Consumers use billions of pounds of cleaning and other household products every year. Cleaning the house means spraying tile and counter cleaners around the kitchen and bathroom and washing clothes and dishes in detergents. As it now stands, consumers have little to no information about the chemicals contained in these products and there is no legal requirement for full ingredient labeling.
Some laundry detergents include monothanolanmine, a surfactant known to induce occupational asthma. Phthalates, which have been linked to a list of adverse problems including reduced sperm count in adult men and allergies and asthma in children, are used as fragrance carriers in detergents and glass cleaners. A study by Environmental Working Group testing air emissions from 21 products found a total of 457 air contaminants, including known carcinogens.
Rep. Israel introduced the Household Product Labeling Act (H.R.3057) during the 111th Congress so that finally consumers can get all the facts about the products used every day in the home. The Household Product Labeling Act will require manufacturers of cleaning products to list all the ingredients clearly on the product or its packing.
Rep. Israel’s bill is endorsed by: Audubon Society, Environmental Working Group, Cancer Prevention Coalition, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Healthy Child Healthy World, Toxics Information Project, OMB Watch, Public Citizen, Oregon Toxics Alliance, Oregon Center for Environmental Health, Method, SEIU, Seventh Generation, Teens Turning Green, Maid Brigade, Breast Cancer Action and Association of Reproductive Health Professionals.
Poison Free Poultry
According to EPA estimates, the average American adult consumes more than 60 pounds of poultry a year. However, much of this poultry contains a harmful form of arsenic that is added to make the birds grow faster and to make their meat appear artificially more pink. Arsenic has been linked to cancer, diabetes and other health problems.
The drug is called Roxarsone. It is an arsenic-containing antimicrobial drug. Some of the arsenic fed to chickens remains in the edible portions of the birds. Arsenic has also been found in poultry waste, where it poses environmental and human health risks when the waste is managed.
The FDA regulates tolerance levels for animal drug residue. But the tolerance levels for arsenic in edible animal tissue are more than three decades old, predating the latest cancer and arsenic exposure research. Rep. Israel’s "Poison Free Poultry Act of 2009" (H.R.3624) bans roxarsone for use as an additive in the U.S. food supply.
Rep. Israel’s legislation is endorsed by Union of Concerned Scientists, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Humane Society of the United States, The Clean Water Network, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Food & Water Watch, The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Waterkeeper Alliance, Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water, The Organic Consumers Association, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), Ohio Environmental Council, Friends of the Earth, The Center for Food Safety, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Sierra Club, The Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of Family Farmers and Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Combatting Counterfeit Drugs
Rep. Israel has also been a leader in ensuring counterfeit prescription drugs are eradicated as a threat to the American consumer. In June 2009, Rep. Israel re-introduced Tim Fagan’s Law (H.R. 2726), which expands FDA authority to crack down on counterfeiting and increases criminal penalties for counterfeiters. To hear more about the legislation, watch Rep. Israel's video blog:
Some laundry detergents include monothanolanmine, a surfactant known to induce occupational asthma. Phthalates, which have been linked to a list of adverse problems including reduced sperm count in adult men and allergies and asthma in children, are used as fragrance carriers in detergents and glass cleaners. A study by Environmental Working Group testing air emissions from 21 products found a total of 457 air contaminants, including known carcinogens.
