Healthy Kids Healthy Maryland

We need to do more to regulate toxic chemicals and prevent vulnerable populations, like women of reproductive age, developing children and factory workers from being unwittingly exposed to toxic chemicals.

Today, we are seeing the long-term impact that dangerous chemicals have on people. Leukemia, brain cancer and other childhood cancers have increased by more than 20% since 1975; asthma rates have doubled since 1980; and autism diagnoses have increased tenfold in the last 15 years.

So, Maryland PIRG is pushing to convince the General Assembly to pass stronger protections to ensure products sold in Maryland are safe for children.

OUR COMMON-SENSE STEPS TO A TOXIC-FREE MARYLAND

Our campaign pushes for concrete steps that will help make it easier for Marylanders to protect themselves from toxic chemicals.

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Maryland platform calls for three common-sense steps to protect Marylanders from toxic chemical exposure:

• Expand state authority to phase out health-harming chemicals and replace them with safe alternatives;
• Provide consumers with health and safety information about the presence of toxic chemicals in everyday products; and
• Support and encourage research, innovation, education and technology transfer in the field of green chemistry, making Maryland a leader in safe product development.