, Target, Kmart, Toys”R”Us/Babies“R”Us, buybuy Baby and other major retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Many of the items found with flame retardants are designed with colorful children’s characters, including Disney Princesses, Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer, Marvel Comics’ Spiderman and others. Fire safety scientists say that flame retardant chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, infertility and other serious health problems, do not provide fire safety benefits in furniture.

“Most parents would never suspect that their children could be exposed to toxic flame retardant chemicals when they sit on a Mickey Mouse couch, but our report shows that children’s foam furniture can carry hidden health hazards,” said CEH’s Judy Levin, co-author of the report “Playing on Poison” released today. “Companies that sell these products need to know that parents want safer products made without these harmful chemicals.”

In July and August, CEH, JustGreen Partners and allies purchased 42 items of children’s furniture from retailers in 13 states and Canada, including three from New York – two from the Albany area and one from New York City. Items were sent to Duke University researcher Dr. Heather Stapleton, one of the country’s foremost researchers on testing for flame retardant chemicals in consumer products, for laboratory analysis.

“I’m tired of saying ‘no’ to my girls when they want something fun – like one of these chairs – because there are toxic chemicals lurking in them, unlabeled and invisible. It makes them sad, and it makes me mad,” said Bobbi Chase Wilding, Deputy Director for Clean and Healthy New York, who was joined at the news conference by her two daughters, ages 8 and 3. “It’s not my fault, and it’s not their fault – retailers like buybuy Baby and Babies”R”Us and their suppliers like Disney brands need to take responsibility and ensure all products made and sold for young children are safe and healthy.”

Dr. Stapleton’s analysis found four flame retardant chemicals (including two chemicals that are mixtures of various flame retardants) in 38 of 42 products tested. Two products, including one in New York, contained more than one chemical. The chemicals found were:

Firemaster 550 (found in 22 items): a mixture of four chemicals; studies have linked exposure to Firemaster 550 with obesity and disruption of the bodies’ natural hormone functioning. Hormone altering effects are troubling in children’s products, since children’s developing bodies are especially vulnerable to hormonal changes. Two chairs purchased in New York contained this chemical mixture.
TCPP (Tris, 15 items): animal studies have linked exposure to TCPP to genetic damage and changes in the length of the menstrual cycle. One chair purchased in New York contained TCPP.
TDCPP (chlorinated Tris, 2 items) is identified as a chemical known to cause cancer by the state of California and the National Research Council. Studies have also linked exposures to genetic damage, effects on fertility and natural hormones, and damage to developing embryos. Health concerns forced companies to remove TDCPP from children’s pajamas in the 1970’s yet it is still used today in furniture and other products. One chair purchased in New York contained TDCPP in addition to the Firemaster 550 blend noted above.
Butylated Triphenyl Phosphate (1 item): According to the EPA, health concerns associated with exposures to Butylated Triphenyl Phosphate, a mixture of four chemicals, include decreased fertility and abnormal menstrual cycles.

“The incidence of learning disabilities and related impairments such as autism is increasing at an alarming rate, while at the same time we learn more and more about neurotoxic chemicals in products used every day with and around children,” said Stephen Boese, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of New York State. “We must leave no stone unturned in addressing this epidemic and assure that all products used by children are safe, and that corporate profits don’t trump our children’s health and safety.”

"The laboratory analysis doesn't lie: Products purchased at well-known retailers and carrying a trusted brand name likely contain toxic chemicals that can make kids sick," said NYPIRG Legislative Counsel Russ Haven. "Parents are shopping in the dark when they buy children's products and the only way forward is to ban the use of toxic chemicals in children's and household consumer products."

Children are more vulnerable to toxic flame retardant chemicals than adults because of their behaviors and physical needs. Children put their hands in their mouths often, and touch whatever is near them. Infants and toddlers crawl and play where dust containing high levels of flame retardants settles in homes, daycares and schools. A (2011) study from UC Berkeley’s Center for Environmental Research found that toddlers carry an average three times higher levels of flame retardants in their bodies than the levels found in their mothers. Other recent studies show that children of color and children from low-income communities have higher levels of flame retardant chemicals in their bodies than levels found in white children.

"I was horrified to discover that the Disney Princess chair I bought in New York had high levels of a chemical that have been linked to obesity and hormone disruption," said Ansje Miller, Eastern States Director for the Center for Environmental Health. "The kids that these chairs are designed for are at a vulnerable time in their development and I shudder to think at how these chemicals are affecting their health throughout their lifetimes."

“Shame on Disney for selling children’s Princess, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse chairs containing toxic flame retardants,” said Mike Schade, Markets Campaign Coordinator with the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ). “Parents should be able to trust that Disney products are safe, not toxic. We shouldn’t have to worry about our little princes and princess being exposed to poisonous chemicals. It’s time for Disney to make our dreams come true and eliminate these unnecessary dangerous chemicals.”

Flame retardant chemicals are used in these products despite their lack of efficacy largely due to TB 117, an outdated, decades-old California flammability standard that focused on requiring foam inside furniture to withstand a small open flame. This approach fails to meet real world conditions, since in a fire the outside fabric ignites first. Fire safety scientists say that once fabric ignites, the fire will be too large to be controlled by the chemical flame retardants used in foam – thus rendering the chemicals virtually useless for fire safety. California has proposed a new flammability rule, TB 117-2013, slated to go into effect on January 1, 2014, which requires furniture exteriors to be flame resistant, and exempts children’s products as they are not sources of ignition for house fires. CEH and its partner organizations expect many companies will make the switch to safer, flame-retardant free products quickly. However, as the results of this study show, it is unclear whether these benefits will reach across the country to products sold in New York.

For that reason, and because the new California regulation does not ban the use of flame retardants in foam, JustGreen Partners called for the following actions:

New York State must pass and implement the Child Safe Products Act, which passed in the Assembly 101-30, and which ended the 2013 session with 37 of 63 Senate co-sponsors.
Baby product retailers, especially market leaders buybuy Baby and Babies”R”Us must establish and enforce chemicals management policies that ensure all products on their store shelves – physical or on-line – are safe for families, as called for by the Getting Ready for Baby campaign (www.gettingready4baby.org)
Parents should express their outrage to product makers, retailers and policymakers, while taking steps to keep toxic chemicals away from their children by avoiding products made with polyurethane foam.
Congress must act to address the now-broken overarching chemicals management law, the Toxic Substance Control Act, and enact new, strong legislation to keep toxic chemicals out of the marketplace that should never have been approved to begin with.

“Government allows corporations to deceive parents,” said Saima Anjam of Environmental Advocates of New York. “Too many parents are unaware that they are bringing dangerous chemicals into their homes because they are hidden where we’d least suspect: toys, crib mattresses and children’s clothing. We deserve broad reform, like the Child Safe Products Act, to become law so we can start to turn off the toxic tap.”

The JustGreen Partnership is a collaboration of 50 organizations across New York State working for environmental health and justice for New York’s people and communities. Partners include Clean and Healthy New York, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Center for Environmental Health, the New York Public Interest Research Group, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, American Sustainable Business Council, Learning Disabilities Association of New York State, New York State United Teachers, New York State Nurses Association, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter and Environmental Advocates of New York. Learn more at www.just-green.org

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Copies of the report are available at http://www.ceh.org/news-events/press-releases/content/playing-on-poisons-childrens-furniture-found-with-harmful-flame-retardant-chemicals/

Child Safe Products End of Session Just Green Partnership Statement

JustGreen Partnership — 2013-06-27T13:47:03-04:00

STATEMENT on END OF SESSION

The JustGreen Partnership, a 50-organization collaboration working for environmental health and justice for New York’s people and communities, issued the following statement as the Senate gaveled out without voting on the Child Safe Products Act or the expansion of the Tris Free Children and Babies Act.

“Senator Phil Boyle, sponsor of Child Safe Products Act, S. 4614, has won the co-sponsorship of 36 of his colleagues to protect children from the toxic chemicals that now lurk in products kids use every day. That is 37 Senators total. Far more than a simple majority.

This is a very rare showing of support from a significant majority of elected officials from across the political spectrum and is reflective of the truth: Every parent, regardless of political ideology, wants to give their children the best possible chance to grow up healthy. No parent wants to learn that there is cadmium in children’s jewelry, cobalt in baby’s pacifiers or arsenic in their toddler’s underwear. And yet, it remains legal and common practice. In addition, business leaders from across the state have also recognized the benefits of legislation that drives safer chemical use.

The Assembly, with the leadership of Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Bob Sweeney, passed this legislation in April, with a vote of 111-30, and broader and more bipartisan majority than when it passed the same bill in 2012.

Senator Grisanti, sponsor of the expansion of the Tris Free Children and Babies Act, S. 3703, faced no opposition – even the chemical industry has gone on record accepting bans on TDCPP, a known carcinogen, reproductive toxicant, and more – in other states. The Assembly bill, again sponsored by Assemblyman Sweeney, passed unanimously earlier in the year. Absolutely no one thinks it’s a good idea for a known cancer causing chemical to be added to children’s nursing pillows, high chairs, changing pads, and foam books, especially when all evidence shows there is absolutely no benefit to its use in those products.

New York’s Senate leaders, Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein, have missed an important opportunity to offer real protections to New York’s families. How is it these “coalition government” leaders have so completely misread the will of their colleagues and constituents? Have they listened to chemical makers and put that narrow sector ahead of the health of innocent children, as well as every other sector of the economy?

It’s hard to imagine any Senator going on the record to support the ongoing use of chemicals that can cause cancer, learning disabilities, asthma, infertility and more in children’s products. And yet, by failing to bring these bills to the floor for a vote, where it clearly had the opportunity to pass, Senators Skelos and Klein have essentially done so. Their failure to protect children is an outrage and will not be forgotten.

We urge them to rectify this at the earliest opportunity – be that a special session later this year, or first thing in 2014. New York’s children are counting on them.”

Majority of NYS Senators Now Co-Sponsor Child Safe Products Act

JustGreen Partnership — 2013-06-17T08:30:00-04:00

Swift Floor Consideration by Majority Coalition Leaders Urged

(Albany) With four days remaining in the 2013 legislative session, children are one step closer to seeing toxic chemicals disclosed to their parents and removed from their products. On Thursday, June 13th, Senator Squadron became the 32nd Senator to co-sponsor the Child Safe Products Act (S.4614). Therefore, a majority of the Senate officially backs the measure, aimed at safeguarding children’s health through stricter regulation of toxic chemicals.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Phil Boyle (R, Bay Shore) comprehensively addresses chemicals in children’s products. "I am pleased that a majority of my colleagues agree that we need stricter regulations to ensure that our children’s products are free of dangerous toxic chemicals," Senator Phil Boyle said. "The bottom line is that parents should be able to purchase products for their babies in New York State and be assured that they are safe."

Matching legislation, introduced by Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Robert Sweeney, passed the Assembly 111-30 in April, by a wider margin and with broader bipartisan support than its passage in that house last year.

Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of chemicals, which can cause changes in their developing bodies that have lifelong consequences. Chemicals covered under the Child Safe Products Act include those that can cause cancer, learning and developmental disabilities, asthma, obesity, and infertility. Recent data collected by Washington State revealed over 5,000 types of children’s products contain toxic chemicals, including heavy metals like cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and cobalt. Shocking findings include revelations of arsenic in children’s underwear and cobalt in pacifiers.

The JustGreen Partnership, a broad, diverse coalition that includes cancer and learning disabilities prevention advocates, environmental justice leaders, businesses, teachers, health care providers, labor, environmental conservation and environmental health groups, cheered the news that more than half the Senate is co-sponsoring the bill.

"With the support of the New York State Senate, the Child Safe Products Act is headed for a home run. When this bill passes we can all breathe a sigh of relief that children and future generations will be exposed to less toxins, yielding a reduced risk to chronic diseases such as breast cancer," said Laura Weinberg, President of Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition.

"Protecting our children is paramount...and with the passage of this important legislation we will also witness a decrease in breast cancer incidence later on in life," said Karen Joy Miller, founder and President of Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition.

“As a parent and environmental health advocate, I applaud the majority of Senators who now back Senator Boyle’s bill to protect children,” said Kathleen A. Curtis, LPN, Executive Director of Clean and Healthy New York, co-leader of the JustGreen Partnership, and mother of four. “Now it is up to the Senate leadership – Senators Skelos and Klein. Do they have the will to bring the Child Safe Products Act to the floor this week? New York’s children are counting on them.”

“Every parent in the state will sleep better at night once the Senate passes this common-sense legislation to keep kids safe,” said Saima Anjam, Government Affairs Associate at Environmental Advocates of New York. “There is broad, bipartisan support for the Child Safe Products Act thanks to the leadership of Senators Phil Boyle, Diane Savino, Ken LaValle, and others. If given a vote, we have no doubt this bill will pass unanimously. And we urge Senators Klein and Skelos to bring it to the floor next week so we can celebrate their commitment to safe kids!”

"Senators from around New York have demonstrated that they want toxins out of our children's products," said Caitlin Pixley of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "With 32 co-sponsors from the Republican, Democratic, and Independent Democratic Conferences, the Child Safe Products Act (S.4614) deserves a Senate floor vote. By phasing out the use of chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead, we are providing our children with a safer, toxic-free future including clean air, water, and natural places. The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter applauds the co-sponsors of S.4614 and urges Senators Skelos and Klein to bring this bill through the Rules committee for a floor vote."

“Low income communities and communities of color across New York are lucky to have leaders like Senator Boyle and Assemblyman Sweeney, and their colleagues who have co-sponsored the bill,” said Cecil Corbin-Mark, Deputy Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice and co-leader of the Just Green Partnership. “The Child Safe Products Act that they introduced will put an end to toxic toys on the shelves of 99 cents stores in our neighborhoods.”

"The Child Safe Products Act addresses many of the top chemicals known to cause learning and developmental disabilities, such as autism, which impacts one out of every 88 children. Our message is simple; we need to get toxic chemicals out of our everyday consumer products to protect the next generations of children,” said Stephen Boese, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of New York State. “We thank Senator Boyle for his leadership on this issue and the Senators who have co-sponsored the bill. We urge Senate leaders to do the right thing and bring the Child Safe Products Act to the floor for a vote."

The Child Safe Products Act establishes a list of chemicals of concern (starting with approximately 1,700 chemicals on existing authoritative government lists); prioritizes heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, cobalt, and arsenic, along with chlorinated tris and benzene, and enables the Departments of Environment Conservation and Health to add or remove chemicals from either list. A year after a chemical is named a priority, manufacturers must disclose its use in products for children aged 12 and under, and a year after disclosure, starting in 2018, must phase them out. The bill authorizes the DEC to work through the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse for data collection, to streamline the process for manufacturers and reduce costs for each participating state.

Kids to Senators: Don't Duck Reform, Protect Us from Toxic Chemicals!

JustGreen Partnership — 2013-06-12T16:09:33-04:00

(Albany) Children pulling a wagon filled with rubber duckies trooped through the halls of the Legislative Office Building and Capitol today. They delivered the duckies to each Senate office with this call: Don’t duck reform: Protect us from toxic chemicals. Pass S. 4614.

With less than two weeks left in Legislative Session, kids, parents, health advocates and consumer advocates are taking action to urge the NYS Senate to get toxic chemicals out of toys and other children’s products. Several states have already taken similar measures, including California, Maine, Minnesota, and Washington.

In Washington State, children’s product makers recently disclosed that over 5,000 types of children's products contain chemicals that can cause cancer, learning and developmental disabilities, asthma, obesity, and infertility. This information was generated as a result of a law similar to that being advanced in New York. S. 4614, introduced by freshman Long Island Republican Senator Phil Boyle, would identify high-hazard chemicals, prioritize certain chemicals for action, disclose their use in children's products, and ultimately phase them out in those applications.

Senator Boyle said, “We need stricter regulations to ensure that our children's products are free of dangerous toxic chemicals. Our Child Safe Products Act calls for a method of identifying chemicals that are potentially harmful to children, notifying the public, and discontinuing their use.”

“Senator Skelos and Senator Klein have the power to make sure the Child Safe Products Act gets a vote by the full Senate before they leave Albany on June 20th,” said Roger Downs, Conservation Director for the Sierra Club and father of two. “I’d like them to tell me which toxic chemicals they think it’s OK to be in my children’s toys, clothes and other necessities.”

“I’m here so we can get toxic chemicals out of children’s products and I can get more toys,” said Ananda Wilding, an 8-year-old who led the group of children. “Right now, my mom doesn’t know if she should buy me a toy I want or not. Toys should be safe for all kids.”

“As a mom with 15 years of experience as an environmental health advocate who holds a degree in environmental science, I find it deeply troubling that even I can’t tell which products are safe and which aren’t. The Child Safe Products Act would be a huge step in the right direction. We don’t need cadmium in jewelry, cobalt in pacifiers, or arsenic in underpants,” said Bobbi Chase Wilding, Deputy Director of Clean and Healthy New York.

“Toys should be objects that promote fun and happiness in children, not illness and death. Senators in Albany need to pass the Child Safe Products Act to protect all children, especially New York’s most vulnerable, from toxic chemicals, and free parents of New York State from the need to play toxicologists every time we step into a toy store,” said Cecil Corbin-Mark, Deputy Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice and co-leader of the JustGreen Partnership.

The measure, sponsored by Assemblyman Bob Sweeney, passed the NYS Assembly by a wide margin with strong bipartisan support in April. Twenty-five Senators, including four Republicans, two Independent Democratic Conference members, and nineteen Democrats have co-sponsored the measure so far.

"The child care community in New York State is extremely committed to the health and safety of our children through tough regulations and a commitment to improving quality,” said Jessica Klos Shapiro, Senior Policy Associate, Early Care & Learning Council. “However, the presence of toxic chemicals in products that children come in contact with every day presents an unnecessary hazard that can easily be eliminated by the passage of this legislation.”

Given the glacial pace at which federal legislation moves, it’s up to the states to act to protect their own residents. New York is now in a position to do just that, by passing S. 4614. The bill also codifies New York’s participation in an Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2), in which ten states share information about toxic chemicals and their safer alternatives. This Clearinghouse ensures that product makers disclose chemical use through a harmonized system, not a patchwork of regulation. This addresses an issue that has been a complaint of the business community for some time. The IC2 also leverages scarce state agency resources and eliminates duplicative work.