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By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Guest Blogger

It’s important for boomer consumers to know whether the products they and their family members use daily are safe.

Last week, we had good news, bad news, and still worse news about toxic chemicals in everyday items consumers buy and that workers are exposed to in the workplace.

Good news

The House and Senate passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

The legislation bans lead from children’s toys and improves the regulation of chemicals posing possible health problems for children who play with and chew on toys. It also strengthens the regulatory processes for the products the Consumer Product Commission oversees and increases resources and funding for the commission.

The act represents the biggest overhaul of the commission since it was established in 1973.

President Bush is expected to sign the bill, according to an Associated Press article.

The photo to the right shows one of the millions of toys that was recalled by the commission in the last few years.

The bad

Six laundry products and air fresheners tested in a University of Washington study gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. However, the chemicals weren’t listed on the labels.

Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs, said the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were discovered surprised her.

Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; as well as acetaldehyde, chloromethane, and 1,4-dioxane, according to a University of Washington report on Steinemann’s study.

“Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic ‘hazardous air pollutants,’ which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level,” Steinemann said.

The ugly

The White House is working to get federal agencies to weaken the regulation of hazardous substances in the last days of the Bush administration. Scientists who usually have input into regulatory processes are complaining.

The agencies involved are the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Labor, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, according to an article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer, “Agencies Asked to Ease Safety Rules.”

Efforts include:

• A plan to alter the way the cancer-causing risk of asbestos is measured.

• Plans for how workers are protected from chemical hazards go directly to the White House Office of Management and Budget, bypassing scientists.

• The firing of John Howard, the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

• Regulations to protect workers from lung cancer and other serious disorders delayed.

• Little action on the regulation of hazardous substances used by manufacturers of consumer products in everyday items used by consumers.

For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.