Your New BFF, the Chemical Industry

Right now, Congress has stepped up its pace on the 36-year crawl towards assuring the safety of 80,000 chemicals to which infants, children, adults, food, air and water sources are regularly exposed, with most unstudied, and many causing health problems. And guess who has emerged as the self nominated new BFF of chemical safety? Why, behold, it's the American Chemistry Council!

Surprise! Our new pal is as concerned as we are about safety in chemicals, and even in oil and gas drilling. Well, maybe not as concerned. But concerned.

The ACC wants to assure us "that information and dialogue have the power to create change: in our industry, in our communities, and in our world. Our member companies are investing in the future through community outreach projects."

Dialogue and change are important? So glad you feel that way. Want to talk? Music to our ears.

So let's talk whether or not our new BFF is on the same page with us.

According to the 11 million people in the Safer Chemicals Coalition, we need "Public safety information for all chemicals, and prompt action to phase out the most dangerous chemicals."

Our BFF wants to delay action while only studying a handful chemicals already proven dangerous, rather than all 80,000 others.

Gosh, do we have less in common than we thought?

Well, let's see where we all stand on options for chemical safety testing:

Should we test the exposures as we actually experience them in real life?

Should we study one chemical at a time with no reference to actual exposure levels and combinations as they show up in people? The ACC wants it that way. Too bad no one lives in a lab.

Can we still save our friendship? Let's see.

Next, we're concerned that BPA is a reproductive health risk. We want to protect our kids.

When California proposed its new BPA ban, did our new BFF support it? No, they spent $5 million trying to defeat the new BPA ban.

Hey BFF, Is this what you mean by "community outreach?" What a pal!

"For the last year the chemical industry has expressed support for reform and taken bows for being forward thinking," said Andy Igrejas, the director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. "Yet they have relentlessly attacked reform efforts in Congress. We hope to expose that contradiction and urge Congress to get tough on toxic chemicals now."

Now it turns out that the ACC wants us to meet its BFF-- the gas and oil industry. Their poor friend is not very popular at the moment. They can't think why.

Since this is our new BFF's BFF, let's listen when the ACC stands up for its buddy. "With proper oversight, the (oil and gas) industry should be given the opportunity to continue doing its important job," says the ACC President in a recent post in the Hill's Congress blog. "With the chemical industry already facing high costs for energy, intense foreign competition, and razor-thin margins, we need domestic, competitively-priced oil and gas more than ever."

Talk about close friends! What a bond. Let's all hold hands.

Wait a minute. "Competitively priced." Haven't I heard that before? Doesn't that mean something like despite billions in profits, we can't afford safety?

Where does our new BFF's BFF really stand?

Well since the Gulf disaster, which neither the oil industry nor government can remediate, do our new friends want to go back and do their homework on adequate safety measures? Not exactly. They oppose any ban on drilling to do that.

Well, let's take the practice of hydraulic fracturing gas drilling, which injects into the earth billions of gallons of water mixed with 595 toxic chemicals. Hey, chemicals. No wonder the ACC is a stand-up buddy for oil and gas drillers.

Natural Gas, called NG by its pals, is hot, new, and trendy, and insists it's oh-so safe and green, despite explosions, spills, groundwater contamination, and air pollution. Since our quote unquote natural new pal was exempted by Dick Cheney from the Clean Water Drinking Act, did NG volunteer to adhere to it? No.

Did NG volunteer to make chemical information available? No.
Will NG hold back from forcing its friendship on New York until environmental studies and good regulation can assure safety practices to protect New York City's unfiltered water supply? No.

Hate to spoil this new friendship, but... With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Watch this clip that shows what your wannabe BFF says behind your back:

It looks like NG's fave shade of green is military drab, as in march in and take over. Hopefully, in upcoming elections, Americans will be less naive about "friendly" legislators tempted by deep pocket offers and economic promises from our former BFF's and their clique.

Do you know who your real friends are? What kind of friend are you? Do you stand up to be counted with friends who stand up for you? Or are you too busy with your own stuff?

Hope you don't mind this gentle reminder. Cause isn't that what friendship's all about?

Ask your Congressman to support strong provisions in the New Safe Chemicals bill in Congress right now.

Just in from Josh Fox, director of Gasland, Yesterday the Delaware River Basin Commission, which has the duty of protecting water used in PA, NJ, and NY, granted permits for frackers to take public river water, and dig wells in the river basin basin area. WRITE THEM NOW to object. [e-mail] and [e-mail] and [e-mail]

Protect Gulf clean up workers from toxic chemicals.

Save Gulf wildlife

Demand safety before drilling to protect New York';s water supply.

Follow me on FB, Twitter, @AlisonRoseLevy, and my green health action and information blog at: www.healthjournalistblog.com

 

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Comments

[scubesolution]

06:36 AM on 08/21/2010

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Update News

[RightsGuy]

12:51 AM on 08/19/2010

Participants nationwide wrote the FIGHT WASHINGTON CORRUPTION pledge collaboratively.

We need to reach 500,000 individual signatures on the FIGHT WASHINGTON CORRUPTION pledge.

We're only 8,000 signatures away.

Can you ask someone you know to sign the pledge right now?

Send them to: http://www.fightwashingtoncorruption.com/

There is more information on the website. You can see which members of Congress have signed the pledge and watch the counter on the page as we reach our goal.

Please disseminate this widely! Thanks.

[HolliThompson]

12:36 PM on 07/18/2010

Alison, you have once again brought forth something that we all need to know. Thanks for your insights and we appreciate your work- reposting this one for sure.
Holli Thompson, Nutritional Style

[Ana4]

02:57 PM on 07/17/2010

It's about time; I'm sure. Does anyone else realize that dentists know 100+ years ago that mercury-amalgam fillings were toxic? They knew, as well as the AMA; numerous papers have been published to that effect in med & dental journals from the 1890's onward. They knew and chose, for the most part, to ignore the fact that they were making people ill and didn't care. I had all my amalgams replaced 10 years ago and am enjoying better health by far.
Had an interesting conversation with an MD once; she prescribed antibiotics. I said, but antibiotics had ruined my immune system decades before then. She replied, "Of course a/b's ruin the immune system!" Did I walk away without a dose? Ya!

Thank you Alison, for your great blogs. I'm a big fan! Thank you for your continued reports on health & environmental issues, and here's a big hug for the ones on HH the Dalai Lama, the 13 Grandmothers, and Deepak Chopra and his group.

[Elizabeth McAdoo]

11:12 AM on 07/15/2010

Very good article.

[Alison Rose Levy]

12:16 PM on 07/15/2010

Thank you so much, Elizabeth-- every voice counts!! Have a great day!

[greg tayon]

10:58 AM on 07/15/2010

What allows Earth to support life is its water and breathable air. If we poison both of these then the conclusion should be easy to see. However, big business and the politicians it "owns" have the same mentality as the "bad guys" in James Bond movies that threaten to blow up the world if they don't get what they want without realizing that their actions will also kill them. We are creating a situation whereby we will be forced to live in the same type of domes you see in futuristic movies because our air is too toxic to breath. For instance, the emissions from the condensation tanks used in extracting "natural" gas are invisible to the naked eye and, thus, are going into our atmosphere without notice. However, the shear number of these tanks around urban areas like Ft. Worth, Texas pose a real risk to the citizens and the animals that live in and around these tanks. The ONLY way to fight this type of callous behavior on the part of big business and the politicians it owns is to take the fight to each one of them on a personal level. Go to the homes and offices of the politicians who support this type of environmental poisoning and let them know that what they are doing is wrong and will not be tolerated. Also, support candidates to unseat these politicians. Bring the fight to the streets or nothing will happen.

[Alison Rose Levy]

12:10 PM on 07/15/2010

You are so right, Greg. Also if you've seen Gasland, (on HBO on Demand this summer) you know that the toxic produced water that winds up in peoples' homes can eat through a whole house reverse osmosis filter quite rapidly so I;m not sure if filtration is an option.

I tell people that if you think someone else will do it, and you are too busy with something else, then you are enabling the problem. Unless elected leadership, policies, laws, and regulations change, nothing will.

Thanks for your wisdom and please sign up for my free ezine at: www.healthjournalistblog.com
I regularly offer actions from a wide range of groups as well as blogs and radio shows with health and environmental leaders.

[liftitup]

09:00 AM on 07/14/2010

"With friends like these..." And now that the Supreme Court has made corporations citizens, we will be seeing these pals spending trainloads of money to ensure that they continue to have friends in high places. Ironic that many Americans still go strutting around as in their hyperpatriotism as this was the greatest democracy in the world, when it's looking more and more every day like another declining empire that hasn't beren able to tweak its creaking institutions enough to keep them vital and responsive to change. With so much amity around, we may need a retronym to distinguish the old from the new kind of friend. Retronyms, you will remember, are terms that have to be redefined because a new invetion or development of some kind has made them ambiguous. Biological mother, corn on the cob, film camera--these are all retronyms.What about HF, for human friend, and AC for actual citizen?

[Alison Rose Levy]

12:15 PM on 07/15/2010

Thanks for pointing out that this is all connected. People see that but then they feel too overwhelmed to act because it feels so hopeless. C'mon, let's hold hands and do it together!

[Chezsven]

07:23 PM on 07/13/2010

This would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. How can the American Chemical Council drag its feet on the regulation of toxic chemicals? Evidence is mounting that they wreck havoc in our bodies and our lives. Enough is enough already. Yes, we must only support legislators in favor of the Safe Chemicals Act. I was totally shocked when the American Cancer Society came out against the recommendations of the President's Cancer Panel. Know why? Some of their biggest backers are chemical companies. Ugh! Sickening. How many people have to get cancer before environmental pollution is seen as a hazard by the general population?? Please keep reporting on this topic. It is so important to spread the word.

[Alison Rose Levy]

08:36 PM on 07/13/2010

Thanks for mentioning it. I actually am writing a book on this topic. Based on my 25 year background covering integrative health care, my view is that on a policy level, we don't assure safety, on a medical level, we don't measure toxic levels in the body, and we don't help support the release of chemicals and other toxins. This leaves people sick and using costly late stage interventions such as those researched by the ACS. While it's hard to believe that these infrastructures could be uncaring, we have to take responsibility for not demanding that they care. The erosion of public protections under the prior administration is something people have woken up to. It's time to act and keep on acting. Here's another blog which may interest you; http://healthjournalistblog.com/making-the-world-safe-for-cancer/

Alison
www.healthjournalistblog.com

[Shayna Samuels]

03:42 PM on 07/13/2010

Alison - thanks for this story! I want to laugh and cry at the same time. Shayna

[Alison Rose Levy]

08:48 PM on 07/13/2010

Shayna: I feel the same way. You know friends and friends and relatives of friends call me when there is a health crisis. People write me and share their stories. So many people are struggling with sick children and feel desperate. They don't understand what's happening. I so feel for them, and that's why I cover these topics. But when it hits you or a family member, it's late in the game cause standard health care does not address the resulting illnesses well. So the idea is to bestir oneself now rather than have a problem later on. Do it for your kids and the next generation-- cause these toxins build up in the earth, water and our bodies and they don't go away. The time is now.

Alison
www.healthjournalistblog.com

[Alison Rose Levy]

03:05 PM on 07/13/2010

I totally agree that we need more oversight. But to get oversight, we need people to take action.Due to industry influence both within and without, the laws and regulations that will benefit the public health and safety will not be the ones that are enacted unless we get involved at every level. It's not just about using fewer plastic bags-- or turning off the light-- although those things are good. It's about acting together and knowing who your real friends are. That means working with them and not taking for granted that the government or someone else will do it for you.

Alison
Sign up for free weekly green/health insight, science, and activism ezine at www.healthjournalistblog.com

[SWFrank]

04:35 PM on 07/13/2010

Great post, Alison. Thanks for providing the context we all need to stay skeptical about what industry will and will not do to forward clean energy, non-toxic products, and everything else.

[aligatorhardt]

02:43 PM on 07/13/2010

We need real oversight on dangerous chemicals. The industry has never policed itself. Most of the worse chemicals have been studied already. We do not need most of these materials, but we all need clean water, soil and air. If a substance is banned else where we should follow their lead. You can make profits off cleaner products.