The Oregon Senate Wednesday passed a bill to regulate chemicals in children’s products for the first time.
Democratic state senator Laurie Monnes Anderson said chemicals can have life-long implications for kids.
“Children are not little adults,” she said. “They have immature systems that are developing rapidly and responding to their environments in ways that have lasting consequences.”
The measure would require the state of Oregon to maintain a list of regulated chemicals, including benzene and mercury. Manufacturers would have to report products that contain those chemicals. Some would have to phase them out of products like pacifiers and children’s cups.
Republicans say the bill goes too far and that Oregon should defer to federal regulations.
The bill now moves on to the House.
Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network
