New: Chemical Reporting
2008 Maine Kids Safe Products Act
Maine is one of 18 states that have passed laws to protect children's health from toxic chemicals in consumer products. In 2008, the Legislature adopted the Kid-Safe Products Act. The law does three things:
1. Names Priority Chemicals. When state toxicologists at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree the best available science shows chemicals are hazardous to health and will likely expose a child or fetus, then the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) can adopt a rule to designate the substance as a Priority Chemical;
2. Discloses Priority Chemicals Used in Products. Manufacturers are required to report on the Priority Chemicals they add to the consumer products specified in the DEP rule. This fills a critical information gap since no one, including retailers or consumers, knows which toxic chemicals are used in common products; and
3. May Require Safer Alternatives. Subject to legislative approval, the use of a Priority Chemical in a product may be phased out if DEP shows that children are exposed and safer alternatives are available, effective and affordable.
For more information see:
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, Chapter 16-D, Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products
Maine Safe Chemical Rules for BPA and NPE
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