Shouldn’t you know if toxic chemicals are in the shampoo that you use on your baby? The car seat you use? Or your baby’s mattress? What about the lotion you rub into your child’s skin?
Pregnant women, infants and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals–in air, water, dust, food, and consumer products. We should be able to keep our children safe, but, often we don’t even know what is in products our children use every day.
Companies that manufacture children’s products should be required to tell the state what toxic chemicals are in the toys, teethers, infant clothing, diapers, strollers and other products marketed for children under age 12, and to make the products safe.
States like New York, Oregon, and Washington have already taken action to require companies to be transparent about the hazardous chemicals they put in children’s products—and it’s time for Massachusetts to do the same.
In 2021-2, Representative James Hawkins (D-Attleboro) filed H939 An Act for Massachusetts Toxic Free Kids and Senator Cynthia Friedman (D-Woburn) has filed S207 An Act Relative to Toxic Free Kids to require disclosure of toxic chemicals in children’s products. These bills received a favorable report by the Massachusetts legislature’s Public Health Committee but the formal Legislative session ended on July 31, 2022 without the bills coming to the floor for a vote.
Clean Water will work with legislators to refile bills in 2023-24. Our goal is to:
- Require more manufacturer transparency about chemicals in children’s products.
- Eliminate the most hazardous chemicals from being used in children’s products.
Want safer children’s products? Join our Clean Water Action Member List. We will send you updates about the Toxic Free Kids campaign and let you know about opportunities to get involved