4 results for author: Colin Price
Oregon Health Authority Wrestles With Commitment to Transparency
At the most recent meeting of the Toxic Free Kids Act Rules Advisory Committee the chemical industry publicly admitted that many chemicals in kids’ products may lack key data on their safety. This sort of disregard for product safety and transparency is sadly a routine page out of the chemical industry's playbook.
The issue of transparency was another hot topic during the most recent rules meeting. While it's a common move for industry associations and manufacturers to refuse to provide transparency on chemical ingredients and safety assessments, it's less common to see it from state agencies.
The heart of the matter under consideration by ...
OEC and Partners Voice Concern About Draft Toxic Toys Regs
As the state agency process to develop regulations for Oregon's Toxic Free Kids Act continues, Oregon Environmental Council and our partners are voicing concern over the most recent round of draft rules.
The rules in question deal with a loophole in the law that could allow manufacturers a waiver from regulations requiring removal of toxic chemicals from kids’ products. Under the law, Oregon Health Authority must grant these waivers if a manufacturer can demonstrate that kids won't be exposed to toxic chemicals in products.
Our primary concern with the draft rules is that the agency’s proposal for exposure waivers goes beyond what is allowed ...
OHA Making Smart Moves on Toxic Toys Rules
As we've mentioned in previous blog posts, Oregon is in the midst of an important process to establish key regulations related to toxic ingredients in products made for kids.
The third and most recent meeting of the Toxic Free Kids Act Rules Advisory Committee yielded important information. We've been waiting to see how the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) would propose to evaluate the hazard of different chemicals used in kids’ products. This decision is critical because it will help prevent manufacturers from substituting a toxic chemical on Oregon's regulatory list for another toxic chemical that isn't on the list.
Fortunately for Oregon's ...
Staying power for healthy kids
It isn't glamorous, and sometimes it is downright tedious--but participating in rulemaking for Oregon's Toxic Free Kids Act is also one of the more rewarding parts of my job. Why? Because at every meeting, I get to stand up for children's health as a top priority in Oregon.
Here's how it works:
Oregon's Toxic Free Kids Act, when it passed in 2015, made the Oregon Health Authority responsible for a very unique program. The agency will manage one of very few laws in the United States that requires manufacturers to report when they use toxic chemicals in their children's products, and then to phase out those toxics and ensure that any ...