With all the pollution in the air we breathe, I wondered when someone would take a stand, showing just how health-harming these toxic substances really are. California took the lead late last week, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law that will attempt to measure the presence and concentration of designated contaminants its residents absorb from common products suspected to be toxic.

Assisted by a scientific panel appointed by Schwarzenegger and the legislature, the goal of the new law is to study samples of blood, urine, breast milk and hair from Californians living all over the state who volunteer to have their toxic burden tested, says State Sen. Deborah Ortiz, who co-authored the measure.

The new law took five years to become a reality, thanks to intense lobbying by big business, meaning chemical and agriculture industries. In particular, Ortiz credits the work done by the Environmental Working Group whose 2005 report identified 287 contaminants alone in umbilical-cord blood.

To get up to speed on the toxins that are harming your health, please take a few minutes to read this article I posted last year and learn the many ways you can avoid them.

Reuters September 29, 2006

California Progress Report September 30, 2006