New York to Come Clean on Chemicals in Cleaning Products

Lourdes Salvador's Column

...Co-founder of MCS America discusses the latest Multiple Chemical Sensitivity issues.

Lourdes Salvador is the founder of MCS America, a science writer, and a social advocate for the greater awareness of environmental contamination, human toxicology, and propagation of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a disorder of organic biological origin induced by toxic environmental insults.

For more information visit MCS America

Monday, October 4th, 2010:

New York to Come Clean on Chemicals in Cleaning Products

by Lourdes Salvador

A first-of-its kind disclosure is cheered by consumers and environmental advocates. The State of New York has enacted an unprecedented regulation which will require household cleaning companies to reveal the chemical ingredients in their products. In addition, the companies must list any known health risks their products pose.

Studies show a clear link between chemicals and fragrances found in household products and a wide range of negative health effects. The more common effects are hormone disruption, birth defects, and cancer. The lesser known effects include nerve damage, neurological damage, chemical sensitivity, asthma, allergies, respiratory disease, and even autism implications.

Advocates campaigned to the State of New York to uphold consumers' right

to know what is in the products they buy and use.

Many are hopeful that this new law will serve as a precedent for the rest of the states in the U. S. to follow.

Currently before Congress is a bill which would force the chemical industry to prove the safety of all the chemicals they manufacture before they are used or sold. This is a change from the previous method of using chemicals and later pulling them from the market when adverse events occur.

Complete ingredient disclosure is crucial for allowing consumers to make informed choices which benefit their health.

The chemical industry is expected to appeal the decision; however, there is a worldwide move towards similar regulations.

Europe has enacted similar legislation known as REACH, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances.

A copy of the notice from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to Earthjusttice announcing the decision may be downloaded from:

http://www.earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/DEC_letter_9_9.pdf

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For more articles on this topic, see: MCSA News.

Copyrighted 2010 Lourdes Salvador & MCS America

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