In the News
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CT first state to ban BPA
June 5th, 2009 Jill Bodach Norwalk Hour
Connecticut became the first state in the nation to ban the chemical bisphenol A from infant formula and baby food cans and jars on Thursday. The legislation also bans BPA from reusable food and beverage containers. Read full story here
Bill banning plastic-hardening chemical passes
May 21st, 2009 Ken Dixon CT-Post
The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would ban the use of a controversial plastic-hardening chemical called bisphenol-A in children's products and reusable drink containers. Read full story here
Conn. Senate votes to ban BPA in food containers
May 21st, AP Hartford Courant
The Connecticut Senate has voted to ban the sale of plastic baby bottles, food containers and cups containing Bisphenol-A, a chemical that some scientists consider a health threat. Read full story here
Connecticut calls for 'green cleaning ' in schools
May 19th, Stephanie Reitz, AP News Times
Environmentally friendly maintenance products and "green cleaning" practices will soon be mandatory in all Connecticut public schools.
The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday requiring school districts to adopt "green cleaning" methods...Read full story
BPA Ban Stalls In Senate
May 18th, 2009 Mark Davis WTNH-TV
A proposal to ban the controversial chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) from baby bottles and other containers appears to have stalled in the state Senate. It got easy passage from several legislative committees and the House of Representatives but is now encountering an intense lobbying effort. Watch video here
Blumenthal calls Bisphenol-A ban constitutional
May 16th, Hartford Courant AP Story
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says a legislative proposal in Connecticut to phase out the chemical Bisphenol-A from certain food and drink containers is constitutional. Read full story here
Industry Challenging Connecticut Bill Banning Items Containing BPA
May 15, 2009 Alaine Griffin
The battle over the potential dangers posed by a common chemical used in plastic containers is heating up at the state Capitol. A bill that would ban products containing bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical that some studies suggest might be harmful to infants, passed the House of Representatives last month 128-14. Read full story
State representatives want ban on BPA in plastics
May 10, 2009 Greenwich-Post
State Reps. Livvy Floren (R-149), Lile Gibbons (R-150) and Alfred Camillo Jr. (R-151) supported legislation last week to ban products such as baby bottles and food containers made with the chemical bisphenol-A. Read full story here
Measure to Restrict BPA Moving to State Senate
May 6, 2009Margaret Farley Steele, NY Times
Alex Bergstein, a mother of three living in Greenwich, replaced her family’s plastic water bottles with stainless steel a few years ago after becoming concerned about the chemical bisphenol-A, which is used in many food and beverage containers. . Read full story
BPA ban passes House
April 29, 2009 AP Story in Hartford Courant
The Connecticut House of Representatives has voted to ban the sale, manufacture or distribution of infant formula and baby food in containers made with Bisphenol-A. The bill passed on a 128-14 vote. It now moves to the Senate. Read full story here
Ban BPA
April 27, 2009 Letter to Editor, Hartford Courant
We are thankful to legislators for supporting legislation to phase out bisphenol-A in baby bottles and food containers...Read full letter here
Ask Johnson & Johnson to Live Up to Its “Pure” and “Gentle” Claims
April 24, 2009 The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Johnson & Johnson is a household name in the US. Think about it: Did your parents put you in a bathtub with J&J products? Did the hospital send you home with J&J samples when you left with your newborn?
Well J&J is not as "pure" and "gentle" as the company promises. Visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website to send a quick email to Johnson & Johnson letting them know that "a little bit of carcinogen in baby shampoo is OK" is NOT an acceptable stance! Click here to take action
Banning the substances that hurt our health
April 16, 2009 New Britain Hearld Editorial
It’s interesting — but illogical — what we, as a country, decide to accept as safe and ban as dangerous. Take bottles containing BPA. Legislators at the state Capitol are mulling banning the sale of plastic baby bottles, food containers and cups containing a chemical that has been restricted in Canada. Read editorial here
State should ban harmful chemical
April 15, 2009 Connecticut Post Staff
The state is moving closer to banning a chemical common in household products that many scientists believe is harmful. It's a welcome move, and a sign the state is taking safety seriously. A chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA, is commonly used to harden plastic...Read full story
Connecticut considers banning BPA in bottles, containers
April 15, 2009, Stephanie Reitz, Forbes.com
Connecticut moved a step closer Tuesday to banning the sale of plastic baby bottles, food containers and cups containing a chemical that has been restricted in Canada and that some scientists say is a health threat. Read the full report
Proposed Ban on BPA
April 15, 2009 Mark Davis, WTNH New Haven
A legislative committee has approved a proposal to ban all plastic baby bottles containing a controversial chemical. Bisphenol-A is used in all kinds of containers. But many now believe that long term exposure to it is harmful although the Food and Drug Administration claims it's safe.
Read the full story
State Considers Banning BPA in Bottles, Containers
April 14th, 2009 Carolyn Moreau, Hartford Courant
A giant baby bottle was inflated outside the LOB in Hartford on Tuesday by supporters of a bill that aims to ban BPA in baby bottles and other food...To view video coverage by Carolyn Moreau click here
BPA Ban *Video*
April 14, 2009 Shelly Sindland, Fox-61
Video coverage featuring interviews with Rep. Beth Bye and Attorney General Richard Blumentahl Click here to view the video
Group Endorses Plan To Ban BPA In Bottles
April 14, 2009, Eric Parker, WFSB Channel 3
Those who rallied at the Capitol Tuesday to protest using BPA in plastic products said the decision turned the rally into a celebration. Video and print story here
Bill To Ban BPA Moves Forward
April 14, 2009 Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie
The legislature’s General Law Committee moved forward a bill Tuesday that bans the controversial chemical Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in all baby products, foods, and containers..Read the full article here
Reps Join Fight Against BPA
April 14, 2009 James Craven, New Britain Herald
Under the shadow of a 20-foot baby bottle, concerned citizens, lawmakers and environmental activists came together at Minuteman Park in Hartford Tuesday to voice their opposition to the use of a chemical thought to cause harm to adults and children..Read the full article here
Conn. considers banning BPA in bottles, containers
March 14th, 2009 AP Norwich Bulletin
A Connecticut legislative committee has endorsed a proposal banning the sale of plastic baby bottles, food containers and cups containing a controversial chemical. The substance known as bisphenol-A Read full story here
Green Cleaning Bill Passes Through Education Committee
March 16, 2009
HB 6496 AN ACT CONCERNING GREEN CLEANING PRODUCTS IN SCHOOLS passed the Education Committee unanimously this afternoon after lawmakers were assured that green cleaning is cost neutral. The bill would require all Connecticut public schools to implement a green cleaning program and utilize third party-certified greener products that are safer for human health and the environment.
Sunoco begins restricting sales of Bisphenol-A
March 12, 2009 By Matthew Perrone, AP
Sunoco has begun restricting sales of a controversial chemical used in baby bottles and food containers that some researchers believe can harm infants. The move by the gas and chemical giant makes Sunoco the first manufacturer to acknowledge safety concerns about bisphenol-A, or BPA...Read more
Carcinogens Found In Baby Bath Products
March 12, 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to the March 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, "No More Toxic Tub." Read more here
Leaders show support for environmentally-friendly cleaning program at Norwalk schools
March 11, 2009 Jill Bodach, Norwalk Hour
Sen. Bob Duff was at Brookside Elementary School Tuesday morning to support proposed legislation requiring school districts across the state to implement a "green cleaning" program. Read more.
Environment Committee Passes Bills to Phase Out BPA & PBDEs
March 6, 2009
HB 6572 AN ACT CONCERNING BANNING BISPHENOL-A IN CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS & SB 919 AN ACT PHASING OUT THE USE OF POLYBROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHERS were passed by the Environment Committee in today's vote.
AG Blumenthal Announces Six Baby Bottle Manufacturers Will Phase Out BPA
March 5, 2009 Office of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal declared a "public health victory" as he announced today that six baby bottle companies have agreed to stop using bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles. Read more.
Testimony in support of ban on BPA heard in Environment Committee
March 3, 2009 Mary E. O'Leary, New Haven Register
Much of the discussion was on use of bisphenol-A in children’s products from toys to baby bottles to the resins used to line cans of infant formula. Read the full article here.
Bills call for ban on plastic additive
March 2, 2009 Mary E. O'Leary, New haven Register
A number of legislators and environmentalists are pushing bills in the General Assembly that would ban a plastic substance found in many baby bottles, food containers and metal can liners. Read full story here
Hartford Courant Op-Ed on the Need to Ban Bisphenol-A
Friday Feb. 27th, 2009 Hartford Courant
In today's Hartford Courant Yale pediatrician and medical toxicologist Dr. Carl R. Baum outlined the reasons for CT legislators to pass legislation to phase out BPA. "I find even the possibility of risk to children from BPA exposure too great to ignore..." Read the full op-ed here.
Message in a BPA Free Bottle
January 27, 2009 Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie
The Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut was encouraging legislators Tuesday to support a bill, which would phase out the use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles and other children’s products. Read more
VICTORY!
We did it! Thanks to your support and directed efforts, the Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut worked to pass a new state law restricting lead and banning asbestos in children's products.
Read our press release
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Together, we turned back intense opposition from big chemical companies, the toy industry, and dozens of in-state retailers to win new legislation to phase out toxic lead and asbestos in children's products. Thanks to your support and directed efforts and Governor Rell's recent signing of the legislation, Connecticut is now one of a handful of leading states that have acted to safeguard children from these unnecessary substances found in some toys and other products. This action comes on the heels of heightened public awareness of the problem of toxins in everyday products, and the need for states to lead the way on modernized chemical safety policies.
This new legislation represents a strong first step toward safe children’s products, but unfinished business remains. We need your continued support to fuel the next phases of our work to replace toxins with safer alternatives. We plan to work with the legislature all toxic chemicals again next year, and continue to call on our lawmakers to enact policies that protect all of us, including children, workers, and communities near polluting facilities.
As the European Union and other parts of the world surpass the U.S. on chemical safety regulations, Connecticut needs comprehensive new laws to ensure that our state does not become a dumping ground for toxic products that other countries don’t allow to be sold.
Passing comprehensive policies to protect our health takes grassroots power, and we are working to build the base we need to win. This year we sponsored over 40 forums and house parties on topics like green cleaning, safe cosmetics, and toxic toys. As we continue to win and get stronger, so does the opposition, so we invite you to join us and help us demostrate the need for smart changes. We also invite you to learn more by hosting a film showing or talk with your faith or community group, or inviting us to your home for a green cleaning or healthy spa party. To find out more about our campaigns and ways to get involved, contact Sarah Uhl 860-232-6322, suhl@cleanwater.org.
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