American Nurses Association Joins Safer Chemicals Healthy Families Coalition In Demanding Stronger Protections From Toxic Chemicals

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 22 Jan 2010 - 3:00 PDT

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The American Nurses Association (ANA), the largest nursing organization in the US, joins its partners in the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SCHF) coalition in touting the release of new analysis on the need for toxic chemical legislation reform. "The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)" provides evidence to support that rising rates of chronic diseases and health care costs could be reduced by overhauling federal chemical policy.

This report suggests that reducing exposure to chemicals contributing to chronic diseases would have a beneficial effect on the health of the American public as well as the health care system. The report summarizes a number of peer-reviewed studies that estimate the disease burden attributable to chemical exposure. Conservatively assuming that chemical policy reform were to reduce the contribution of toxic chemical exposures to chronic diseases by 0.1 percent, the resulting reduction in annual health care costs would amount to an estimated $5 billion. The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition has estimated health care cost savings on a state-by-state basis, using census figures projected for 2020.

"Current regulations and previous legislation failed to adequately protect people from chemical exposure," remarked ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. "This failure has negative effects on both our physical and our fiscal well-being. As the largest group of health care providers, nurses have a duty to inform and educate the public about potential hazards and work toward reducing or eliminating these environmental threats. ANA supports TSCA reform as a means of creating a healthier environment and a healthier population."

TSCA, first signed into law in 1976, authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to screen existing and new industrial chemicals used in U.S. manufacturing and commerce and to identify potentially dangerous products or uses that should be subject to federal control.

The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition urges lawmakers to enact effective TSCA reform and modernize this legislation to protect the health of people and the environment, while restoring the public's confidence in the chemical safety component of consumer products and manufacturing processes.

To read the full report, please visit http://www.saferchemicals.org

Source
American Nurses Association

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