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Environmental Health is Economic Health

Next time you hear a chemical industry rep (or one of their many fronts) whine about how eliminating toxic chemicals will be too expensive, will wreck our economy, will cause another outbreak of socialism, body odor, and/or Paris Hilton, just remember this number:  $5.85 billion (for those of you who prefer to bask in the full, base-ten glory of imponderably large numbers, that’s $5,850,000,000).

You see, according to a study released today, $5.85*109 is the cost to our economy of four childhood diseases linked with toxic chemicals in the environment.

Per year.

In Michigan.

In other words, toxic chemicals aren’t just killing us.  They’re also breaking the bank, and they’re doing it in spite of what the lying sinvergüenzas in the chemical industry would have you believe.

It’s time for meaningful, sensible regulations that force companies to demonstrate their chemicals are safe before they start putting them in our babies’ toys, beds, clothing, milk, etc.

Let’s force the chemical industry to look before it leaps.  Really, do we still even need to say this?

Next time you see a chemical industry rep (or one of their many fronts) stand up and whine about how eliminating toxic chemicals will be too expensive, will wreck our economy, will cause another outbreak of socialism, body odor, and/or Paris Hilton, just remember this number: $5.85 billion (that’s $5,850,000,000 for those of you who prefer to bask in the full base-ten glory of imponderably large numbers).

You see, according to a study released today, 5.85*109 is the cost in dollars of four childhood diseases linked with toxic chemicals in the environment.

Per year.

In Michigan.

In other words, toxic chemicals aren’t just killing us.They’re breaking the bank.

It’s time for meaningful, sensible, regulations that force companies to demonstrate their chemicals are safe before they start putting them in our babies’ toys, beds, clothing, milk, etc.