Did you know that there are approximately 80,000 chemicals in commercial use but that for most of them, we have done little or no testing for their potential health or environmental impacts? As a result our household cleaners, garden chemicals and pesticides, personal care products, computers, clothes, food, and even our beds may contain chemicals about which we have little safety information.

While not all chemicals are harmful and many provide important benefits, there is growing evidence linking chemical exposures over time to health impacts such as cancer, reproductive problems, neurological disorders, and respiratory disease.

The good news is that manufacturing products with less toxic materials and promoting the development of "green chemistry" can protect our communities, workers, and ecosystems. It can also save businesses money, increase efficiency, reduce liability, and give them a competitive advantage as other parts of the world regulate the use of toxic materials.

California's EPA had recently launched a Green Chemistry Initiative, investigating ways to promote the design, manufacture, and use of non-toxic chemical products, while reducing waste, creating sustainable businesses and jobs, and using less energy.

We need to make sure that the state adopts a strong program that provides incentives for the use of less-toxic chemicals, but that also phases out the most toxic chemicals and requires substitution of less-toxic alternatives.