Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Replogle, the president and CEO of Seventh Generation, which sells natural and environmentally friendly cleaning, personal care and paper supplies.
It’s been a busy season in Montpelier, filled with needed debate about health care and education funding, genetically modified foods, and opiate addiction. These are important issues, but the most crucial of all has flown under everyone’s radar.
On March 27, the Vermont Senate gave final approval to Bill 239, “an act relating to the regulation of toxic substances.” If enacted, the law will ask the Department of Health to identify toxic chemicals of “high concern,” and require makers of products containing these hazards to seek safer alternatives or a waiver. If neither can be had, the product would be banned in Vermont.
Getting this bill to the governor is the most urgent task facing our Legislature. Why? Roughly 85,000 chemicals are in use today, and the vast majority have entered our products, our homes, and our bodies without any evidence of their safety. Scratch the surface of this massive public health experiment and we expose dozens of chemicals in widespread circulation that are considered capable of potentially causing cancer, hormone disruption, birth defects, neurological dysfunction, organ damage, reproductive and developmental disorders, and other lasting harm.
Opponents would have us reject this path in order to save a few pennies. But the real question is, what’s the price for our kids, ourselves, and our future if we do?
Currently, the only tool we have to manage this is the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, a largely useless piece of legislation that, in 38 years, has succeeded in keeping just five chemicals of concern out of the marketplace, despite the dozens of others that science says threaten public health.
Following similar examples in states like California, Maine, and Washington, Vermont’s new law would change that dismal record and create a level playing field for Vermont businesses. No longer would products using cheaper, but potentially dangerous materials gain competitive advantage over more responsible alternatives. Instead, everyone would play by a single set of rules favoring the healthiest common denominator. This change would drive innovation in “green chemistry” and significantly boost Vermont’s reputation as a leader in sustainability — a critical part of our state’s brand.
The law would be good for human health and the environment, too. Over time, chemicals of concern would be removed from the environment, but also from store shelves allowing shoppers to buy products without lingering fears that they will someday pay a terrible price for poisoning their families or the environment.
Which brings us to the most important point: While the Senate bill has prompted worries about increased business and consumer costs, where toxic chemicals are concerned, we’re already paying them.
Altogether, the costs of environmentally-induced disease in U.S. children is estimated at $76.6 billion per year. Add in everyone else, and the price tag for our failure to regulate chemicals of concern soars: The North American tally for just four conditions strongly linked to environmental toxins — diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, neurodevelopmental problems, and lower IQ — is as high as $793 billion.
The Senate bill will help lower these costs for Vermonters and the human toll they represent. It should be passed by the House and sent to Gov. Shumlin for immediate signing. Opponents would have us reject this path in order to save a few pennies. But the real question is, what’s the price for our kids, ourselves, and our future if we do?
We need to pass legislation that protects the men, women and children of Vermont. Most recent news regarding the proposed policy indicates that the bill would only apply to those manufacturers that produce children’s products. We need a bill that will apply to all consumer products produced in Vermont.
