Oregon may soon join Washington and 2 other states by requiring tougher regulations on products used by children ages 12 and under. Public hearings were held last week on Senate Bill 478.
The Toxic-Free Kids Act would require manufacturers and importers to report children's products containing 66 toxic chemicals to the State. In 6 years the use of those chemicals would be phased out. Eugene Senator Chris Edwards is the Chief Sponsor of SB-478.
Edwards: "One example that we had in committee the other day was a rubber toy that was clearly meant for kids under the age of 3, and it actually has phthalates in it. The phthalates are known to be really bad, especially for kids that are growing and developing."
Edwards says he has been working on this bill for a few sessions, but it was difficult to get support. He thinks the current version has enough bi-partisan votes to pass the legislature. The main opposition to the Toxic-Free Kids Act has been from the American Chemistry Council and toy manufacturers.
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