KEF joins toxic law reform

Local News

January 25, 2010

By Ronica Shannon The Richmond Register Mon Jan 25, 2010, 08:41 AM EST

The Kentucky Environmental Foundation (KEF) co-released a report Thursday with the national “Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families” coalition about the cost savings associated with overhauling federal chemical policies.

Elizabeth Crowe, executive director of the Berea-based KEF, said the new analysis, titled “The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act,” documents the enormous health care costs of treating diseases linked to chemical exposure.

The report, using peer-reviewed research, details the increase of chronic diseases, such as certain types of cancer, autism, leukemia, Parkinson’s and asthma. The authors explain how updating federal chemical policy can reduce chemical exposure and prevent these diseases.

During the last 30 years, tens of thousands of peer reviewed studies have built a large body of evidence demonstrating that chemical exposure can cause and contribute to some of our nation's most serious health problems from childhood cancer to infertility, Crowe said.

Those statistics are especially important to Berea resident Ashley Cochrane. She and her mother are both cancer survivors, and Ashley is concerned for the future health of Sylvia, her 5-month-old daughter, Crowe said.

“I am acutely aware that each day, simply by living, all of us are exposed to chemicals that may be harming our health,” Cochrane said. “We should not have to worry that products we buy in the grocery or pharmacy or hardware store, to eat or use on our bodies or in our homes, are making us sick, causing diseases, or leading to birth defects in future generations. It is my strong hope that someday all of our children will know that the chemicals around them have been tested and proven to be safe for their health.”

The primary federal law governing chemical safety is the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which has never been significantly amended since its adoption in 1976, Crowe said.

“Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency administrator, has identified comprehensive reform of the toxics law as a key Obama Administration priority, stating that the law fails to provide EPA with the authority it needs to ensure chemicals are safe,” Crowe said. “Of the 80,000 chemicals used in the U.S., EPA has been able to require safety testing on only 200. And 60,000 chemicals - including bisphenol A - were grandfathered in for use without any testing for health safety. New legislation to bring the toxics law into the 21st century will be introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) in early 2010.”

Conservative estimates shows that reducing these diseases by 0.1 percent could save $5 billion in health care costs, Crowe said.

A new bill that would update the toxic chemical law is expected to be introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) in early 2010.

Visit www.saferchemicals.org to view a the entire “Health Case” report.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.

Text Only

Local News

‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.

Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).

Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School.

May 27, 2012 5 Photos
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report.

May 27, 2012
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
May 26, 2012
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

KEF joins toxic law reform

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map