Vermont Passes New Legislation limiting Lead, Phthalates and Mercury!

NON-TOXIC KIDS BLOG

http://www.non-toxickids.net/2008/05/vermont-passes-new-legislation-limiting.html

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

As Vermont's legislative session closed, I held my breath and hoped that all or most of the environmental health bills would pass. And happily, most of them did.

The bill that I had been most involved in, S.152, the Lead in Consumer Products bill, passed both the House and the Senate.

Also passed by the House and Senate was H.352, the Lead in Housing bill.

To protect our families from the mercury contained in older thermostats, H.515 increased the manufacturers responsibility for the disposal of mercury containing thermostats. The bill sets up goals for recycling thermostats, gives a $5 amount to homeowners or contractors to recycle them, and sets up a reporting system about the progress of the recycling program.

And lastly, a bill that was threatened when lobbyists from Exxon Mobil flew in to little ole' Vermont to fight it, survived. S.261, Phthalates in Children’s Products, was passed by the House and Senate. This bill restricts the use of phthalates in toys and child care products for children under 3.

I want to thank Charity Carbine, of Vermont Public Interest Research Group for her tireless efforts in support of these bills, and the entire VPIRG staff for looking out for Vermont families.

Toxin bill raises hunters' ire

April 24, 2008

MONTPELIER – A bill outlawing a family of chemicals in children's toys would not, normally, attract the ire of hunters and fisherman.

But a measure banning phthalates – substances used to make plastics more durable and flexible – in children's products has done just that. The measure, S.261, has passed the Senate and will soon be taken up again by the House Human Services Committee, perhaps as early as today.

The bill would outlaw the manufacture and sale of "child care articles" and toys containing the plastic additives, some of which have been found in some studies to be linked to development and reproductive problems. California...

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Vermont considers banning lead from kids' toys

NECN

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

(Anya Huneke, NECN: Montpelier, VT) - As the legislative session winds down in Vermont, lawmakers are putting serious thought into a number of bills, including one that would ban lead in children's toys. Bill supporters say it would set a precedent on how our country should aggressively tackle the issue.

Armed with a radioactive device, Todd Hobson made his way around a room at the Vermont State House in Montpelier Wednesday. As an Environmental Consultant, Hobson is trained to test for lead.

A handful of products were laid out by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group - to illustrate how easy it is to find lead in everyday items. Many of such items are used by children, which is why VPIRG and some other advocacy organizations, are pushing for a bill in Vermont that would ban lead in toys and phase out lead in certain other products, such as plumbing fixtures and wheel weights for cars.

Watch video here

My Turn: Countdown to digital disaster

By Charity Carbine
March 4, 2008

Like most Americans, I love technology. I appreciate speedy computers and cringe when the hourglass prevents my immediate access to a document. I enjoy having 5,000 songs in a device that can squeeze into the pocket of my jeans. I take comfort in having my cell phone on me at all times even when I know it won't get reception for another 20 miles. And I agree that the picture on the new big screen TVs is hard to beat.

But I'm also aware that there is a huge cost associated with this growing wave of technological waste. Electronic waste, commonly referred to as e-waste, is the fastest growing waste stream...

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Light Bulb Warning

Montpelier, Vermont - February 25, 2008

Lots of people are buying compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs. But some environmental advocates are concerned about how people get rid of them if they break. That's because they contain small amounts of mercury.

"When the bulbs are broken that mercury vapor can be released into a home and it's obviously never a good idea to be exposed to mercury in your home. That is the primary concern," explains Charity Carbine of the Vt. Public Interest Research Group.

A study released Monday by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that mercury released by a broken CFL can pose a health risk. It issued guidelines for cleaning it up safely.

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Crombie pushes repeal of new law

January 20, 2008

MONTPELIER – It's unusual for a state agency to ask legislators to repeal part of a brand-new law, but the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and Gov. James Douglas are doing just that.
They want to repeal a section of Act 43 passed last year that is part of the effort to clean up Lake Champlain. Douglas and the agency say that the $59 million Vermonters could be compelled to spend under the law on sewage plant upgrades across two-thirds of Vermont would be better spent on reducing "non-point" pollution like farm runoff.

A national report on wastewater treatment plants that exceed their pollution limits put out by the Vermont Public Interest Group and its partners says that Vermont has the lowest percentage in New England of wastewater plants exceeding their permits.

That fact has been heralded by the agency heads as a sign that even VPIRG – a frequent critic – acknowledges Vermont plants are the "best in New England."

But Iarrapino and Paul Burns, the head of VPIRG, both worked on the study, and they question Crombie's assertions. Iarrapino said the agency's characterization of the report is "a pretty flagrant distortion." Burns called it "serious mischaracterization" by the agency.

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Toy recalls have customers checking labels

November 27, 2007

When shopping for toys for their two children, Aaron and Jen Dietz check the labels. If it's from China, they give it a closer look, check to see if it's been recalled.

"I never would have thought about it before," said Aaron Dietz, a former Vermonter now of Atlanta, who was strolling Church Street in Burlington on Monday with his family.

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Shopping for Safe Toys

Williston, Vermont - November 23, 2007

Many parents out shopping on Black Friday for holiday gifts are worried about what they'll be putting under the tree this year. "The fact is, you're not going to know, unless the toy is tested," said VPIRG member Charity Carbine.

Read and watch full report

Toy advocates urging parents to choose toys wisely

Friday November 23, 2007

Colchester, VT (Host) With the holiday shopping season upon us, consumer groups are urging parents to use caution when choosing toys this year. There were many high profile toy recalls this year. And the Vermont Public Interest Research Group's Charity Carbine says it's time to take legislative action.

(Carbine) "There is a silver lining, and that is that public attention, media attention to this issue has legislators poised to address these longstanding issues of the Consumer Product Safety Commission."

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VPIRG cautions on toy hazards

November 21, 2007

MONTPELIER – A John Deere toy tractor, a Home Depot toy tool set and a Hello Kitty handbag are among the 60 children's products that landed on the Vermont Public Interest Group's list of potentially dangerous toys this year.

This is the 22nd year that the Montpelier-based advocacy organization has issued a report on unsafe toys days before the biggest shopping weekend of the year, and this year's list features some well-known names and faces.

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Local group wary of contaminated toys

Wednesday, November 21

BRATTLEBORO -- With the release of its 22nd annual toy safety survey Tuesday, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group identified a number of hazards facing families shopping for holiday presents and pushed for policy changes to improve consumer safety.

"The opportunity is ripe for action given all the public outrage and media attention focused on this issue," said Charity Carbine, VPIRG's environmental health advocate. "I think the state of Vermont should be a leader on this issue."

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VPIRG joins national warning about dangerous toys

November 20, 2007



MONTPELIER (AP) — The Vermont Public Interest Research Group on Tuesday issued its annual pre-holiday warning about children’s toys, saying too many of them contain lead, powerful magnets or present choking hazards.



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HOLIDAY SHOPPING WARNING

November 20, 2007

Report finds that some toys contain chemicals that are harmful to small children

To watch this video, click here and scroll down to the "Holiday Shopping Warning" tab.

Report Assesses Clean Water Compliance

WAMC News

Pat Bradley

MONTPELIER, VT (2007-10-12) The Vermont Public Interest Research Group marked the 35th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act by releasing a report assessing compliance with the law. The group claims that more than half of Vermont's industrial and municipal facilities discharged more pollution into the state's waters than they were supposed to in 2005.

Click here to listen to whole story

Report: Industrial, municipal facilities still polluting

Thursday October 11, 2007

More than half of Vermont's industrial and municipal facilities discharged more pollution into the state's water than they were allowed in 2005.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group marked the 35th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act by releasing a report that says 17 facilities in Vermont exceeded their discharge limits more than 30 times in 2005. The report says that on average, Vermont facilities exceeded their Clean Water Act permits by more than nine times the legal limit.

The conclusions were based on information obtained using the Freedom of Information Act.

Woman proposes label change

September 3, 2007

Suppose you're in a supermarket's pasta aisle and you want to buy spaghetti. You zero in on two brands -- 16-ounce boxes, same price. You look at each package. The labels list not only "Nutrition Facts" -- total fat, dietary fiber and so on -- but a percentage that shows what share of cost is attributable to packaging. One box says 10 percent. The other says 15 percent. Which do you pick?

The above scenario is hypothetical -- product labels don't reveal packaging costs. Densmore wants them to, though, and she has filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calling for a packaging percentage to be added to food labels.

VPIRG has a link on its Web site to the FDA's site for comments, although VPIRG does not officially endorse the petition, said Charity Carbine, environmental health specialist for the organization.

"We support the overall objective to reduce packaging going into landfills," Carbine said.

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VY tower collapse leads to calls for further safety review

Tuesday, August 28

BRATTLEBORO -- A press release from unions representing nuclear power plant workers at Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim Station has prompted one local anti-nuclear group to request an independent safety assessment of the nuclear power plant in Vernon.

"There are serious issues of public safety surrounding the Vermont Yankee dispute," wrote Gary Sullivan, president of Utility Workers Union of America Local 369, which represents workers at Entergy's Pilgrim power plant in Plymouth, Mass., in a press release dated Aug. 23. "We cannot allow one bad corporate apple and corporate greed to create a global risk."

"What is very clear from the union's press release is that there are safety concerns at Vermont Yankee that have not made it out to the public," said James Moore, clean energy advocate for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "We would hope that the employees have public safety first and foremost in their minds, but we have serious concerns that Entergy Corporation is cutting corners to increase their profits, potentially at the risk of millions of people who live in the area surrounding Vermont Yankee."

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Vermont can prevent lead in toys

By Charity Carbine, VPIRG Environmental Health Advocate
August 26, 2007

In its second embarrassment in the last several weeks, Mattel announced the recall of more than 9 million toys in the United States that were discovered to pose health dangers to children. Among these Chinese-manufactured items were 253,000 Disney-Pixar "Sarge" cars found to have lead levels that exceed the federal limit.

This is the latest in a series of fumbles by the toy industry that has parents and consumer watchdogs wondering what, if anything, is being done to protect our children from this toxic exposure?

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Officials rule out Yankee sabotage

Aug 24, 2007

VERNON — A special investigator with the Homeland Security division of the Vermont State Police went to Vermont Yankee earlier this week and ruled out sabotage or terrorism in the unexpected collapse of a portion of the plant's cooling towers.

Kerry Sleeper, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said the state also wanted an "independent assessment" about the basic facts of the collapse. Sleeper said he had conferred with Gov. James Douglas' office before sending in the special investigator.

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Vt. Yankee problem to hurt rate payers

August 23, 2007

MONTPELIER — The failure of a cooling tower at Vermont Yankee nuclear plant could mean higher electricity bills for consumers, officials said Wednesday.

Central Vermont Public Service Corp. and Green Mountain Power Corp., the two biggest buyers of Vermont Yankee power, said it was too early to know if they will seek rate hikes to compensate for having to buy power from other, more expensive sources because of the Vermont Yankee problem.

"Vermont Yankee telling us that the plant is running like new is like a hair dresser telling you that you look twenty years younger. It's nice to hear, but far from the truth," said James Moore, energy advocate for Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

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New low-level herbicide proposed for weed killing

July 31, 2007

Tonto National Forest is proposing to use what they call relatively low-level herbicide sprays to remove weeds.

The Forest Service said it plans to use chemicals such as chlorsulfuron, and a list of others they said are relatively nontoxic, to try and get rid of some of the weeds which can be harmful to native and other plant species and are growing along highways and roads in Gila County and in Tonto National Forest.

A report from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group said the chemical can be harmful to animals, humans and the environment.The report said that chlorsulfuron is in a class of chemicals labeled sulfonyl ureas, or SU's.

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Railway herbicides: A debate over safety

May 11, 2007

MONTPELIER – Spraying railroad corridors with herbicides hasn't caused much controversy in Vermont, but an almost identical practice was forbidden in Alaska earlier this year over fears the weed-killing chemicals might harm the state's ecosystem.

Vermont Railway Inc., has asked the Agency of Agriculture for a permit to spray herbicides around tracks that run through more than 60 Vermont towns.

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News Coverage of VPIRG's Work

News coverage since May 2007 will be posted on this blog.

Click here to view archives of earlier news coverage. We've had such great media coverage this year on our work that we're a little backlogged (not a bad thing!). Remaining 2007 coverage will be posted as soon as we can.