From: Change.org

The Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health is hosting a hearing entitled, “Toxic Chemicals and Children’s Enviornmental Health.” In addition to statements by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and CNN Chief Medical Correspondant Dr. Sanjay Gupta, they will also hear from Steven Marcus, a Professor of Preventative Medicine and Community Health at the New Jersey Medical School and Frederica Perara, Director of Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health.

Perara has conducted two studies that follow mothers and their children from pregnancy into childhood. Monitoring air quality and chemical exposure of women in New York, the research team found that in the Northern Manahattan cohort, phthalates, used to make plastics more flexible, were detected in 85-100 percent of air and urine samples from pregnant women. BPA, an endocrine disruptor, was found in the urine of 94 percent of pregnant women, 97 percent of 3 year olds and 100 percent of 5 year olds.

The four chemicals at the focus of her work are widely used. Phthalates are used to soften plastics and used in hairspray and perfume; BPA is used in everything from baby bottles and water bottles to receipts and canned food linings; PBDEs are a group of flame retardant chemicals applied to home furnishings, textiles and many other products. Chlorpyrifos is an organophoshate insecticide that has was phased out in home use in 2001, but is still used in agriculture.

Click on the links for more information.

Recent Release from the OEHHA:

Announcement of Chemicals Selected by OEHHA for Consideration for Listing by the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee and Request for Relevant Information on the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity of These Chemicals: Bisphenol-A, Chlorpyrifos, Chromium, DDE, Sulfur dioxide

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is the lead agency for the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986* (Proposition 65). The Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) of OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board serves as the State’s qualified experts for rendering an opinion whether a chemical has been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause reproductive toxicity. The chemicals identified by the DARTIC are added to the Proposition 65 list, which must be updated annually.

OEHHA has selected five chemicals for the Committee’s review for possible listing under Proposition 65 and is initiating the development of hazard identification materials on these chemicals…

Chemical [ CAS No. ]

Bisphenol-A [ 80-05-7 ]

Chlorpyrifos [ 2921-88-2 ]

Chromium (hexavalent) [ 18540-29-2 ]

DDE [ 72-55-9 ]

Sulfur dioxide [ 7446-09-5 ]

For more information, click on the above link.

A Prop 65 annoucement by the OEHHA: Chemicals Submitted to the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee for Consultation:

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is the lead agency for the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65). In this notice, OEHHA is announcing the list of chemicals identified through the “Process for Prioritizing Chemicals for Consideration Under Proposition 65 by the State’s Qualified Experts,” which was adopted in 2004. These chemicals have been identified for possible preparation of hazard identification materials. OEHHA will consult with the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) at meeting of the DARTIC scheduled for Monday, December 10, 2007 concerning whether to prepare hazard identification materials for any of the following chemicals:

Bisphenol-A (CAS# 80-05-7)

Bromodichloromethane (CAS# 75-27-4)

Caffeine (CAS# 58-08-2)

Chlorpyrifos (CAS# 2921-88-2)

Chromium (hexavalent) (CAS# 18540-29-2)

DDE (CAS# 72-55-9)

Methylisocyanate (CAS# 624-83-9)

Sulfur dioxide (CAS# 7446-09-5)

For the full release, see: Chemicals Submitted to the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee for Consultation.