protecting children's health

As co-founders of the public health coalition, Healthy Legacy, Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund continue to promote policies that will protect water and health from toxic chemicals. Children’s special vulnerability to toxic harm provides urgency and focus on making children’s products safer.

Under 2009’s Toxic Free Kids Act, Minnesota has begun to identify harmful chemicals in children’s products. The initial Chemicals of High Concern list released by the state Department of Public Health in July 2010 identifies 1755 chemicals. Many of these have already been named by other state, federal or international agencies as chemicals of concern for human health and the environment.

Clean Water Action and other Healthy Legacy partners have selected nine of these chemicals as priorities for immediate action, including bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, lead, cadmium, brominated flame retardants and formaldehyde. The groups will campaign together to reform chemical policies so that these harmful product ingredients are required to be replaced with safer alternatives.