Listen Live to the US Senate Hearing on Toxic Chemicals on February 4

Posted on Feb 3, 2010 | Comments (0)

February 4, the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health is holding a hearing to examine the current science on public exposure to toxic chemicals. The federal law governing toxic chemical production and use, the Toxic Substances Control Act, is due to be updated with new legislation by Subcommittee Chair, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in early 2010.

What will they say? Are the Feds going to represent California's interest in protecting health and the environment from toxic chemicals?

Find out by listening live to the Senate Hearing Feb 4, 10:00 am (EST) (7:00 am PST) thanks to Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, Pacifica Radio Network and Free Speech Radio News.

Then come back to this space and tell us what you thought.

Studies show that chemicals from everyday consumer products are now present in people’s bodies. Scientific evidence is strong and growing that linkages exist between exposure to these toxic chemicals and the incidence of diseases and conditions such as asthma, autism, breast cancer, leukemia, thyroid disease and learning disabilities.

California will be represented by Tracey J. Woodruff PhD, MPH, Associate Professor and Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Woodruff reviewed the recently released report by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, “The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act.”

Other witnesses include:

•Stephen Owens, Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, EPA

•Henry Falk M.D., M.P.H. Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, CDC

•John Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, GAO

•Linda Birnbaum Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., Director, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences

•Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group

•Charles McKay MD FACMT, FACEP, ABIM Division of Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital

And don't forget to come back to this space to tell us what you think of the hearing.