Thanks to the work of a lot of people over many years ... and initially
to those of us on the Manhattan Citizens' Solid Waste Advisory Board's
waste prevention committee, who in the early - mid 1990s crafted and got
introduced the omnibus Intro 509 of 1995
(
http://geography.hunter.cuny.edu/~mclarke/intro509.htm) and
subsequent bills to set up environmental procurement in NYC, we have made
some significant gains in waste prevention and environmental
procurement.
> NEWS RELEASE
>
> For Immediate Release: For More Information:
> December 21, 2005 Mike Schade, CHEJ, 212-964-3680, 716-698-9951
(cell)
> mike@no.address
> Karl Breyman, CEC, 518-462-5527
> ceckarl@no.address
>
>
> New York City Council Passes Legislation to Reduce Purchase of
Products
> Containing PVC, Lead, Mercury, Toxic Flame Retardants, & Other
Toxic
> Chemicals
>
> City Uses Enormous $11 Billion Purchasing Power to Drive Markets
for
> Safer, Environmentally Friendly Products
>
> (New York, NY) Today the New York City Council passed legislation
that
> will reduce the Cityâ??s purchase of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
plastic,
> Lead, Mercury, Toxic Flame Retardants, and other hazardous
products,
> wielding its $11 billion annual purchasing budget to drive markets
for
> safer, environmentally friendly products. The council passed Int.
544-A,
> Int. 534-A, Int. 536-A, Int. 545-A and Int. 552-A., a package
of
> environmentally preferable purchasing bills.
>
> â??We applaud members of the New York City Council for recognizing
the
> growing public health and environmental threats posed by products
like
> PVC, the poison plastic,â?? said Lois Gibbs, the
housewife-turned-activist
> who led the community effort to relocate hundreds of families away
from
> the infamous Love Canal toxic waste site, and who went on to found
the
> Center for Health, Environment and Justice. â??This new legislation
is a
> major victory for the health of millions of New Yorkers. When
produced
> or burned, PVC may lead to the formation of dioxins, known to
cause
> cancer and other health threats.â??
>
> â??Given that over 90% of all persistent, bioaccumulative toxic
chemicals
> leave manufacturing facilities, not into the air, water, or soil,
but in
> products, this is a truly intelligent, forward-thinking contribution
to
> the global shift away from the use of dangerous, unnecessary
chemicals,â??
> said Karl Breyman of Citizensâ?? Environmental Coalition. â??This
enormous
> market shift will help create an â??economy of scaleâ?? that will
make
> safer
> products more available and affordable for everyone. Innovation
in
> healthy materials is a profitable reality,â?? added Breyman.
>
> The bills that were passed today include:
> ï?§ Int. 544-A: Reduces the purchase of products containing
hazardous
> substances. This includes products such as PVC that lead to the
> formation of dioxins, mercury-added lamps, toxic flame
retardants,
> mercury, and other toxic materials in electronics.
> ï?§ Int. 534-A: Creates an office of environmental purchasing to
develop
> and implement environmental purchasing standards to reduce the
purchase
> of persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals, improve
indoor
> air quality, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
> ï?§ Int. 536-A: Purchases more energy efficient products such as
computers
> and lamps.
> ï?§ Int. 545-A: Increases the purchase of products with recycled
content.
> ï?§ Int. 552-A: Reduces the purchase of toxic cleaning and other
custodial
> products to protect workers.
>
> New York City joins a growing list of cities such as Boston,
Seattle,
> San Francisco, and Buffalo who have passed purchasing policies to
reduce
> the purchase of products such as PVC that lead to the formation
of
> persistent toxic chemicals (PBTs).
>
> PVC is the worst plastic from an environmental health
perspective,
> dangerous throughout its entire life cycle of production, use
and
> disposal. Consumers can identify it by looking for the number
â??3â??,
> â??PVCâ??
> or the letter â??Vâ?? inside or underneath the universal recycling
symbol.
> In addition, soft flexible PVC products often have a distinct odor,
such
> as vinyl shower curtains.
>
> PVC poses a great risk to firefighters and building occupants
in
> building fires, as it releases deadly gases long before it ignites,
such
> as hydrogen chloride which turns to hydrochloric acid when inhaled.
When
> produced or burned, PVC plastic releases dioxins, the most
potent
> synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer and harm
the
> immune and reproductive systems. Studies have shown plasticizers
such as
> phthalates have migrated out of PVC consumer products, exposing
people
> to toxic additives linked to reproductive defects and other
health
> problems. Our bodies are contaminated with toxic chemicals
released
> during the PVC lifecycle, such as mercury, dioxins, and
phthalates,
> which may pose life-long health threats.
>
> PVC cannot be effectively recycled due to the many toxic additives
used
> to soften or stabilize PVC, which can contaminate the recycling
batch.
> In fact, just one PVC bottle can contaminate a recycling load of
100,000
> PET bottles. Safer, cost effective alternatives are readily
available
> for virtually ever use of PVC. From safer plastics, to
bio-based
> materials, there is a growing market for substitutes for hazardous
PVC
> products. In the past year, Microsoft, Johnson and Johnson, Crabtree
&
> Evelyn, Wal-Mart, HP, Kaiser Permanente, and Catholic Healthcare
West,
> Firestone Building Products, and Shaw Industries announced policies
to
> phase out the use of PVC in their products or packaging.
>
> Mercury, a heavy metal, is a persistent toxic chemical that
already
> contaminates many lakes and streams in New York. Because it builds
up as
> it moves up the food chain, many large fish are so contaminated
that
> children and women of childbearing age should not eat them at
all.
> Mercury can severely damage learning and brain development in
exposed
> fetuses, infants and children. It can also harm the spinal cord,
kidneys
> and liver. A study by Mt. Sinai School of Medicine's Center for
> Children's Health found that the U.S. loses $8.7 billion a year due
to
> the impact of mercury on children's brain development. The NYS
> Department of Health has issued scores of fish consumption
advisories
> warning NY anglers to limit or eliminate their consumption of
certain
> fish due to mercury contamination.
>
> Mercury is added to numerous consumer, commercial, industrial,
and
> medical products, and can be released to the environment during
various
> stages of the product life cycle including production,
transportation,
> use, and disposal. For example, mercury blood-pressure gauges can
break,
> releasing mercury to the environment and potentially reaching
dangerous
> levels in indoor air. Mercury-containing products are often
improperly
> disposed of, resulting in mercury emissions from trash incinerators
and
> landfills. Fortunately, there are safe, available,
cost-effective
> replacements for most mercury-containing products. For example, 91%
of
> chain pharmacies and the top ten largest pharmacy chains in the
United
> States have stopped selling mercury fever thermometers. In
addition,
> numerous states including New York, Washington, Michigan,
Connecticut,
> and Maine have all enacted laws to restrict or ban the sale
and/or
> distribution of mercury containing products. More than 1,400 health
care
> facilities in the U.S. have pledged to become mercury-free.
> Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are toxic flame retardants
used
> in consumer products such as computers, furniture and
mattresses,
> carpeting and electronics. They are released from these products
and
> found in dust in homes and offices. Humans are exposed through
inhaling
> such dust. PBDEs persist in the environment and build up in our
bodies.
> Studies show PBDE body burdens are doubling every 2.5 years,
with
> American women having the highest breast milk levels in the
world.
> PBDEs are linked to negative effects on neurological development
and
> thyroid function, leading to impaired intelligence and motor
skills.
> Laboratory tests of animals exposed to PBDEs found tumors of the
liver,
> thyroid, and pancreas. PBDE is considered a possible human
carcinogen,
> according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Burning of
PBDEs
> releases dioxins and furans, which cause health effects at
minute
> levels. Fortunately, there are safe, available, cost-effective
> replacements for most polybrominated diphenyl ethers, such as the
use of
> phosphate type flame retardants, inherently flame resistant fiber
or
> non-woven barriers, and product redesign to eliminate the fire
load.
> Many electronicsâ?? firms have already eliminated or committed
to
> eliminating PBDEs, including Philips, Electrolux, Sony, Dell,
Intel,
> Apple and Hewlett Packard.
>
> The Center for Health, Environment and Justice is a national
> environmental organization that leads national campaigns on
PVC,
> precautionary action, childrenâ??s environmental health, and
provides
> people with technical information and organizing training to
protect
> their communities from environmental contaminants. Citizensâ??
> Environmental Coalition is New York Stateâ??s leading Environmental
Health
> organization working at the grassroots, state and national levels
toward
> a future in which children are born without toxic chemicals in
their
> bodies.
>
> For more information on the hazards of PVC, log onto
>
www.besafenet.com/pvc.htm
> For more information on the availability of safer, cost- and
> performance-effective products, log onto
www.safer-products.org
>
>
> - 30 -
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Mike Schade
> PVC Campaign Coordinator
> Center for Health, Environment and Justice
> 9 Murray Street, Floor 3, New York, NY 10007-2223
> Phone: (212) 964-3680
> Fax: (212) 349-1366
> mike@no.address
>
www.besafenet.com/pvc.htm
> www.chej.org
>
>
> Want to raise money for your group and spread the word about your
issue?
> Ask me about joining CHEJ's first annual national Making the
Link
> Walkathon!
>
>
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Maggie
Clarke, Ph.D.
mclarke@no.address
Environmental Scientist and
Educator
http://geography.hunter.cuny.edu/~mclarke/index.html
New York City
|